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Postcard to Those in Pain
Revelation 2:8-11
Skip Heitzig

Revelation 2 (NKJV™)
8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, 'These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life:
9 "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.
10 "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.
11 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."'

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

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66 Revelation - History's Last Chapter - 1996

The book of Revelation exalts Jesus Christ as the soon-coming Lord over the earth. Skip Heitzig explains the amazing and mysterious prophecies that form God's final word to mankind.

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One of the reasons I love music so much is it seems to be universal in its appeal. It can speak without words. I've been in countries where I've picked up a guitar and didn't play anything really good and yet people like hearing music. Music can move us. It is meant to do exactly that. There's another language that I think is universal; that's the language of pain that we don't like to hear its message, it certainly speaks loud and clear when it comes. C.S. Lewis said and this is probably his most famous saying, probably quoted more than anything else, in fact in the recent movie Shadowlands, a couple years back, I think it opened up with this scene where C.S. Lewis was depicted as saying, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, He speaks to us in our conscience, but God shouts to us in our pain." "Suffering," said C.S. Lewis, "is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

The Jews also used to have a saying. It became a proverb among them though it's not in the Bible. "Not to have had pain is not to have been human." Even Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, said, "We cannot learn without pain." When we hear that we cannot learn without pain, we wonder, 'Isn't there a better way to learn?' Pain is such a cruel teacher. Can't you just buy a book to learn some of the lessons? Well some lessons can be learned from a book, but there are other lessons, as you know, that only experience can teach you. You can't learn it from a book. You can't go to a bookstore and find the newest thing on this and learn some lessons. For instance, as parents we tell our children, 'Don't touch that stove or that cup of coffee!' They want to know why. And your rational is, it's hot. At first a child doesn't understand what hot means. You can't just teach what hot is and appeal to the intellect. You have to appeal to the experience. Sooner or later, he's gonna have to learn by experience what it is to be hot. And so, sooner or later that child is going to touch or put his hand inside the coffee or touch the stove and the message will be loud and clear. It'll register, 'That is what they meant by hot! Now I understand.' It comes by experience.

The Victorian preacher Charles Spurgeon said, "I owe more to the fire and the hammer and the file than to anything else in my Lord's workshop. I sometimes question whether I have ever learned anything except through the rod. When my schoolroom is darkened, I see the most." Of course, we also have met people who, because of their suffering, have a deep character that you can only get through pain. You cannot get through books; you cannot get through any other life experience except this school of pain. We come to this second letter in chapter two to the church of Smyrna. Jesus writes to a group of people in pain. But they're suffering the pain of persecution; it's not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill suffering. And so while we can relate to the condition of suffering, the reason for their suffering we may be part company right here. And that's because of the persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ.

In verse eight: "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, 'These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: "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. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."

Whenever we suffer we have a choice. No matter where the source of the pain comes from, be it persecution or be it a physical suffering, whatever, we have a choice at the point of suffering. A road to walk down. We will either become a better person because of it or we will become a bitter person because of it. We can allow pain to be a chisel to shape us or a heavy stone that will crush us and make us bitter forever. We've met both kinds of people, haven't we? We've met those people who are more refined by suffering and others who are just angry and bitter and never release it. Bitter or better.

Pain is inevitable; misery is optional. Jesus encourages this church to be faithful even to the point of death. We notice that there are only four verses in this letter. It's a short letter. In fact, I've called it a postcard, not a letter. These four sentences could fit on the back of a postcard. It's a message to the church of Smyrna. And I think it's significant that the group that is suffering has the shortest letter. You know, I've learned that when people are going through pain, they don't need volumes of information. In fact, the rule at funerals, if you ever preach a funeral, be short, be direct, and be sensitive. Jesus is all three to this church at Smyrna. He is sensitive, He is direct, and He is brief.

First of all, let's look at the present condition. Let me tell you about Smyrna so we can understand their condition. Smyrna wasn't far from Ephesus, only forty miles north. It was a very prosperous city: Greek city that became a Roman city. The modern city of Smyrna is called Ismere. It's in Turkey. That was the town where Aristotle Onassis had his huge shipping industry out of because there's a natural harbor in Smyrna. Because of its natural harbor, it became on the trade route from east to west and the chief export of the city of Smyrna, for which it was actually named after, is myrrh. Myrrh in Greek is the name smyrna. Myrrh is that resin that is aromatic; it's used in perfume. It's also used in embalming fluid, to embalm the dead. It is something that gives off a beautiful scent only when it is crushed and I think it's very interesting that the church that Jesus writes to in suffering is the church that is being crushed and yet they give off a beautiful aroma in their suffering because they're faithful to God. The city of myrrh.

The town boasted in being called the Lovely One because of their prosperity, their wealth, the Lovely One, the crown of Ionia, the ornament of Asia. Homer was born in that city. Alexander the Great rebuilt it that it might become the model city for everyone in that area to marvel at. It was filled with Greek pride, as well as Roman arrogance, as well as Christian persecution. Going down the list, Jesus says, "I know your tribulation." The word is a strong word. In the original language it means to be crushed and the word picture is of a heavy stone that would be set upon wheat that by the pressure, the stress, it might crush and grind the wheat. Or the stone that would be placed to squeeze the juice out of grapes. 'I know the stress, the pressure.' And of course the pressure was due to the persecution that they received from the rest of the people in Smyrna. If you wanted to get sort of a bird's-eye picture of not only the layout of the city, but the reason they were being persecuted, you would have to picture a huge city filled with all sorts of shrines and temples. There was one major street that ran from the port of Ephesus all the way through town and ended up at the Acropolis on Mount Pagas there in Smyrna. It was called the Golden Street; it was dotted with the Temple of Escoliapius, Aphrodite, Apollo, Zeus--all sorts of gods and goddesses were worshiped in their own private temples. And because there was such a glut of these pagan Greek cults and they worshiped the Greek pantheon, that is, many gods, Christians came along and were very exclusive: 'We worship one God. We worship the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior.' It got them into trouble.

Also, Smyrna was the center of what we noted last week. We called it emperor-worship. They actually deified the Caesar and they worshiped him as a god. And what is interesting about Smyrna is that back in about 195 B.C., Smyrna was the first city to build a huge temple to the goddess of Rome called Dea Roma. And because Rome marveled at the allegiance to emperor-worship, when six cities were competing to build a huge monument and a temple to Tiberius Caesar, guess who won the competition? Smyrna. So here's a place where it was the center in the eastern part of the Roman Empire to worship Caesar. Here was the place that was glutted with all sorts of worship of the Greek pantheon. And here come a group of Christians and because they are exclusive in their worship, they get persecuted, pressured, stressed. The tribulation of the world falls upon them.

We mentioned, I think, that once a year, the Roman citizen would stand before a bust of Caesar, usually in a temple of Caesar, and with a pinch of incense in a sacrificial fire, they would say, 'Caesar is the lord.' Christians would, if anything, say, 'No, he's not. Jesus Christ is Lord.' When they did that, they were marked as traitors, political insurrectionists, and they got in trouble for it. Next, Jesus notes their poverty. The social life, the economic life, of all of these Greek cities was tied to the worship of their cults. So let's say you worked as a silversmith or you worked in the shipping docks. Each set of workers had its own guild; each guild had its own patron god or goddess in the Greek pantheon. And so that's how you'd begin your workday, your work week, was by some kind of guilded allegiance to the gods of the Greek pantheon. Christians refused to go along with this nonsense so they were cut off from even the right to make a living. And so when it says, 'I know your poverty,' it's not, 'You poor thing.' It's 'I know your abject poverty. You are so poor because the people in Smyrna won't even let you work solely because you are a Christian.'

Now folks, we may be persecuted for our faith somewhat. But very minimally in comparison to this. I've been threatened, my life has been threatened because I preach the gospel, but I think it's just been sort of a, you know, a mild kind of a thing in comparison to not having a job, a roof over your head, any source of income at all. Just for being a Christian. I want you to notice something before we move on in the list. Jesus does not say, 'I know your poverty and you shouldn't have it. I know your poverty but you ought to be prosperous. And if you only had enough faith and lived the victorious life, you'd have all of the wealth, you'd be the wealthiest, most awesome, because of your faith.' That's not it at all. Yet there is the misguided doctrine that floats around, even in this day and age, that you can have a new and improved Christianity. It's almost like, 'We've got the original brand over here. But this is the new age. We have the new and improved Christianity. We've added painkillers to it.' Jesus never offers people that insipid form of painless Christianity. Nor is that faith--to walk through life from victory to victory. Victory means you've had a battle. You've won, but you've been in the fight. Even in the chapter of faith there in Hebrews 11, it gives all of the exploits of faith. 'By faith the walls of Jericho came down, by faith people were raised from the dead.' There's a little P.S. inserted into that chapter. Hebrews 11, right around verse 35, it says these words, "Others were tortured," this is in the chapter of faith. "They did not accept deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trials of mocking, scourging, chains, imprisonments. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy." Jesus says, 'I know all about that. Your present condition.'

Next, He mentions the antagonism they received. "I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." One of the tragedies of history, all of history, is religious persecution. That is, a major religious group, because they disagree with another, will persecute them. It happens in virtually every group. If you want to be real honest, Christianity historically has been one of the biggest offenders. The whole reason for the Crusades was to rid the Holy Land of the scum. 'They killed Christ, we'll kill them. We'll take over.' That's why, to sing in this day and age, around Jewish people, Onward Christian Soldiers, which is reminiscent of that, is not a good thing. Because Jews to this day still see Christians as the enemy because of the history. And we have to admit it. But in this day and age, before the Crusades, the persecution was against the Christian church and a lot of it came from the Jewish community because many of the Jews were wealthy, they had the ears of the Roman government and they would circulate papers and reports, rumors of what Christians were like. It upset the Roman Empire and persecution came.

The first Roman Emperor to persecute Christians was Caesar Nero. Incidentally, people called him the beast because of his persecution against them. One of the major reasons Caesar Nero was so angry at people who loved Jesus Christ is he had two advisors who had his ear. Their names were Alturas and Papaya, they were both Jewish proselytes, and they would tell Caesar all sorts of stories about these Christians. And they got in trouble for it. Notice also in verse ten, prison and death are mentioned as their condition. "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." The chapter, two and three, that has the seven letters to the seven churches, each of the letters is addressed to the angel at the church. And here, the angel at the church of Smyrna. Remember we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the word 'angel' means messenger? It could mean a heavenly messenger, an angel, but it could also mean an earthly messenger like the guy who would take the letter to the different places. Or the pastor, or the elder of the local assembly.

If that's true, that these letters were received by the local pastor of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, we know who that was. When John wrote this, one of John's disciples, somebody that he tutored, that he discipled personally, was called Polycarp. Polycarp was the bishop, the pastor, at Smyrna. And he was persecuted. In fact, I'm sure if he was the one to read this before he read it to the church, it would've been an awesome comfort to him, knowing that Jesus knows what he is about to suffer and the death he's about to face. In February 126 A.D., Polycarp fled the city of Smyrna. The reason he left is the Christians said, 'Get out, they're gonna kill you. They don't like you because you're the leader here.' He did. They found him, they arrested him, he went willingly, and he came back into the city of Smyrna in a chariot of the proconsul. And they brought him into the arena, this huge theatre where he was going to stand trial not only before the Romans, but before a crowd that had gathered. And they were urging him the whole time, 'Take it back, man! Take it back! Recant.' And as they were going in the judge looked at him and said, 'Have pity on your old age. Recant! Say Caesar is Lord. Deny your Christ.' Polycarp said, 'Let me tell you something. Eighty-six years I have served Him and He has never let me down. How can I deny Him now?' And the guy got livid. He said, 'I have beasts that I will call.' Polycarp said, 'What are you waiting for? Call them!' He said, 'The fire will burn around you,' because they planned to burn him at the stake. 'We will burn you in the fire--you will be consumed.' Polycarp said, 'That fire will be temporary, but you will face an eternal fire.' And again he said, 'What are you waiting for?' They lit the fire around him and, according to Iraneus, the fire burned around him but not on him as an arch. It would go over his body and it burned around him and didn't touch him. And they noticed that. The proconsul gave an order to a soldier to take a dagger out and stab Polycarp in the side, which he did and the blood flowed all over that pyre that was burning, extinguished the flame, at least the records say, and he died because of loss of blood rather than being burned to death. That's the testimony that he left.

Now we notice here that Jesus said, 'You will be thrown into this persecution, this prison, this tribulation, for ten days.' It could be, many commentators believe that, it is prophetic of the ten major, and there were ten major, persecutions. Episodes of persecution between the 2nd and the 4th century that happened to these early Christians. So if Ephesus represents the apostolic church, Smyrna would represent the suffering church between the 2nd and the 4th century. If you go to Rome today, you'll still see the catacombs where Christians were forced underground because of their faith. Caesar Nero, that beast, was fond of taking Christians, tying them up to poles, putting pitch on their bodies and lighting them as living torches to light his gardens at night. Then they would take animals, the skins of animals, and they would wrap Christians with the skins of animals, sew them up, and give them to wild beasts to eat them alive. That's the kind of persecution that these Christians faced.

We don't see that happening today. You're right and you're wrong. We don't see it here, but there are parts of the world where Christians still suffer and they still suffer major persecution. In fact, if you took all of the Christians worldwide, all of us together all in the world, one out of every 200 Christians can expect to be martyred in their lifetime. Most of us it's not going to happen to in the United States, at least presently. It might change, but there are parts of the world where persecution is so intense. I heard of a couple this week. One happened in Rwanda. A pastor who was trying to reconcile the tribes back together. You know there's been a civil war the last several years. It goes way back. He was a Christian and the Hutus were angry that this man would try to reconcile people, but he tried to do it through Jesus Christ. They murdered him; they killed him in his own home with his two-year-old daughter, his father and mother-in-law and other relatives. He was forty years old when he died just recently. But before he died he had this huge campaign in his region where 1600 people repented of their sins, gave their lives to Jesus Christ and were reconciled together. That's the legacy and the testimony he left.

Let's move from the condition that Jesus knows about to the counsel that He gives them. He says in verse ten, "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." Will you notice that Jesus offers no solution to their pain? He doesn't say, 'Listen, I know your pain and don't worry. I'm going to make sure that it stops.' No, in fact He predicts it will get worse. He simply says, 'Don't be afraid and be faithful. You are about to suffer worse. You are about to be cast into prison. You are about to face death. Do not be afraid. Do be faithful.' If you are faithful, if in the midst of any persecution, ire, resentment, antagonism that you get from people around you for being a Christian. If you are faithful you won't alleviate the problem; you'll only make it worse, right? If you want to stop the persecution, you stop the testimony. If you want to stop the persecution and not have the world angry at you, don't be a good witness. Retreat and the world will stop. Jesus says, 'My counsel is don't be afraid.' And the word in the original is stop the activity already going on of fear. Stop being fretful. Do be faithful.

If only these Christians had a different strategy they could escape all this. Let's say they were to approach it this way: 'We believe in Jesus but we also acknowledge all of the gods of the Greek pantheon. We acknowledge Poseidon and Apollos and Zeus and the Emperor and we'd like to place Jesus as one of the gods in the Greek pantheon.' The Smyrnans would've said, 'Great! We have no problem with you. We already are idol-worshipers. Why not have another god to add to it?' But the moment the Christians said, 'We will exclusively worship Jesus Christ alone. The only true God.' That's what got them into trouble. But Paul promised, 'Those who live godly, all those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, will suffer persecution.' It was a promise. Everyone who lives godly will suffer persecution. You can say, 'Wait a minute. Shouldn't God protect us?' Why doesn't God protect people when they're witnessing for Him? God owes it to him, right? Wrong. "Be faithful until death."

Do you remember that man whom the disciples noticed as they were walking? He was blind; he was born blind. They said, 'Jesus, whose sin caused this blindness? Was it his personal sin or his parents that he was born blind?' Jesus' answer was staggering. He said it was neither sin, but for the glory of God. And Jesus healed him. With that in mind, listen to what a Christian leader wrote, who was in Nicaragua speaking of the persecution and their future. This pastor said, "It's the strangest thing. But where the war has been the bloodiest, where the needs are the most desperate, this is where the church has grown the most. Yes, brethren become martyrs. Yet the heavier the cross, the more powerful the resurrection." Then he told of a church that was kind of banished. They closed the church and the people scattered. But he said all of the church members, it was just a small group, fifteen or so, all of the church members started their own home Bible study, their own little fellowship. And it grew into fifteen separate churches. So instead of just one testimony, now there are fifteen lights in the area. And he concluded by saying, "From that cross, the power of the resurrection was indeed made manifest."

Let's turn the camera on us. Here we are today. We live in our society, we're Christians. When was the last time we were persecuted? And what kind of persecution was it? And why is it that we are not as persecuted as others? Now I'm sure you're saying, 'This isn't the kind of message I wanted to hear this morning.' Why don't we get persecuted? Couple of reasons. We live in a society that boasts of religious tolerance. It's interesting; I think it's sort of a hypocrisy. They want to say, 'We're so tolerant.' But they won't tolerate those of us who believe in Jesus Christ. They won't tolerate that narrow road. And that's alright. They shouldn't have to tolerate that--if they're of the world, they're not going to love us. But they want to boast in tolerance so there is this semblage, at least right now, of tolerance. But there is perhaps another reason, I think we ought to consider. Perhaps the church is not persecuted because of compromise. We have tried so long to fit in, to be just like the world, so that the world would say, 'There's really no difference, so we'll become a Christian.' It doesn't work that way. You see, as long as we speak their language, love their values, have their agenda, they'll think we're A-OK. But the minute we don't have their language, don't have their agenda, we're not OK. As long as we are pro-choice, pro-homosexual, pro-every religion on the earth leading always to God, as long as you're not exclusive about whom Jesus Christ is, they'll pat you on the back. But when you say Jesus and Jesus alone is the way, they're not going to write you nice letters or say nice things about you. You will invite the wrath of the world.

Perhaps our lives don't challenge the unbelievers enough. As John Stott said, "We are respectable. We are conventional. We are inoffensive. We are ineffective." We like soft music, soft lights, and soft sermons. And it produces soft Christians. Let's suppose the Christian church in our culture decided to stand out and say, 'Enough of this. We'll raise the standard of righteousness. We will live biblically, we will love biblically, and we will proclaim the exclusive gospel of Jesus Christ without reservation.' What will be the result? I'll tell you what will be the result. You will be called narrow, unloving, Victorian, bigoted, and all sorts of things. In other words, the church will find itself where it belongs: outside of the favor of the world. Jesus our Savior said, "Beware if the world speaks well of you." I am not advocating that we be cruel and loveless and try to get persecuted. 'Watch this; I'm going to tick this unbeliever off.' And then they'd say something to us and we'd go, 'I feel so good. I've been persecuted.' That is not the idea I'm trying to get across. Jesus said if you're going to be persecuted, it's for righteousness' sake, not obnoxiousness' sake. Not goofiness' sake or weirdness' sake. Make sure it's because you love God and you're not ashamed of Him. If you love God and you're not ashamed of Him, they won't love you. But if, while you love God and while they mistreat you and while they say things evil about you and circulate rumors about you, if while you go through that you endure the persecution, you will give them a testimony unlike anything else.

Joni Erickson Taada, you probably know, suffered an accident. She's a quadriplegic today and she suffered most of her adult existence. Though she writes this about that kind of suffering, I think it would also be true with persecution. She says, "The way you and I handle our big and little trials makes the world pause in its frantic and headlong pursuits. Our godly response to these obstacles and perplexities in our lives literally kicks the psychological crutches right out from under the skeptic. The unbeliever can no longer refuse to face the reality of our faith." Paul said, "Do not be conformed to this world." Another translation colors it, "Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold." I heard of a guy from Brooklyn, New York. His last name was Kelly. He went to court and had his name changed to Feinberg. The year after, he went to court and had his name changed to Vincini. The next year, he had his name changed to Suarez. The judge said, 'Are you trying to make a mockery of this court?' He said, 'No, sir, I'm not trying to make a mockery but my neighborhood keeps changing. So in trying to fit in, I'll speak their language.' So as to fit in. That's a humorous little story but I wonder if many times we don't think that way. We think, 'My society keeps changing, so I'll change my values to accommodate my society.'

There is some consolation that Jesus gives to the suffering church and this is what we'll close with. First of all, Jesus has been there and He knows everything they're going through. He opens up by saying this, "These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life." I want you just to notice something; keep it in your mind for the following studies. Every introduction Jesus gives to these seven churches, He pulls out of the vision given already in chapter one. And He pulls out different elements. Isn't it interesting that to the suffering church facing death, He introduces Himself as the one who has already died? And came to life? And He says, 'I know what you're going through because I did die and I did come to life.' The word here 'I know' means 'I know by experience not by observation.' 'I've been there; I've done that. I know what it's like to be persecuted, to be in poverty. I know what it's like to be slandered. I know what it's like to suffer death. And because I know and because I've been there, I'm the First, I'm the Last. I'll be there at the beginning, the middle, and the end of what you're going through.' That was comfort to them.

Years ago, and I mean years ago--before any of us were on planet earth. In the ancient times when people would sail and explore the world, there were many countries on maps that were unknown. In fact, maps were just drawn as blobs of countries. People didn't really know how to define them. And often times, those who were the explorers would have their own personal map and over unknown, uncharted territories would write things. They had heard rumors so over one continent or land mass they would write, Here Be Dragons. Kind of pirate talk. And over another uncharted area they would put, Here Be Fiery Burning Sands. And over another one, Here Be the Abyss. Jesus is the First; the Last. He's been through it. So the Christian can write on his map, your personal life map, your present experience, your future all the way into eternity, Here Be Christ. He's been through it all. He knows the end from the beginning. He's at the end of the finish line waiting to welcome us home. The First. The Last. 'I've been there. I know it all.'

Next there is something else that is to console them and that is a parenthesis that Jesus gives. He has a different value system. He says they are rich. In verse nine, "I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)." Who's He writing to? Poverty-stricken Christians in the midst of a wealthy, prosperous unbelieving city. The world would say, 'You're nothing, man. Look what happened to you. You believe in your God, you don't have a job, you are the rejected ones of our society.' But Jesus says, 'You're rich.' His value system is different from the world's. The world would say, 'We applaud your success. Masters, doctorate. You're so prosperous--that's success!' Jesus would say, 'Not necessarily so.' You can be a wealthy poor man as well as a poor rich man. You are rich, says Jesus, to these poor, suffering believers. Would you notice something else and it's not even here? Turn over to chapter three. It's the church of Laodicea, verse seventeen: "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked." Quite a report card. I'd rather have the world against me than Jesus, wouldn't you? I'd rather have the world say, 'You're nothing, man. You're rejected--you are a loser!' And have Jesus say, 'You're a winner.' Than for the world to say, 'You are awesome, we love you' and have Jesus say, 'You've lost.' I'd rather have His stamp of approval. And of course, they have it.

Finally, He offers them the crown of life. He says, "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Here's Jesus at the end of the finish, saying, 'I have your laurel crown, your wreath, the victor's crown. Just keep coming--be faithful.' "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." What is the second death? That's spiritual death. Those in Smyrna were facing persecution and physical death. But they'd only die once. They'd be forever with Jesus in eternity. Unbelievers have another death to face. It's described in Revelation chapter twenty. This is what it says: "And every one stood before this throne, this great white throne, those whose names were not written in the Lamb's Book of Life. And all those whose names were not written were cast into the lake of fire." This is the second death.

You're going to die. You should know that by now. We're all going to die. Unless the Lord comes and raptures us, we're dead. But you'll only die once if you're a believer this morning in Jesus Christ. Why will I only die once? Because you've been born twice. You've been born again. But if you haven't been born again and you are still in your sins as an unbeliever, you will die twice. Born twice, die once. Born once, die twice. The second death is to be feared more than the first death. So here's Jesus. He knows and He comforts. Things may get better if you're suffering this morning. They may. They may stay the same. They may get worse. Know this: the First, the Last has been through it. He will go through it with you and He will be there when you emerge out the other end. It could be that you're not suffering today. Most of us are not suffering like this, certainly. In fact, maybe this study isn't relating to us because we don't have the same exact situation. I would ask that when we go home this week as a body of Christ, this week especially, we would remember those who are in the body of Christ all around the world, our brothers and sisters we don't know them by name, but in Spirit we know they suffer. They're being persecuted. They've lost their jobs. They're being threatened. Their families are being hurt because they love Jesus. Remember them in prayer. Stand with them as a brother or sister. And make sure that if you get persecuted, it's for the right reason.

I want to close with something that somebody handed me. It's from Paul Harvey's radio show. And it's a true story; it usually is. This is how it goes: "Oh, man! They won't invite Pastor Joe to the Kansas State Legislature again. They invited Pastor Joe Wright of Wichita Central Christian Church to deliver the invocation and he told God on them. Now God knows what they've been up to. No sooner had their guest chaplain concluded his prayer then three representatives on the state legislature were on their feet at the microphones protesting. 'He can't talk like that about us!' Representative Delbert Gross considered the invocation gross, calling it divisive, sanctimonious, and overbearing. Representative David Haley called it blasphemous and ignorant. Representative Sabrina Standafor echoed with the indignation. What in the world did Pastor Joe say in Topeka that incited the righteous wrath of these three representatives? I've secured the entire text of this prayer so that you can evaluate it for yourselves: "Heavenly Father, we come before You today to ask Your forgiveness, to seek Your direction, and Your guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good.' But that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium. We have inverted our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word in the name of moral pluralism. We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism. We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it a lottery. We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. Laziness and called it welfare. In the name of choice, we have killed the unborn. In the name of the right to life, we have killed abortionists. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it taxes. We've polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We've ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, know our hearts today, try us and show any wickedness in us. Cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas and who have been given and been ordained by You to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule. May their decisions direct us to the center of Your will. I ask it in the name of Your Son the Living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen."

When you pray like that and you live like that, you will not be applauded. The world will not applaud you, but Your Father in heaven will.

Additional Messages in this Series

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6/9/1996
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Good News from a Bad Place
Revelation 1:1-8
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6/16/1996
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Catapulted into the Future
Revelation 1:9-20
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6/23/1996
completed
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When Love Grows Cold
Revelation 2:1-7
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7/7/1996
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The Curse of Compromise
Revelation 2:12-17
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7/14/1996
completed
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Corruption without Discernment
Revelation 2:18-29
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7/21/1996
completed
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Church of the Living Dead
Revelation 3:1-6
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7/28/1996
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Body Building - God's Way
Revelation 3:7-13
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The human body has become the obsession of our modern culture. Much like the ancient Greeks, people are madly trying to fit the contemporary ideal of what is an acceptable shape and size. The church is metaphorically called the "Body of Christ" and His desire is to see it built up spiritually. The church of Philadelphia is a good model of a healthy, faithful church. Their example provides for us a template to follow in building up the Body - God's Way!
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8/19/1996
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Taking Your Spiritual Temperature
Revelation 3:14-22
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Ever since we were kids our moms stuck thermometers in our mouths whenever she suspected that we were sick. If our body temperature of 98.6 had climbed up just a few notches, it was always a good indication that an unhealthy condition was present. There is also a spiritual temperature that reveals the condition of our souls, and when the thermometer reads Lukewarm it indicates that something is wrong; it indicates the presence of danger. Let's see how Jesus, the Great Physician, treats his patient with this malady.
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8/25/1996
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Peeking into the Portals of Heaven
Revelation 4
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9/1/1996
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History's Greatest Real Estate Deal
Revelation 5:1-7
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9/8/1996
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Worship His Majesty - Part 1
Revelation 5:8-10
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In heaven there won’t be just three services in the morning and one at night with a midweek tacked on. There will be no need to be sensitive to time so we can go to lunch. Words will not have to be printed nor projected. Worship leaders will have no need prompting people to sing. It will be an all-consuming experience that will involve our total cooperation and enthusiasm.
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9/15/1996
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Worship His Majesty - Part 2
Revelation 5:11-14
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9/29/1996
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Four Riders with Bad News
Revelation 6:1-8
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10/6/1996
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The Cries of Heaven and Earth
Revelation 6:9-17
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10/13/1996
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A Blessed Interruption in a Tough Time
Revelation 7
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10/20/1996
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Trumpets of Doom
Revelation 8
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10/27/1996
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When All Hell Breaks Loose
Revelation 9:1-12
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11/3/1996
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Angels of Mass Destruction
Revelation 9:13-21
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11/10/1996
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A Big Angel with a Little Book
Revelation 10
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11/17/1996
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Two Powerful Preachers
Revelation 11:1-14
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11/24/1996
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Light at the End of the Tunnel
Revelation 11:15-19
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12/1/1996
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The Panorama of Spiritual Warfare - Part 1
Revelation 12:1-6
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12/8/1996
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The Panorama of Spiritual Warfare - Part 2
Revelation 12:7-17
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There aren't many people who like to fight. Confrontation is something most would like to avoid. But in the spiritual realm it's unavoidable. The question isn't, "Will I engage in spiritual warfare?" Rather, the question is, "How well will I fight?" As we saw last week, the war in the heavens makes its way to the theater of the earth. Let's see what else it entails.
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12/15/1996
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The Coming Global Leader
Revelation 13:1-10
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12/22/1996
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Evil's Right-Hand-Man
Revelation 13:11-18
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12/29/1996
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The Lamb Who Shepherds His People
Revelation 14:1-5
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After all that john has seen in his apocalyptic vision, seeing the docility of a lamb standing with his overcoming sheep is a welcomed sight. Although the dragon pursues god's people relentlessly, although the beasts are bent on ruling the earth, the ultimate winner will be the lamb and his followers.
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1/5/1997
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Angels Set The Record Straight
Revelation 14:6-13
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1/12/1997
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It's Harvest Time!
Revelation 14:14-20
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One of the most common ways to make a living in ancient times was to "work the land." The early rains of October/November and the soft latter rains produced the wheat and barley harvest later on. Also, when vintage season began, almost the whole village could be found in the fields harvesting the crop. Such images would also provide a poignant way of depicting the final judgment of the earth, as in this section.
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1/17/1997
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Getting Ready for the Grand Finale
Revelation 15:1-8
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1/26/1997
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What's in the Bowl? - Part 1
Revelation 16:1-11
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We now come to the "seven last plagues" of God in the Great Tribulation that is coming upon planet earth. These judgments come in the form of "bowls" being poured out swiftly and completely-the judgment will be swift and thorough. Yet through all the mercy as Well as wrath of this awesome era, people will persist in having a hardened heart. Open your heart 'right now to these truths.
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2/2/1997
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What's in the Bowl? - Part 2
Revelation 16:12-21
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What will the end of the world be like? What are the final events just before Jesus returns and takes over to set up His millennial reign? That's what this section tells us. There will be increased warfare activity in the Middle East, massive deception, and unheard of destructive cataclysms on earth. In the midst of foretelling these events, Jesus has a word of encouragement.
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2/9/1997
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The Coming World Religion
Revelation 17
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It was Karl Marx who stated, no doubt cynically, that religion was the opiate of the masses. The fact is, he was right-it is! People are driven to worship something or someone. This desire will be exploited to the hilt in the Tribulation period and will be under the umbrella of the world dictator-the Antichrist. What are its roots and how does it end?
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2/16/1997
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Get out of Babylon!
Revelation 18
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Someone once said, "Money can't buy you friends but your enemies treat you a little better." Though meant to be tongue-in­cheek, that won't happen when the entire world economy collapses. God's shakedown of the earth will include everything that the Antichrist's kingdom will embody, from the sacred to the secular.
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3/2/1997
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Marriage Made in Heaven
Revelation 19:1-10
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3/9/1997
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The Return of Jesus Christ - Part 1
Revelation 19
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Even in the dome of our capitol in Washington there is an inscription which seems to point to the return of Jesus Christ. It says: "One far-off divine event toward which the whole creation moves." It is that event which we will be studying in the next two weeks. This is what all Christians of all ages have looked forward to - His return and reign of His creation.
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3/16/1997
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The Return of Jesus Christ - Part 2
Revelation 19
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Even in the dome of the capitol in Washington there is an inscription which seems to point to the return of Jesus Christ. It says: "one far-off divine event toward which the whole creation moves." it is that event, that Christians of all ages have looked forward to-his return and reign of his creation. We will conclude our study of the return of Jesus Christ, today.
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4/6/1997
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Paradise Regained
Revelation 20:1-3
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4/13/1997
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The Devil's Last Stand
Revelation 20:1-10
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A typical question is, "Will evil ever get its reward?" What ever happened to ethics and justice? Well, we see here that God will not turn His back on this issue. He will deal with the source of all evil (the devil himself) and then judge those who revel in it. This section gives tremendous hope to anyone concerned about injustice in our world.
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4/20/1997
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Life, Death, and Resurrection
Revelation 20:5-6; 20:11-15
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5/4/1997
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All Things New - Part 1
Revelation 21:1-3
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5/11/1997
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All Things New - Part 2
Revelation 21:4-8
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"It's like nothing you've ever seen or experienced before." That's how John describes the emotional experience of heaven. So that we can relate, he tells us that all of the pain, sorrow, and moaning we've endured here won't be there. By the way, only those who want to go there will go there. Heaven is not a destination by default, reservations are made here and now!
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5/18/1997
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The City of the Future
Revelation 21:9-22:5
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There is no architect or builder like God himself. Even the patriarch Abraham "was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Heb. 11:10) he didn't find it in his lifetime. "You won't find you're "happily ever after" here either, but the New Jerusalem will be God's answer for man's longing to live in a perpetually peaceful stare.
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5/25/1997
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He's Coming - Now What!?
Revelation 22:6-21
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There are 43 additional messages in this series.
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