December 4^th 2011 Sunday Message Summary & Audio

Scriptures: Revelation 2:8-11

Today, the Lord will give you Word with the theme ‘Overcome trials, tribulations, persecutions, and suffering by being faithful even to the point of death.’ I bless in the name of the Lord that you will be victorious by listening to the Word well and taking action according to the Word.

In Revelation chapter 2 and 3, Jesus gave revelations through His disciple, Apostle John, to the angels who were in charge of the seven early churches. Among them, Revelation 2:8-11 is a revelation that Jesus gave to the angel entrusted with the church in Smyrna through. Jesus gave them this Word when the church in Smyrna, which had good faith in Him, was suffering from the trials, slanders, and hardships inflicted by those who were controlled and united with satans.

Today, as I speak about the revelation that Jesus gave to the angel of the church in Smyrna, I will tell you how we are in the same position as the church in Smyrna.

‘Harm by the second death’ means spiritual death, that is, the spirit suffering from harm. So ‘not being harmed by the second death’ means that the spirit won’t be harmed by death. ‘The harm of the first death’ refers to the harm inflicted on the body. During trials, tribulations, and hardships, our body receives harm, and undergoes hardships and sufferings. Despite that, we must overcome satans and human satans by loving the Lord, praying, having a never-changing heart, and being faithful. Then, we will receive the crown of life and our spirits will neither die to go to the domain of death nor suffer harm. The ‘death of the spirit’ means that the spirit is dragged into the domain of darkness by satans, where the spirit is hurt and tormented.

Just like the church in Smyrna, Jesus, who is the pattern for all mankind, was also tormented and tested by satans and the evildoers of that time.

After suffering persecution, and after suffering all kinds of insults and torment at the hands of satans and the evildoers of that time, Jesus gave up His ‘physical body’ on the cross in order to save all mankind. His ‘spirit’ was then put in the prison in the Spiritual World for three and a half days, which can be converted to ‘ten days.’ Jesus, in spirit, preached the gospel to those in the spiritual prison. The spirits in the spiritual prison were those who had been judged by the flood and had died at the time of Noah because they disobeyed God’s Word and became fallen.

In the midst of tribulation, Jesus was faithful to God to the point of death. Therefore, His spirit came out of the spiritual prison after three and a half days and He resurrected. He was not hurt by the second death. Jesus’ spirit came to life and worked through the bodies of those who lived believing in the Lord in the domain of the New Testament. Therefore, when the believers in the domain of the New Testament were faithful to the point of death even in the midst of trials, tribulations, and persecutions, and followed the Lord, their bodies, in their own ways, suffered hardships and tribulations, or even died. However, their spirits were not harmed by death and they received the crown of life. It is the same with us in this time period.

We face various tests in our daily lives, even several times in a day. Since the answers are in the problems, we must give the answers wisely through our words or through our actions. If we lead a life of faith halfheartedly in our daily lives, we will be tested because of ourselves, we will be tested when satans tempts us, and we will be tested by other people. Those who test us ask questions about different things in detail just as Satan and the Pharisees did. When it comes to tests of faith, there are oral tests, practical tests, and everyday-life tests as well. Just as we must study during regular times in order to do well on a test, we must lead a life of faith well in our daily lives in order to do well on the test of faith. For trials, we must be bold in order to overcome them. We must not be afraid of them in order to overcome them.

1. To be a victor, you need to lead a victorious life every day. Then you will overcome and win in the end.

2. Victory isn’t something you can achieve in one day. It is achieved gradually as you move forward little by little from the beginning to the end.

3. During the time of tribulation, persecution, and suffering, your body may suffer and be treated unjustly. However, if you are faithful even to the point of death, then your spirit will not be harmed by the second death but will receive the crown of life.

4. If you are not faithful to the point of death but let your faith cool during the time of tribulation, and if you fall down and lose, your spirit will be hurt by death and face immense harm. Some people will lose their spirits, which are everlasting and never-changing, to death forever.

5. Jesus’ body was harmed by death for the sake of the salvation of all mankind and the sinners of His times, but Jesus’ spirit resurrected without being harmed by death. In this way, He opened up the path of salvation for all mankind.

6. The heart is made by words and the real form is made by action.

7. Whether it is during a time of tribulation or during a regular time, if you, yourself, defeat satans, overcome temptations, and become victorious over the world through fulfilling your responsibility by taking action to the point of death, then the Lord will praise your good work, use you valuably like the figures in the Bible, take you as His bride, love you, and be with you.

8. The one who triumphs receives a big prize as well as a big reward.

9. The defeated vanish but the triumphant remain and make history as the Lord’s brides together with the Lord and with the man-of-mission of the time period who is the body of the Lord.

10. Only those who do things together with the Lord and with the man the Lord sent in this time period can overcome.

11. You can win and become victorious only when you go to the end in whatever you do. If you give up, you cannot overcome even the things that you could overcome.