Shall not be hurt of the second death

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write
These things saith the first and the last
which was dead and is alive
I know thy works
and tribulation
and
poverty
but thou art rich
and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews
and are not
but are the synagogue of Satan.
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer
behold,
the devil shall cast some of you into prison- that ye may be tried
and ye shall have tribulation ten days
be thou faithful unto death
and I will give thee a crown of life.
He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches
He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.


(((If, as we talked about already, the seven churches spoken of represent God's people throughout time- the period of time suggested by others who have studied Revelation for the first chruch- Ephesus is.. 'the period from the resurrection of Christ to the close of the first century, or to the death of the last of the apostles.' And the second chruch - Smyrna - 'the date of the Smyrna church would be A.D. 100-323.' How do they come to this date?


Well first let's look at what's said.


'And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write
These things saith the first and the last
which was dead and is alive'


John through the Spirit is writing to the angel of the people of God in Smyrna. The first, the last, which was dead and is alive. Jesus.


'I know thy works
and tribulation
and
poverty
but thou art rich'


He knows the works- the actions of His people in Smyrna. He also knows their tribulation. He understands what they're going through. Tribulation. If I say I'm going through tribulation am I talking about a little bit of a hard time? No. I'm talking about a very hard time, a time of such suffering, of such afflicition it doesn't compare to ordinary upsets. Jesus knows the actions, the works, and He knows of the intense suffering of those people. He also knows of their poverty- their deficencies, unproductiveness, their lacking but even as He knows of their poverty He knows they are rich. A conflict? Can one be in poverty and be rich at the same time? They sure can be if we are thinking along the lines of being poor in one thing while rich in another. You can have a person poor in finances and rich in optimism. Jesus know it all- the suffering the poverty and the riches. We are told in the Bible this--


Matthew {19:24} And again I say unto you, It is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for
a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.


With this in mind it's easy to imagine the 'rich' spoken of here is something other than monetary riches but rather riches that God treasure.


Matthew {6:20} But lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal


Heavenly riches.


A person can be rich in heavenly treasures and in poverty upon the earth. You can be rich in one thing and lacking in another. You can have a richness of love and a poverty of kindness. Jesus knows all of us the good and the bad in us - His people throughout time.


'and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews
and are not
but are the synagogue of Satan.
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer
behold,
the devil shall cast some of you into prison- that ye may be tried
and ye shall have tribulation ten days'



Blasphemy- 1. a. A contemptuous or profane act, utterance, or writing concerning God or a sacred entity. b. The act of claiming for oneself the attributes and rights of God.
2. An irreverent or impious act, attitude, or utterance in regard to something considered inviolable or sacrosanct.

Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary


There are those who claim to be God's but are really from where? The 'synagogue of Satan.' Devil worshippers who claim to be God's people. God knows who those people are and truly there are those in all age who are guilty of this- of claiming to be God's people while their lives, their hearts say otherwise.


God doesn't want His people to fear things that will be suffered by them. Again in all ages we face suffering for our faith and yet we are to fear not.


The devil will put some of God's people in prison- those people will be tried and have tribulation ten days. Now this is where we have to ask ourselves a question- ten days? In prophecy days can stand for years. Is there any notable ten year period of tribulation for God's people?


There is...

'The Diocletianic Persecution (or Great Persecution) was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman empire.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletianic_Persecution

In 303, Emperor Diocletian and his colleagues Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding Christians' legal rights and demanding they comply with traditional religious practices. Later edicts targeted the clergy and demanded universal sacrifice, ordering all inhabitants to sacrifice to the gods. The persecution varied in intensity across the empire—weakest in Gaul and Britain, where only the first edict was applied, and strongest in the Eastern provinces. Persecutionary laws were nullified by different emperors at different times, but Constantine and Licinius's Edict of Milan (313) has traditionally marked the end of the persecution.'


303 to 313 - ten years!


The revelation was-

'the devil shall cast some of you into prison- that ye may be tried and ye shall have tribulation ten days'


Ten days- Ten years of GREAT tribulation, great suffering, great persecution.


The prophecy goes on to say-

'be thou faithful unto death
and I will give thee a crown of life.
He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches
He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death'


Be faithful unto death. Telling them what? They would die! God's people, His church, would be persecuted to the death.


Faithful unto death. In truth we all throughout time must be faithful unto death, we must be determined to be God's until we die no matter what the cost might be. Faithful unto death.


The reward for such faithfulness is a crown of life! The crown of life given for those who receive life eternal in Jesus. The price is well worth the sacrifice to obtain such a priceless gift.


We are told once more--


'He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches'


LISTEN!


And the promise-


'He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death'


Meaning the death that is eternal- the death that comes when the 1000 years in heaven with Jesus are over and evil and sin are wiped out of existence the death of all those who are evil and are destroyed forever- that deah will not hurt those who are God's faithful.


May God bless and keep us through the tribulations we have and will have, may we remain faithful unto Him forever. May the second death not hurt any of us as we seek life in Jesus, our Lord and Savior now and forever!


Amen.