(Rev 2:10) “…and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
The believers at the Church of Smyrna were already being persecuted. Then God tells them they will face ten days of tribulation. What if God sent you word that you were about to face ten days of intense persecution and tribulation? That wouldn’t be very encouraging would it?
Actually there are two very encouraging things to learn from this:
1.) OUR TRIALS HAVE AN END.
That trial you are facing, though it is difficult and painful to experience, will not last forever! It will eventually end. Jesus said theirs would last ten days. Your trial may last longer than ten days but the point is it will not last forever.
2.) OUR TRIALS ARE A PART OF GOD’S PLAN.
God didn’t say their tribulation would last 9 days or 11 days, He specifically said “ye shall have tribulation TEN days.” Why? Because it was subject to God’s schedule. That reminds us that our trials are a part of God’s greater plan. He knows how long they will last and when the appointed times comes He will deliver us from them.
So what are we to do during those TEN DAYS OF TRIBULATION? He says in the next part, “be thou faithful…”
That trial may be painful; it may be difficult to bear BUT there will come an end to it. It will not last forever so just stay faithful. Don’t let it get you out of church and away from God. It is all a part of God’s plan, so keep holding on. Victory is just around the corner!