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The "Ten-days" ordeal of the Church in Smyrna (Rev.2,8-11). Warning and support to the Church in Croatia.
Stipe Jurič
Abstract
This paper concerns itself largely with church's difficulties at Smyrna which lives in humility and suffers persecution. The hostility arises from Jews and the pagan state. The conflict is not an accident. The powers of evil always rise up against Cristians, because they are evil, and Cristians live united to Christ ina state of victory, which has yet to be completed. The woes and sufferings of the Church are to continue until Christ comes again. But no matter what happens, the Risen Christ, the Lord of this world's history is with them. The Christians in Smyrna needed encouragement. The Seer exhorts them to exercise a stronger faith and hope in the sovereign Lord of history.
As Christ has gone through suffering to victory over the powers of evil, so must the Christians. The Church at Smyrna represents the Church at any time in history conforted with ungodliness. In the second part of the article the author tries to place the difficulties of the church in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the context of the church at Smyrna. The Serbian ortodox church sacrificed christian values for benefit of the narrow interests of conquering national policy.
So the conflict is not accldental. The Catholic are undergoing tributation from the orthodox Serbs and the Serbian secular state and are in great need. The poverty increased their helplessness. The author's intention is to call them to courage and faith, to teli the faithful ones not to fear: nothing unbearable can happen to them, if they are never separated from Christ, knowing that faithfulness is reworded with eternal life.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
52786
URI
Publication date:
21.9.1993.
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