The persecuted of Smyrna and today
In the book of Revelations we read,
"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 the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
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 the crown of life.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. Revelations 2:8-11.
Here is one of only two churches mentioned in Revelations that Christ does not criticize. Christs states that while they may seem to live in poverty. It is quite the opposite. They are rich.
Christ tells them that some of them are about to go to prison, and suffer persecution. Yet He reminds them that if they stay faithful to the point of death they will receive a crown of life.
This is happening around the world today in the twenty-first century. There are many believers in Christ Jesus who are being persecuted, jailed, placed in prison camps even put to death for the name of Jesus.
These believers have the assurance from Christ that they will receive a crown of life.
As believers in the western democracies we should be praying for the persecuted church around the world.
For as brother Andrew a famous evangelist and bible smuggler once said, “our prayers go where we cannot.”
Please don’t just think about it.
Pray for the persecuted church now.
