Phase 2–Church is Faithful and Persecuted

Revelation 2:8-11

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click here for a description of the image of the beast.

This is the second phase of the seven churches. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been abandoned and now those who hold to their faith in Jesus are slandered and persecuted.

This message is from the First and Last who died and came to life again. He began everything and He will end everything. There is the resurrection from the dead into eternal life for all those who remain faithful to Jesus Christ.

“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.”
Revelation 2:8

Persecution of those Faithful to Jesus Christ
Today, those who live for Jesus Christ are experiencing the onslaught of the severe persecution that will occur just before the return of Jesus. His return is that close. There is already an inner presence that has power over physiology, and has the ability to form thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It is hostile to anything that threatens its authority and tosses aside anything to do with Jesus Christ while trampling on the Holy Spirit. It enables the image of the beast to live and speak through people and establishes itself as being God. It despises Christianity. As it lives and speaks through people, they are conformed to their place in life by what they say and do. They are conformed to their mark in life as they are groomed to the mark of the beast. That means God’s people, who rejects its authority, are not welcomed in the world that it is creating. We are living under the government of the beast.

Today, Satan works through his tool which is the thing which has power over physiology. While God has Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ has us, Satan has the thing which forms thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors, and it has those who allows it to live and speak through them. Those living by it are given extraordinary ability to know things and is used to persecute those who live for Jesus Christ. They dominate the churches making the churches a place dedicated to serving the beast.

Those who serve God through Jesus Christ are slandered, persecuted, and even chased out of the church by those who live for the “democratic” society of the beast. The finances under its control are not to prosper God’s people but leaves them in poverty. Prosperity is used to reward those who live for the society of the beast and to withhold prosperity as punishment from those who reject the “democratic” society. Even so, we are rich through the Spirit of Jesus Christ and will inherit the enormous wealth of eternal life.

The onslaught of the persecution that the followers of Jesus feel today will intensify day by day up to the return of Christ. Laws will be designed to make outlaws of Christians and there will be one global constitution for all nations. Under that constitution, people of God will be thrown into prison and will suffer severe persecution near to the return of Jesus. It will be necessary to be faithful even to the point of death. We who overcome will be given eternal life.

“I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about
the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan. 
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.
I tell you; the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, 
and you will suffer persecution for ten days. 
Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”
Revelation 2:9-10

Ezekiel 33:30-33 provides a description of the congregation of an anti-Christian church.

Overcomers Have Victory Over the Second Death
The second death is eternal torment in the lake of fire. It is mentioned in Revelation 21:8. Those who remain faithful to Jesus Christ will not be touched by it. Instead, we will inherit eternal life in the paradise of God.

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.”
Revelation 2:11

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Smyrna and Philadelphia represent the two faithful witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11. The two faithful witnesses are the “two lampstands,” and the “lampstands” are the churches as explained in Revelation 1:20. Smyrna is the faithful church that is slandered and persecuted and can read about here in Revelation 2:8-11. Philadelphia is the faithful church that has little strength and can be read about in Revelation 3:7-13. In these end times, there are the few of us who remain faithful to God through Jesus Christ. We are slandered, persecuted, are few, and have little strength. The intensity of the persecution will increase until the return of Jesus. There will always be a few of the faithful in this world up to the end.

Click here for a post from Zachariah 4 which talks about the Seven Churches.

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Phase One…..Gospel of Jesus Christ is Abandoned
Phase Two….Those Faithful to Christ are Slandered and Persecuted
Phase Three…Corruption sets In
Phase Four…..Learning to Live By the “Deep Secrets”
Phase Five…..Lively but Dead to Jesus Christ
Phase Six……Those Faithful to Jesus Christ have Little Strength
Phase 7………Wealthy but Wretched