THE POWER AND PRESERVATION OF THE PERSECUTED CHURCH, PART 2 PERSECUTION OF CHRIST FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life;" Revelation 2:9-10 (NKJV). You can know something by observation and information; but Jesus Christ is saying that He knew what the church of Smyrna was going through by participation. He knows what we are going through. There's nothing we are going through that He is not going through with us. There's no pain, suffering, persecution that He is not participating with you. That was why Jesus asked Saul, "Why are you persecuting me?" Acts 9:4-5 When Jesus said that He knew their persecution, He meant that He knew their pressure. In Roman Empire, when they want to kill someone, they will lay a large rock on his chest. The rock will slowly, gradually, systematically pressure the person to death. Jesus was talking about the pressure of a heavy load, heavy suffering. "I know your blasphemy" means reproach, piercing painful insult, the abuse that they were heaping upon the people. When people insult, abuse you, don't think that Jesus does not know. Jesus Christ was saying I know your intense pressure, poverty and persecution but you are rich. You are rich that Jesus said is a revelation of what the church in Smyrna were. "Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" James 2:5 (NKJV). Maybe you don't have money, material things, health, people are looking at you that you are in abject poverty but you have faith. You are rich in faith. Once you have faith, you can have every other thing. Rich in faith: the possibilities and greatness of faith. When you join your faith with prayer, you will come out of that situation and come into the sunshine of all the provision of the Lord. “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan," Revelation 2:9 (NKJV). In the Roman world at that time, in all the cities that were controlled by Caesar, the Roman Emperor, there was the worship of Caesar. In the worship of Caesar, they will say "Caesar is Lord." They go to the shrine, the temple dedicated to Caesar and they will worship and burn incense to him. The Jews did this because they want all the vast empires of the Roman emperor to be totally united. They want it to be united under a single figure 'Caesar.' The only way they thought they could do that is to exalt Caesar to the point of deity. PLEASE CONTINUE IN THE COMMENT.
The devil shall cast some of you into prison; that you may be tried and have tribulation "ten days." What does that mean? Does it mean literally 10 days? Jesus meant that it will be very short; it will be very brief. Whenever the bible mentions 10 days, it means just a short time. David was thinking when God will bring vengeance on Nabal, but it came in such a short period of time, 1 Samuel 25:38. The Jews literally refers to a short period of time as ten days. When Jesus said tribulation, trials and persecution was coming to the church in Smyrna, it wasn't a surprise. In His earthly ministry, Jesus mentioned it. Matthew 10:16-22. The church in Smyrna was a pure church with no rebuke in a hostile environment. Their persecution had perfected them. They were strengthen in their suffering. Life was dangerous in Smyrna because they refused to bow in their kneel to worship Caesar as deity, as a god and as an idol.
The church in Smyrna were persecuted, they were rendered poor and they were denied their civic right and they were blasphemed and slandered because 1. The church in Smyrna had unswervingly loyalty to Jesus Christ. 2. They had uncompromising faithfulness to the word of God. 3. They had undivided loyalty, undivided devotion to the Lord Jesus. 4. It was because of their opposition to the worship of Emperor Caesar. 5. They refused to associate with the pagan Jews who profess they were worshipping God but in reality they were the synagogue of Satan. The church in Smyrna had every reason to collapse and backslide because of the pressure on them, their poverty, the persecution. They could have said this is too much, we cannot bear this again. But they remain faithful and they were rich in love, faith, grace, holiness and spiritual power. These persecuted pure church survived and they are still remaining until this very day. They were persecuted, purified and preserved. I pray that the pressures of life and persecution from the world will not make you to backslide in Jesus name.
Christ's Ambassador
8moSo they will say Caesar is Lord. When they worship in the temple, they will give them a certificate meaning they have paid their dues; they have done the right thing and worship Caesar saying, "Caesar is Lord." If they are looking for any job, they are going to tender the certificate to show that they are a loyal citizen in that empire and in their community. But the Christians said "Jesus is Lord." They were not ready to bow to any other god, any other deity and they didn't say "Caesar is Lord." Therefore they did not give them the certificate that will show that they have worship Caesar. That gave them real problem since they don't have the certificate to get job. There was also no security for the Christians. They thought the Christians were rebels in the nation (in the empire) and to Caesar. They did not submit to Caesar. The Jews that bow to Caesar were the ones reporting the believers in Christ to Caesar. That was why Jesus said "I know the blasphemy of the people that said they were Jews but they are not the real Jews spiritually but are of the synagogue of Satan. There is going to be suffering but fear non of those things which you shall suffer.