THE PAINS OF SECOND DEATH AND THE CROWN

He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the Churches.
REVELATION 2 : 29.
READ : REVELATION 2 : 8 - 11 :
8 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.
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.
11 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.
MESSAGE :
The Almighty Father knows all that we do,
nothing we do is hidden from Him. This should
make us rejoice because it means that our Master
knows our works, ( assuming that our works are
good) and He will appreciate and commend us for
them. In other words, even if people don’t
appreciate us or if they misunderstood us, God
never misunderstands. In Revelation 2 : 9, the
Lord sent a message of goodwill to the Church in
Smyrna :
“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.
There are beautiful things to note from the above
scripture: Jesus knows about the tribulation we
are passing through. Little wonder one of the
saints of old wrote a hymn titled : “There’s not a
Friend like the Lowly Jesus.” The Chorus reads :
Jesus knows all about our struggles,
He will guide till the day is done;
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!
Another interesting thing about Bible
reading is the courage that the Master gave to
the Church in Smyrna. He said : “Fear none of
those things which thou shalt suffer….be thou
faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of
life.” Beloved, this is a message from Jesus, the
Lover of your soul. Before this time, in John 16 :
33, Jesus made a categorical statement void of
ambiguity :
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me
ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have
tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome
the world.”
Jesus further assured us of the great reward of
escaping the second death if we will strive to
overcome ( Revelation 2 : 11 ). May the Lord help
us to overcome in Jesus’ name.
ACTION POINT : Father, strengthen my inner man
so that I may stand strong till the very end.
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