​(Revelation 2:9) “I know your works, oppression, and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Here Jesus confronts and enlightens the Churches He addressed through John the Apostle. 

Each Church is seen at its heart. The exposure of hidden motivations and hidden struggles. 

If Jesus was to examine our congregation what would He say? What would He find in our hearts? 

Then what is highlighted are the source of trouble and how to overcome and the reward for those who overcome. 

“Overcomer” is one who remains steadfast in the face of human accusation and demonic interference. I am becoming more and more convinced that the enemy of our souls is blinding us to the spiritual realm in that we are being kidnapped by powerful rulers of the dark world who feed us disinformation, deception both by lies and omission , delusion by false doctrine. 

As we seek God the enemy arranges all kinds of “oppression” as he did to the Church in Smyrna. The word used in the Greek is  tribulation or put it lightly a spiritual and human trouble to distract and dismay the saints. This distraction and wholesale mayhem can divert our attention that we are almost breaking through. 

For the saints in Smryna there was a gathering which is specified to be a synagogue of Jews who put up a great fight against the Church. We must remember that this synagogue was demonically stirred up to cause trouble. 

There was another work also functioning which was the financial and material impoverishment of the saints. 

“I know your works, And tribulation and poverty…”

Nothing more stifles the advancement of a group of saints than a concerted work against the finances and resources of that group. There is a resource beyond just finances but there are also material goods which enable the work to go forward in the Kingdom. 

“But you are rich…”

This means that despite the stifling poverty God granted them favour. Is that familiar to you? Have you lived limited in monetary resources yet despite this Kingdom objectives are reached in our lives? 

God grants favour despite the demonic attack against finances.

“ blasphemy” 

There were false accusations and denials of the truth of the preaching of that Church. This synagogue could be related to as a Church which refused to recognise the new thing God is doing.

At times of great moves of the Lord it is not the unbelievers who are the main oppositors. It is the people who profess God but do not know His Ways.

“SATAN”

Literally an accuser. When you see a lot of accusations between those who profess to believe you can be certain that Satan is there stirring! 

Let us guard against this as we can be sat at “the table of Jesus conspiring with ignorance and have Satan enter into us” as we birth betrayal in our hearts. 

The Synagogue of Satan professes the name of God but does the work of Satan. How tragic! How many churches closed because they preached Jesus but abused the saints with accusations? 

“Give you a crown of life” 

You might feel dead of the tribulation that you may suffer in the Church but Jesus is going to crown you with life and the fact that He crowns you means He is giving you an authority to call life. The crown is indicative of authority. 

This post is an alert to us all to recognise the new thing God is doing so that we do not become possessed with accusations and tribulation. 

In Revelation Smyrna is commended as this Church in spite of great pressure overcomes. For those trying to press through to the realms of glory the whole Church of Satan is going to rise up on many levels. But God is going to crown us with the authority to call life where death reigns.

May we overcome 

Shalom