¤[music ends]¤¤
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¤[ethereal vocal music]¤
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¤[Middle-Eastern percussive
and orchestral music]¤
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>>John Bradshaw: Izmir, the
third largest city in Turkey,
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Izmir is a beautiful
bustling coastal city
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of more than 3 million people.
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It's a port city, and
it's a tourist destination,
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especially as it's
only 35 miles from Ephesus.
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But while Izmir is a modern city
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with excellent
shopping and restaurants,
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it's a fascinating
blend of the new and the old.
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Back in time,
Izmir was called Smyrna.
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It was home to the
second of the seven churches
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addressed by Jesus in
the book of Revelation.
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The name Smyrna comes
from the word "myrrh,"
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which was used as a
perfume, a fragrance,
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and is mentioned
throughout the Bible.
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Back in Genesis 37, when
Joseph was sold by his brothers
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into slavery, he
was taken to Egypt
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by a group transporting
spices and balm and myrrh.
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The woman in the Song of
Solomon described her beloved
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as "a bundle of myrrh."
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Myrrh, of course,
featured in the life of Jesus.
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The wise men brought
Mary and Joseph gifts:
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gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
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Myrrh featured in
the suffering of Jesus.
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While He was on the cross, they
brought Him something to drink
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that was mixed with myrrh.
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That was to dull the
pain He was experiencing.
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And when He died, myrrh
was used to embalm Jesus' body.
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An interesting thing about
myrrh, it's derived from trees,
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trees which grow in
Africa and the Middle East.
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It begins as a resin
that the tree produces
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when it's stressed--or
wounded, more to the point.
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Harvesters will
make cuts in the trees,
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and the trees will
then bleed the resin,
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which can then be
utilized in a variety of ways.
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When John wrote
the book of Revelation,
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Smyrna had developed
into an important city.
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Geography alone helps explain
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why Smyrna would have been
important to early Christians.
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Its location meant
that travelers from Greece
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and other places
would have come here.
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And Christians could
easily be sent from here,
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either internationally or deep
into the heart of Asia Minor.
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¤[soft music]¤
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This area, the agora,
which means "an open place,"
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was the center of
life in ancient Smyrna.
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This part of the
city was largely destroyed
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by an earthquake in 179 AD,
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but it was then
rebuilt under the auspices
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of the Roman
emperor Marcus Aurelius.
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There was a huge
altar to Zeus right here,
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Zeus being the Greek equivalent
of the Roman god Jupiter.
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There was a large
Jewish community in Smyrna
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during the first century after
Christ, and that may well be
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the reason that Christianity
appears to have sprung up
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in the town really quite early.
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Perhaps the most
famous Christian from Smyrna
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was the bishop Polycarp,
who would suffer martyrdom
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for his faith in 153 AD.
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Ignatius of Antioch,
another famous Christian martyr,
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is said to have visited Smyrna
and written letters to Polycarp.
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Irenaeus, perhaps the most
prominent Christian theologian
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of the second century AD,
was probably a native of Smyrna.
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The message Jesus gave to
this church encompasses a period
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of intense trial,
suffering, and persecution
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for the Christian community.
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In the words of Jesus,
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"And to the angel of
the church in Smyrna write,
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"'These things says
the First and the Last,
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"'who was dead, and came
to life: "I know your works,
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"'"tribulation, and
poverty (but you are rich);
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"'"and I know the blasphemy
of those who say they are Jews
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"'"and are not, but
are a synagogue of Satan.
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"'"Do not fear
any of those things...
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"'"you are about to suffer.
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"'"Indeed, the devil is about to
throw some of you into prison,
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"'"that you may be tested,
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"'"and you will have
tribulation ten days.
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"'"Be faithful [unto] death,
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"'"and I will give
you the crown of life.
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"'"He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says
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"'"to the
churches. He who overcomes
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shall not be hurt
by the second death."'"
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Considering the
theme of this letter,
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let's look at how
Jesus described Himself.
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He called Himself
"the First and the Last,"
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basically repeating what He
said in Revelation, chapter 1,
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where He called Himself
"the Alpha and the Omega."
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Now, alpha and omega are
the first and last letters
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of the Greek alphabet.
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And Jesus said,
"That's me, eternal. I was here
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before you got here, and I'll
be here long after you're gone."
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He wanted them to know,
especially in their extremity,
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that they were
being guided and watched
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by the divine Son of God.
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Jesus referred to Himself as one
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"who was dead,
and came to life."
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You can see why He'd
say that to this church.
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¤[solemn soft music]¤
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Smyrna, the church
that would be bled, injured,
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but who through that injury
would produce a sweet fragrance
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and would honor God.
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In a moment, some of the
secrets of ancient Smyrna,
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including an
insight into the number 666.
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I'll be right back.
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¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
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>>Announcer: Travel back in time
00:06:29.32\00:06:30.75
and visit the historic sites of
Revelation's ancient churches,
00:06:30.79\00:06:34.69
where Christianity
grew against all odds,
00:06:34.72\00:06:37.26
and learn how messages
shared by Jesus 2,000 years ago
00:06:37.29\00:06:41.23
are also messages
from heaven for today.
00:06:41.26\00:06:44.10
Call now for your free copy
00:06:44.13\00:06:45.60
of "The Seven Churches of
Revelation: Messages for Today."
00:06:45.63\00:06:49.74
Call 800-253-3000.
00:06:49.77\00:06:52.34
That's 800-253-3000,
00:06:52.37\00:06:55.21
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:06:55.24\00:06:58.58
¤[Middle-Eastern
percussive music]¤
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>>John Bradshaw: We're in Izmir,
Turkey, a busy modern city
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and the location of the
ancient biblical city of Smyrna.
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Jesus addresses
the church of Smyrna
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in the book of
Revelation and says,
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"I know your works, tribulation,
and poverty (but you are rich);
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"and I know the blasphemy
of those who say they are Jews
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and are not, but are
a synagogue of Satan."
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¤[soft guitar music]¤
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As with each of the
letters to the seven churches,
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Jesus says, "I know your works."
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He's saying, "I know more about
you than just your profession.
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I know what's really
going on in your life."
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Now, that's not
ominous. That's reassuring.
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Jesus is saying, whatever you're
facing, whatever challenges
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you've got going on
in your life right now,
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He knows, and He cares.
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The focus of the message
to Smyrna is the forecast
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of serious trouble ahead:
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tribulation, poverty,
suffering, and prison.
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This is why the church
of Smyrna is so often called
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"the persecuted church."
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If the time period
covered by the church of Ephesus
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is that of the first
century after Christ,
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the period of Smyrna covers
the following two centuries
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when the Roman Empire
subjected Christianity
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to fierce, even
brutal, persecution.
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It's important to remember
that the early Christians
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were not persecuted
by the Roman authorities
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because they worshiped Jesus.
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All the various
peoples of the Empire
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had their own religious
beliefs, gods, and practices.
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But what made the Christians
different was their refusal
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to add to their
religious devotion
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the worship of
the Roman emperor.
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Stephen Williams, a
British historian and the author
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of a biography of the
Roman emperor Diocletian,
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makes this statement:
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"It was scarcely
enough for Bishop Dionysius
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"to protest that
Christians were loyal citizens
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"who prayed for the
health of the Emperors.
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"What could the most reasonable
magistrate reply except to ask
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"why, in that case, they could
not demonstrate their loyalty
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"in the proper way
like everyone else?
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"Rome was tolerant, but
it was not a modern secular
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"liberal state which demands
very little of its citizens
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"beyond passive
compliance with the law.
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"Genuine loyalty could
hardly be divorced from worship
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of the genius of the Emperor
in the way that was laid down."
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We're going to come
back to Emperor Diocletian
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because the persecution
that took place during his reign
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was actually predicted by Jesus
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in His message to
the church at Smyrna.
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But that statement
by Stephen Williams,
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it reminds us of a Bible story,
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a story found in
Daniel, chapter 3,
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about three young Hebrew men.
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King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
had assembled rulers and people
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from every province of his
empire to the plain of Dura
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to bow down and worship a
golden image made to symbolize
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the glory and power of
his person and his kingdom.
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The three young men,
officials of his court,
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refused to bow and were
condemned to death as a result.
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In the end, God
delivered them from the flames.
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And Nebuchadnezzar was forced
to acknowledge God's power
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over that of the
gods he worshiped.
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But what made
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
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different from the
others in that assembly
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was that the others were willing
to worship the golden image
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in addition to the
gods they already had.
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Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, by contrast,
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refused to worship any god
but the One found in the Bible,
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whose first
commandment declares,
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"You shall have no
other gods before me."
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This commandment is what
got Christians in trouble
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with the Roman Empire.
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No other gods except
the God of Scripture.
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And it made no
difference at all to the Romans
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that the act of worship
of the emperor was forced.
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Listen to the historian again:
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"What mattered to gods and
men was not a person's belief
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"but its expression in acts,
not his private silent vows
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"but his public
oaths and commitments.
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Jupiter saw your
actions, not your thoughts."
00:11:37.36\00:11:41.53
But God, on the
other hand, says,
00:11:41.56\00:11:43.60
"For the Lord does
not see as man sees;
00:11:43.63\00:11:46.63
"for man looks at
the outward appearance,
00:11:46.67\00:11:49.24
but the Lord
looks at the heart."
00:11:49.27\00:11:52.57
Pagan worship
focuses on the exterior,
00:11:52.61\00:11:55.81
what a person does publicly.
00:11:55.84\00:11:57.91
But the God of
heaven looks on the heart.
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Forced worship
doesn't cut it with God.
00:12:00.38\00:12:03.18
But with Satan
and false religion,
00:12:03.22\00:12:05.82
force and
manipulation are common.
00:12:05.85\00:12:08.66
¤[soft piano music]¤
00:12:08.69\00:12:12.19
Here at the agora in
Smyrna is something fascinating
00:12:12.23\00:12:15.90
that echoes in the
book of Revelation.
00:12:15.93\00:12:18.80
On the walls here
are a number of graffiti,
00:12:18.83\00:12:21.60
not in the vandalism
sense but in the original sense
00:12:21.64\00:12:24.57
where graffiti were
inscriptions or figure drawings.
00:12:24.61\00:12:28.44
Along with pictures,
there are isopsephisms,
00:12:28.48\00:12:31.38
in which the numerical values
of the letters of a phrase
00:12:31.41\00:12:34.85
add up to a certain sum.
00:12:34.88\00:12:37.62
One example here is,
00:12:37.65\00:12:39.89
"I love the girl
whose number is 1,308"--
00:12:39.92\00:12:44.43
which may be the name of Tyche.
00:12:44.46\00:12:47.23
Now, Tyche was a
goddess to the people of Smyrna
00:12:47.23\00:12:49.60
called "the
protectress of the city."
00:12:49.63\00:12:52.60
The most well-known isopsephism
is found in Revelation,
00:12:52.63\00:12:56.47
chapter 13, verse
18, where it says,
00:12:56.50\00:13:00.28
"Here is wisdom. Let
him who has understanding
00:13:00.31\00:13:03.98
"calculate the
number of the beast,
00:13:04.01\00:13:06.88
"for it is the number of a man:
00:13:06.92\00:13:09.85
His number is
666"--the number of the beast,
00:13:09.88\00:13:15.76
or the antichrist,
of earth's last days.
00:13:15.79\00:13:19.83
Like the church at Ephesus,
the first of the seven churches,
00:13:20.83\00:13:23.83
it seems that the church of
Smyrna included false believers.
00:13:23.87\00:13:28.60
Now, Jesus doesn't elaborate
on how the believers in Smyrna
00:13:28.64\00:13:31.67
were dealing with the problem,
but His words make it clear
00:13:31.71\00:13:35.18
that He was very
aware the problem existed.
00:13:35.21\00:13:38.98
When Christ spoke of "those who
say they are Jews and are not,"
00:13:39.01\00:13:44.42
we should keep in mind that
according to the New Testament,
00:13:44.45\00:13:47.49
"He is a Jew
who is one inwardly;
00:13:47.52\00:13:49.86
and circumcision
is that of the heart."
00:13:49.89\00:13:54.03
In the book of Galatians we
read, "And if you are Christ's,
00:13:54.10\00:13:58.07
then you are Abraham's seed, and
heirs according to the promise."
00:13:58.10\00:14:04.34
So when Jesus speaks of
"those who say they are Jews
00:14:04.37\00:14:07.81
and are not," He isn't
talking about an ethnic identity
00:14:07.84\00:14:12.18
but a spiritual identity.
00:14:12.21\00:14:14.75
And the Bible is clear
00:14:14.78\00:14:15.72
just how little
Jesus thinks of hypocrisy.
00:14:15.75\00:14:19.85
For the same reason,
00:14:19.89\00:14:21.12
in His message to the Christians
of Smyrna, Jesus is denouncing
00:14:21.16\00:14:25.43
those who falsely
profess the Christian faith
00:14:25.46\00:14:28.90
as blasphemers, as members
of the "synagogue of Satan."
00:14:28.93\00:14:34.50
Those are strong words,
00:14:34.54\00:14:36.00
and they apply as much to
professing Christians today
00:14:36.04\00:14:40.71
as they did to
Christians of long ago.
00:14:40.74\00:14:43.08
¤[soft ominous music]¤
00:14:43.11\00:14:44.35
Jesus would go on to give the
church of Smyrna some bad news.
00:14:44.38\00:14:48.38
There would be suffering.
00:14:48.42\00:14:50.02
He even tells them how long that
suffering was going to last.
00:14:50.05\00:14:53.79
¤[upbeat music]¤
00:14:53.82\00:14:54.66
We'll look at
that in just a moment.
00:14:54.69\00:14:57.56
¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
00:14:57.59\00:15:04.57
>>Announcer: Travel back in time
00:15:06.67\00:15:08.10
and visit the historic sites of
Revelation's ancient churches,
00:15:08.14\00:15:12.04
where Christianity
grew against all odds,
00:15:12.07\00:15:14.61
and learn how messages
shared by Jesus 2,000 years ago
00:15:14.64\00:15:18.61
are also messages
from heaven for today.
00:15:18.65\00:15:21.52
Call now for your free copy
00:15:21.55\00:15:23.02
of "The Seven Churches of
Revelation: Messages for Today."
00:15:23.05\00:15:27.12
Call 800-253-3000.
00:15:27.16\00:15:29.76
That's 800-253-3000,
00:15:29.79\00:15:32.59
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:15:32.63\00:15:36.00
>>John Bradshaw:
It was home to some of
00:15:37.60\00:15:38.80
the most magnificent
temples in the ancient world,
00:15:38.83\00:15:42.27
temples built to honor
Artemis, Hadrian, Serapis,
00:15:42.30\00:15:46.94
and the Roman emperor Domitian.
00:15:46.98\00:15:48.64
¤[soft music]¤
00:15:48.68\00:15:49.78
And surrounded by rampant
idol and emperor worship,
00:15:49.81\00:15:53.45
a small band of Christians
formed their own church
00:15:53.48\00:15:56.99
in the city of Ephesus.
00:15:57.02\00:15:59.42
Maintaining their faith in
the midst of this pagan culture
00:15:59.45\00:16:03.16
was anything but easy.
00:16:03.19\00:16:05.63
Today, only ruins remain
00:16:05.66\00:16:07.30
of those
once-spectacular structures,
00:16:07.36\00:16:10.33
but the story of Ephesus
lives on, continuing to hold
00:16:10.37\00:16:13.47
both historical and
spiritual significance.
00:16:13.50\00:16:16.91
Join us as we
explore the messages of Jesus
00:16:16.94\00:16:19.61
to the seven
churches of Revelation
00:16:19.64\00:16:21.98
and discover God's messages
to the church of the past
00:16:22.01\00:16:25.55
and the church of today.
00:16:25.58\00:16:27.92
"The Seven Churches
of Revelation: Ephesus,"
00:16:27.95\00:16:31.69
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:16:31.72\00:16:34.52
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:16:34.56\00:16:35.56
¤[solemn music with slow
yet dramatic percussion]¤
00:16:37.49\00:16:42.46
>>John Bradshaw: Up
here on Smyrna's acropolis,
00:16:46.60\00:16:48.50
or the high point of the
city, the summit of the city,
00:16:48.54\00:16:51.61
was the theater,
00:16:51.64\00:16:52.81
which could accommodate
up to 16,000 spectators.
00:16:52.84\00:16:56.61
Roman streets ran through here,
00:16:56.64\00:16:58.35
meaning it's almost certain
00:16:58.38\00:17:00.05
that Paul and his associates
walked these very grounds.
00:17:00.08\00:17:03.89
And it was right around here
00:17:03.92\00:17:05.49
that a man named
Polycarp was martyred--
00:17:05.52\00:17:08.82
not especially surprising
00:17:08.86\00:17:10.99
given Jesus' message
to the church at Smyrna.
00:17:11.03\00:17:14.13
¤[soft music]¤
00:17:14.20\00:17:15.20
In verse 10 of Revelation,
chapter 2, Jesus says,
00:17:15.23\00:17:18.23
"You will have
tribulation ten days."
00:17:18.27\00:17:21.24
Now, what is Jesus
talking about here?
00:17:21.27\00:17:23.61
When was this
prophecy fulfilled?
00:17:23.64\00:17:27.08
In the symbols
found in Bible prophecy,
00:17:27.11\00:17:30.35
a day represents a year.
00:17:30.38\00:17:33.38
You'll find this expressed in
Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6,
00:17:33.42\00:17:37.72
in which years are
represented by days
00:17:37.75\00:17:40.36
in predicting periods
of trial and adversity,
00:17:40.39\00:17:43.83
which ultimately end
with triumph and victory.
00:17:43.86\00:17:47.76
We see this day-year symbolism
demonstrated most powerfully
00:17:47.83\00:17:51.93
in Daniel's prophecy
of the coming Messiah
00:17:51.97\00:17:54.60
in Daniel, chapter 9,
00:17:54.64\00:17:56.94
in which the angel
Gabriel says to the prophet,
00:17:56.97\00:18:00.11
"Seventy weeks are
determined for your people
00:18:00.14\00:18:03.61
and for your holy city."
00:18:03.65\00:18:05.81
Some Bible
translations actually say
00:18:05.85\00:18:08.55
"seventy weeks of
years" in this verse.
00:18:08.58\00:18:12.12
That's because it's clear from
what this passage is predicting
00:18:12.15\00:18:14.92
that years--and not
weeks--are in focus.
00:18:14.96\00:18:19.73
Daniel 9:25 says that from the
issuing of the Persian decree
00:18:19.76\00:18:23.77
to restore and build Jerusalem
till the coming of the Messiah
00:18:23.80\00:18:28.24
would be 69 weeks
of years, 483 years.
00:18:28.27\00:18:33.44
You can't get from this decree
to the time of Jesus the Messiah
00:18:33.48\00:18:37.01
unless the weeks
described in this prophecy
00:18:37.05\00:18:40.32
represent weeks of years.
00:18:40.35\00:18:43.02
So when Jesus speaks to this
church of a future persecution
00:18:43.05\00:18:46.52
lasting 10 days, this
is referring to 10 years.
00:18:46.55\00:18:52.13
History tells us that
this persecution began
00:18:52.16\00:18:54.76
during the reign of
the emperor Diocletian
00:18:54.83\00:18:57.70
and that it was brought
to an end 10 years later
00:18:57.73\00:19:01.47
by the emperors
Constantine and Licinius.
00:19:01.50\00:19:05.01
Stephen Williams the historian
00:19:05.04\00:19:06.47
tells us what
happened at the start
00:19:06.51\00:19:08.81
as well as the conclusion
of this 10-year period:
00:19:08.84\00:19:12.51
"The persecution was
launched at Nicomedia
00:19:12.55\00:19:14.58
on the Kalends of March"--
00:19:14.62\00:19:16.32
"Kalends" is
the first of March--
00:19:16.35\00:19:18.22
"the Kalends of March,
festival of the god Terminus....
00:19:18.25\00:19:22.39
"Lactantius, who was
present, says it began
00:19:22.42\00:19:25.73
"with a symbolic
act of demolition.
00:19:25.76\00:19:28.96
"The newly built
church of Nicomedia,
00:19:29.00\00:19:31.23
"which stood in full
view of the imperial palace,
00:19:31.27\00:19:34.67
"was surrounded by the
Prefect, accompanied by
00:19:34.70\00:19:37.47
"military commanders
and treasury officials.
00:19:37.51\00:19:40.71
"The doors were forced, and
guards seized the ornaments,
00:19:40.74\00:19:44.81
"church furniture, and
whatever else could be removed.
00:19:44.85\00:19:48.42
"Volumes of the
scriptures were burnt.
00:19:48.45\00:19:51.92
"Then a guards unit
advanced in battle order
00:19:51.95\00:19:54.32
"with all the
equipment for besieging a city,
00:19:54.36\00:19:57.23
"and within a matter of hours
had pulled the whole building
00:19:57.26\00:20:00.26
"to the ground.
00:20:00.30\00:20:02.00
"Diocletian and Galerius
watched the operation personally
00:20:02.03\00:20:06.10
from the palace."
00:20:06.13\00:20:07.87
The persecution that followed
00:20:07.90\00:20:09.24
was some of the
worst persecution
00:20:09.27\00:20:11.31
in all of human history.
00:20:11.34\00:20:13.21
People were slaughtered.
Many were tortured cruelly.
00:20:13.24\00:20:17.38
So many people were in prison.
The clergy were all in prison.
00:20:17.41\00:20:21.72
Church property was
destroyed or confiscated.
00:20:21.75\00:20:24.62
And every copy of the
Scriptures that could be found
00:20:24.65\00:20:27.36
was burned.
00:20:27.39\00:20:28.79
There was a lot of bloodshed.
00:20:28.82\00:20:32.16
But then in February of 313 AD,
00:20:32.19\00:20:35.80
10 years after
the persecution began,
00:20:35.83\00:20:38.93
the Edict of Milan was signed
that ended that persecution.
00:20:38.97\00:20:44.31
Church property was returned.
The church was recognized again.
00:20:44.34\00:20:49.21
And the 10 days--or 10 years--
of persecution were over.
00:20:49.24\00:20:54.92
Jesus had promised
His suffering saints,
00:20:54.95\00:20:57.75
"Be faithful [unto] death,
00:20:57.79\00:20:59.92
and I will give
you the crown of life."
00:20:59.95\00:21:03.69
Paul wrote to Timothy about
the "crown of righteousness,
00:21:03.73\00:21:07.13
"which the Lord,
the righteous judge,
00:21:07.13\00:21:09.30
"shall give me at that
day: and not to me only,
00:21:09.33\00:21:13.64
but unto all them also
that love His appearing."
00:21:13.67\00:21:18.27
In a foreshadowing of what was
promised in earth's last days,
00:21:18.31\00:21:22.61
many people proved
faithful unto death,
00:21:22.64\00:21:26.11
and their Savior's reward
awaits them at the resurrection
00:21:26.15\00:21:29.28
of the righteous
dead when Jesus returns.
00:21:29.32\00:21:32.89
The apostle Paul says
that when Jesus returns,
00:21:32.92\00:21:35.72
"The trumpet will sound,
00:21:35.76\00:21:37.16
and the dead will be
raised incorruptible."
00:21:37.19\00:21:40.26
Jesus closed His
message to the church of Smyrna
00:21:40.30\00:21:43.13
with the
promise, "He who overcomes
00:21:43.16\00:21:46.33
shall not be hurt
by the second death."
00:21:46.37\00:21:50.81
The book of Revelation
talks about two deaths.
00:21:50.84\00:21:53.38
The first one is the
death that's going to come
00:21:53.41\00:21:55.71
to all of us, unless
you're alive and translated
00:21:55.74\00:21:59.75
at the return of Jesus.
00:21:59.78\00:22:02.08
But that first
death is temporary.
00:22:02.12\00:22:05.45
And it's of far less
consequence to the Christian
00:22:05.49\00:22:07.76
than is the second death,
00:22:07.79\00:22:10.33
the one from which
there will be no resurrection.
00:22:10.36\00:22:14.20
The book of Revelation
talks about the second death
00:22:14.23\00:22:16.63
in one of the very
last chapters of the book,
00:22:16.67\00:22:20.17
where it describes
the kinds of people who,
00:22:20.20\00:22:23.67
unrepentant without
having found faith in Jesus,
00:22:23.71\00:22:27.18
cannot be saved and
will be lost forever.
00:22:27.21\00:22:31.48
"But the cowardly, unbelieving,
abominable, murderers,
00:22:31.51\00:22:34.85
"sexually immoral, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all liars
00:22:34.88\00:22:39.92
"shall have their part
in the lake which burns
00:22:39.95\00:22:42.36
with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death."
00:22:42.39\00:22:46.93
Jesus' message to the persecuted
faithful of the church of Smyrna
00:22:46.96\00:22:50.57
was that if they
proved victorious,
00:22:50.60\00:22:53.30
if they were
among the overcomers,
00:22:53.34\00:22:55.24
even if they should suffer,
00:22:55.27\00:22:57.74
they at last would escape the
second death awaiting the lost.
00:22:57.77\00:23:02.74
Now, there's no
doubt someone's wondering
00:23:02.78\00:23:04.08
why Jesus just
didn't shield His people
00:23:04.11\00:23:06.58
from this kind of trouble.
00:23:06.61\00:23:08.22
But clearly there's
something more important
00:23:08.25\00:23:10.42
than avoiding terrible hardship.
00:23:10.45\00:23:12.92
It's God's plan for us
to develop faith in Him
00:23:12.95\00:23:15.49
to the extent that
no matter what happens,
00:23:15.52\00:23:18.36
we'll trust Him anyway.
00:23:18.39\00:23:20.86
That we'll say, like Job,
00:23:20.90\00:23:22.60
"Though He slay me,
yet will I trust in Him."
00:23:22.63\00:23:26.27
That we "count it all joy
00:23:26.30\00:23:27.67
when [we] fall into various
[temptations]," as James wrote.
00:23:27.70\00:23:30.47
¤[soft music]¤
00:23:30.51\00:23:31.31
God wants us to
develop faith in Him
00:23:31.34\00:23:33.64
that trusts Him no matter what.
00:23:33.68\00:23:37.51
It's easy to overlook,
00:23:37.55\00:23:39.11
but persecution is not
extinct in our world today.
00:23:39.15\00:23:43.65
It still happens,
00:23:43.69\00:23:44.82
even in our present
supposedly enlightened age.
00:23:44.85\00:23:48.99
But before Jesus comes back,
it's going to get much worse.
00:23:49.02\00:23:53.40
According to the
book of Revelation,
00:23:53.43\00:23:54.76
just like in Daniel's
time, an image will be set up,
00:23:54.83\00:23:58.50
not literally but spiritually,
and all the world will be forced
00:23:58.53\00:24:02.87
to bow down and do it reverence,
00:24:02.90\00:24:05.61
and all but a faithful remnant,
00:24:05.64\00:24:07.24
who "keep the
commandments of God,
00:24:07.28\00:24:08.91
and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ,"
00:24:08.94\00:24:11.45
will be swept up in
this terrible trial.
00:24:11.48\00:24:14.58
We might learn a lesson
from the experience of Polycarp,
00:24:14.62\00:24:17.89
who it's said was a
disciple of the apostle John
00:24:17.92\00:24:21.09
before becoming a
church leader and theologian
00:24:21.12\00:24:24.09
and the bishop of Smyrna.
00:24:24.13\00:24:25.86
Now, in this case, "bishop"
means "a church leader,"
00:24:25.89\00:24:29.46
rather than
denoting an affiliation
00:24:29.50\00:24:31.40
to any particular denomination
we'd recognize today.
00:24:31.43\00:24:35.47
It was a difficult time
to be a believer in Jesus.
00:24:35.50\00:24:38.61
Christians were being
mercilessly persecuted.
00:24:38.64\00:24:41.44
Polycarp was convinced to
hide to safeguard his life.
00:24:41.48\00:24:45.45
But his location was discovered,
00:24:45.48\00:24:47.88
and he was urged to deny
Jesus in order to save himself.
00:24:47.92\00:24:52.95
But his answer was,
00:24:52.99\00:24:54.66
"Fourscore and six
years I have been serving Him
00:24:54.69\00:24:58.03
"and He has done me no wrong.
00:24:58.06\00:25:00.43
How then can I
blaspheme my King who saved me?"
00:25:00.46\00:25:05.03
The elderly man was executed
for his faith in Christ.
00:25:05.07\00:25:08.87
¤[soft pensive music]¤
00:25:08.90\00:25:13.91
You know, everywhere
you turn there's evidence
00:25:21.32\00:25:23.39
that things are rapidly
wrapping up for Planet Earth,
00:25:23.42\00:25:26.96
and the book of
Revelation indicates
00:25:26.99\00:25:29.62
that there are going to
be some challenging times.
00:25:29.66\00:25:31.89
God is calling on His
people, no matter what,
00:25:31.93\00:25:35.30
to be like myrrh under
pressure, to be fragrant.
00:25:35.33\00:25:39.63
In fact, that's a key message
of the book of Revelation,
00:25:39.67\00:25:43.10
which was written right
here on the island of Patmos
00:25:43.14\00:25:46.31
by a man who was under arrest
for crimes he did not commit.
00:25:46.34\00:25:50.71
That was a terribly
difficult trial for John,
00:25:50.75\00:25:53.25
and yet he was fragrant
for Jesus through it all.
00:25:53.28\00:25:58.22
So what's confronting you?
And what might confront you?
00:25:58.25\00:26:01.66
God's call to you is that
no matter what the pressure,
00:26:01.69\00:26:05.03
whatever the difficulty,
00:26:05.06\00:26:06.83
you can be
fragrant for Jesus always.
00:26:06.86\00:26:11.17
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:26:11.20\00:26:12.20
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:12.87\00:26:14.74
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:14.77\00:26:18.17
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:18.21\00:26:21.44
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:21.48\00:26:25.68
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:25.71\00:26:27.15
to the address on your screen,
00:26:27.18\00:26:28.62
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:28.65\00:26:32.45
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:26:32.49\00:26:35.29
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:26:35.32\00:26:39.46
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:39.49\00:26:42.46
>>John: Let's pray together now.
00:26:43.33\00:26:45.10
Our Father in heaven,
You call us to discipleship,
00:26:45.13\00:26:48.70
to faithfulness
in following Jesus.
00:26:48.74\00:26:50.67
Well, that's
something we cannot give,
00:26:50.71\00:26:52.14
but we ask that
You would do it in us.
00:26:52.17\00:26:55.31
We can give You our will,
00:26:55.34\00:26:57.78
and we pray You'll take
it and make it Your own.
00:26:57.81\00:26:59.68
Let Your Spirit fill us
and Jesus live His life in us,
00:26:59.71\00:27:02.95
so that no
matter what the trial,
00:27:02.98\00:27:05.62
we can be like myrrh,
fragrant under pressure.
00:27:05.65\00:27:10.03
Father, right now
there's somebody going through
00:27:10.06\00:27:11.79
a difficult time. Be
that person's strength.
00:27:11.83\00:27:14.73
There's somebody facing
something they just believe
00:27:14.76\00:27:17.80
they cannot possibly
get through without You.
00:27:17.83\00:27:21.07
Be that person's strength.
00:27:21.10\00:27:23.00
Then we look forward to
the day when Jesus comes back,
00:27:23.04\00:27:25.74
and the trials of this world
00:27:25.77\00:27:27.38
will be a
distant, forgotten memory.
00:27:27.41\00:27:30.18
Let that day come soon, we pray,
00:27:30.21\00:27:32.01
and we thank You in Jesus' name.
00:27:32.05\00:27:34.85
Amen.
00:27:34.88\00:27:36.12
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:27:36.15\00:27:37.52
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:37.55\00:27:39.59
Until then, remember:
00:27:39.62\00:27:41.39
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:41.42\00:27:44.79
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:44.83\00:27:48.80
¤[dramatic,
triumphant theme music]¤
00:27:48.83\00:27:51.83
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:28:25.83\00:28:27.84