Ch 1 Pt 2, Kingdom 104: Where Are the Masculine-Thinking Men? Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) Perhaps the most well-known of the seven letters addresses the church in Laodicea. What was Jesus message to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation? "In Roman times, Smyrna was considered the most brilliant city of Asia Minor, successfully rivaling Pergamos and Ephesus. He looks for people who oh, lets see, boy, shes always critical. She is always a gossip. She is always kind of stirring up the pot about one of the leaders saying I do not like the way he is doing this or I do not think they should. Be careful, because he is looking for someone he can just grab and go, yeah, build on that, talk that up in your church, yeah, talk about that leader. Finally, Jesus warns His people to expect more suffering, persecution, and testing. The Message to the Church at Smyrna. 5. He has witnessed their continual affliction and the slander theyve suffered from those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. The fact that these hardships have not escaped their Saviors attention surely would have strengthened the Body and served as a loving reminder of Jesuss abiding presence. The Seven Churches of Revelation: Why They | Zondervan Academic She used the Word of God to just muzzle me. Is it fire, is it brimstone, is it gnashing of teeth? It is eternal torment. The second death will be eternal separation from God in torment. The words of Jesus to the church in Smyrna in Revelation 2:8-11 offer insight into the life of a first-century congregation, and there are many applications for today's believers. 1. 3. They would be thrown into prison probably for the purpose of forcing them to worship the Roman emperor. I do not want to simply stand there. God knows and He cares for you. Smyrna was a large, important city on the western coast of Asia Minor, famed for its schools of medicine and science. God asks us to be conquerors and faithful witnesses to whom and what He is! I just thought, you have no idea.. The Church of Smyrna Pt 2, Kingdom 104: Christianity Misrepresents the Kingdom Pt 1, Kingdom 104: Christianity Misrepresents the Kingdom Pt 2, Kingdom 104: A Focused Representative of the Kingdom, Kingdom 104: Where Are the Masculine-Thinking Men? They were reporting false allegations to the government about these believers, saying things which were not true about them. We need to be ready to stay firm and to stand and resist his attacks. They got drunk. 9. They were despised. You are too good. So, they were persecuted for that. 4. I have felt his warfare. I was doing an internship in medical technology at Baton Rouge General Hospital. Thus, it is not that much of a stretch or even a job relocation to be a church of Satan, since we are already such a place. You know that it is spiritual warfare where you get discouraged by things you hear said. 4. What does God want me to share with someone? He was faithful until death and he lost his physical life, but he gained so much more which brings us to the fifth reminder to help us suffer well. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. They already were in the midst of tribulation (v. 9) and Jesus had no rebuke or condemnation for them. Second, in a lesson especially relevant for todays Western Christians, Jesus praised the church at Smyrna for choosing poverty over compromise. If someone slanders you, what do you do? We would be amazed at their love for God and just the depth of their walk with him. Look at the conversation between Jesus and the Jews in John 8:31-47. The Essential Inductive Questions (for more Inductive questions see Inductive Bible Study): 1. We will suffer in this life. It may seem as if people were the enemy, the Jews in the synagogue of Satan, or the government that wants you to worship its emperor. Kingdom 103: Where Does the Governor Reside? In Revelation, the Apostle John records Jesuss address to seven churches in Asia Minor. Ironically, our sufferings are far less of a venture and sentence than our poor choices. The Second Coming of JesusWho Are the 144,000 in Revelation?Who Are Gog and Magog in the Bible?What Is the Apollyon?Is the Apocalypse Mentioned in the Bible?Signs of the End Times and the Rapture. People did not want to buy from them because they were Christians. He is talking about that kind of pressure that comes from when you take a heavy rock and you put it on someones chest and you press down on their chest with all your force so that it suffocates the person. It was one of the chief cities of Roman-dominated Asia and competed with places such as Pergamos and Ephesus for the title "First City of Asia." Judaism The Church at Smyrna would have been familiar with the extreme honor associated with a victors crown. The city was well known for its Olympic-style athletic contests.
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characteristics of the church of smyrna
