Peace and grace in the love of our 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 someof 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 has tribulation for ten days.
The spiritual meanings are as follows.
God blesses us.
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 someof 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 has tribulation for ten days.
The spiritual meanings are as follows.
- Daniel also experiences tribulation for ten days.
Daniel 1:8,11-12,15-17
1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
1:11 So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
1:12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.
1:15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies.
1:16 Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
1:17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
Daniel and his friends purpose in their heart not to eat the king’s delicacies and wine for ten days.
Now it means flesh suffering to be set free from the flesh desire, so we can live in holiness. It equals to not falling in the sins of Babylon, that is sins concerning eating-drinking (smoking, getting drunk, consuming drugs), and not being deceived by false teaching.
The results are as follows.- The feature of Daniel and his friends are better than all the young men who eat the king’s delicacies and wine. It means they experience God’s caring physically. They also experience the spiritual caring, that is not being stressful but having calm and peace.
A good feature also means Daniel and his friends have the attitude that pleases God and the others. - Receiving the wisdom from Heaven, that is Daniel is free from the hungry lions.
Revelation 13:16-18
13:16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
13:17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is666.
For us now, it means we are free from antichrist, meaning we are not either persecuted or marked with 666 by antichrist. We are not destroyed together with antichrist.
Revelation 12:14
12:14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
The wisdom of God for us who live in holiness is He gives us the two wings of a great eagle to fly us into the wilderness far from the presence of antichrist. We are cared directly by God through the true teaching Word and Holy Communion.
Daniel 12:3
12:3 Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.
The wisdom of God also makes us as the stars that shine forever.
A shining star means God gives us a successful and beautiful life on His time. A star has no pillar to sustain it in the earth, meaning having no relation with the family, congregation, et cetera. A star only lives from God.
A star is the one who is used by God to testify about and glorify Him. It equals to illuminating and bringing souls to be saved, until sometime we will be glorified with Him forever.
- The feature of Daniel and his friends are better than all the young men who eat the king’s delicacies and wine. It means they experience God’s caring physically. They also experience the spiritual caring, that is not being stressful but having calm and peace.
- Rebekah also experiences tribulation for ten days.
Genesis 24:54-59,62-67
24:54 And he and the men who werewith him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my master.”
24:55 But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a fewdays, at least ten; after that she may go.”
24:56 And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.”
24:57 So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.”
24:58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.”
24:59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men.
24:62 Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South.
24:63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels werecoming.
24:64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel;
24:65 for she had said to the servant, “Who isthis man walking in the field to meet us?”The servant said, “It ismy master.” So she took a veil and covered herself.
24:66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
24:67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Rebekah does not want to stay for ten more days with her family. She chooses to go with Eliezer and meets Isaac at the well in Lahai Roi. At the end, Rebekah becomes the wife of Isaac.
For us, it means flesh suffering to be set free from the flesh interest and self-interest (being egoistic), so we can become the Heavenly bride.
A well is the place of drinking for sheep. It refers to the shepherding pen. The water refers to the living water, that is the Word of God.
A well is also the place of meeting for brides (Isaac and Rebekah, Moses and Zipporah, Jesus and Samaritan woman).
Thus, a well means the shepherding place developed by the Bride Tidings or the Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword.
Now we must always be within the shepherding well. In the Tabernacle, it refers to the Holy Place. There are three types of equipment within it that refer to perseverance in three main services in the shepherding.- Golden Candlestick refers to perseverance in General Service. We have fellowship with Holy Spirit in His gifts.
- Table of Showbread refers to perseverance in Bible Study Service. We have fellowship with the Son of God in the true teaching Word and the sacrifice of Christ.
- Golden Altar of Incense refers to perseverance in Prayer Service. We have fellowship with Father God in His love.
The usefulness of the shepherding well is as follows.- The shepherding well is the place of our runaway from Satan (Pharaoh) with all problems and temptations.
Exodus 2:15
2:15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.
In the shepherding well, we can sit, meaning we can experience peace and calm. We also get everything from God. - In the shepherding well, we experience consolation from God, so we always give thanks to Him. There is a true satisfaction from Heaven, so we do not need to look for the other satisfactions in the world that make one falls in sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-being given in a marriage.
Genesis 24:67
24:67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. - In the shepherding well, we are always washed and sanctified, until we become the Heavenly bride.
- Golden Candlestick refers to perseverance in General Service. We have fellowship with Holy Spirit in His gifts.
- The church in Smyrna experiences tribulation for ten days.
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 someof 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.
It means flesh suffering with Jesus to be set free from self-truth, so we can experience His love (figure 10 is the figure of love).
Self-truth means as follows.- The truth outside the Bible that makes one disobedient.
- Covering sins by blaming the others and moreover God and the true teaching Word.
- Everything is in vain and useless without love. Everything is not eternal and will be destroyed forever.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3,8
13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
13:2 And though I have the gift ofprophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
13:8 Love never fails. But whether there areprophecies, they will fail; whether there aretongues, they will cease; whether there isknowledge, it will vanish away. - No matter how great we are in the world, our position is as sheep for the slaughter that is only one step in distance with the death.
Romans 8:35-37
8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shalltribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
8:36 As it is written:“For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
But with God’s love, we are within the embrace of His hands. We lean on His bosom so there is no distance with Him and thus Satan cannot touch us.
- Giving us extra power so we can be strong and of good courage.
Romans 8:35
8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shalltribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Being strong and of good courage means as follows.- Not being disappointed or desperate, not leaving God in facing everything.
- Keeping being faithful and fervent in spirit in ministering God when facing everything.
- Keeping worshiping God.
- Not being disappointed or desperate, not leaving God in facing everything.
- God’s love makes us more than conquerors.
Romans 8:37
8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
It means we are weak and has no power, but we win over stronger enemies because His mercy and goodness have the battle for us.
The example is David against Goliath. The mercy and goodness of God are able to face impossible problems. When David falls with Bathsheba, His mercy and goodness are also able to lift up and recover him, as long as he confesses it. - God’s mercy and goodness unite and perfect us.
Colossians 3:14
3:14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
It means His mercy and goodness sanctify and renew our life, until we are perfect as Him. We become the Heavenly bride who is ready to welcome His second coming. The tribulation for ten days will become joy forever.
- The truth outside the Bible that makes one disobedient.
God blesses us.