Revelation 2 | Paul the Poke

Archive for Revelation 2

This Week in Prophecy: Russia Halts Gas to Europe, Russia/China/India War Games, Currency Wars, Turkey Threatens Greece

Posted in #PaulthePoke, China, Ezekiel 38-39, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags Aegean Sea, ArcelorMittal, bonds, china, Egypt, Europe, Federal Reserve, Germany, Greece, India, Izmir, LNG, Middle East, natural gas, Nord Stream Pipeline, President Recep Erdogan, Revelation 2, Revelation 9, Russia, Smyrna, steel, Turkey, US dollar, Vladimir Putin, Vostok 22, yuan on September 4, 2022 by paulthepoke

Labor Day Weekend, September 2022, This Week in Prophecy…

Russia has cut off the flow of natural gas to Europe. Nord Stream 1 has been shut down indefinitely.

“Europe’s storages are well on track to hitting or even surpassing their targets for this summer, and there’s plenty of scope to replace that gas with liquified natural gas imports for now, but when weather turns cold and demand starts to pick up in the winter in Europe and Asia, there’s only so much LNG out there that Europe can import to replace Russian gas.”

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/02/nord-stream-1-gazprom-announces-indefinite-shutdown-of-pipeline

Companies are shutting down across Europe due to high gas and electricity costs. This week, the world’s second largest steel maker is closing indefinitely.

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Worlds-Second-Largest-Steelmaker-Closes-European-Plant.html

Revelation 9:16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

Vostok ’22 is underway with China and India joining Russia in the war games. The military exercise will take place from September 1-7, 2022 in Russia’s Far East and the Sea of Japan. Russia will join with troops from ex-Soviet nations, China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Syria.

“The exercise isn’t directed against any specific countries or military alliances and is purely defensive,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Fomin.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/29/russia-to-launch-military-drills-with-china

Countries across the Middle East are turning away from the US dollar. Egypt has agreed to issue debt in the Chinese Yuan.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/08/egypt-issue-bonds-chinas-currency-yuan

The Federal Reserve is tightening and pulling US dollars out of the system. The US dollar is gaining strength. Interest rates are increasing and the price of debt is going up.

https://app.hedgeye.com/insights/121507-chart-of-the-day-recent-balance-sheet-trends?type=macro%2Cmarket-insights

Revelation 2:8a And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write…

Turkey is threatening Greece in the Aegean Sea. President Recep Erdogan invokes modern day Izmir or ancient Smyrna in his comments. Remember the churches in Revelation???

“We have only one word to tell Greece: Do not forget Izmir (Smyrna in Greek). Your occupation of the islands does not bind us. When the time comes, we will do what’s necessary. As we say, we may come suddenly one night.” Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan in reference to the end of the Greek occupation after Turkish forces entered the city in the Aegean coast in 1922.

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/09/03/Erdogan-warns-Greece-it-will-pay-heavy-price-over-Aegean-airspace-violations

https://paulthepoke.com/?s=smyrna

For all of this and more analysis and commentary, click on the YouTube link below. Welcome to This Week in Prophecy.

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

1 Comment »

Revelation: Thyatira, God Knows Our Deeds

Posted in Hell, Prophecy, Revelation with tags accountability, atheist, consequences, death, Deeds, Genesis 2, God, great white throne, Psalm 139, Revelation 2, Revelation 20, Thyatira, Wages of sin on May 7, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:23 And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

This is the kind of verse the atheist and critic have a field day. I can hear them now.

“The God of the Bible is a genocidal ogre who wants to kill people and crush them under his thumb. God is not a God of love.”

The atheist and critic have one fundamental problem. They want to ignore the consequence of behavior. There is a right way and a wrong way. God made it very clear from the beginning. The message is consistent from the Garden of Eden through the end of the New Testament. If one disobeys, they will die. Plain and simple.

Genesis 2:17 “…but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The last thing the atheist and critic want is accountability. They want to do whatever they want. The end result of this thinking is anarchy. It did not work in the past and it will not work now or in the future.

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

The atheist and critic have propped up their intellect as deity. They know what is best. And don’t anyone dare question them or point out moral standards. They will have none of it.

And I will kill her children with pestilence… The “her” continues to be Jezebel. “Her children” or followers will get theirs. The text literally states, “I will kill with death” in the original Greek.

…and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts… This message is not for Thyatira only. It is a message for all the churches and all the believers. God the Son (as well as the Father and Spirit) knows your thought life. He knows your feelings and intentions.

Psalm 139:1-2, 4 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you understand my thought from afar. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all.

…and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. The atheist and the humanistic critic love to point out how humanity is getting better, constantly evolving, and improving. They say on balance, man has done more good than bad. They want to be judged on their merits and deeds.

Be careful what you ask for. At least three times in the book of Revelation, humanity is told they will be judged according to their deeds. The last two examples are mentioned in the context of the great white throne.

Revelation 20:12b …and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.

Revelation 20:13b …and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

A message to the atheist and critic, Hell is real whether you believe it or not.

Revelation 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Leave a comment »

Revelation: Thyatira, Lead Me Not Into Temptation

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags 2 Peter 3:9, Abraham, adultery, Eid, idols, immorality, Isaac, Ishmael, Jezebel, pornography, repent, Revelation 2, Thyatira on April 23, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

Jezebel, she calls herself a prophetess. There is absolutely nothing that is divinely inspired about this woman. She does not have a clue about the future. She is only thinking about the here and now. She wants her way.

Jezebel is a bad influence. She could care less about others. She leads others into temptation.

…commit acts of immorality…This is an example of the translators providing a sanitary, politically correct interpretation. The Greek word is πορνευο/porneo. It is where the English term “pornography” comes.

Strong’s defines porneo as: to prostitute one’s body to the lust of another; to give one’s self to unlawful sexual intercourse; to commit fornication. Metaphorically: to be given to idolatry, to worship idols; to permit one’s self to be drawn away by another into idolatry.

…and eat things sacrificed to idols. This would be the case of food or animals killed in the name of other false gods.

A modern day example for the believer would be the Muslim holiday of Eid. Eid al-Adha is also known as the Feast of Sacrifice. This is a memorial of the Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael to Allah. As contrasted to the Bible in Genesis 22 where Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac to Yahweh (God).

During Eid thousands of sheep, goats, and cows are sacrificed. This event marks the end of what is called Dhu al-Hiijah. The sacrificed meat is given to the poor. Jesus is stating, “Do not eat foods sacrificed to idols or other gods.”

As a reminder…Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Revelation 2:21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.

God the Father, Son, and Spirit is patient. The message to Jezebel is a message for all of us today. We have a free will choice. He is not making any of us change our behavior. He wants us to change our ways. There is time NOW to change our minds and ways. But there will come a time, when time runs out.

Revelation 2:22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.

Jezebel loved the bed and to the bed she will go…not exactly what she is expecting. In this case, the bed is effectively a hospital bed. It is the Greek word κλινε/kline; a couch on which a sick man is carried.

God is not interested in lip service. He wants abstinence instead of prostitution and other forms of unlawful fornication. If not, trouble is coming in the form of seven years of hell on Earth.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Leave a comment »

Revelation: Thyatira with Love, Faith, Service, & Perserverance

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags faith, Jesus Christ, love, perserverance, Revelation 2, service, Thyatira on March 18, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:19 “I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.” –Jesus

Jesus knows what is going on in His church. The local body in Thyatira receives high marks and they are getting better. They appear to be the model church. Here are the characteristics demonstrated.

Love…the Greek word αγαπε/agape. Per Strong’s Concordance, it means: brotherly love, affection, good will, benevolence, to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly. This love is the nature of God.

Faith…the Greek word πιστισ/pistis. There is the dictionary definition and then there are times where Scripture defines the term. This is an example where the Bible is the definitive authority. The author of Hebrews defines “faith”.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

The idea of “hope” is the expectation of reality at some point in the future. “Hope” is not happen stance…well maybe? Gee, I hope so? No, Biblical “hope” is the belief the promise will come to pass.

Hebrews 11 is the chapter in the Bible on the topic of faith. The chapter has been called the “Heroes of Faith.” Faith was the issue, is the issue, and will be the issue. Do we believe God and what He has to say?

Hebrews 11:2-3 For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

Service…the Greek word διακονια/diakonia. It means: service of the office of prophet, apostle, evangelist, elder, administration, or a deacon; those who by the command of God proclaim and promote religion among men; the service of those who prepare and present food.

In the sense of the body of Christ, we are all ministers. We can all serve the Lord in one way or another. We have different skill sets and gifts. We all need each other in Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.

Ephesians 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ…

The book of 2 Corinthians discusses this term more than any other book in the New Testament.

Perseverance…the Greek word ηυπομονε/hupomone. It means: constancy, endurance; in the New Testament the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith by even the greatest trials and sufferings; patiently and steadfastly enduring.

Love one another. Have faith in the promise of God’s word. Serve one another whatever your calling. And persevere and endure until He comes and gets us.

Leave a comment »

Revelation: Thyatira, Son of God

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags bronze, Daniel 10, eyes, feet, fire, flame, Revelation 2, Son of God, Thyatira on March 12, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

Jesus is connecting many dots with this initial statement to the church at Thyatira. He is identifying Himself with references to Scripture. There are three characteristics in the verse that point to the person of Jesus Christ…1) the Son of God, 2) who has eyes like a flame of fire, 3) and His feet are like burnished bronze.

The Son of God. Jesus Himself is identifying Himself as the Son of God. The idea that God has a Son is noted in the Old Testament.

Psalms 2:7 I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”

The Son is confirmed by the Father Himself in the Gospel accounts. One example is in Mark with John the Baptist in the Jordan River. All three persons of the Trinity are present.

Mark 11:1 and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Even the demons know Jesus is the Son of God.

Luke 8:28 Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.”

Satan knows Jesus is the Son of God in Matthew 4.

…eyes like a flame of fire…One person in the Bible has these kind of eyes, Jesus Christ. This is His description at His second coming.

Revelation 19:12 His eyes are a flame of fire…

John, the author of Revelation describes Jesus with eyes like fire.

Revelation 1:14b …and His eyes were like a flame of fire.

Daniel’s description of a man dressed in linen fit.

Daniel 10:6a His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches…

…His feet are like burnished bronze…

John describes the feet of Jesus in the Patmos vision.

Revelation 1:15a His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace…

Daniel’s description of the man dressed in linen (garments of a priest) by the river had descriptive feet.

Daniel 10:6b …his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze…

This is what Jesus is going to look like. Just add white hair, crowns, and a red robe on a white horse.

Leave a comment »

Revelation: Historical Thyatira

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags Acts 16, Akhisar, Jesus Christ, Revelation 2, Thyatira, Turkey on March 5, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write…

Tηυατειρα/Thyatira in the Greek means: “odor of affliction” per Strong’s Concordance. The “odor” may get its identity with a large swamp that is outside of town on the Lycus River. The area is reported to be full of bugs, insects, and disease. The city was located on the Lycus River.

The name Thyatira means “the castle of Thya” per International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Today ancient Thyatira is modern day Akhisar, Turkey. Akhisar means “white castle”.

Thyatira was about 45 miles southeast of Pergamum.

Thyatira was home to a Christian population until 1920 AD. At that time, the Greek Orthodox population was deported. –Wikipedia.

The ancient city was considered to be a melting pot of religion and culture. This was not a city of political significance.

Thyatira was a city of trade but never a large metropolis. Agricultural crops included olives, olive oil, water melons, grapes, and raisins.

Thyatira had an extensive network of trades. Coppersmiths and construction work were part of the local system. Thyatira was also known for their purple dyes. Purple goods were synonymous with royalty and wealth. Lydia in Acts 16:14 sold expensive clothing and textiles. These items were a significant part of the local economy.

http://biblehub.com/topical/t/thyatira.htm

Acts 16:14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God…

The letter to the church at Thyatira is the longest of all the letters to the churches from Jesus.

Leave a comment »

Revelation: Pergamum, Let’s Review

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation, Teshuvah/Repent with tags 10 Commandments, Exodus 20, Jesus Christ, Nicolaitans, Pergamum, Revelation 2 on February 12, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:15-16 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

The church at Pergamum had the same issue as the church at Ephesus, worship of Nicolaitan teaching. There is no reliable documentation to confirm the identity of the Nicolaitans. They are suspected to participate in pagan feasts and orgies.

The issue is the relentless assault of false teachers. Pergamum is Satan’s home and throne. People in the local church were following Satan, Balaam, Balak, and the Nicolaitans. They were not following Jesus Christ.

This is in clear violation of two of the first four Commandments in Exodus. God still wants to be worshipped.

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

Exodus 20:5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me.

Notice how God equates worshipping a false god as hatred towards Him. God says worshipping other gods has consequences to your grandchildren and great grandchildren. Does God really mean this? Are there really consequences for believing in other religions and their gods? Did God change?

Therefore repent…This is a call to change your mind. This is the third time in Revelation Jesus calls believers to repent. Incidentally, Jesus will remind the churches seven times in Revelation…Completely repent. Rethink what is being taught.

The Greek word for repent is μετανοεο/metanoeo. It means: to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins. –Strong’s Concordance.

The idea of repent in the Hebrew is teshuvah. Prepare and turn to God. People are called to turn away from their sin, repent, and change course. It is a time of inward reflection and sincere self-assessment. The goal is a change in lifestyle away from sin to obedience in God’s word. The Hebrew month of Elul initiates a 40 day period called Teshuvah.

https://paulthepoke.com/2016/08/28/teshuvah-2016/

This is a reminder to us today as well. Believers throughout the course of the Bible are warned about false teachers. Do not follow false teachers. Worship and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ who is God the man.

or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

This is the second sword reference to the church at Pergamum. The first sword reference was in Revelation 2:12. I take it they did not repent and Jesus used His sword. The city and church of Pergamum are no longer with us in the 21^st century. Today the ancient city is ruins.

FYI: In the last week (February 12, 2017) of the writing of this post, a series of earthquakes has struck approximately 60-75 miles northwest of modern day Pergamum or Bergama, Turkey. The area is back in the news.

Draw your own conclusions.

Leave a comment »

Revelation: Pergamum; Food, Sex, and the gods…

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags adultery, Balaam, Balak, food sacrifices, Numbers, Pergamum, Revelation 2 on February 5, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.

The Bible introduces us to Balaam and Balak in the book of Numbers chapters 22-25. The meanings of their names are not pleasant. Balak means “devastator”. And Balaam means “not of the people” or “devourer”.

The general overview of how these two got together is noted in Numbers 23:7 And Balaam took up his discourse and said, “From Aram Balak has brought me, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: ‘Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!’

Balaam was from Aram or modern day Syria. He was a prophet. Balak was the King of Moab or modern day Jordan. Moab was the area east of the Dead Sea south of modern day Ammon, Jordan. Balak needed a curse on nation Israel. And Balak called on Balaam to do the job.

Granted, Balaam never cursed Israel as Balak begged repeatedly. But it was Balaam and Balak who introduced practices that were in direct disobedience to God’s Ten Commandments and the Mosaic Law. They are summarized in Numbers 25:1-3.

Numbers 25:1 While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.

The Israeli men began to לזנות/zanah in the Hebrew. Translated and defined as: commit fornication or adultery; to be a cult prostitute; figuratively, to be unfaithful to God. The women were from Moab under King Balak.

Numbers 25:2 For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

Food sacrifices to gods are noted throughout time. Give thanks for the food…to our god. Balaam and Balak were a part of this practice. The church at Corinth had issues with this practice as did the church at Pergamum. Today, animal sacrifices and gifting the meat are part of the Muslim holiday Eid.

Numbers 25:3 So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel.

Balaam would go on to encourage another religion, Baal worship. He is the son of Peor. Numbers 22:5 So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor…

Israel הנצמדים/tsamad with the worship of Baal. They fastened or yoked with a false god.

Israelis were led to a false god by sexual enticement and a full belly. Israel had become unequally yoked to a false god.

The church at Pergamum was having the same problems as ancient Israel. The church was falling into the same trap set by a prophet and a king from the book of Numbers. Balaam and Balak’s influence had been baked into Jewish culture for over 1,600 years. History was repeating itself. Jesus is making an observation relative to history. A point was being made to the local body at Pergamum.

God’s attitude toward this behavior has not changed…and the LORD was angry against Israel.

Leave a comment »

Revelation: Pergamum, Satan’s Throne

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags Altar of Zeus, Antipas, Bergama, church, Final Solution, Hitler, Holocaust, Jesus Christ, Nuremburg, Revelation 2, satan, Turkey on January 29, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:13 “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

I know where you dwell…where Satan dwells.

The church at Pergamum and Satan have one thing in common, their home town. They κατοικεο/katoikeo or live or dwell in Pergamum. The verb tense in the Greek is present which indicates continuous action. Translation, Satan dwells in Pergamum and continues to dwell in this location moving forward. A permanent residence is the idea.

…where Satan’s throne is…

Pergamum was the home of the Altar of Zeus. It was built from 197-156 BC. And that is where the altar remained until the Germans came. A German engineer discovered the ruins in 1864. His name was Carl Humann. The Germans moved the Altar of Zeus piece by piece to Germany. The Pergamon Museum was opened in 1930. To this day, the altar is housed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

The altar was used as a pattern by Hitler’s architect Albert Speer. This was used as a backdrop for one of Hitler’s speeches to the Nazi’s in Nuremburg. It was known as the Zeppelintribüne.

Curiously, many have made the following observation. In 2008, Barack Obama was nominated by the Democratic Party as their nominee for president. The setting was Denver, Colorado. Critics of the former president think the stage was a dead ringer for the Altar of Zeus. I will leave that to the individual to make their own assessment.

Pergamum is Satan’s capital. The grammar of the verse suggests this is still Satan’s capital. This is not to say the people of Pergamum or modern day Bergama are Satanic. Jesus’ church was located in the same city and those people were not Satanic.

…and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you…

Living in Satan’s backyard should not keep one from believing and worshiping Jesus Christ. The church in Pergamum “held fast” and “did not deny” belief of the Head. The church came under intense pressure during those days. The example given by Jesus Himself was Antipas.

The term Holocaust was Hitler’s “Final Solution”. In the Greek Holocaust means: a wholly burnt animal sacrifice.

Tradition has Antipas as the Bishop of Pergamum. In 92 AD, Antipas was martyred “a wholly burnt” sacrifice on the Altar of Zeus. From this same altar in Nuremberg, Hitler produced his “Final Solution”. The result was six million sacrificed Jews.

http://www.joelstrumpet.com/?p=6429

http://www1.cbn.com/700club/seat-satan-nazi-germany

1 Comment »

Revelation: Smyrna on Trial

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags fear, Revelation 2, satan, Smyrna on January 1, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days…

Fear not! That is what the text says. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Jesus tells the church at Smyrna not to be afraid. The Greek word is πηοβεο/phobeo. This is where we get the English word “phobia”. In the Greek it is defined as: fear, to be afraid, to be seized with alarm. –Strong’s Concordance

The idea is the church cannot live in a state of continual fear as a lifestyle. Avoid being gripped with fear. Keep your wits and be sensible, difficult times are coming.

Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested…

Bad news. It is Satan and he is holding a trial. The language of this part of the verse is legal in nature.

Satan is going to “test” and it is the Greek word πειραζο/peirazo. It is defined as: to test one maliciously, craftily to put to the proof his feelings or judgments; to try or test one’s faith, virtue, character, by enticement to sin, tempt.

This is hardly a fair trial. We know Satan is a prosecuting attorney from multiple sources in the Bible in both the Old and New Testament. Granted we are guilty. But he is a tattletale all the time.

Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

Zechariah 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

Some would ask the question. Who is in charge Satan or God? God will allow Satan to test people with limits. God grants that authority to Satan with Job. Satan knows who is in charge. When God calls, Satan comes. See Job 2 for a detailed account of a conversation with Satan and God. Specifically, look at Job 2:6 So the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”

In this case, Jesus is allowing Satan to test the church.

…and you will have tribulation for ten days. Here is the word for “tribulation” in the Greek is τηλιπσισ/thlipsis. The church will have pressure for ten days. There is much speculation around these “ten days”. What is meant by “ten days”? There are no definitive answers.

However, there is a parallel in the book of Daniel. Daniel and his three friends had been taken captive to Babylon. A diet was being imposed on the young Jewish boys. Daniel had a request of the warden.

Daniel 1:12 “Please test your servants for ten days by providing us with some vegetables to eat and water to drink.”

Daniel 1:14-15 So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food.

The result of “ten days” of testing was improved health and appearance in comparison to their peers. But that wasn’t all. Daniel 1:20 As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.

Observation regarding Daniel and ten days was provided by The Revelation Record, Henry M. Morris, p. 56.

Short term suffering and pressure in this life on Earth cannot compare to an eternal life of blessing with God the Father, Son, and Spirit. Keep your eye on the prize.