Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Revelation 2:7-10

7Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

Jesus tells us that those who listen to what God tells the churches and really hear it, he will give the right to eat from the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is first mentioned in Genesis 3:24, which says, "After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." Contrasting that verse with Revelation 2:7 makes it clear what an honor it is to be given the right to eat from this tree and receive the gift of eternal life from Christ Himself.

I googled to see if I could find which specific sect of Jews that Jesus was referring to as the "synagogue of Satan" but I could not find any more detail about this. This link at bibleref.com  just refers to them as 'militant apostate Jews'; the Wikipedia page for this verse doesn't give any further information either. 

The article above does note that Jesus doesn't criticize the church at Smyrna, he just tells them that He and God are aware of their struggles and that they may be tested but to be faithful even to the point of death. It is nice to think that Christ was kind enough to warn them that they were about to befall some hard times and possibly some of them would even be imprisoned. This warning from Christ must have made it easier for the people to bear what was coming, knowing that Christ had foreseen it and implored them to be faithful to Him to the end.

 

 If you want to accept Salvation from Christ here are some resources:

A Prayer for Salvation from Christ:

Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.

A more detailed step by step process:

https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life

Revelation 1:1-3

1  The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his ange...