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 Sermon > Official Service |
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Title |
Revelation Lectures(12) |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Revelation2:8-11 |
Date |
2006-12-29 |
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Revelation 2:8-11
[8] "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:
[9] 'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
[10] 'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
[11] 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.'
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
It's is the last Friday All Night Service of year 2006.
This year, the lecture on Genesis was finished, and then this lecture on Revelation started.
Since the Friday All Night Service is attended by those who have faith at a certain level, God reveals the deep secrets of spiritual realm, and He leads and guides them so that they can press on in the hope for New Jerusalem.
How wonderful works of God have you been witnessing through Manmin Magazine?
Therefore, your faith must be strengthened as much as you attend this Friday All Night Service, and you must live a spiritual Christian life by being awaken all the more and adorning yourself as a bride.
I hope that tonight's message also become faith and strength to you so that you can receive healing and answer through the Divine Healing Meeting in the second half of the service.
May you also meet Year 2007 with the whole new heart, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
In the last session, through the word given to the church in Smyrna, we examined the North Korea Mission that is assigned to this church in the last days.
I told you what kind of tribulation and persecution may come along while accomplishing the mission, and how it will end up.
When the time comes, we will enter North Korea through the open-door, and spread the gospel in the works of God's wonderful power. But soon the door will shut, and the mission will undergo hardships.
During the process, we will suffer tribulation and persecution, and some will even be put into prison.
Since the North Korea government will be alert when the gospel is spread so quickly along with the works of God's power, they will find an adequate justification for their conduct, and kill the imprisoned.
And I said that the '10-day' refers to the length of the time period that it will take until the martyrdom.
And when someone is faithful to the point of martyrdom, what kind of blessing will be given to him; it is in the Lord's saying, "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
The crown of life is the crown that will be given to those who reach the fourth level of faith; those sanctified people who are to go to the third kingdom.
But it doesn't mean that those who die a martyr can go only the third kingdom.
If they have been faithful in all household, they can go to New Jerusalem as well.
Actually entering the third kingdom is not an easy job.
Of course it cannot be difficult either, but they have to strive against sin to the point of shedding blood in order to abstain from every form of evil.
If, however, they can give up their fleshly life for the Lord even by dying a martyr, they are surely the people who will resist sin to the point of shedding blood, and eventually accomplish the sanctification. That's why the glory of the 3rd kingdom will be given to those who die a martyr.
And further, they can also look for New Jerusalem.
If you know the glory of New Jerusalem, or at least the glory of the 3rd kingdom, you will realize what a blessing it is to go to the 3rd kingdom or higher place even by dying a martyrdom.
Dying a martyrdom is not easy, but once it's done by faith, the glory in heaven where we will live forever will be such a great one.
Therefore, please aware how glorious and blissful it is to abstain from every form of evil and to be faithful to the North Korea Mission to the point of death.
Besides, the martyrdom in the North Korea Mission will yield fruit continually.
That's because, among those who will watch such martyrdom, there will be many people who will become a dying seed to spread the gospel
It is important that someone from outside goes in there to spread the gospel with the resolution of martyrdom. But it will also become such a great force if the people inside can grow their faith and spread the gospel with the same resolution.
The martyrdom of the few people will be like a detonator to ignite the fire of gospel spreadingwithin the inside.
The reward for martyrdom itself is great. But since its influence over the salvation of the countless souls is so great, the reward for this will also be given.
Then, most members who are not assigned to a duty of the North Korea Mission; what should they do in order to receive the crown of life and more than that?
From now on, I will explain the general meaning of the word given to the church in Smyrna.
The Lord says, "Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days.."
As I explained in the last session, the devil is the evil spirit that causes people to commit sin in action.
And they bring tribulation and persecution for the price of the sin.
The Lord say that such a devil is about to throw some of them into prison that they may be tested. The enemy devil cannot throw just anyone into prison and test them.
'Prison' is a place where people are sent to pay the price for the violation of a certain law.
Therefore, the existence of prison proves the existence of the law and of the people in charge of the law.
Just as there is law in this world, and the judgment is made by law according to its sin, there is the law in the spiritual realm; when people live by the truth, they are protected by God, but when they violate it, they are given tribulation or persecution by the enemy devil and Satan.
They pay the price of their violating the truth and committing sin.
Especially, the deed of the flesh which is sin committed by the instigation of the devil will be followed by retribution according to its gravity.
To refer to this, the Lord says, "The devil is about to throw some of you into prison."
The tribulation or persecution as for the price of this case will be various according to not only its gravity but also the individual's measure of faith.
Even though people commit a same sin, the punishment will be different for those who have great faith and for those who have not.
Luke 12:47-48 says, "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more."
The slave who knew his master's will, and who has been given much is eventually the one who has as much faith as such.
On the other hand, the slave who didn't know the master's will is the one with less faith.
When there is difference in their measure of faith like this, God calls those to greater account; those who knew his master's will and did not act in accord with his will, in other words those who know the will of God and did not put it into action.
He also says He will ask all the more of those who are entrusted more.
James 3:1 says, "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment."
If you become a teacher because you have greater faith than others, you must show all the more perfect deeds according to the word of God.
If you don't do so, tribulation or persecution will follow.
According to the gravity of sin, the tribulation or persecution will be different; so will it be according to the measure of faith.
Some will end soon. Some will come to an end as soon as you repent and turn back.
On the contrary, some others may last longer. You may have to pay the retribution even after you repent and turn back.
To record all the cases of them, they will span over many books.
By calling all the cases generically, the scripture says that you will have tribulation for 10 days.
Number 10 is a 'filled number.'
Therefore the number 10 symbolizes that all the cases are included; 'tribulation for 10 days' includes all the tribulation or persecution that is a price for the committed sin.
In sum, the tribulation for 10 days means general calling of all the tribulation that can be received in this world.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
The word of God includes all the messages; how a blessing or curse can come, how everything can be prosperous, and how people call fall into tribulation or persecution.
Despite all this, servants of God and church workers who are in a position of a teacher do't teach people correctly, so that many people still suffer tribulation or persecution.
For example, since some say that people will be saved by unconditionally saying that they believe in the Lord, those people are still committing sin, and they don't even give full tithe or keep the Lord's day holy; so they encounter various accidents or tribulation.
But still, they have no idea why they have to suffer such tribulation, and naturally they cannot turn back.
But giving the full tithe and keeping the Lord's day holy itself cannot guarantee everyone's salvation.
If you are in a certain level of faith, bypassing the level of new comers, you must not think that your did your duty just by giving full tithe and keeping the Lord's day holy.
The stronger your faith grows, the more jobs you are entrusted to do before God.
When you were a new comer, you were full of joy and thanksgiving from the depth of your heart during the service, or prayer time, or while you were serving others. But even though your faith has been grown, if you worship, pray, or serve others compulsorily, you must know that it already became a barrier between you and God.
In addition, refinements will surely follow to make your faith stronger. Therefore you must make yourself stand firm in the truth all the more.
No matter how trivial it is, you must not speak it if it can ensnare you. And you must try harder to make peace with everyone.
That is because Satan will try to accuse you of even a very small thing and interfere you when you try to come into the spirit and the light.
I've told you about this spiritual law from this podium countless times.
I told you in which case a sickness comes; even in detail, why a certain disease comes, in which case what kind of disease strikes, and so on.
Why the financial difficulty come, why the family encounters this and that problem, in what field you must look back when a tribulation or persecution continues; I've explained all these.
If you think over such words, when you suffer tribulation, you can figure out exactly what your problem was and what has been the reason for that.
And I have also told you about how to get out of the tribulation.
The most basic is to repent of your sin and turn back from it.
You must break the barrier between you and God.
And then you must abide in the word of God and be faithful before the sight of God.
But what God wants is not only fleshly faithfulness.
When He says, 'Be faithful until death," He wants not only the faithfulness to the point of giving up your fleshly life' but He also wants spiritual faithfulness.
But then, what is it spiritually to be faithful until death before God?
When we finish our lives in this earth and stand in front of Father God's Throne, as much as we resemble Father God, and as must as we cultivated ourself into the spirit and the light, we will be given our dwelling place and reward.
Neither will all of us receive the crown, nor we all receive the same kind of crown.
God of justice who makes us reap what we sow rewards back to us a better dwelling place and and better rewards depending on how much we lived by the will of God by faith.
If those who lived a loose believing life and those who were faithful until death before God receive the same treat in heaven, it is already not just.
That's why God divided heaven, and prepared a crown and glory that is proper to each dwelling place.
A detailed explanation is given in the Sunday Morning Service through 'the Heaven' sermon.
So, I will briefly explain about the crowns that will be given in each dwelling place.
First, for those who receive shameful salvation in paradise, there is no crown.
They have just enough faith to be saved. Since they didn't pile up any reward, they are not given any crown.
Second, those who go to the 1st kingdom will receive the imperishable crown.
1 Corinthians 9;25 says, "Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable."
Those who would enter the 1st Kingdom are those who tried to control themselves because they had faith to live by God's word. Therefore they are given the imperishable crown.
Third, those who go to the 2nd kingdom will receive the crown of glory as written in 1 Peter 5:4.
People who have faith to go to the 2nd kingdom are those who strive against sin to the point of shedding blood. Their words and deeds are the light and salt of the world.
Since they live their life by giving glory to God, they will be given the crown of glory.
Forth, the 3rd kingdom is the place where those sanctified people who love God utmost will go. They will be given the crown of life as written in tonight's scripture.
And lastly for those who go to New Jerusalem because they are not only sanctified but also faithful in the all household; they will be given the most glorious and beautiful crown. It is the golden crown written in Revelation 4:4, and the crown of righteousness as written in 2 Timothy 4:8.
Besides these, if you go to heaven, there are many kinds of crowns not recorded in the bible.
Don't you think you should be able to receive at least the crown of life?
In order to do so, you have be faithful until death. To be faithful until death is the faith of martyrdom.
To a subject, being faithful to his king until death means to sacrifice his life for the country and to give up his life for his king.
It is the same in the sight of God.
The 3rd Kingdom where a crown of life is prepared is the place where only those who love God utmost and are sanctified. Such people have the faith of martyrdom to give up their life for the Lord in any given situation.
But you must not think that this is the faithfulness to give only the life of the flesh.
Of course, when you are faithful to God, it is natural that you should be faithful to give up your fleshly life just like many forefathers of faith.
But the spiritual martyrdom, in other words, a life with a resolution of martyrdom is also important.
In order to please God, it is to not to compromise with world, and to abstain from every form of evil by resisting to the point of shedding blood in striving against sin.
Then, the your 'SELF' dies, and only the word of God, which is the truth, will remain int your heart, and you will live exactly by the word of God.
When Apostle Paul said, "I die daily," in 1 Corinthians 15:31, he said so with such a spiritual meaning like this.
Those whose 'SELF' completely died and who cast off every form of evil will manage their given duties very well, and they will cry in their prayers for the dying souls in love.
Like this, a sanctified man being faithful to a given duty until death from the bottom of holy heart; this is the faithfulness until death that God wants.
But when you yourself think that you are being faithful until death, it cannot be the faithfulness that God recognizes.
In order to be qualified for the crown of life, you must pass such tests that you must be recognized by God.
James 1:12 says, "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
Likewise, to receive the crown of life, you must preserve under trial, and you must be approved by God.
When Abraham was told to give his son Isaac as an atoning sacrifice, he passed the test in thankfulness so that he was approved righteous, then he became a father of all believers, didn't he?
The same applies to you, too,
If you truly stand the unshakable rock, no matter how unimaginable huge trial comes, you will be faithful until death, and endure and pass the test with joy.
Apostle Paul confessed in Romans 8:35, "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
If you have such love for the Lord, you will be able to be faithful with all your life to the church, which is the body of the Lord, and to the shepherd and its congregation.
Through this faithfulness until death, may you all receive at least the crown of life and more, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray.
We will look into the Lord's saying, "He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death" in the next lecture.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
This church is currently accomplishing the world mission greatly. But in the future, we will accomplish the kingdom of God all the more greatly.
Also we will quickly build the Canaan Sanctuary and the Grand Sanctuary to accomplish God's will and providence.
But in order to do all this, this church definitely needs spiritual warriors who can truly be faithful until death, and those with resolution of martyrdom who can sacrifice his own life for the kingdom of God.
Just as Christianity was able to be spread all over the world by the price of blood of martyrdom, this church needs its congregation's prayer, effort, and faithfulness until death in order to accomplish the great providence in the last days.
Through 2002 India Miracle Healing prayer Festival, God found the price of the blood of Thomas who died a martyrdom in India 2000 years ago. Like this, the blood of your martyrdom will surely yield the fruit.
Such people who are able to accomplish the duty with resolution of martyrdom along with me are very much in need.
God chose this church and called its congregation for this time. He has refined you with the word of sanctification, and He is revealing the people of the spirit one by one.
I hope that in the year 2007, such people will come out more and more so that they can accomplish God's will and providence toward this church together.
But just a few people who are revealed can accomplish God's will and providence.
Each one of you are so precious. Your devotion and deeds to stand still and guard your position are great help to this church and me.
But we should not be satisfied with with. I hope that you will receive not only the crown of life but also the golden crown and the crown of righteousness by spiritual faithfulness of giving up life.
May you adorn yourself with the brightly shining crown and stand in front of the throne of glory of God, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray!
Amen |
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