Join the discussion as we unravel the compelling narrative of the church in Smyrna—a community deeply rooted in faith amidst life’s fiercest challenges. Hear stories of divine encouragement against the backdrop of persecution and martyrdom, and understand the transformative power of knowing Christ as the First and the Last. This episode is a nourishing comfort for weary souls, urging believers to remain resolved in faith, eyeing the eternal rewards promised to those who persevere.
I don’t know how often I’ve heard this, but it’s been quite a bit, where folks get real discouraged about what they do for the Lord. Nobody ever seems to thank them or notice it or whatever, and they think they’re so insignificant. Isn’t it great just to read over and over again the Lord saying, I know your works. There’s never anything you’ve ever done for the Lord the Lord doesn’t know about. And he will not forget what you have done, and he’s promised to reward you. Be faithful, weary pilgrims. One day it will be worth it all.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to Hope for Today with Bible teacher David Hawking. As we continue in Jesus’ message to the church in Smyrna, a church under fire, under fire but not for doing anything wrong. These believers weren’t being tempted to compromise. They were suffering for standing strong. And Jesus doesn’t rebuke them. He reassures them. He tells them not to fear, to stay faithful, and to look ahead to the crown of life. It’s a message for anyone, maybe you today, who’s walking through fire and needs the reminder that the Lord sees and rewards those who stand fast. We’ll open your Bible to Revelation chapter 2, verses 8 through 11, and get ready for more encouragement from this passage that runs deep. First, though, Matt, our listener letter today comes from Penfield, New York. And what does she have to say? This is a wonderful, sweet lady. Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
What does she say? It’s great. It says, Dear David and staff, thank you for all your newsletters and updates on what is going on in the world and religion. I’ve been following for years. And I cannot support you with cash right now. I am 80 years old with many new medical bills, as I know you identify with.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. I will keep your ministry in prayer and also that our Lord will keep you in health and provide all your needs as he has for me. You know, what’s amazing about this, Jim, is that it’s all about prayer. You know, we know that some people just starts. Yeah. Yeah. Right. The Lord knows. And we love to pray for you, too, as well.
SPEAKER 02 :
Amen. Amen. through our media center, streaming David’s videos, giving the booklet, What is Christianity? and our Bible study by mail to new believers and so many other things. You can be a part of that work through prayer or a donation. Call us at 1-800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. Bible is 24253. Of course, you can also contribute online at davidhawking.org. And I’ll share our mailing address later in the program. Stay tuned for that. Let’s turn to Revelation chapter 2 now, verses 8 through 11. Let’s get back in the passage. And here’s David with today’s study.
SPEAKER 01 :
I want you to notice four things about Jesus Christ in this message of four verses. One, who he is. Two, what he knows. Three, what he commands. And four, what he promises. Real simple. who he is, what he knows, what he commands, and what he promises. Now let’s look at who he is, verse 8. Interesting that there were two characteristics of the risen Christ mentioned in chapter 1 that are brought to our attention. These things saith the first and the last… So he is the eternal God, and we’ll confirm that here just in a moment with Scripture, and who was dead and is alive. So he’s the resurrected Lord. How crucial that that statement be given to a church that’s going to experience martyrdom. This message to this church came between 90 and 95 A.D., and before 170 A.D., this church came. has experienced enormous suffering and pain, and hundreds and hundreds of believers were killed and martyred in this same city. The very pastor who received this message from John, who trained at his feet and was his disciple, will be called on to suffer at the stake as an old man. Interesting. Who is he? He’s the eternal God, the first and the last. Go back to Isaiah again and look at chapter 41. Isaiah chapter 41. There’s no doubt about it. The first and the last refers to the eternal God. And this title is given to our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s who he is. He is God. And if God be for us, who can be against us? Isaiah 41, verse 4. who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning, I the Lord, the first and the last, I am he. The word Lord, the Hebrew word Yahweh, Jehovah. I the Lord, the first and the last. Turn to chapter 44, verse 6. Chapter 44, verse 6. Thus saith the Lord, that’s the word Jehovah, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, the Lord of armies. I am the first and I am the last and beside me there is no what? God. So clearly it’s a term referring to God. Several years ago in a confrontation with a Jehovah Witness leader who had started 17 kingdom halls, and we spent about two years arguing with one another. Praise God he came to Christ. He’s an independent pastor now of a Bible teaching church. But anyway, at that time, we were having a rather hostile conversation when we met. But this one passage just bothered him to no end. The first time I introduced it to him, he said, well, if you knew Hebrew, you would know that that’s no problem to us. And I said, why is that? He said, well, there are two words for Lord in Hebrew. One is Jehovah and one is Adonai. So the first one is Jehovah, king of Israel. That’s the father. And the redeemer, of course, we know is the Messiah. And that’s Adonai, the second word. Now, at the time, I had really never looked it up. many, many years ago, and I just, you know, went by me. So I decided, well, I’ll just check it out. So I told him, I said, well, that is indeed a good answer, and I appreciate your answer. I’ll tell you, I can’t tell you the joy that was in my heart when I opened my Hebrew text and found out both lords are Jehovah. I couldn’t wait for our next meeting. He came back and I said, I got a little problem with this Isaiah 44, six verse. You said, now you’re sure the Redeemer is the Messiah. He said, oh yeah, yeah, the Redeemer is the Messiah. We know that. And you said that he’s called the Lord of hosts here, the Lord of armies. Yes, the Messiah is called Lord, but understand that’s Adonai. I said, no, it’s not. The Hebrew is Jehovah. He said, that can’t be. I said, well, it is. And I showed him where in the Hebrew text, it’s Jehovah in both cases, Yahweh. And he sat there and he said, this is indeed troubling. Yes, my friends, it is the Lord of hosts, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel, the Redeemer, who is called the first and the last. Turn back to Revelation again. Remember, this is what we learned in chapter 1, verse 8 of Revelation. When Jesus talks, he said, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. So it’s similar. And in chapter 21, near the end of the book, and verse 6, it says, He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. But to make sure you understand it’s the first and the last, it’s chapter 22, verse 13. Jesus is speaking. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. So there you put those passages together. You realize he’s all there is to say. He’s the beginning and the end. He’s the eternal God, the first and the last. And Jesus is telling this suffering church. not to worry because the eternal God is for them. And if God be for us, who can be against us? And then to say he’s the resurrected Lord, what encouragement to those who are suffering. And he says to be faithful unto death. Obviously, they’re going to experience a tremendous amount of pain, suffering, persecution, and terrible consequences for their faith in Christ. But the resurrected Lord gives us all the encouragement we need. Jesus said, don’t fear those who can kill the body. Fear the one who can cast both the body and soul into hell. That’s who you should fear. But don’t fear anybody who can kill your body. Don’t fear him at all. Because he is the resurrected Lord. If they kill us, our body, we’re going to be resurrected. And we’re going to have a brand new body from our Lord Jesus Christ. Turn back to John chapter 11. John chapter 11. Who Christ is always makes the difference. John chapter 11. In John 11 verse 25, it says, Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? What a tremendous statement. Go over to chapter 14 verse 19. Yet a little while he said to his disciples, and the world seeth me no more, but ye see me, because I live, ye shall live also. He’s talking about his resurrection. And as Bill Gaither’s Alleluia cantata expresses in one of his songs, because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, I too shall one day be resurrected into his likeness. You know, there’s nothing more powerful upon us at a time of suffering and illness than the resurrection. And this is a kind of a personal thing, but it’s so powerful, I think it will be a blessing to you. The last four years of my mother’s life, she loved the Lord, read the Bible through every year, sometimes two and three times a year. But in those last four years, she went through enormous suffering and agony. She was bedridden and just terrible, terrible physical pain. Many, many times screaming out. And sometimes when I’d go there, she would just cry out and say, why is the Lord leaving me here? Why doesn’t he take me home? But in a moment of great suffering and pain, one day when I was there and the doctors and nurses had given her all the medication and drugs they really could and it still wasn’t helping her and And the head hospital administrator asked me if I could just try to calm her down. And I went in there and I said, Mother, let me read you some scripture. And I read her 1 Thessalonians 4 about the dead in Christ who rise first. And she was screaming and yelling and trying to stop. I was just observing how the Lord was quieting her heart. And I kind of finished that passage and I just kind of stopped and waited. She looked at me and she said, more. So I flipped over to 1 Corinthians 15 and read that whole chapter, and I finished, and I started to close my Bible, and she said, more. So I went to Revelation 21 and 22, and I watched how the Lord used his word, the glorious news of the resurrection, to calm her heart. Physically, the pain was so awful, but praise God, one day the pain will be no more. And that day came, and she was ushered into God’s presence, absent from the body, present with the Lord. There’s fullness of joy, and at his right hand there are pleasures forevermore. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so then that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. And the Bible says the dead in Christ will rise first, and then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Do you think this church needed to know about the resurrected Lord? Boy, I’ll say they did. They’re going to face suffering and trial and persecution and impending death. And they needed to know that he is the one who rose from the dead. And because he is alive, so shall we one day live forever with him. Isn’t that great to know the Lord? You’re on the winning side no matter how bum your week is. Amen? Amen. That’s great. Your world may be falling apart, but the good news is one day we’re going home. Now back to Revelation 2, verse 9. Who he is, number two, what he knows. And he knows four things, according to verse 9. One, I know thy works. No matter who sees what you do. or knows what you’re doing for him. God knows what you’re doing. Jesus said, I know your works. Secondly, he knows their tribulation. Now, there’s several Greek words for tribulation. This is the interesting one that’s pressure from without. It’s coming from outside. It’s not within the camp. It’s not in your life. It’s not caused by your stress, not being able to handle things. It’s talking about persecution coming from other people. Pressure from without. Turn back to Matthew chapter 5. I know your tribulation. They were going through it for their faith in Jesus Christ. It was not easy to be Christian and live in Smyrna. Matthew chapter 5, verses 10 to 12. Matthew 5, verses 10 to 12. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, in his Beatitudes, gave this wonderful, wonderful encouragement. Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they, the prophets who were before you. I’ll tell you, folks, whenever you’re criticized, whenever you’re slandered, whenever you’re persecuted, no matter what context it is, it hurts. What do we do about it? I mean, we always want to defend. You know, folks, we need to understand something. God wants us to suffer. Not many people teach that in discipleship, especially the new converts. We’re afraid we’ll wipe them out. But Paul, when he established churches, as according to Acts 14, he admonished those new believers that we’ve got to go through much tribulation to enter the kingdom of God. We’re going to go through a lot of hassle, people. And he said, when this happens to you, rejoice and be exceedingly glad. And that is not our natural response, is to get all bent out of shape. We can’t sleep. The pain is terrible. We don’t know what to do. And God says, rejoice, be exceedingly glad. Great is your reward in heaven. So persecuted they the prophets who were before you. It’s not easy to do, is it? Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3. And look at verse 11 and 12. 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 11 and 12. Paul’s writing about his own experience here and encouraging Timothy. And it’s the last letter he ever wrote. He’s in the Mamertine prison. Talk about suffering. You know, I was only down in that dungeon for about 40 minutes. And I was very uncomfortable. Can’t hardly breathe. It’s filthy. It stinks to high heavens. It’s wet and damp. This Mamertine prison where Paul was, where he wrote this, I’ve been there. Now they have a little staircase, but they didn’t have a staircase then. They drop you through a hole and you’re stuck there with the rats. It’s rat infested. It’s filthy. It’s dirty. It stinks to high heavens. It’s a sewage hole. You know, it’s funny how we read the Bible, but once you go there and you’re there, all of a sudden something changes in you. It’s not so easy to read through it anymore. And Paul here, who’s knowing he’s going to be executed, is writing to Timothy to encourage him. He told him earlier that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a power of love and of a sound mind. But Timothy, you better be ready. Persecution is coming. Pick it up at verse 11. Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. That’s where he was stoned and left for dead. What persecutions I endured, but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. It’s not an option. It’s going to happen. Back to Revelation 2. What does he know? He knows their works. He knows their tribulation. And third, he knows their poverty. But adds this footnote, but you are rich. You know the word poverty? There’s several for poor. This happens to be the worst one. It’s referring to a beggar who’s absolutely destitute, has nothing, zilch. He’s begging for food. And these Christians were really going through it. Jesus says, I know your poverty. But he said, don’t ever forget, you are rich. It’s interesting to me that in 2 Corinthians 8, verse 9, it speaks about our Lord. Though he was rich, yet he became poor, that we through his poverty might become rich. Turn, please, to Matthew chapter 6. In Matthew 6, verse 19, the Bible says, “…we brought nothing into this world, it’s certain we’ll take nothing out.” In Matthew 6, 19, it says, “…lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.” But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. You know, this passage doesn’t mean a whole lot to you until somebody comes and steals what you got. Three times in the same year we were robbed, cleaned out the house. The furniture was getting worse, of course. I was hitting the thrift stores at that point. Might as well buy it cheap or it’s going to go again, you know. You never know what you really think about things, you know, until somebody takes them from you. But you brought nothing into this world and certain you’re going to take nothing out. How sweet of our Lord Jesus to say to these people who were suffering so, I know all about your condition. I know you’re poverty stricken. But don’t ever forget you’re rich. You’re rich. You have treasures in heaven where moth and rust will never affect. Dr. Barnhouse, who taught at Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for so many years, has wonderful commentaries. He says this, What matters the frown of the world if we have the smile of God? I kind of like that. What matters the frown of the world if we have the smile of God? That’s pretty powerful, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s David Hawking reminding us that at the end of the day, pleasing God is all that matters. Friend, you’re listening to Hope for Today, and David will be back in just a moment or so to close out our time in the Word. Stay tuned for that. First, Matt’s here, and we have a wonderful Bible study resource that may just reframe where your mind goes when you hear the name Babylon.
SPEAKER 03 :
Matt? Babylonian civilization was known for its cultural achievements, advanced architecture, famous Hain gardens, renowned contributions to mathematics, astronomy, law, and serving as a major center of trade in ancient Mesopotamia. The civilization lasted for several centuries. And it influenced subsequent cultures throughout the world. And sadly, the most significant part of that influence was paganism, idolatry, and immorality. Exactly.
SPEAKER 02 :
Babylonianism has penetrated and seduced the nations for over 4,000 years. That history, Matt, and Babylon in the prophetic future is covered in 286 Bible references. Revelation chapter 17 through 18 is one.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. It details the mystery and fall of Babylonianism.
SPEAKER 02 :
And the book of Revelation depicts a prostitute on a seven-headed beast with 10 horns on its seventh head, symbolizing the Antichrist’s future rise. Apparently, he will emerge from a confederacy dividing the world into 10 divisions, attacking Christian beliefs.
SPEAKER 03 :
And according to prophecy, Jim, the Babylonian religious system will culminate in a diabolical final seduction of All nations.
SPEAKER 02 :
Like the world has never seen. This month, we’re featuring a special price on your dad’s book, Babylon, its history and prophecies. Now, normally $15, just $10 this month.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, this powerful study guide commentary covers scriptures on the history, prophecies, and warning signs for Babylonianism. fortifying readers to stand strong in faith and hopeful for our future. Get Babylon, its history and prophecies, normally $15, just $10 this month when you call 1-800-75-BIBLE, 242-53. In Canada, call 1-888-75-BIBLE or purchase at davidhawking.org.
SPEAKER 02 :
And if you make this purchase, would you prayerfully consider adding an additional amount as a donation to help us continue the ministry of hope for today? Or perhaps send a donation by itself. Either way, your gift will help us continue this outreach. Well, now, as we mentioned last time, summertime is here. And with that comes what most ministries typically refer to as the summer slowdown. We, however, don’t believe that our listeners fit that mold. If you’re listening today, chances are you care deeply about seeing God’s Word proclaimed clearly, boldly, and without compromise. So if this ministry has encouraged you, if you know others need to hear the truth of God’s Word being taught in these times, Through the radio and online, would you consider including Hope for Today in your prayers this summer, but also in your summer budget? Your support makes a difference. It reaches new believers, strengthens the church in it, puts God’s Word into the hands of those who are hungry for the truth. To make a donation, visit davidhawking.org or call us at 1-800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And if you prefer to write, you can send your gift by mail to Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92727. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, BC, B2S 8P1. This summer, stand with us and watch what God will do. And here’s David to bring our time in the Word to a close.
SPEAKER 01 :
I hope you are with us for every one of these broadcasts. If you miss any of them, go to our website, davidhocking.org or hopefortoday.org and pick up what you might have missed. You don’t want to miss any of these messages. You got to stay with us. We are studying the churches that received the final message of Yeshua. We learned already that Ephesus was a great church, but they had something wrong. Neglected priorities. They had left their first love. And now we’re at the church in Smyrna. And the issue? Satanic opposition. A church which suffered greatly. Well, I hope that you’re going to be here with us for every broadcast. God bless.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, thank you, David. And again, if you missed any part of today’s broadcast or maybe a recent program, our web address is davidhonking.org. Next time on Hope for Today, David returns to Revelation chapter 2, verses 8 through 11, where Jesus speaks directly to a church facing intense suffering. But instead of relief, they’re given a command, a command to be faithful unto death and to keep in view the crown of life that awaits them. This is raw, it’s real, and it’s relevant to every believer who’s been wounded, ignored, or maybe pushed aside for following Jesus. Don’t miss tomorrow’s program as we return to this powerful portion of Scripture. And be sure to invite someone to listen along with you right here on Hope for Today. Hope for Today
