(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Amen. Alright, we're there in Revelation, chapter number 2. And like we've been talking about, last week we started this series entitled The Seven Churches of Revelation. And we began last week with the first church, the Church of Ephesus. And if you missed that sermon, I'd encourage you to check it out on our website or YouTube channel. And tonight, or this morning, excuse me, we are beginning, we're continuing with the second church here. Of course, this is the church in Smyrna. And we covered verses 1 through 7 last week. We'll start in verse 8 this week. If you notice, it says, And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write, These things saith the first and the last, which was dead and is alive. Now, if you remember from last week, I told you that the way that these messages, these letters that Jesus is sending to these churches, they're put into these different classifications or categories. You've got the introduction. For most of them, you've got an introduction by Jesus of himself. And then you usually have a commendation where he's saying something good about the church and giving them praise for something he's happy about. Then for most of these, you'll have a condemnation where he's saying something negative about the church, something he doesn't like, that he wants them to correct. And then you'll have a conclusion. For one of the churches, there is no commendation. Nothing good is said of them. There's only condemnation. He introduces himself, tells them everything they're doing wrong, and then has a conclusion. For two of the churches, and Smyrna is one of them, there is no condemnation. He only introduces himself, says only good things about them, commendations and praising them for what they're doing well, and then there's a conclusion. So this is one of the two churches where nothing negative is said about them. And we're going to go ahead and study this out. Now, the message to this church is given, it's a short message, it's given over four verses, verses 8 through 11. And we're going to go ahead and break these verses down phrase by phrase. And honestly, usually on a Sunday morning, these are not the sermons, the type of sermons that I preach. And this morning, like I said last week, may feel more like a Wednesday night Bible study where we're just kind of breaking down phrases. And we're going to be going back and forth, looking at a lot of scriptures. I just want you to be ready to flip in your Bible. I'll do my best to guide you if you need the help. But we're going to be just studying the Bible this morning, looking at the truths in these four verses. So we'll begin with the introduction, of course. If you notice there in verse 8, And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write. And again, I don't want to re-preach last week's sermon, but the angel there is actually a reference to the pastor of the church. I proved that last week, and I won't talk about it this week. Jesus is speaking to the pastors of these churches, and he's sending these messages to these churches, and he says this, These things saith the first and the last. And of course, in the introduction, Jesus always says something about himself or introduces himself, gives a characteristic of himself. And for this church, the first thing he says to them, he says to them that he is the first and the last. And I think it's interesting because he begins by highlighting his deity, the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh. And that's what we believe as New Testament Christians, that Jesus was not just a man, he was not just a prophet, he was not just a good teacher, he was God in the flesh. And he begins the message to them by saying, Hey, the one who's speaking to you is the first and the last. Now keep your place there in Revelation 2, that's obviously our text for this morning, but go with me if you would to the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 44, towards the end of your Old Testament, you've got those big books towards the end, the major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel. If you can find the book of Isaiah, and go to Isaiah 44, and look at verse number 6. Isaiah 44 and verse 6, this phrase, the first and the last, would be something that these New Testament Christians in the first century, where many of them were raised as Old Testament, and understanding the Old Testament, and knowing the Old Testament, they would identify this as a statement of deity. Jesus said, I am the first and the last. And we could look at a lot of references, I'm just going to show you one, because we've got a lot of ground to cover this morning. Isaiah 44 and verse 6, the Bible says this, Thus saith the Lord. Now if you see the word Lord there, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, that is Jehovah God, that is the I am that I am. That is the self-existing, self-sustaining God speaking, and he says, Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. Notice what he says, this is God speaking. He says, I am the first, and I am the last. And just in case you don't think this is a statement proving or talking about the deity of God, or the fact that God is God, he says this, And beside me there is no God. So I want you to notice that in Isaiah 44, we have Jehovah God saying, I am the first, and I am the last, and beside me there is no God. There is no other God, these false idols and these false gods, they're fakes, they're devils, there's one God of heaven and earth and of the universe, and the Lord says, I am he. He says, I am the first, and I am the last. So then when Jesus shows up in the book of Revelation, and he says, These things saith the first and the last, that was a claim to his deity, the fact that Jesus is God, and beside him there is no other God. Go back to the book of Revelation, this time go to Revelation 22. This is something that is repeated throughout the book of Revelation about Jesus, or Jesus himself repeats. Keep in mind that these are the words of Jesus, this is of course after his ascension in his glorified body, but this is Jesus speaking. Revelation 22, look at verse 13. In Revelation 22 we have Jesus speaking again, in fact if you have a red letter edition Bible, this verse would be in red letters because these are the words coming out of his mouth. Revelation 22, 13, notice what he says. He says, I am Alpha and Omega. And of course Alpha and Omega are the first and the last letters in the Greek alphabet. It's like he's saying, I'm A to Z. He says, I am Alpha and Omega. He says, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. And this is of course a reference to the fact that God is self-existing. God has always existed. He says, I am. He's not, I was or I'm going to be. He says, I always have been. And Jesus says, I always have been. I am the first and I am the last. I am the beginning and I am the ending. Notice there in Revelation 22, skip down to verse 16, there's another verse that again emphasizes the deity of Christ, Revelation 22, 16. Notice Jesus still speaking, he says, I Jesus have sent my angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. What is he testifying? Notice what he says. He says, I am the root and the offspring of David. Now what does that mean? The root is a reference to the source. The root, and when we think of a plant, the root is the source of that plant. It's where that plant comes from. It's a reference to the basic source of that individual. And this is again a reference to his deity. He's talking about David, King David. And he says, hey, I am the root. He says, I am the source. You say, well, why would Jesus say that? Because Jesus is God and he's the creator. He is God and he is the source of life. He says the fact that he is life, that he is the resurrection. So he says, I am the root of David. He said, I'm where David came from. I'm the one who created David. I'm the one who gave David life. He says, I am the root. But then he also says this, and the offspring. What's the offspring? That's the product. That's the fruit. Because Jesus had a humanity aspect to him as well. And this is again verses that are dealing with his deity and his humanity. He says, I'm the root of David. He says, and I'm the offspring of David and the bright and morning star. So we see that Jesus begins this message to this church in Smyrna, and he wants to emphasize to them that he is God. And there's a reason why he's doing this, and I'll show it to you as we move along. But I want you to notice, if you go back to Revelation 2 and look at verse 8, not only is he emphasizing his deity by saying, I am the first and the last, but he also emphasizes his humanity. Because look, we believe that the word was made flesh. We believe that God was manifest in the flesh. We believe and we accept it by faith. We can't logic it. We can't understand it. But the Bible says it, so therefore it's true that Jesus was 100% God, and he was 100% man all at the same time. He was the God-man. He was God in the flesh. And Jesus says to this church in Smyrna, he says, I am the first and the last, meaning I am God, I am deity. Beside me there is no other God. But then he says this, which was dead and is alive. And he emphasizes and he highlights his humanity. The fact that he says, look, I'm God, but I'm also man. In fact, to prove that I was man, I died like man died. He said, which was dead and is alive. Now keep your place in Revelation. Go with me if you would to the book of John real quickly. John chapter 19, towards the beginning of the New Testament, you have Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, John 19. I just want to cover this real quickly with you and kind of show you something about the death of Christ, because today there are those who try to attack the deity and the existence of God, and sometimes they try to attack the deity of Christ by attacking his resurrection. And we've talked a lot about that over the last couple of weeks, proving the resurrection of Christ and why it's real and all of that. But sometimes they won't attack the resurrection of Christ, but they'll attack his death. In fact, there is a theory out there called the swoon theory of the death of Christ, and it is the belief that Jesus didn't really die at the crucifixion, but that he was merely unconscious, and when they laid him in the tomb, there he basically just resuscitated, and he regained consciousness, and he didn't actually die. So they'll say, yes, there's all these eyewitnesses of the resurrection, and we can't disprove that, and that's a historic fact, but here's why we believe that happened is because he didn't actually die, because he was just unconscious, and he looked like he was dead, and then when they put him in the tomb, he resuscitated, and that's what actually happened. Now, you say, well, what's the validity of that, and is there any truth to that, or could that be truth? And here's what you need to understand. When you look at the death of Christ, the way that it is described in the Gospels, the way that the eyewitness testimony gives of it, there is no doubt, and there can be no doubt, that he actually died. Are you there in John 19? Let me just give you a few verses. We'll cover this quickly. John 19, look at verse 32. John chapter 19 and verse 32. This is, of course, the crucifixion of Christ. The Bible says this. Then came the soldiers. Now, these are Roman soldiers, and I want you to understand this, and you need to get this. The Roman Empire did not invent crucifixion. Crucifixion and the way of putting someone to death through crucifixion was invented, I want to say it was invented by the Greeks. The Roman Empire, however, perfected the art of crucifixion. They were able to figure out how to use crucifixion to the extreme. They were able to figure out how to kill somebody using a cross, but to do it in the most cruel, agonizing, painful way. And the reason for the crucifixions, the reason that those bodies were hung up there and allowed to be there sometimes for days and even weeks, was to be a scare tactic for anyone else who would, because these crucifixions were done on public roads, they were done in public places, and as people would be going about their day and they'd walk by these bodies dying on these crosses, it was a warning to everyone to not cross the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire had perfected this idea of crucifixion, and the Roman soldiers that performed the crucifixion, these were experts at their trade. They were experts at the execution by the cross. And these soldiers, notice verse 32, then came the soldiers, multiple, not just one, but multiple soldiers, and break the legs of the first and of the other which was crucified with him. Now, I'm not going to go into all details of the crucifixion, but honestly, the way that an individual would die on the cross would be by suffocation. They would die in such a way where they could not hold their bodies up. In fact, when Jesus was crucified and they put the nails into his hands and into his feet, it was meant to make it painful for him to be able to hold himself up to take a breath. These people would slowly suffocate to death on these crosses. The reason that they would break their legs was if they wanted to move this thing along, if they had an appointment or somewhere to be and they wanted this, we just need this person to die, they would break their legs in order to cause them to die sooner through suffocation because with broken legs you were not able to hold yourself up to take a breath. Your chest would cave in and your lungs would collapse, you would not be able to breathe. That's what's happening here in John 19. Then came the soldiers and break the legs of the first and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they, multiple soldiers, remember these are Roman soldiers trained in execution, they have perfected the art of execution, they are experts at their trade. When they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already. So we have multiple soldiers, this is their job to kill people and they identified that Christ was dead. Notice they break not his legs. And of course this was all fulfillment, I don't have time to get into it, you can study this out on your own. This was fulfillment in the Old Testament, the fact that none of his bones would be broken but he would be pierced. Notice what they did in verse 34. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water and he that saw it bare record and his record is true and he knoweth that he saith is true that ye might believe. So here's what's interesting. Multiple soldiers whose full time job was to crucify and kill people on the cross looked at Jesus and said this guy's dead. And then just to make sure that he actually was dead and that they weren't just accidentally taking someone off the cross that wasn't dead, they pierced them through his side in order to make sure that he was dead. Here's what's interesting. John is the one who's giving us this eyewitness account and here's what John said. And John wouldn't have really known what he was saying if it wasn't that the Holy Spirit was leading him to write these things. But in verse 34 it says, But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water. John would not have known this at this time But now today medical science tells us that when someone dies through this type of death, of suffocation where they cannot breathe, their body will try to hold onto the liquids in their body and their lungs and their heart and their insides will basically fill with water. And here we have John witnessing the fact that Jesus had been pierced and he just writes down this fact because he thinks it's interesting that not only blood came out of Jesus but water did also. And this is a medical proof that Jesus on the cross was dead. Now why does it matter that Jesus was dead? Here's why it matters. Go to Mark chapter 15 if you would. If you're there in John, go backwards, Luke, Mark. It matters because our faith is hinged upon the truth of the resurrection. And in order for us to be sure of the resurrection, God made sure to give us every detail possible to know Jesus was not just unconscious. Jesus was not just in some sort of a light coma and he regained consciousness in the grave. He was dead. Here's what's interesting. In John we're given all these details where we're told about his death. In Mark 15 and verse 43, the Bible says this, Joseph of Arimathea. So if you're there in John and you go backwards, you got Luke and Mark. Mark chapter 15 verse 43. Mark 15, 43. The Bible says Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly unto Pilate and craved the body of Jesus. So Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus and he wanted to give him a proper burial. So he asked for the body of Jesus. Usually, history tells us, the Roman Empire would not allow those who were crucified to be given a burial service. They were not allowed to be buried. They were just kind of thrown in these unmarked graves. But here we have Joseph of Arimathea, who's a rich man, kind of using his influence to make sure that this doesn't happen to Jesus and that Jesus gets a proper burial. So he's asking for the body of Jesus. Verse 44. And Pilate marveled if he were already dead. And calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. Here we're told that not only did soldiers make sure that Jesus was dead, by just experts identifying the fact that he was dead, they pierced him to make sure he was dead. Then we're told that water came out. John would have known it, but that scientifically tells us Jesus was dead. And then we're told that Pilate had them double check. Now look, if your boss is Pilate, and he's a Roman governor that is just putting people to death left and right, and he says, hey, go make sure Jesus was actually dead, you don't think they went and made sure Jesus was actually dead? I mean, you say, why are these details in the Bible? Because God wants us to know, God wants us to be sure of the fact that the resurrection was a major miracle because Jesus was actually dead. And obviously those are all nice, logical ways of looking at it, but you know what, we believe that Jesus died and resurrected because in Revelation 2.8, and keep your finger there and mark, we're going to come right back to it, but if you go back to Revelation 2.8, he clearly says, notice he says, and unto the angel of the church of Smyrna, these things saith the first and the last, and he says this, which was dead and is alive. He says, look, I was dead, and I am now alive. I am resurrected. And Jesus in this introduction highlights two things, the deity of Christ, I am the first and the last, and the humanity of Christ, which was dead and is alive. I'd like you to notice secondly, we'll move to the next category in this message, we talked about the introduction, now let's look at the commendation. In the commendation, he's about to give them praise for certain things he likes about them, and I want you to notice what he says, and this is all connected, so I want you to understand this and get it. Notice verse 9, he says, I know thy works, he's talking to the church in Smyrna, and tribulation, and poverty. But then he says this, and John puts it in parentheses, or the writers, the translators put it in parentheses for us, he says, but thou art rich. He looks at this church in Smyrna, and he says, I know that you're poor, that's what the word poverty means. He says, I know that you're poor, but truly, he says, thou art rich. Now here's what's interesting, Jesus and John and the Holy Spirit, they look at this church and they say, you are poor by the world's standards, but yet God considers you rich, you're rich by God's standards. Did you keep your place in Mark? If you go back to Mark, just turn over to the book of Luke, Luke chapter 12, and let me give you an example of a rich man in the Bible and what God says about this rich man. And again, we're going to look at all these phrases independently of each other, and then at the end we're going to bring it all together and I'll show you why Jesus is telling them what he's telling them and the point that he's trying to get across. Luke chapter 12, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Luke chapter 12. In Luke chapter 12 and verse 16, we have a parable that Jesus is giving about covetousness. Notice verse 16, And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. So this was a rich man and he had a good day, he had a good crop, he's making money, he brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. And he said, This will I do, I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruit and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid out for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. Now this guy must have been an American, I would think, because he's got so much stuff, he doesn't know where to put it. He's got his garage filled with stuff, he's got storage bins rented out filled with stuff, and then he's living for the day of retirement, right? I'm going to just accumulate all this money, and then I'm just going to sit back and relax. I'm just going to sit back, and he's talking to himself, he says, Soul, thou hast much goods laid out for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. What does God think about this? Look at verse 20. God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. And listen to me, it is foolish to live your life to just accumulate possessions. It is a foolish thing to live your life and just determine the worth and the value and how you are winning at life based on where you live and what you drive and the type of clothes that you wear. He says, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then who shall these things be which thou hast provided? He says, Look, you ought to live for the day of death. You ought not live for the things you can accumulate. He says, You can't take it with you. He says, Then who shall these things be which thou hast provided? Then notice the commentary that he gives of this parable. Jesus says, So is he that layeth up treasure for himself. And then he says this, And is not rich toward God. See, Jesus looks at the church in Smyrna and he says, The world says you're poor, but God says you're rich. And then Jesus looks at this parable, gives us parable, and he says, Here's a man that the world would say he's rich, but God says he's poor. He says, So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. And again, he's making a point to the church in Smyrna. He likes this church. He's not going to say anything negative to them. He's only saying positive things. But he's making these statements for a reason. He's going somewhere, and he begins by saying, Hey, church in Smyrna, I want you to remember something. I am the first and the last. I am God. But I want you to also remember that I am human. I am he which liveth and was dead. And then he says to them, I know a few things about you. I know your works. I know your tribulations. I know your poverty. But there's something I know about you that you may not necessarily know about yourself, and it is this, that thou art rich. Then he says this, look at verse 9. Keep your place there right in Luke. We're going to come right back toward that part of the Bible. Go back to Revelation 2, look at verse 9. He says, I know thy works and tribulation and poverty, but thou art rich. Then he says this, And I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. He says, I not only know what you're going through, but I also know those who are attacking you. He says, I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Now we need to break this down because this part of scripture right here can be kind of controversial with a lot of Christians, especially when you've got your Zionist type Christians and your dispensational Christians, the Christians that are all about the Jews are great, and bless the Jews, and you go to many churches today and they've got a flag of Israel up and all those things, and this passage can be kind of controversial for them because it's like, what is Jesus talking about? He's talking about the fact that there are people who, he says, I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not. What is he talking about? Well, go to the book of John, John chapter 8. John chapter 8. Now if you kept your place in Luke, right after Luke you have the book of John, and let me just say this. If you've never heard this before, what I'm about to teach you, look, I'm going to prove it to you straight from the Bible. I'm not going to quote you some book or some theologian. I'm going to show you what the Bible says. Maybe you've never heard this before. You've got to decide right now. Is your authority the Bible? Or is it just man-made religion? Is it what you've heard on TV? Is it John Hagee and other Zionist preachers? Or is it the Bible? Because here we have Jesus looking at the church in Smyrna, and he says, I know thy works and tribulation and poverty but thou art rich. And then he says, and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not. And you've got to ask, what are you talking about, Jesus? People who say they are Jews and are not? So let's look at a few things about what Jesus believed about the Jews. And we're talking about modern-day Judaism. And look, please understand this. God is no respecter of persons, and we aren't either. We don't think that you ought to think worse of the Jews. But let me tell you something, and we don't want to mince any words here. Judaism is a false religion like every other false religion. Today you have the majority of Christians saying, Hinduism is wicked, Islam is wicked, Confucianism is wicked, all these false religions are wicked, Buddhism is wicked, oh, but the Jews, those are God's chosen people. No, you know what? Jews who deny Christ are unsaved just like a Muslim is unsaved, just like an American who denies Christ is enslaved. Look, it's a false religion. Now, we shouldn't hate them, or we should love them and want to get them saved, but they shouldn't get a free pass either. And look, this is what the Bible teaches. You know, you've got to ask this question. What did Jesus believe about the Judaism of his day? And here's what you'll learn. Jesus did not believe that being a physical descendant of Abraham makes you a child of God or a child of Abraham. John 8, verse 37. Notice Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees of his day, the leaders of the synagogues, the leaders of the religion of Judaism. He says this, I know that ye are Abraham's seed. So Jesus acknowledges the fact that these people are physical descendants of Abraham. He says, I know that ye are Abraham's seed, but ye seek to kill me because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father, and ye do that which ye have seen with your Father. Now, Jesus is kind of poking at them here. Pastor Thompson and I, last night over dinner, were talking about all the different passages in the Bible where Jesus is just pressing these buttons just to irritate people. And this is one of them. Because he just got done telling them, hey, I know you're Abraham's seed. I know that Abraham is your physical father. And then he says, I speak that which I have seen with my father, and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. They're kind of irritated, right? They're like, you just said you know that we're Abraham's seed. Abraham is our father. What are you talking about, our father? Jesus said unto them, if ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. And then he goes on to tell them, ye are of your father the devil. He said, let me tell you what I think about your religion. Let me tell you what I think about your works religion. Let me tell you what I think about your keep the law religion. He said, I know physically you're descendants of Abraham, but he says, if ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. And he says, look, you are of your father the devil. This is why Jesus in Revelation 2, 9 says, the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not. And by the way, keep your place right there in John. We're going to come right back towards that part of the Bible. Go back to Revelation, look at verse 3. He says this to another church in Revelation 3, 9, and of course this will be in another sermon, but I want you to just notice this. Revelation 3, 9, he brings this up again. Revelation chapter 3 and verse 9, behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship for thy feet and to know that I have loved thee. He says, there are people who are blaspheming, who say they are Jews and are not. He says, they're lying. And then he says, they are of the synagogue of Satan. OK, so here's what we need to answer. Did Jesus believe that being a physical descendant of Abraham made you a child of Abraham? And according to the book of John, the answer is no. Did Jesus believe that there were some people who think they are Jews because of their physical descendancy, but that God does not acknowledge as Jews? And the answer is yes. That's what he's telling us in Revelation 2, 9 and Revelation 3, 9. He says, which say they are Jews and are not, but do lie. So what is he talking about? What is Jesus referring to? Go to Romans chapter 2. Romans chapter 2, you're there in John. You're going to go past the book of John into the book of Acts, and after the book of Acts, you've got the book of Romans. Romans chapter number 2 and verse 28. You say, what is Jesus referring to? He's referring to this. That what makes you a Jew, spiritually speaking, in the eyes of God, a child of God, what makes you a Jew spiritually is not your physical descendancy, but it is what you believe. Romans 2, 28. Look, it cannot be any clearer than this. Romans 2, 28. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly. He said, look, he's not a Jew which is one outwardly just because you're physically a descendant of Abraham. Neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. Look, can you get any more clear than that? He said, don't talk to me about your flesh and don't talk to me about your circumcision. He says he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, verse 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. What makes you a Jew in the eyes of God? What makes you a Jew is not what happens to you on the outside, physical circumcision, but what happens to you on the inside, the circumcision of the heart. What you believe on the inside. And here's what he says. He says there are some people out there today that say they are Jews and are not. You say, why? Because the Bible says, look, you say, who's Abraham's seed? You're looking at him. You are Abraham's seed. The Bible says that if ye be in Christ, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Look, we are the spiritual descendants of Abraham. You say, yeah, but that goes against the sensationalism. That goes against the Zionist teaching. I thought we were supposed to bless Israel. Yeah, bless us. We're spiritual Israel. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly. Neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly. This is what the Bible says. You don't have to turn here. I'll just read this for you. Philippians 3. This is what Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, a bunch of Gentiles. He says, for we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. And then people today, they'll look at this passage in Romans, in Revelation, excuse me. Go back to Revelation chapter 2, if you would. They'll look at this passage in Revelation 2, 9, where he says, I know thy works in 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. And they'll say, oh yeah, but that's not talking about Judaism. That's something else. It's like, are you serious? I mean, can you read that and not take away from it that it's talking about modern-day Judaism? It's talking about the Jews' religion? I mean, let's just play the devil's advocate. And the devil's obviously an idiot if he's trying to get us to believe this. But let's play the devil's advocate and say, okay, let's say we don't know who he's talking about. Let's say we're reading verse 9, and we're not sure who he's talking about. Let's just look at the characteristics of the people he's talking about. Here's the first characteristic. I know the blasphemy. So they're blasphemous people. Did you know that the modern-day Judaism follows a book called the Talmud, and it is a blasphemous book against Jesus Christ? I mean, I'm not even going to repeat the things they say about Jesus in that book. So he says, they're blasphemous. Well, modern-day Judaism is blasphemous against Christ. It's an anti-Christ religion. They reject Christ as the Messiah. It's not that they believe there is a Christ. They just don't believe Jesus is the Christ. So he says about them, I know the blasphemy. Then he says, which say they are Jews and are not. So there are people who say they are Jews and are not. Who are the only people in this world that say they're Jews and are not? It's the Jews. You say, but they are Jews. Look, he is not a Jew, which has went outwardly. That's what the Bible says. They say they are Jews, but they're not. They say that we are not in the family of God, that we are Gentiles, that we're not. But you know what? We actually are. We're Abraham's seed. We're heirs according to the promise. Then notice the third characteristic. He says that they are in the synagogue of Satan. Now look, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, what's the only religion in this world that worships in a synagogue? I mean, what religion worships in a synagogue? And people look at that and say, oh, there's no way I was talking about the Jews. You're blind. Or an idiot. I don't know how else to say it. I mean, he says they worship in a synagogue. They say they're Jews and are not. He says that they're blasphemous. And look, obviously, how does Jesus feel about this religion? He feels like it's a false religion. I know thy works and tribulation and poverty, but thou art rich, and I know the blasphemy of them which say they're Jews and are not, and are the synagogue of Satan. How does God feel about this religion? It is a demonic religion. And look, should that surprise you when Jesus said to the Jews, ye are of your father the devil? I mean, he says you're of your father the devil. Then he says you're worshiping in the synagogue of Satan. So he's talking about their enemies. And again, this is all connected. This is all, he's bringing all these things up for a reason. Look at verse 10. And I'm dealing with this by subject because there's a lot of subjects to cover here and then I'm going to bring it all together here at the end for you. Notice what he says in verse 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. So he talks about the fact that they're going to go through a period of tribulation and it's a ten-day period. Now let me just say this. I believe that the Church of Smyrna literally physically went through a ten-day period of aggressive tribulation. The word tribulation means trouble. It's just persecution. And look, it says, he says, Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days. I believe that this was an actual period of tribulation that this church went through. But I also believe that this is symbolic of the great tribulation that all believers that lived through the end times are going to go through. Now in order for you to understand this, I need to explain a couple of things to you. So just go with me to the book of Leviticus if you would. Leviticus 23. Towards the beginning of the Old Testament you have Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus. Leviticus chapter number 23. And while you go there, I'll just explain this to you. I'll give you the time to go through and look at all the passages. I'll give you the references if you want to jot this down in your notes. In the Old Testament, God had given the children of Israel a schedule for feasts that they were supposed to do every year. They were supposed to keep these certain feasts. And those feasts are actually symbolic. Those yearly feasts that they did every year at a certain time every year, those were symbolic of the work of God that God was going to do in this world and the things he was going to do. Those feasts were divided into three categories. The first was the spring feasts or the feasts that happened at the beginning of the year. Now there were three feasts that they were commanded to do during the spring in the Old Testament to the Old Testament children of Israel. The first was the Passover. Now, and again, I don't have time to break this down for you. We could spend weeks just cross-referencing and looking at it. You'll have to study it out on your own. But let me just give you a couple of references to jot down if you'd like. This is commanded in Leviticus 23 verses 4 through 5, the Passover. And the Passover was symbolic of the death of Christ. The Passover, and I don't have time to get into the picture of the Passover and everything, the door posts, all those things. If they had the blood, the judgment would pass over them. The Passover was a picture of the death of Christ. Let me just give you this to jot down. 1 Corinthians 5, 7 actually says this, Christ our Passover. So the Passover pictures the death of Christ. Then you had the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That was Leviticus 23 verses 6 through 8, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That pictures the burial of Christ. And again, it had to do with unleavened bread. And John 6 35, Jesus said this, I am the bread of life. And of course, leaven is a picture of sin. He was the unleavened bread. He was the bread that had no leaven. He said, I am the bread of life. Then you would have the Feast of First Fruits. And the Feast of First Fruits was when their harvest was coming in. The first fruits that came from that harvest, they would have a feast around that. And that pictured the resurrection of Christ. That's found in Leviticus 23 verses 9 through 10. And let me just give you a verse. 1 Corinthians 15, 23, Christ the first fruits. And of course, his resurrection is called the first fruit. So in the spring, you had three feasts. The Passover, which pictured his death. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which pictured his burial. And the Feast of First Fruits, which pictured his resurrection. Then in the summer, you had the Feast of Weeks. Or what you and I would refer to as Pentecost, or the Feast of Pentecost. This happened 50 days after the Passover. You find it in Leviticus 23 verses 15 through 16. And this, of course, pictures what? It pictures the launch of the local New Testament church. Acts 2, 1, the Day of Pentecost was fully come. This is what they were celebrating. The Feast of Weeks, and that's when God chose to launch the local New Testament church in a big way. Obviously, it wasn't, I don't believe it was the start of the church, but it's when he launched them into the world and sent them out and all those things. So you have seven feasts in the Old Testament. Three of them happened in the spring. The Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of First Fruits, pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. One of them happened in the summer. It's the Feast of Weeks, or what you and I would call the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after the Passover. And that was a great harvest. Because remember, the first fruit was a feast about the first fruits coming up out of the ground. Fifty days later, they were having a full-fledged harvest. That's the Feast of Weeks, the Day of Pentecost. And that's what happened on the Day of Pentecost. 3,000 people were saved and baptized. That was a harvest of souls. Then you have three more feasts that happened in the fall. Now here's what's interesting. The spring feasts all picture the first coming of Christ, his death, burial, and resurrection. The summer feasts all picture us right now, the local New Testament church and its launch on the Day of Pentecost. The fall feasts all picture the second coming of Christ, or what we would refer to as the end times. Now what are those fall feasts? Well, number five, the third one in the fall, which would be the fifth feast of the year, is the Feast of Trumpets. Leviticus 23, verse 24. And I believe that is a picture of the abomination of desolation. I'll prove it to you from the Bible. Many of you have heard this before in videos and documentaries, but I want you to see it. Then you have the Day of Atonement. That picture is the rapture, when they're all made free. They're all set free. They've been atoned. And look, here's the thing. You and I have been saved spiritually, but our Day of Atonement hasn't fully come because we're still in the sinful flesh. The rapture will be completely saved, body, soul, and spirit. You have the Day of Atonement, which pictures the rapture of believers, Leviticus 23, 26 through 27. And then you've got the seventh and final feast of the year, which was the Feast of Tabernacles, and that is a picture of the millennial reign. In fact, if you look at the millennial reign passages in the prophetic books, you'll often see them in the millennial reign actually keeping the Feast of Tabernacles. I don't think they're necessarily actually keeping the feast, but God is trying to show us the Feast of Tabernacles is a picture of the millennial reign, Leviticus 23 verses 33 through 34. So I wanted to explain all that to you. You've got seven feasts, three of them in the spring. They picture the first coming of Christ, the death, burial, and resurrection, Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of First Fruits. You've got the summer feast, which is the Feast of Weeks, which is the Day of Pentecost, represents the local New Testament church, which we're living through right now. Then you've got the fall feast, which picture all of the end times, the second coming of Christ, the abomination of desolation, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, which is the rapture, and the Feast of Tabernacles, the millennial reign. I want to focus in on Feasts No. 5 and No. 6, and I want you to notice this. Are you there in Leviticus 23? And again, I told you. This is going to be very much like a Bible study. We're going to look at a lot of scripture. You've got to put on your thinking cap. But I want you to notice this, okay? This is a one-year schedule, a feast, that pictures the end times events, all right? So I want you to notice just several things here. Leviticus 23, verse 24. Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, in the seventh month, in the first day of the month. Now, the month has 12, the year, excuse me, has 12 months in it. The middle of the year is right there between the sixth and the seventh month. And he tells them, in the seventh month, on the first day of the month. So I want you to notice, on this calendar, we are right in the midst, or in the middle of the year. He says, ye shall have a Sabbath day, a memorial of blowing of trumpets and holy convocation. Now, sometimes people will say, oh, no, this is actually a picture of the rapture because you've got the blowing of the trumpet. Here's the thing. At the rapture, the Bible says, the trump shall sound. One trumpet. Here you've got the blowing of trumpets, plural. What is that referring to? Well, go to Numbers chapter 10, if you would. I need to show this to you, so just kind of stay with me. Numbers chapter 10, look at verse 9. You've got Leviticus. Just flip over to Numbers chapter 10, verse 9. Numbers 10, 9. Just write the next book over, Numbers 10, 9. And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall, notice, if you go to war, if you go to war, you go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you. You've got an enemy coming against you. You're going to battle. Here's what you do. Then ye shall blow an alarm with trumpets, and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. So the blowing of trumpets was an alarm, letting people know, hey, danger. The enemy's coming. This is not good, all right? So in Leviticus 23, 24, in the seventh month, on the first day of the seventh month, right in the middle of the year, they had this feast of trumpets where they would blow, they had the blowing of trumpets. This is a picture of an alarm being sounded. Something bad is about to happen. What's going to happen? Go to Daniel chapter number 9. Daniel 9, keep your place in Leviticus. Daniel 9, I realize this is a lot. We just got to do it, stick with it. Daniel 9, towards the end of the Old Testament, you've got those major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel. Daniel chapter 9, look at verse 27. Daniel 9, 27. Daniel 9, 27, and he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. Now this is the famous end times passage dealing with Daniel's 70th week. Daniel is giving us the actual chronology of end times events. And he talks about the fact that he, the antichrist, shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. Now look, I don't have time to go into every little detail with here. You're just going to have to study this on your own. I'll give you what you need to know and you can check me later if you'd like. The one week is a week of years. This period known as end times period is going to happen over a period of seven years and he refers to it as one week but it's a week of years. So he says, and he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. So he's going to make a treaty, he's going to bring some sort of a covenant to the world and it's going to be a seven year treaty. This covenant is going to last for one week which is a week of years. Notice what he says. And in the midst of the week, so remember, the feasts are a yearly feast that picture the chronology of end times which is actually a seven year period. In the middle of the year, they had a feast of the blowing of the trumpets which was an alarm that was to be set. Daniel tells us that in the actual seven year period of the end times, in the midst of those seven years, notice what he says, Daniel 9.27, and he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week and in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease and for the overspreading, notice these words, of abomination he shall make it desolate. I want you to remember that. The abomination he shall make it desolate even unto the consummation and that determinant shall be poured upon the desolate. So here's what I want you to know. Daniel says that there's a seven year period, a week of years, which will be the event of end times and Daniel tells us in the midst of those seven years, there's going to be the abomination of desolation. Now what is that? Go to Matthew chapter 24. Keep your finger in Daniel. Keep your place in Leviticus and go to Matthew. If you have that many fingers, if you can figure that out. Matthew 24, look at verse 15. Matthew 24, verse 15. In Matthew 24, we have Jesus giving us the great Olivet Discourse, which is the prophetic sermon where he lays out the events of the end times. Notice what Jesus says. Matthew 24, verse 15. When ye therefore shall see, notice what he says, the abomination of desolation. And again, I don't have time to develop this. If you study that out, you're going to find in Daniel that the abomination of desolation is something that is set. It's something that is placed. In the book of Revelation, we're told that they have an image. They give power unto the image, that everybody should worship the image, and those who do not worship the image, those who worship the image receive a mark in their right hand or in their forehead, and those who refuse to worship the image are put to death. This is all referring to the same thing. When ye therefore shall see the abomination, that's what Jesus said, of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, we just read about that in Daniel 9-27, stand ye in the holy place, who so readers let him understand, and then he begins to tell people, go for the hills, run, don't go back, don't go back and get your coat. Notice verse 21. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this type, no, nor ever shall be. So according to Jesus, we can know when great tribulation begins. How do we know that? When we see the abomination of desolation set up in the place where it ought not. According to Daniel, when is that going to happen? That's going to happen in the midst of the seven year period known as the end times, or in the midst of Daniel's 70th week. In the fall feast, we have a feast that lands right in the middle of the year, and God says, blow the trumpets, blow an alarm. This is all connected. This is all referring to the fact that in the middle of the seven years of Daniel's 70th week, we'll begin a time period of great tribulation for believers. Now the Zionists who don't like you talking about the synagogue of Satan, and the dispensationalists, they'll say, oh no, we get raptured out of here before that happens. But the Bible doesn't teach that. And again, I don't have time to go into all those details. We've got documentaries and sermons and things you can, but look, the Bible is clear. Believers go through the tribulation period. They're confusing the tribulation with the wrath of God. Those are two different things. The wrath of God is not poured out on believers, but the tribulation is not the wrath of God. The tribulation is the persecution of believers by the anti-Christ. And it begins at the abomination of desolation. Go back to Leviticus 23. What's the next feast on our calendar? We have the Day of Atonement, which is a picture of the rapture. Notice Leviticus 23 verse 26. When does the Day of Atonement take place? And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, also, on the tenth day of this seventh month. So on the first day of the seventh month, he says, blow the trumpets, set an alarm, the enemy's coming, things are not going well. And how long does that go for? Well, he says, well, ten days later, ten days after that, there shall be a Day of Atonement. And it shall be a holy convocation unto you. And ye shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. He says, ten days after that, you have the Day of Atonement. What's he saying? He's saying, on this one year, symbolic calendar of end times, he says that period of great tribulation is a ten day period. Which is why at the synagogue of Satan, why in Revelation chapter 2, he says, behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days. It's picturing the fact that there's coming a period of great tribulation. Now, here's what you need to understand. It's not literally ten days. In fact, the Bible tells us exactly how long that period is going to last. Go back to Daniel chapter 9. Daniel chapter 9. And look, I realize, look, welcome to Verity Baptist Church, where you actually have to care about what the Bible says to be able to follow the sermons. It's not just sugar and kindness and light. We actually want to study the Bible. So just keep your thinking cap on and follow along. And actually try to learn something. Daniel 9.27. How long is this period for? How long does it last for? Daniel 9.27. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. Right? A week of years. That is a seven year period in the Bible. Now, again, you need to understand this. In the Bible, the months were 30 days long. So it's different than our calendar. We're on the Gregorian Roman calendar. In the Old Testament, their calendar, the Jewish calendar, was a 12 month year. Every month was 30 days. So he says there's a week, there's one week, it's a week of years, that is seven years. And the Bible every month had 30 days in it, which would mean it's a 360 day year, not a 365 day year, which would mean that a seven year period would last 2,520 days. And in the midst of the week, in the middle of those seven years, which would be 2,520 divided into the midst, you're going to have 1,260 days into that year. He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate. So in the midst of those seven years, you have the abomination of desolation. Look at Daniel 12 and verse number 11. Daniel chapter 12 and verse 11. Notice what the Bible says. Daniel 12 and 11. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away. When does that happen? That happens at the abomination of desolation, the midst of the year. And at the time, he says, and from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that make it desolate set up, there shall be 1,290 days. And again, I'm going to go into a lot of details, and I may lose some of you, and that's OK. Some of you are like, well, wait a minute. 1,260 days, I thought it was the midst of the year. 1,290 days, that's not exactly the midst of the year. Let me just explain that quickly. If you don't care, don't worry about it. Here's the point. When you have 12 months that are 30 days, you have a 360 day year, that's not going to match up to the actual rotation of the Earth, and somebody's going to tell me something about being flat Earth, and I don't care. Here's the point. Every seven years, just like every four years, we have a leap day, where we add a day to the year to make sure that we stay on the actual rotation of what's actually happening in the universe. Every seven years, they would have a leap month. They would have an additional 30 days, because 12 30-day months are going to get you off that rotation. That's what's happening here. If you want more information about that, you can talk to me after the service. I just want to make sure we answer that, for those of you that are really smart. In the abomination that make it desolate setup, there shall be 1,290 days. Look at Daniel 12 and verse 12. Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. Okay, so please get this. Seven years. In the midst of the year, 1,260 days into those seven years, you have the abomination of desolation. You have the time period known as the Great Tribulation, where we're going to either have to worship the beast. People are going to have to worship the beast and take the mark of the beast, and if they don't, then they're going to have their heads cut off. It's going to be great tribulations, such as was never seen in the world. And then God says, but please know this. You'll be blessed if you can wait, if you can wait it out, if you can make it to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days of that seven year period. So he says, if you can make it to 1,335 days into that seven year period, you'll be good. Why? Because that's when the rapture happens. The Day of Atonement. Now you say, well what is that? Well look, think about it this way. We have a seven year period. When the period begins, you start at day one. One thousand three hundred and thirty five days into that seven year period, we're told is the Day of Atonement, is the day of the rapture. You'll be blessed if you can make it. That's why Jesus said, if ye endure unto the end, ye shall be saved. That's not talking about work, salvation. It's talking about making it to the end, the tribulation. You're going to get saved. Look up for your redemption draweth night. That's all what the Bible's talking about, the rapture. Now, 1,260 days into that tribulation period, into that seven years, excuse me, is when the great tribulation begins. So how long does the great tribulation last? Well, 1,335 days minus 1,260 days is a 75 day period of great tribulation upon this earth. Now let me just answer a few questions. People will preach this stuff, right? People are like, you guys are setting a date for the rapture. You're a false prophet. Okay, if we've set a date, then what day is it? We haven't set any dates. Can you hear me say? On April 15th. Your taxes are due. No, I'm just kidding. Have you heard me give a date? Look, here's what we know. 1,335 days into the seven year period is when the rapture happens. Here's the truth. None of us are going to know when the seven weeks begin. Because the beginning of the tribulation, he says, here's what you're going to hear. Wars and rumors of wars. You're going to hear of pestilence and earthquakes. Well, here's the problem with that. We've been hearing about wars and rumors of wars. We've been hearing about the coronavirus. We've been hearing about earthquakes and tidal waves. We've been hearing about that for a long time. So it's not possible for anybody to say, today began, Daniel's 70th week. So there's no way for us to predict the rapture because here's what we know. 1,335 days into Daniel's 70th week is a rapture, but nobody can tell you when it begins. But you know what we will all know? We will all know when the abomination of desolation is set up. And when the abomination of desolation is set up, we will know that we are 1,260 days into Daniel's 70th week. And then we will also know that we just have to wait 75 days. If we can just survive 75 days, and look, don't fall into this, I'm going to go live in the hills, and I've got my guns, and blah, whatever. You got 75 days, do something with it. Get people saved, preach the gospel. Hey, you know what? I believe that God's going to protect those of us who do great feats and we're trying to do great things for God. God's going to protect you. He said, what if God doesn't protect you? Then you get to go out in glory. You get to go and be a martyr for Christ. What better way to die? Look, you're at the end. When you see the abomination of desolation, it's over. You can stop worrying about your Roth IRA. Stop worrying about whatever you're worried about. You got 75 days left. And then the rapture comes, and we will be saved, the Day of Atonement. Now here's what's interesting. You say, what, 75 days, 10 days? I don't understand. The actual timeline is a seven-year period with a 75-day Great Tribulation period. The reason that he says 10 days is because he puts it on a one-year calendar that is just symbolic of what's going to happen over seven years. When you take 75 days and divide it by seven, you know what you get? 10.71428. 10 days of tribulation. Revelation 2.10. Fear none of those things, for thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation 10 days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Notice he says, look, you're going to go through a period. And I believe he's literally talking to the church this morning saying, you're going to go through an actual 10-day period of tribulation, and I'm going to give you a crown of life if you're faithful through that. But this is symbolic of just believers in general. There is going to be a period in this world called the Great Tribulation. It's not 10 days. That's just the one-year symbolic version of it. It's actually 75 days because it's a seven-year actual event that's going to happen. But God is telling all of us, be thou faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life. Now, what's that crown of life? Let's just run some verses real quickly. We've already gone way over our time. James chapter 1, look at verse 12. James 1, 12. If you got Revelation, if you head backwards, you got Jude, 32 and 1 John, 2 and 1 Peter, James. James chapter 1, 12. We're almost done, all right? James 1, 12. James 1, 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. The Bible says that God is going to give us, those of us who can endure tribulation and trials, who can endure temptation, he's going to give us a crown of life. Now, I want you to notice what he says in verse 10. We're almost done, all right? Revelation 2, 10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison that you may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days. He says, be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. You know, Jesus tells this church, he says, be thou faithful unto, he says, fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer, and I just got to throw a couple of these things in. I won't have you turn to it. You can jot these down if you'd like. Very interesting. Two churches, two churches in the seven churches of Revelation, there are two churches that he says nothing negative about. The church in Smyrna, which we're learning about, and the church in Philadelphia. You know what's also interesting about those two churches? Those are the only two churches that are suffering persecution. Out of all seven of them, only two are being persecuted, and they are also the only two that he has nothing negative to say about. Sometimes people, they look at Verity Baptist Church, and they're like, Pastor Jimenez, is there something wrong with our church? I mean, people are walking out of the service, left and right. Have you seen your Google reviews? I mean, you know, you had protests, and you had people attacking you. Is there something wrong with your church? Look, you're asking the wrong question. The question is, there must be something right with our church. The two churches that Jesus has nothing negative to say about are being persecuted, are suffering persecution. He's telling them, be thou faithful unto death. He's telling them, I'm going to give you a crown of life. The other churches that are lame, that he's got bad things to say about, none of them are suffering persecution. Look, realize this. The world hates God. The world hates the Bible. And when we preach the Bible, they're going to hate us. They crucified our Savior. And he says, look. He says, look. And here's what Jesus is saying to church in Smyrna. Because I believe he's talking to church filled with individuals that are scared. They're afraid. They're having to suffer all this persecution. They've got the synagogue of Satan coming after them. And look, by the way, read the book of Acts. It is the Jews that were persecuting believers all throughout the book of Acts. People want to tell you, like, oh, it was the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire is helping them. It's the Jews. And you've got this church in Smyrna. They're being persecuted by the synagogue of Satan. They're scared, and they're afraid. And Jesus looks at them and says, hey, I want you to remember a couple of things. I am the first and the last. I'm God. And beside me, there is no other. And I want you to remember something else. I am him that liveth and was dead. I'm not going to ask you to suffer persecution and be faithful to that. I'm not asking you to do something that I wasn't willing to do. He says, in fact, remember the story? I died, and I am alive. And he says, I know your poverty, but I also know that spiritually you are rich. He says, I know that you're going through, and you're going to go through a time of persecution. But he says, fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Psalm 56, verse 11, you don't have to turn there. You can just jot it down if you'd like. The Bible says this, in God have I put my trust. I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Matthew, you don't have to turn there. Matthew, chapter number 10, in verse 28, says this, and fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Notice how he concludes his message to this church. In verse 10, he says, fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison that you may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. And then in verse 11, he says this, he that at the near let him hear what the Spirit saith in the churches. He that overcometh, don't miss this, shall not be heard of the second death. It's interesting. He says, you might suffer the first death, but you won't suffer the second death. He says, look, don't fear them that are able to kill the body, because you know the worst thing that they can do to you, listen to me, the worst thing that this world, the devil, the enemies of God can do to you and can do to me, the worst possible thing they can do is kill this body. But I won't suffer the second death. They can't kill the soul. And Jesus is looking at this church, and he's trying to encourage them, and he's saying, be thou faithful unto death. Be thou faithful unto death. And look, we live in the United States of America. We've got a lot of freedoms and rights. We suffer some persecution, but honestly, none of us are striving unto death. None of us have been beaten. None of us have been imprisoned. None of us have been put to death. But look, we need to even in our mild persecution, we as Christians need to just take some exhortation from Jesus. And look, he went through death, and we should be willing to go through death for him. And if we happen to live through the great tribulation, where Christians are actually being put to death for their testimony in Christ, then we can take comfort in knowing that if we are faithful unto death, he will give us a crown of life. And he says, you won't be hurt of the first death. He says, he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Don't be afraid. Fear not, then, which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. That's why I had the number one prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you for the Bible. Lord, I know that there's just a lot in these four verses, just a lot of information that was packed in there. And Lord, I just pray that you would help us to learn from it and be blessed by it in any way that we can. And Lord, I just pray that you would help us to be faithful. Help us to not be Christians who are just looking for the easy way out, just for the convenient way, what's easiest. But help us to be Christians who are just willing to suffer, willing to not fear what man can do unto us. In the matchless name of Christ, we pray, amen.