Although the church in Smyrna may not have looked like much on the surface, Jesus’ evaluation of it was wholly positive. He did not tone down his description of what the believers were about to suffer, but he pointed to the way to face all the challenges of life and death without fear and full of faith. Although we may never have to face what those early Christians faced, we all have to live, and we all have to die, so Jesus’ words to the church in Smyrna in Revelation 2:8-11 are words for us today as well.
God is free to define Israel, to show mercy or wrath, and to add to Israel from the nations.
God’s continued rescuing of David from Saul show that God always reserves a remnant of his people and ultimately saves his anointed one from...
In the first of a two-part Christmas series, we studied the announcement in Luke 1:26-38 that the angel Gabriel made to Mary about the...