PREPARATION FOR THE THIRD SEASON FEASTS: THE CONGREGATION OF SMYRNA (Revelation 2:10-11)

Elul 7 (20 August 2026)

The KING is in the FIELD! AWAKEN the BELIEVERS!

CONGREGATION TWO: SMYRNA (Revelation 2:10-11)

MESSIAH YESHUA ENCOURAGES THE BELIEVERS:

• Not to be afraid of what they are about to SUFFER.

• Messiah Yeshua said in Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him (YHVH, the FATHER) who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (the lake of fire).

• The Adversary (Satan) is going to have some of them THROWN IN PRISON, in order to PUT THEM TO THE TEST; and they will face and ORDEAL (torment, suffering, tribulation) for TEN DAYS.

• They should REMAIN FAITHFUL, even to the point of DEATH; and HE will GIVE them LIFE as their CROWN (eternal life).

Messiah Yeshua warned in Matthew 10:32-33 “whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”

Note, the sow and reap principle we see throughout the Word, what we do unto others, will be done to us, and here we see our faithfulness or unfaithfulness towards our Messiah will be rewarded accordingly.

THEY SHOULD MAKE SURE:

• They HEAR and LISTEN to the VOICE of the HOLY SPIRIT in this message to them.

THE REWARD FOR WINNING THE VICTORY

• They will not be hurt by the SECOND DEATH (the Lake of Fire).

• We are told the following about the SECOND DEATH (the Lake of Fire):

At the SECOND COMING of YEHSUA the MESSIAH, during the BATTLE of ARMEGEDON the ten kings under the authority of the beast receive power as kings for one hour, along with the beast (the anti-messiah/ antichrist). They will have ONE MIND, and they will hand over their power and authority to the beast (the anti-messiah/ antichrist) and they will go to WAR against the LAMB (Messiah Yeshua) but the LAMB will DEFEAT them, because HE IS MASTER of masters and KING of kings, and those who are CALLED, CHOSEN and FAITHFUL will OVERCOME along with Him. And the beast (the anti-messiah/ antichrist) will be TAKEN CAPTIVE, and with it the false prophet, who in its presence, had done the miracles which he had used to DECEIVE those who had received the MARK of the beast (the anti-messiah/ antichrist) and those who had worshiped his image. The beast (the anti-messiah/ antichrist) and the false prophet will both be thrown ALIVE into the LAKE OF FIRE that BURNS with SULFUR (Revelation 16:16, 17:12-14 & 19:20).

And in Revelation 20:1-3 & 7-9, we see after the thousand year reign of PEACE of YEHSUA our MESSIAH the Adversary (Satan) who has been chained and locked up in the Abyss during the thousand year, will be SET FREE for a short while at the END of the HTOUSAND YEAR REIGN of KING YESHUA to DECEIVE humanity again as the FINAL TEST of their FAITFULNESS. He will gathering an army countless as the sand on the seashore coming up against YEHSUA’s KINGDOM in JERUSALEM and against the people of God who have been part of the FIRST RESURECTION but FIRE will come from HEAVEN and DETROY them. And the Adversary (Satan) who had DECIEVED the nations in the four corners of the earth is then hurled into the LAKE of FIRE and SULPHUR, where the beast (the anti-messiah/ antichrist) and the false prophet already were, and they will be TORMENTED DAY and NGHT FOREVER and EVER. We also read in 2 Peter 2:4, that the fallen angels who led the people astray into terrible wickedness as we read in Genesis 6:1-8 are held in GLOOMY DUNGEONS LOWER than SHEOL/ HADES (the place of the unsaved dead), for the FINAL JUDGEMENT that would result in them also being thrown into the LAKE of FIRE (Revelation 20:1-3 & 7-10).

In Revelation 20:11-15 we read about the FINAL WHITE THROWN JUDGEMENT (depicted in the 8^th Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the 7^th FEAST of YHVH), the DEAD (from the sea and sheol /hades the place of the unsaved dead), both great and small will now be standing before the THRONE of YHVH and be JUDGED by MESSIAH YESHUA as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. The BOOKS will be opened; and the DEAD will be JUDGED from what was WRITTEN in the BOOKS, according to WHAT THEY HAD DONE. Anyone whose NAME are not found in the BOOK of LIFE (also called the Lamb’s Book of Life in Revelation 21:270, meaning all those who did not accept Him as Savior and had not followed Him in obedience to the Father with the help of the Holy Spirit) will be hurled into the LAKE of FIRE. DEATH and SHEOL/ HADES (the place of the unsaved dead that will now be empty), considered as THE LAST ENEMIES of YHVH, will also be hurled into the LAKE of FIRE. Also read Matthew 8;8, 13:42, 21:8, 25:41 & 46, Mark 9:43, 47-48, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 and Revelation 21:8 & 27.

Revelation 21:8 tells us the LAKE BURNING with FIRE and SULPHUR, the SECOND DEATH is the DESTINY of: the cowardly (those who deny Messiah Yeshua when facing persecution, suffering and death), the untrustworthy, (those who did not remain faithful/ obedient to Him to the point of death), the vile, the murderers (contravening Commandment 6), the sexually immoral (contravening Commandment 7), those involved with the occult and with drugs, idol-worshippers (contravening Commandment 1 & 2), and all liars (contravening Commandment 9). Also read Revelation 22:15.

• We read this PROMISE to the BELIEVERS in SMYRNA of not being hurt by the SECOND DEATH (the Lake of Fire) also in Revelation 20:4-6 telling us about the SOULS who had been BEHEADED for TESTIFYING about MESSIAH YESHUA and PROCLAIMING the WORD of GOD the FATHER being part of the FIRST RESURRECTION and REIGNING with MESSIAH YESHUA for a THOUSAND YEARS. They are BLESSED and HOLY and the SECOND DEATH in the lake of fire has NO power over them.

SOUL SEARCHING

• Am I willing to go through and ORDEAL (torment, suffering, tribulation) on earth for TESTIFYING about MESSIAH YESHUA and PROCLAIMING the WORD of GOD the FATHER for a LIMITED PERIOD of TIME?

• Am I willing to be FAITHFUL to DEATH, knowing that I will RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE and not SUFFER the SECOND DEATH (not be thrown into the Lake of Fire)?

RESTORATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT

• The SUFFERING that we sometimes have to go through as believers is not sent by YHVH our God, but when Satan accuses believers, it can be ALOWED by God for the PURPOSE of TESTING the believer to nullify the accusation made by the Adversary (Satan). We see examples of this in the case of Peter in Luke 22:31-32 when Messiah Yeshua told Peter: “Simon, Simon, listen! The Adversary (Satan) demanded to have you people for himself, to sift you like wheat! But I prayed for you, Simon that your TRUST (faith) might not fail. And you, once you turned back in repentance, strengthen your brothers!” We know that Peter failed the TEST, but his FAITH in and LOVE for God did not fail. So although he boasted that he is prepared to go with Messiah Yeshua to prison and to death, he denied Him three times, as Messiah Yeshua said he would, before the rooster crowed and Peter remembered Yeshua’s words and he went outside and cried bitterly. But we know that after the RESURRECTION of Messiah Yeshua, Peter RETURNED to Messiah Yeshua and was chosen to feed and shepherd His sheep (John 21:15-17). We also know that in the end, Peter gave up his life for Messiah Yeshua as we read in John 21:18-19. 

• Another person who was SIFTED or TESTED by Satan was Job. The Adversary (Satan) contested with God that Job was only serving Him because God protected him and prospered his work and made him rich. So Satan claimed if Job SUFFERED and LOST everything, he would curse God to His face (Job 1:11). And Job PASSED the TEST and YHVH RESTORED DOUBLE of EVEYTHING Job previously had (Job 42:10).

• Today, we have the HOLY SPIRIT IN US to help us REMAIN FAITHFUL to God the Father. If we have already DECIDED beforehand to STAY FAITHFUL to YHVH our God, no matter the cost, the Holy Spirit will carry us through.

• We THANK Abba Father that He does not give us a spirit of fear, but HE GIVES us HIS HOLY SPIRIT of POWER, LOVE and SELFCONTROL (2 Timothy 1:7). We are therefore not powerless over fear, and we may ASK HIM to GIVE us BOLDNESS and COURAGE.

• God CALLS us to be OVERCOMMERS. We read in Revelation 21:7 “He who wins the victory will receive these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” When we BELIEVE in MESSIAH YEHSUA and are made RIGHTEOUS IN HIM, we MUST OVERCOME even to the POINT of DEATH if necessary, so as to not deny MESSIAH YESHUA. We may DIE, or be PUT TO DEATH for our FAITH, but we look forward to ETERNITY with God the Father.

• We PRAY that if persecution come to us, the HOLY SPIRIT in us will KEEP us FAITHFUL to the end. Yeshua our Messiah is our example: “who, in exchange for obtaining the joy set before Him, endured execution on the cross as a criminal, scorning the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God the Father. Yes, think about Him who endured such hostility against Himself from sinners, so that you won’t grow tired or become despondent (hopeless). You who have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in the contest against sin.” (Hebrews 12:2-4).