Revelation

REVELATION 2:8-9.....
"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 9 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."

"Smyrna".....not New Smyrna, Fl..

It is the PERSECUTED Church.

They are said to be poor but rich. To me, it has always been interesting to notice how God looks at us. We tend to think that because we do not have money in the bank, we are poor. If we do not have "things", we think that we are poor! But God says that when we have Christ WE ARE RICH!
God says that if we have love we are rich.

Somewhere along the line of life, the church bought into the Satanic teaching that MORE and BIGGER is Godly.
We tend to believe that a big crowd means that God is blessing that church more than the little old white country church in the valley.
We tend to look at the stained glass, and big organ and TV screens and think that God is blessing this place more than any other place.
We tend to observe a big crowd standing and cheering and clapping and think, God is really in that church. Look at the emotions!!!!

It would benefit every person to remember that the 1st Temple that God visited man in on this earth was a TENT!

ALL of us would be a lot happier in our lives today if we would be satisfied with what we do have instead of trying to get more of what we do not have.
 
Major said:
I appreciate your opinion brother. I can not however agree and when I get to that point in the study we can discuss that.

Not to go into a lot of detail, but just to let you know where I am coming from, and to respond to your well thought out responce, allow me to say that I for one believe the Rapture and the war of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38) will happen about the same time.
It seems to me that God uses this battle to re-awaken Israel to His presence and I, like many others, believe that the Church will have to disappear when God turns His full attention back to Israel. Again, to me, Acts 15:15-16 confirms that opinion.

Then we must remember that the Book of Daniel says that there WILL BE a 7 YEAR peace Treaty between the A/C and Israel and If the above interpretation is correct, then The battle of Gog and Magog begins Daniel’s 70th week and Armageddon concludes it so they take place about 7 years apart.

In addition, Ezekiel 38 mentions certain countries not involved in the Gog Magog scenario which takes place on the mountains of Israel, while Zech. 14:1-3 says that God will gather all nations against Jerusalem for the Battle of Armageddon. The participants and the location seem to be different.
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you ever listened to David Jeremiah pastor shadow mountain church ? he does a lot of prophecy
 
Dave F. said:
What are your thoughts on the last half of verse 9? It seems like He is talking about false teachers.
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IMHO.....NO. Now God speaks to all of us through His Word and if you think that is what He is saying to you then fine with me.
But I do not think that is the focus because the CONTEXT does not suggest it.
 
Major said:
IMHO.....NO. Now God speaks to all of us through His Word and if you think that is what He is saying to you then fine with me.
But I do not think that is the focus because the CONTEXT does not suggest it.
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So what do you think is the meaning of I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."? I am just trying to understand what it is saying.
 
rtm3039 said:
The meaning of numbers, in the Bible, fascinate me. The number 7 appears 735 times in the bible, including 54 times in the book of Revelations. The bible was originally divided into 7 major divisions: (1) the Law, (2) the Prophets, (3) the Writings/Psalms, (4) the Gospels and Acts, (5) the General Epistles, (6) the Epistles of Paul, and (7) the book of Revelations. The total number of originally inspired books was 49 (7x7) and, lastly, God “created” everything in 7 days and the word “created” is seven letters.

https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/7.html
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Agreed.

About 20 years ago I did a Sunday evening teaching series on numbers and went from #1 all the way to 1000.

It is astounding when you do this when you realize that God is THE Master Mathematician!

Why is that important??????/

Because we all tand to make the Word of God say what WE want it to say. You see, we have pre-coceived ideas and we want them confirmed and when the Bible does not do that.......WE (They) change it!

But.........2 + 2 = 4 never changes.
 
Dave F. said:
So what do you think is the meaning of I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."? I am just trying to understand what it is saying.
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Really good question.

The Greek word here is “Ioudaios,” which means “Jews,” and means Jews only by physical descent - such as who persecuted Jewish and Gentile Christians - not spiritually as Abraham was, and as the first Christians were (like the 2k+ devout Jews who believed on their Messiah via Jewish Peter’s preaching on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2).

The false Jews who claim to be the tribe of Judah which is what Jew means.

The KJV bible also specifies that the fake jews are the “synagogue” of Satan, who has synagogues and also claims to be Jews.

Deuteronomy tells us how to identify the true Jews by the curses that are upon them. It also said the true Jews would go into bondage and be sold to their enemies. The bible said the true Jews would build a nation (homes, etc) but not truly benefit from it (no reparations) and/or that they would not be in control of the nation they helped to build.
 
Dave F. said:
What are your thoughts on the last half of verse 9? It seems like He is talking about false teachers.
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I concur with your assessment of the last part of verse 9.
Rev.2:9b ( context 6-12 )
and I know the blasphemy of them WHICH SAY THEY ARE JEWS, AND ARE NOT, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Here is acknowledgement of what they suffered and will suffer at the hands of false prophets, and the father of ALL that is evil, it has been so since Christ and the warning continues until tomorrow !

There will be trials and persecutions, prison, torture, for a peroid, until DEATH. When you have endured until the END of your life unto death [ physical] then he will give the crown of life.

2 Cor.13 /14 ( context 12-15)
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
And NO MARVEL; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
 
REVELATION 2:10:
"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."

Here in this verse we learn that Jesus predicted further suffering for the church at Smyrna. Some of the believers would encounter imprisonment and death. The Devil would be responsible for this hateful treatment, but Jesus told the believers not to fear. Early in His earthly ministry Jesus had counseled in Matthew 10:28.....
"Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell".

He continued His counsel by asserting that our heavenly Father's eye is on the sparrows and He values us more than many sparrows in Matthew 10:29............
"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father."

Now for the the "ten days" .

The scholars I have studied have stated that the "10 Days" = 10 peroids of time when intense persecution was done by 10 different Roman Emperors........
1. Nero...........................................................................................64-68 A.D.
2. Domitian...................................................................................81-95.
3. Trajan..........................................................................................104-117
4. Aurelius......................................................................................161-180
5. Severus.......................................................................................200-211
6. Maximus.....................................................................................235-237
7. Decius..........................................................................................250-253
8. Valerian........................................................................................257-260
9. Aurelian.......................................................................................270-275
10Dicoletian....................................................................................303-312

We should all remember that as Christians, we are not promised to be kept from persecution, or pain or suffering. I realize that that flies in the face of some of your denominational teaching but that is the Bible fact!!!! However, God promised us that we are kept in—or through—persecution. Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us; therefore
we can say, "I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5–6).

The Church in the USA does NO KNOW about persecution! The REAL church left after the Rapture will be but not today because of its religiouse stand.

In fact, the U.S. doesn’t even make the top 50 countries in the world according to Open Doors’ World Watch List. Worldwide, persecution of Christians is rising, but evangelicals’ claims of persecution in the U.S. are unfounded and rooted in intersecting legacies of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and denominational teachings rejected by the majority of society,.........ex. Handling Rattlesnakes.
 
Major said:
The Church in the USA does NO KNOW about persecution!
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your right not compared to the things in the past ours is more in line with

Daniel 7:25
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

yes this speaks of the anti christ which is not known at this time. but the spirit of the anti christ is going all through the land . we aint seen nothing yet



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forgiven61 said:
your right not compared to the things in the past ours is more in line with

Daniel 7:25​

25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.​

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yes this speaks of the anti christ which is not known at this time. but the spirit of the anti christ is going all through the land . we aint seen nothing yet​

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Agreed. THE A/C is not known today but the Spirit of antichrist is alive and well and will grow until the "restrainer" is taken away.

2 Thessalonians 2:6–7
" And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way."
 
D3vot3d2G0d said:
I concur with your assessment of the last part of verse 9.
Rev.2:9b ( context 6-12 )
and I know the blasphemy of them WHICH SAY THEY ARE JEWS, AND ARE NOT, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Here is acknowledgement of what they suffered and will suffer at the hands of false prophets, and the father of ALL that is evil, it has been so since Christ and the warning continues until tomorrow !

There will be trials and persecutions, prison, torture, for a peroid, until DEATH. When you have endured until the END of your life unto death [ physical] then he will give the crown of life.

2 Cor.13 /14 ( context 12-15)
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
And NO MARVEL; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
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Agreed! Thanks for your input!
 
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