Am I a Soldier of the Cross? - King’s Heralds Ivory Palaces - Del Delker, Bob Edwards, and Bob Seamount Beneath the Cross of Jesus - King’s Heralds As a Volunteer - King’s Heralds

Am I a Soldier of the Cross? - King’s Heralds Ivory Palaces - Del Delker, Bob Edwards, and Bob Seamount Beneath the Cross of Jesus - King’s Heralds As a Volunteer - King’s Heralds

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Voice Of Prophecy

H.M.S. Richards

The Persecuted Angel

Lift up the trumpet and lovely ring. Jesus is calming again. Cheer Pils be joyful. Jesus is calming. Again, This is the voice of prophecy, a voice crying in the wilderness of these modern days. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Call again, again, again. From our voice of Prophecy studios in Los Angeles, California, we welcome you to this half hour of inspiration at Music with the King's Heralds del Delker, Brad Braley and the Voice of prophecy Speaker hm s Richards, A seventh day Adventist minister. The first music we hear is a new arrangement of a stirring and challenging hymn. Am I a soldier of the cross? Am I a soul of the shall feel his cause for blush to speak His name? Me to is this friend to grace to help me on God since I must find I would rain increase my. Let us pray. Our heavenly Father, we thank the for the privilege of opening thy word. We thank the for life for all the blessings zest give. Remember everyone who hears this broadcast and bless us here in the studio when we produce it. Remember the sick and the troubled and bring peace to the hearts of man. In Jesus name Is a place of rest. Near to the heart, to the Oh Jesus. Blessed redeemer sent from the heart of God hold us. Who before the to the heart of God, Lord ands it's all of the Savior. Glory. Glory he come to and shall enter. Oh Jesus rock upon from the and the the sunshine than the sunshine of his self. My glory Here now is hm s Richards. The voice of prophecy speaker is subject, the persecuted angel. This is our second radio talk and series entitled Letters to Angels Studying the first great prophecy in the book of Revelation. In the first letter, we found a message to the first period of the Christian Church. Even in that first church of the apostles, Christian Love was growing cold, a lifeless orthodoxy taking its place. Missionary activities seem to be displacing Christ programs and ceremonies endangering spiritual experience the church was busy doing for Christ rather than knowing him as the church grows in the world, its tasks, its work, its great organization, its machinery, its group of workers, its vast crowds of worshipers may divert attention from the great reality, the love of Christ. And now we have the message to the persecuted angel. The angel of Smyrna. Listen to the words of the Savior to this church and unto the angel of the church in Smyrna, right, these things set the first and the last, which was dead and is alive. I know thy works and tribulation and poverty, but thou heart rich and I know the blaspheme of them which say they're Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear. None of those things which thou shall suffer. Behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison that he may be tried and you shall have tribulation. 10 days be thou faithful to death and I will give the a crown of life. He that ha an ear. Let him hear what the spirit Seth under the churches, he that overcome us shall not be hurt of the second death. That's reading Revelation the second chapter verses eight to 11. Now the word smyrna means sweet smelling. It's synonymous with murr. And when Murr is Christed, it gives forth a lovely fragrance. So the message to the angel of the Church of Smyrna as a message to a church under bitter persecution. However, the suffering and the persecution were not to destroy the church, just to enrich the world with the perfume of heaven. Jesus, the head of the church was the prince of sufferers. The healing of the seamless dress is by our beds of pain. We touch him in life's throng and press and we are whole again. It is written in Isaiah 53, 5. With his stripes we are healed. The city of Smyrna was called the city of life, one of the oldest cities in the world, the only one of the seven churches of Revelation which still exists as a strong city today. Notice Jesus in addressing this letter, identifies himself as the first and the last, which was dead and is alive. What a wonderful savior Jesus is to those who must suffer persecution an even death for him. He suffered. He died, but he lives again. He said, I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me. Though he were dead yet shall he live. John 1125 The Church of Smyrna would be crushed with persecution but it would rise again. And so we all have this wonderful promise of the Lord Jesus Christ of life after death. We're not going to the historical background of the city of Smyrna in the church which was there, but just remind you of these words we've already read. Be thou faithful unto death and I will give the the crown of life. Time after time the city was destroyed but rose again. It was captured many times and destroyed by various armies, but always came up again. A great earthquake destroyed it. In 1688 the earth opened up and swallowed over 5,000 people. Smyrna is still alive today as a city with a population of more than 150,000 Polycarp. The Christian martyr was burned at the stake on the side of Mount Paus right there at Smyrna. In 1 68 AD over 1,500 Christians were put to death there at one time, 800 at another. When the judge asked Paul Carp to announce Christ, he said 80 and six years have I served him and he never did me wrong. How then could I blaspheme? My king has saved me In 1,402 Tamar Lane in the invader from Asia massacre, the people, especially the Christians, made a pyramid of their skulls. The Smyrna period of the church covers a little over 200 years from about 100 to the days of Constantine when the Roman empire declared itself Christian and the pagan persecution ceased. It was a time of persecution. The Smyrna period. The church before had been growing cold, but the persecutions brought new spirituality to it. It proved who were the true children of God, the true children of Israel spiritually. The apostle Paul and Romans nine says, they're not all Israel, which are of Israel. He says that if you be Christ then or Abraham seed, Galatians 3 29, the real children of God are those who are born again, born of a spirit. John the third chapter, there was poverty in this church, but there were also great riches. Its members were rich in faith and love and service. They were rich, poor men, not poor rich men. The devil was to cast some of them into prison and they were to have tribulation 10 years. And we know that this actually happened to those people. The greater apostacy had begun through the loss of the first love. The ephesian or first period of the church now continues to develop with false apostles disciples multiplying right in the church itself. This is what the apostle Paul called a mystery of iniquity already working in his day. Second Theon of two seven, the silently growing among Christians. Notice now the persecutions which were to come to this church. Ye shall have tribulation 10 days. That's the 10th first. Practically all the Roman emperors during the first two periods of church history did persecute the Christians, but 10 of them were more pronounced in their enmity than others. These were Niro, Dian, Trajan, Hadrianus, Maximus, Desus, valerian, AIAN, Nian. The Roman emperors were called Ponte effects. Maximus or high priest of the state religion. And so of course protector of the Roman gods, they often felt at their duty to protect a pagan worship from the growing power of Christianity. For 10 prophetic days each day standing for a year persecution was to continue the last and most bloody of all. The 10 persecutions took place under dire. It lasted for 10 years from 83 0 2 to three 12 have not been tested and tried like this. But many Christians and other lands have been even into modern times. Some are being now we know not what the future holds, but as someone as well said, we do not know what is in the future, but we certainly know who is in the future. Christ is there and with him we need fear. Nothing. At times God inter poses through his providence and even changes the rulers of nations in order to bring deliverance to his people. And so it was in this case when the last pagan emper died, Constantine came to the throne and declared freedom for the Christian faith be thou faithful. Unto death was the council of Christ. And I will give the a crown of life how much these words have meant to God's children. Yes, to millions of them through all ages, all the martyrs of Jesus have put their trust in this promise. The death of Christ was a triumph, though it looked like a defeat. So also is the death of every true Christian of victory of his own approaching death. The apostle Paul said, I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith, hence forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day. And not to me only, but unto all them. Also that love is appearing. Second Timothy four, seven. He might die at the hands of persecutors, but he knew that at the second coming of Christ he would receive the crown of glory. That fate is not away. It was laid up for him. It was in keeping for him. He said, for the Lord himself shall dis descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the arch angel with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words and they certainly are words of comfort that we've just read. In First Thessalonians four 16 and onward, they must have been words of comfort to this. The angel of the church at Smyrna, faithfulness, what a word it is and how much we owe to the faithfulness of the believers. In past times, Jane Welch wife of John Welch and daughter of John Knox was told by some officers in authority that if she used her influence to induce her husband and imprison for the faith to disown his religion, his life might be saved, gathering up her apron at the corners. She held it out as a receptacle and said, no, your Lord ships, I would rather catch his head in this apron than he or I should renounce my savior. But there's something more to Christ promise right here in this passage. His promise to the angel or ministry of the church at Smyrna, he mentions the overcomers reward. Listen, he that overcome us shall not be hurt of the second death. Isn't this a good comment on the words of Christ here in Matthew 10 28 and fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him, which is able to destroy both soul and body and hell, God's children might be put to death here, but no man could take away the future life which was to be given them and God would not take it away. Therefore, they were to fear none of those things which they should suffer for. Their eternal existence was sure they were to fear only God. Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only ones of the seven churches of the revelation prophecy, which receive no rep proof, no condemnation, and they're the only ones that have any actual existence of cities Today, no doubt, the Christians of the Smyrna period needed encouragement more than a needed correction. Without doubt, there are things that need to be corrected, but they had all the suffering and trial naked bear and the Lord knew it. Moreover, the fires of persecution purify the church. As we read in Revelation seven 14. These are they which came out of gray tribulation and have voiced their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. In closing our broadcast, let us think for just a moment of the vast efforts and the millions of money gladly given to save people from this first death. It's well that such efforts are made to ease the sufferings of humanity, to make life more enjoyable, to make it last longer. But on the other hand, how little comparatively is spent to prevent the second death and to save man from its final consequences. This letter to the persecuted angel of Smyrna, the true ministry of Christ which suffered Satanic persecution should be a comfort and should be a warning to believers in all ages in our age, especially when opposition to the holy faith of Christ is rising again in bitter forms throughout the world. What will we do for Christ? What will we suffer for him? Where will we go for him? One unforgettable night in Ottawa, Canada, I heard Lord Shackleton the great Antarctic explorer speak. He was just about to set out on what was to be his last great expedition. Sometime before this he had been seated in an office in London talking to a friend about his forthcoming expedition. The friend said, I'm surprised at the publicity you're giving. This is not like you. Shackleton replied, I have a purpose in it. I want my colleague, Mr. Wilde to hear about my plans. He has gone to Africa and buried himself in the heart of that great continent. He left no address and nobody knows exactly where he is. But if wild knows that I'm going, he'll come. I thought that if I should broadcast the news, it might seep through to him for if he hears about my plans, he'll certainly come and go with me. Just at that moment, they both turned at a slight noise and there stood wild in the doorway. It was a dramatic moment when shackle and wild shook hands a handshake of loyalty and love. I heard you were going said wild. The news trickled down to me in the very heart of Africa and when I knew I dropped everything, I dropped my gun in all my plans and made straight for home. Here I am. What are your orders? Would we do that for Jesus Christ? Are we waiting for his orders? Soon as the word comes to us, may true faithfulness be ours that we like Polycarp of old and his companions may receive a crown of life. A call for loyal soldiers comes to one soldiers for the conflict. Will you hear the call? Will you answer quickly with the ready chief? Will you be enlisted as a volunteer? A volunteer for Jesus, a soldier, true others have enlisted. Jesus is the captain we will never feel. Will you be enlisted as a volunteer and when the world is over and the victory one. When the true and faithful gather one by one, he will crown with glory over there. You be enlisted as a volunteer, a volunteer for Jesus, a soldier, true others have enlisted. Why you Jesus is the captain we will never feel. Will you be enlisted as a Until next week? This is our irus, nudging you to let the love of Christ guide you and help you to keep looking up ever going forward in faith. Have faith in God, though persecutions try, have faith in God, his witness, nare and deny, have faith in God the crown of life. Ry have faith, dear friend in God. And now voice of prophecy listeners, just a personal word, a heart to heart message to you from your speaker. We do very much desire to get in touch with every one of our listeners, and the only way we can do it is for you friends to write to us. So write us a letter this month, drop a line to the voice of prophecy Box 55 Los Angeles, California and let us know how you enjoy the broadcasts. We hope this program has served to give you spiritual strength for the coming week, and we invite you to join us again next week. Same time for another broadcast brought to you by the voice of prophecy. The Lord bless the and keep the the Lord make his face shine up upon the and be gracious unto the the Lord. Lift up his continents upon the, and give the peace.

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The Persecuted Angel

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