7 Churches of Revelation
2. Smyrna
What It Means to Us
Don’t confuse persecution with the specific “Great Tribulation”…
- Cf: Most of the Body, in most of the world, for most of the past 1900 years
- Underground in America?
- “Non-Jews”? Replacement theology?
- Each of the letters = for all churches…More Christians have been killed in the 20th Century than all the other centuries added together!
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution
2 Timothy 3:12 Paul is in Mammertime Prison, knowing his execution is near, and is
encouraging Timothy… We are promised persecution.
Why Do Christians Have Trials?
- To glorify God Dan3:16-18,24-25
- To Discipline for known sin Heb 12:5-11; James 4:17; Rom 14:23; 1 John 1:9
- To prevent us from falling into sin 1 Pet 4:1-2
- To keep us from Pride 2 Cor 12:7-10
Paul kept from pride by his “thorn in the flesh.” Gal 4:15; 6:11
- To build faith1 Pet 1:6-7
- To cause growth Rom5:3-5
- To teach obedience and discipline Acts 9:15-16; Phil 4:11-13
- To equip us to comfort others
- To prove the reality of Christ in us 2 Cor4:7-11
- For testimony to the angels Job 1:8; Eph 3:8-11; 1 Pet 1:12
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2-4
The Prophetic Profile
Smyrna represents the Persecuted Church. The Romans had begun major persecutions during the 1st century, bringing about the death of 11 of the 12 apostles. After they were all gone, theApostolic church became the persecuted church until the time of Constantine, when Christianity was first accepted by the Roman Empire.
