Jesus promised the ancient church at Smyrna both persecution and peace. He promised the same thing to all believers, actually… But how does that work?
This episode continues the miniseries about the seven churches that Jesus directly addressed. Remember, these words to the seven churches are important because this is the biggest chunk of direct speech that Jesus directs to his church anywhere in the scripture.
A big thank you to Sarah Dixon Young for the use of her poem entitled “Contours” at the end of this episode!
Check out her substack entitled: Love Much
To the second church at Smyrna, Jesus promised thlipsis. Thlipsis comes from a root word meaning narrow, crowded, pressured or squished. Remember that part in the gospels where there was a giant crowd threatening to push, shove and crush Jesus as they clambered around him? The same root word is used there.
Thlipsis is the precise opposite meaning of the Hebrew word Bammerhab, for which this podcast is named. Remember, Bammerhab means a going into broad, wide open place.
On the contrary, Jesus warns the second church of Revelation, a small faithful church in Smyrna, that they’re about to go into a narrow, squished pressure-cooker of persecution.
So what did they do?
This episode digs deeper into “thlipsin” (θλῖψιν - meaning ‘persecution’) in Revelation 2:9.
Revelation 2:9 - “I know your persecutions and your poverty—yet you are rich!” (NIV)
Mentioned:
Sarah Dixon Young’s Substack “Love Much”
Bammerhab - Episode 34 about the “Feast of Trumpets”
Bammerhab - Episode 36 about the “Yom Kippur”
Thanks to:
• Aaron Woodard for Graphic Design
• Dave Allam of Allam House for advanced audio techniques: sound.allamhouse.com
• Bible Hub for Greek / Hebrew hypertext links
What is a Bammerhab?
“You have not given me into the hands of the enemybut have set my feet in a spacious place.” (Ps. 31:8 - NIV)
The phrase “in a spacious place” is the Hebrew word: bammerhab.
