The Letter to Smyrna Including Prayer to Endure Tribulation

Are you prepared to die for your faith in Christ Jesus? A time of unprecedented persecution is coming to the Church in these last days. You must be ready and prepared to "love not your life unto death". The Church of Smyrna endured horrendous tribulation, but was encouraged to stand fast in their faith until the end. This is a letter of encouragement and endurance for all who are faithful in Christ Jesus. When you walk in the true faith and message of the Cross, you will not only endure the coming trials, but you will overcome and receive the crown of life promised by Lord Jesus.

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In the Book of Revelation, Smyrna was the second church mentioned.

This was a very persecuted Church, much more than normal. The Church in all ages has been persecuted, but this Church was particularly persecuted.

These followers of Christ were committed. They were in tribulation and they were living the real Christian life.

They were rich in the Spirit in direct contrast with those who said they were Jews, but really Satan worshippers.

One thing that identified these false believers was their adherence to Judaism in the Old Testament.

There were Jews who were claiming to be Christians, but they were practicing Judaism.

You can read about that in the book of Galatians, where Paul was dealing with Judaizers coming into the Church and trying to shipwreck people's faith by bringing them under Old Testament Law.

Romans 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

As a Christian, you are now a true Jew, born from above, born by the Spirit, having the circumcision of the heart done with God's hands and not the hands of humans.

In the Old Testament, circumcision was a physical sign of the Covenant between God and the Jews. Under the New Testament, cicumcision is spiritual and a matter of the heart.

You only need to look at the Talmud, which is what the Jews of today follow.

Understand what they believe about Christ Jesus. it is absolutely horrendous and is antichrist.

Do your homework.

These Jews were meeting in a synagogue.

Paul was absolutely furious with these Jews because they were coming in and trying to put the Church under the Law again.

You must be careful of this false teaching even today.

There are many Churches today that will try to steal the freedom that you have in Christ.

You do not ever have the legal right to sin, but you don't achieve holiness the way that the

Judaizers were trying to get the Christians of their day to be holy.

The New Covenant is all about receiving righteousness through Jesus Christ, the Cross, and through His blood.

Holiness is not achieved through the works of the Law.

Prepare for Persecution and Learn to Overcome

Revelation 2:10a Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold,

This is a preview of what the Western Church is going to face especially in these last times with the great persecution that's coming.

You can see this already unfolding with the changing of today's laws.

Christians will be persecuted in every way possible.

Get yourself ready to be persecuted.

Acknowledge that as a Christian, you will suffer for righteousness's sake.

The true Gospel is not the false, word of faith prosperity gospel. It is the Gospel by which you must be prepared to suffer for His name's sake.

Do not fear.

God has not given you a spirit of fear.

If you are walking in perfect faith, the real faith that identifies a true believer, you will not have fear.

Revelation 2:10b the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days:

You are going to be tested to see of what sort you truly are.

The Bible says that you are an overcome.

How do you become an overcomer?

By the blood of the Lamb, by the word of your testimony, and by not loving your life unto death.

How do you not love your life unto death?

First, you must understand the real Gospel, which is laying your life down and dying to self.

You have to die.

You have to lay down your life so that you can take up the real life of Christ, which does not fear death.

Your new born again, spiritual man has no fear because God has not given you a spirit of fear.

But, if you are in the flesh and you don't have the true Gospel, living your best life now, then you are going to be very scared of death.

You will be fearful and unable to endure tribulation.

The only way that you can endure tribulation is by the power of the Holy Spirit.

You are not your own. You do not belong to yourself.

The Holy Spirit will intervene and give you the strength you need to overcome all tribulation.

It is not by might and not by power, but by His Spirit.

Fear will block faith.

If you are in the flesh, then the first thing you are going to do is fear.

You have to learn overcoming faith.

Revelation 2:10c be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

About 5 million Christians were persecuted and killed in the Church of Smyrna and surrounding regions.

This kind of tribulation has not been experienced in the Western world. Churches in other nations worldwide have experienced that kind of tribulation.

The beast that is coming in the last days will be worse than any other beast that the world has ever known.

The coming persecution is going to be unlike anything the world has ever known previously.

Get prepared.

Be sure that you've got the right Gospel, the Gospel of the Spirit, and the New Covenant through His blood.

The Message of the Cross is the correct gospel.

You need to study it and ask yourself, "What is this Gospel"?

There are many counterfeits out there.

Revelation 2:11 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.

The second death is the judgment at the Great White Throne where God is going to throw everyone who has not made Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior into the Lake of Fire.

It is important that you acknowledge that you are not your own and that Jesus has bought you.

It is not your will be done, but His will be done.

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

You must overcome the fear of death,

You cannot do that in your own strength through the flesh.

You can only do that by resting, by faith, in the full knowledge of Christ in your life.

John the Baptist said, "I must decrease that He may increase."

You need to let Jesus increase in your life.

The only way you are going to overcome is by faith through love.

Love works by faith.

It is important that you understand true faith.

There are many counterfeit faiths. There is also dead faith. Faith without works is dead.

You really must understand true faith.

True faith is the work of the Holy Spirit, the work of God.

It produces God's fruit.

God's fruit is that you will fear nothing.

It is not you, but God manifesting himself through you.

You need to get a revelation about this because if you are not equipped then you will lose your crown.

You want to be faithful unto death.

That is the true measure of your faith.

Are you prepared to die for your faith?

This letter was not only written for the admonition of the Saints in John's day.

It is also written to you as an individual.

Prayer to Endure Tribulation

Lord, we thank you right now for your letter that you gave to John to Smyrna.

We know Lord that these letters are a type and shadow of that is to come.

As individuals, we may be going through persecution right now, at this very moment.

Father, we just ask you right now that you give us discernment as to what we need to do.

We ask that we can go through tribulation, Lord.

We ask that we can know our true inheritance in you, Lord.

Father God, we ask that you enable us to recognize those who say they are Jews but are not.

We ask that you enable us to recognize those who are from the synagogue of satan, false prophets, false apostles, false ministers, ministers of satan, false angels of light, false gospels, deception and anything that would try to rob is from our inheritance, Lord.

We ask that you expose anything would try to strangle our faith and bring fear, Lord.

You have not given us a spirit of fear but power, love, and a sound mind.

Lord, we ask you right now that you fill us and give us a revelation that our life is not our own, but that we have been bought.

We belong to you, Lord. You said that no one can snatch us or our life, from out of your hand.

Lord, we ask that you give us understanding.

We ask that we may be able to endure every tribulation that we go through, however small it is, in this day or tomorrow.

Whatever tribulation we face, we ask that you help us to endure it Lord, and be faithful even unto death.

May we all receive the crown of life, and have you say to us on that great day having endured suffering and great tribulation, "Well done, good and faithful servant.", Lord.

We thank you Lord that you give every one of us an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to each one of us.

Lord, we ask you to remove anything blocking our spiritual ears. We ask you to remove anything that would block or stop us from coming into the full freedom that is in Christ, Lord.

May we not fear death, no matter what, Lord.

Lord, you have removed the sting of death and the power of death.

We thank you Lord that we are the true Jews with the circumcision of the heart in the Spirit, Lord.

We pray that we be instruments of righteousness for your glory.

We pray that we are surrendered to what pleases you. You created us, and we say Lord, in the name of Jesus, "Have your way with us!"

Lord, all we want to do is please you and no more about you.

We give all our praise to you, Lord.

We thank you for who you are.

In the name of Jesus.

Amen.