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In this week’s study, I finish the study on the Church of Smyrna (myrrh). I begin with verse 10.

Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison = Or, shall cause some of you to be cast into prison. He had just said that their persecutors were of the “synagogue of Satan.” He here represents Satan, or the devil - another name of the same being - as about to throw them into prison. This would be done undoubtedly by the hands of men. But still Satan was the prime mover, or the instigator in doing it. It was common to cast those who were persecuted into prison. It is not said on what pretence, or by what authority, this would be done; but, as John had been banished to Patmos from Ephesus, as tradition teaches us, it is probable that this persecution was raging in the nearby places, and there is no improbability in supposing that many might be thrown into prison.

• Yahweh even uses Satan sometimes to test believers.  Look to the story of Job for proof of that. 
• Do Not Be Afraid, Yahweh Will Take Care Of You .Yahweh not only tells them not to be afraid but lets them know ahead of time that suffering is coming. We need not worry about tomorrow. It is all in Yahweh’s hands if we have placed our faith in Him. 
• We don’t even need to worry about what we will do when persecution comes, when we are falsely accused, when we must stand up for our faith.  Yahweh will not allow us to perish eternally.  He may allow us to die, but not perish..  Those who stand firm to the end will be saved. 
• Be Faithful To The Point Of Death We know that we must have faith to be born again but do we realize that we need to be faithful even to the point of death? We need to continue in the faith once for all delivered to the saints.  We have great examples of martyrs who stood up for the Faith in the past. 
• The Bohemian reformer John Hus was a man who believed the Scriptures to be the infallible and supreme authority in all matters.  He died at the stake for that belief in Constance, Germany, on his forty-second birthday.  As he refused a final plea to renounce his faith, Hus's last words were "What I taught with my lips, I seal with my blood."  (Source Unknown) 
• Our continued faith in the true gospel, the true Savior, is evidenced through our faith, even in persecution and death. Some would call this works. James calls it evidence of faith. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, as the song says. 

Verse 11: Again the Lord gives the promise that as a faithful Christian you can only die once. After that the second death cannot touch you. This was a great promise to this church, many of whose Christians did suffer physical death because of their faith in Christ.  The second death will not hurt them. 

My intention is to take this study to a deep level. Deeper than most of you are used to! I am asking no one to agree with me; however I do ask that you check every detail that I present out for yourself. 

Don’t end up like those in Hosea 4:6 ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God (Elohim), I will also forget thy children.’

But, be like those in 2Timothy 2:15 ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God (Yahweh), a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’

Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh!

Have any questions? Feel free to email me at utwoy@netzero.net