Peace and grace in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 2:10
2:10 "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
The church in Smyrna must be in prison and have tribulation ten days. The figure ten refers to the love. It means suffering in the flesh together with Jesus to be set free from self truth to get the love of God.
Why do we have to get the love of God?
Matthew 24:12
24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
There will be two great things in the last days as follows.
Therefore, God permits the church in Smyrna to suffer in the flesh to get the figure ten.
There are three kinds of men who were great, but lost the figure ten until rebelled against God.
God blesses you.
Revelation 2:10
2:10 "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
The church in Smyrna must be in prison and have tribulation ten days. The figure ten refers to the love. It means suffering in the flesh together with Jesus to be set free from self truth to get the love of God.
Why do we have to get the love of God?
Matthew 24:12
24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
There will be two great things in the last days as follows.
- The love grows cold. It means that one loses the figure ten and there is the crisis of love or the greatest crisis.
- The lawlessness aboundsor there is crisis in morality. Men return to the days of Noah, namely disobedience, rebellion, evil and uncleanness sins up to the peak, namely sins concerning eating-drinking such as smoking, getting drunk, and drugs abuse and the ones concerning marrying-being given in marriage or sexuality sin and all its kinds. Consequently, they get the condemnation from God.
2 Peter 3:10
3:10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
The condemnation from God in the last days happens through the fire from heaven that destroys the world and all its contents, even the fire of hell.
Therefore, God permits the church in Smyrna to suffer in the flesh to get the figure ten.
There are three kinds of men who were great, but lost the figure ten until rebelled against God.
- Ten spies.
Numbers 13:17, 19-21, 23-24
13:17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, "Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains,
13:19 "whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds;
13:20 "whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
13:21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath.
13:23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs.
13:24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there.
The ten spies refer to the sons of servants of God who have experienced the working of the true teaching Word and the love of God and blessed in the marriage or household.
Numbers 13:27-28
13:27 Then they told him, and said: "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
13:28 "Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.
Nevertheless, they cannot endure when the temptation comes. They are not strong and of good courage, but doubtful, so they use the self-truth. They also add the true teaching Word with the voice of the flesh until it becomes bad news.
Numbers 13:32
13:32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad reportof the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.
They belittle the power of God and magnify the temptation. The consequences are as follows.- Not experiencing the satisfaction.
Numbers 14:1-2
14:1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.
14:2 And all the children of Israel complained againstMoses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! - Not hearing the voice of the shepherd, but others’.
Numbers 14:4
14:4 So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt."
Returning to Egypt means that they are enslaved by the sin. They keep the things that are not righteous and use the worldly ways that are not in line with the Word. - Stoning with stones.
Numbers 14:10
14:10 And all the congregation said to stonethem with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.
It means the hardness of heart or resisting the truth and God.
Numbers 14:29
14:29 'The carcassesof you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.
Consequently, they become carcasses in the wilderness or perish forever in the hell forever.
Isaiah 66:24
66:24 "And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."
14:6But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;
14:7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.
14:8 "If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.'
14:9 "Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them."
Nevertheless, Joshua and Caleb were strong and of good courage. They were not doubtful in facing impossible problems. They kept on holding fast and obeying the true teaching Word. They only heard the true teaching Word. It means receiving the figure ten and entering Canaan or the revival for building the body of Christ; even entering the kingdom of heaven. - Not experiencing the satisfaction.
- Ten lepers.
Luke 17:11-12
17:11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
17:12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.
The leprosy is white. It means the self-truth or the truth without any love, namely covering the sins by blaming others and God or the true teachings.
Leviticus 13:45
13:45 "Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!'
The leprosy also refers to uncleanness sin. It begins from the way one get dressed (Do not wear torn clothes!), the hair style, up to the sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-being given in marriage.
Revelation 18:2, 4-5, 16, 9
18:2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
18:5 "For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 18:16 "and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
18:9 "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning,
Consequently, they enter the Babylon that will be destroyed.
Luke 17:14-18
17:14 So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,
17:16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17:17 So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
17:18 "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"
There were ten lepers cleansed by Jesus, but only a man returned to Him. After being justified and sanctified by God, we must return to Him. We become the instruments of righteousness. It means that we serve and minister to God faithfully and correctly. We can give thanks and worship God. It begins from returning the tithes up to our whole life to Him.
Not returning to God, one will return to the old life. We receive the grace through Christ’s sacrifice to return to God. - Ten disciples.
In Mark 10:35-45, the twelve disciples can be divided into two parts as follows.- Two disciples, namely James and John.
Mark 10:35-40
10:35Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."
10:36 And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
10:37 They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."
10:38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"
10:39 They said to Him, "We are able." So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized;
10:40 "but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."
The service and ministry of the two disciples peaked on the worship prayer, but rejected by the Lord because of their relying on the flesh will. Such will not be received or answered, even one will put Jesus or the true teaching Word besides or behind him, and he will leave Him and perish forever.
All things we receive in the world without Jesus are useless and will perish. Even, the heaven without Jesus is useless. - Ten disciples.
Mark 10:41-45
10:41 And when the tenheard it, they began to be greatly displeasedwith James and John.
10:42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
10:43 "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
10:44 "And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
They refer to the servants of God who receive His love and are used by Him, but the service and ministry do not peak on the worship prayer. They keep the flesh and blood human until they lose the love of God and perish. The facts found in it are as follows.- Getting angry without any cause or with emotion until there are strife, bitterness, and hatred without any cause.
1 Timothy 2:8
2:8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrathand doubting;
Not getting angry without any love, we will be able to lift up our hands and worship the Lord with the holy heart and mouth. As a result, our prayer is strong to reach the throne of the Lord. We become the house of prayer and our prayer is answered by God. - Being arrogant or feeling as the most righteous and able person, greater than others. One wants to be the greatest.
Luke 7:2-6, 9
7:2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.
7:3 So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.
7:4 And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving,
7:5 "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."
7:6 Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.
7:9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"
The centurion of the Gentiles was great, but he felt not worthy, so he could appreciate the true teaching Word. He did not miss a word like a dog licking the crumbs. It made Jesus marvel until He did a marvelous thing. The servant who was sick and ready to die could be healed. - The flesh keeps something even insists the right.
Mark 10:45
10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransomfor many."
Jesus does not keep anything, even He leaves heaven.
Psalm 131:1-3
131:1 <<A Song of Ascents. Of David.>>LORD, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me.
131:2 Surely I have calmed and quietedmy soul, Like a weaned childwith his mother; Like a weaned childis my soul within me.
131:3 O Israel, hope in the LORD From this time forth and forever.
We do not insist our right, but fully surrender to God. We are like a weaned childthat is separated from the hoped things. It is for making us fully surrender to God and love Him more than anything. The signs are silence and quietness. Being in silence means that we can correct ourselves by the sharpness of the sword of God’s Word. Finding a sin, we confess it. Being forgiven, we do not repeat it. Being in quietness means that we control ourselves. We are neither hopeless nor disappointed. We do not hope in others nor look for our own solution that is not in line with the Word. We can be quiet in the shepherding and pray to God. It means that we stretch out our two hands to God and He will also stretch out His hands to make the wind and waves calm.
Mark 4:39
4:39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
There is peace and all things are easy and light. There is preservation for physical and spiritual life. There is beautiful and successful future life in time of need. We are renewed from fleshy man to spiritual one as Jesus is. It begins from obedience. The miracles happen and all things are finished in time of need. The last miracle happens when Jesus comes a second time that we are changed to be as glorious as He is to enter New Jerusalem.
- Getting angry without any cause or with emotion until there are strife, bitterness, and hatred without any cause.
- Two disciples, namely James and John.
God blesses you.