Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison….

Revelation 2:10

DIGGING DEEP NO. 961 – November 15th, 2022 TOUGH TIMES DON’T LAST Revelation 2:10

God loves us enough to even warn us about future events through His Spirit, so we won’t be caught off guard. He will forewarn and prepare us for things to come. Have you ever been warned by God about any future event? In the scriptures, many people were warned by God about future events. Joseph was warned to run and hide the baby Jesus because king Herod was going to kill the baby. Matt. 2:13-23.  Gen. 31:24 God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night and said to him, be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad. Hebrew 11:7, Acts 21:11. Revelation 2:10 is a perfect example of this forewarning and preparation.

At the time that Jesus spoke these words, He was speaking to the church at Smyrna, which was suffering great persecution. He was forewarning them so they would be prepared by knowing that some of them are going to be put into prison and tried. Rather than let this event take them by surprise, Christ wanted them to know in advance, so He lovingly informed them of what the future held. Being put in prison is a harrowing ordeal under any circumstance. But to be thrown into a Roman prison was a horrid prospect to contemplate. So, with great love, Jesus forewarned the church of Smyrna that the devil was going to use this experience to test the commitment and steadfastness of their faith. The word “tried” describes a calculated test deliberately designed to expose any deficiency. By using this word, Jesus made it clear that the hardships these Christians would endure were intended to test them to see if their faith was genuine. They had confessed Jesus as Lord, and soon Satan would “try” them to discover if their commitment to Christ’s Lordship was truly sincere. Just as the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13, the enemy was now preparing to tempt these believers with persecutions beyond anything they had ever endured or imagined.

Believers throughout the Roman Empire were undergoing persecution as well. When the apostle Peter wrote to the believers in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, he referred to the fiery trials that were testing their faith: 1 Peter 1:7.  Both Scripture and experience confirm that a faith declaration often triggers a devilish attack. Satan’s purpose was to test the sincerity of these believers’ faith to see if they would break under pressure. Therefore, Jesus warned the church that these present and imminent attacks would verify whether they were really committed to the faith they had publicly declared. If there was any deficiency in their faith, those fiery trials would expose it, for the devil would design this calculated test to break them. Some would succumb to his attacks and recant their faith — but the majority of those who were to be “tried” would endure and prove themselves faithful, even unto death. Jesus had more to say about what was to come. Revelation 2:10.

The word “tribulation” reveals how intense these fires of testing would be. It conveys the idea of a burden that is crushing, debilitating, or overpowering. Christ used the word to forecast a time of distress, oppression, pressure, and stress. This word “tribulation” may be understood as a clarification of the word “tried.” The tests the church of Smyrna was about to endure would be crushing, debilitating, and overpowering, resulting in great distress, oppression, pressure, and stress.

It is interesting that although Christ told these believers, “Fear none of those things which you will suffer,” He didn’t hesitate to tell them that very difficult times awaited them. Jesus knew that Satan was about to unleash a horrendous onslaught against these believers to attack their faith, but He also knew they could endure these tests because their faith was indeed genuine. Jesus then went on to promise that this time of tribulation would last only for a limited period. He said, in Revelation 2:10.

Jesus knew that the intense, impending bombardment would seem unending to the congregation. So, when He asserted, “Ye shall have tribulation ten days….” The phrase “ten days” was meant to give encouragement and hope to the suffering church letting these believers know that their hardships wouldn’t endure forever. Some theologians noted that the reference to “ten days” refers to “a short time; a brief period; a few days.

Hard times are inescapable in this life, but God’s power always has and always will continue to sustain those who are determined to be faithful to Him. Even if the fires of adversity rage and it seems as if they will never cease, those trials are temporary and will eventually come to an end. Almost 2,000 years of Church history have proven that the persecuted Church always comes forth purer than gold and mightier in the Spirit. Is there any trial that you are undergoing currently? The spiritual darkness may seem overpowering at times as Satan fiercely attempts to blot out the light of truth. But as John 1:5 promises, the light cannot be held perpetually under the domain of darkness. Victory belongs to those who endure to the end Matthew 10:22.

History bears witness that the Spirit of God always warns His people in advance when difficult times are coming. There are abundant historical records spanning the centuries that relate accounts of believers and missionaries in hostile nations throughout the world who were forewarned by the Holy Spirit of future hardships. Such divine warnings are intended to prepare believers to face the impending challenges if they will hear and heed the voice of the Spirit.

Jesus lovingly prepared His people for the turbulent times that awaited them. It is imperative that in your time, you keep your heart open so that you can hear what the Spirit of God is saying to you about your future. There is one thing for sure: His goal is always to cause you to triumph. 2 Corinthians 2:14. If you’ll keep your ear tuned to Him, He will be faithful by His Spirit to forewarn you and prepare you for the times to come, and then He will empower you to walk through every single situation as more than a conqueror in Him Romans 8:37!