You know that warning about not adding words to the Bible? I think of it whenever I read passages like this:
You have kept my command to endure patiently… (Revelation 3:10a)
That’s from the NIV translation and it conveys the idea that you have been commanded to endure life’s struggles with fortitute and long-suffering. That is NOT what Jesus is saying here.
Read that passage in a literal translation or a word-for-word translation such as the NASB and it says this:
Because you have kept the word of my perseverance… (Revelation 3:10a)
See the difference? Jesus is not talking about your patience but his perseverance. The Passion translation is hardly a word-for-word translation, but it does an excellent job here:
Because you have passionately kept my message of perseverance… (Rervelation 3:10a)
What is the word or message of his perseverance and how do we keep it?
What is the word of his perseverance?
The word of his perseverance is the…
