“Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.” [1]
Believers and unbelievers alike experience physical death. The first death for those in Smyrna might well be martyrdom. But even then, they would be victorious because they would not face the second death. All people will be resurrected, but believers will be resurrected to eternal life with God, while unbelievers will be resurrected to be punished with a second death—eternal separation from God.
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4. The Counsel (v.10).
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C. The Message to Smyrna: The Church That Is Persecuted, 2:8–11 |
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1. The recipients’
a. The messenger of
the church b. The Smyrna
churchDS1 2. The
speaker: Jesus |
8 And
unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first
and the last, which was dead, and is alive; |
|
3. The
commendation a. For afflictions b. For bearing
poverty c. For spiritual
wealth d. For bearing
slander |
9 I
know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich), and I know the blasphemy of them which say
they are Jews, and are not, but are
the synagogue of Satan. |
|
4. The
counsel a. The devil will persecute b. The persecution will be limited c. The charge: Do not fear, but be faithful,
even to death 5. The
promise: To the overcomers a. The crown of life |
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the
devil shall cast some of you into
prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou
faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. |
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b. Deliverance from the second death |
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.[3] |
4. The Comforting (Revelation 2:10)
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer” (Revelation 2:10). This statement about comforting
is twofold.
• The need of comforting. “Thou shalt
suffer,” Christ predicted the believers would suffer persecution.
This is an upsetting prediction for believers, but believers who live in this
world must realize that this world is no friend of the Gospel. “Yea and all that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
• The nature of comforting. “Fear none of
those things.” In spite of the prediction of suffering in the
persecution, the believers are not to have the attitude of fear regarding their
persecution. This is not an easy order to obey, but it is a comforting order,
for when God says not to fear, we do not need to fear.
5. The Cruelty (Revelation 2:10)
“The devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may
be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days” (Revelation 2:10). Christ details some of the cruel
persecution that the believers in Smyrna will experience. Three things are said
here about the cruelty of Satan to the believers at Smyrna
• The prison in the cruelty. “The devil shall
cast some of you into prison.” Society will make Christianity
unacceptable, against the law, etc. Prison is for those who violate the laws of
man. Believers will find that taking a stand for Christ is unacceptable to
society. They make laws against Christianity.
• The purpose of the cruelty. “That ye may be
tried.” Persecution, whatever form it comes in, will test believers
as to the strength and priority of their faith in Jesus Christ.
• The period of the cruelty. “Ten days.”
This is obviously a symbolic figure. “Ten” speaks of testing. “Ten” here speaks of suffering.
Whatever the actual duration of persecution is, it will be painful for
believers. But “ten
days,” says it will not last.
6. The Crown (Revelation
2:10)
“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown
of life” (Revelation 2:10).
Faithfulness to the Lord has its rewards. God is a debtor to no man. Live for
God, and you will sooner or later reap wonderful dividends. The reward here for
conquering evil in the church is one of five crowns spoken of in the New
Testament. There is the incorruptible crown (1
Corinthians 9:25), the crown of rejoicing (1
Thessalonians 2:19), the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), the crown of glory (1
Peter 5:4), and the crown of life, which is in our text (also James 1:12). “These [crowns] are not to be worn on
our heads in Heaven, but rather to be presented to our blessed Lord [Revelation 4:10]” (Strauss).
7. The Charge (Revelation2:11)
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches” (Revelation
2:11). This charge, as we noted in the text on Ephesus, is an appeal or
charge made to all the churches. It is an appeal of stewardship that involves
three things.
The capacity to hear. “He that hath an
ear.” Use the ability, assets, and advantages given to you by God to
honor God.
The character of hearing. “Let him hear.”
Be attentive, interested, and respectful.
The communication for hearing. “What the Spirit
saith.” What the Spirit sayeth is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Too many believers use their ears
to hear much that is not honoring to the Lord.
8. The Compensation (Revelation 2:11)
“He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (Revelation 2:11). Overcoming here gives the
compensation of protection from eternal condemnation.
• The prerequisite for the compensation. “He that
overcometh.” Overcoming here is standing fast in persecution and overcoming
the attack of Satan upon your faith. Overcoming is not the prerequisite for
salvation but the proof of salvation. Faithfulness in persecution is not how
you escape hell, but shows that you will escape it. Persecution cannot take
away our eternal salvation-protection blessings.
• The promise in the compensation. “Shall not be hurt of the second death.” This is the promise for every believer and repeated for the persecuted. “The overcomer may die under tortures prolonged and gloated over by the almost fiendish malice of men who delight in blood, but he is assured that he shall not be hurt of the ‘second death’ ” (Scott).[4]
4 (2:10) Faithful—Church: There
Is the Counsel. Note: Christ tells the church that more persecution is
coming. The devil is going to arouse the unbelievers of the world to attack
them for ten days. The idea of ten is that of brevity for just a brief time. Note
a significant fact: God was allowing the persecution, and the reason is
given—that the believers might be tried. What does this mean? God was allowing
them to be tried …
• so that they would draw closer and
closer to Him and learn more from Him.
• so that their faith could be
strengthened increasingly, and by such, they could be stronger witnesses to the
world. When some unbelievers saw the believers suffer for the hope of
salvation, the Holy Spirit would be able to use their suffering to speak to
them.
The
counsel of Christ is a clear message to the church when it is being persecuted:
do not fear but be faithful. To not fear may seem difficult when one is in the
midst of being persecuted. But we must remember who Jesus Christ is:
⇒ The
first and last: He is in charge of all events, and our lives are in His hands.
He is with us from the first act of persecution to the last act of persecution.
⇒ The
One who was dead and is now alive: He is living and exalted as the Supreme Lord
of the universe. He is able to take care of us and make us dynamic witnesses
for Him even in the midst of terrible persecution. He will comfort and
strengthen us to be faithful. He will help us to stand fast against all the
trials and temptations of life.
“But the very hairs of your head are
all numbered. Fear ye not; therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows”
(Mt. 10:30–31).
“Therefore, seeing we have this
ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not” (2
Co. 4:1).
“And in nothing terrified by your
adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of
salvation, and that of God. For unto you, it is given on the behalf of Christ,
not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake” (Ph. 1:28–29).
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (De. 31:6).
5 (2:10–11) Promise—Overcomer: There Is the Promise to The Overcomers. The promise is twofold.
1. The
overcomer shall receive a crown of life. This simply means the reward of
eternal life; the life that goes on forever and ever. Persecutors may take our
life on earth, but quicker than the eye can blink, God transfers us to heaven.
Men can kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul. They cannot extinguish
our lives. If we are faithful to Christ, God takes us home to heaven to live
with Him eternally. He crowns us with eternal life.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so, must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:14–15).
“He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the
wrath of God abideth on him” (Jn. 3:36).
“Labour not for the meat which
perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the
Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed” (Jn. 6:27).
“And I give unto them eternal life, and
they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (Jn. 10:28).
“He that loveth his life shall lose it;
and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal” (Jn. 12:25).
“And this is life eternal, that they
might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (Jn. 17:3).
“And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life” (1 Jn. 2:25).
2. The
overcomer shall be delivered from the second death. What is the second death?
Scripture clearly tells us.
“And death and hell were cast into the
lake of fire. This is the second death” (Re. 20:14).
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and
the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death” (Re. 21:8).
The
second death is the lake of fire, the judgment of eternal hell and torment from
the presence of God forever and ever. The believer who overcomes persecution
shall escape the second death, the lake of fire and torment. The believer may
have to pass through physical death, but he will never go through the second
death. He shall be transported immediately into the presence of God to live
forever and ever.
Note
the exhortation: “He who has an ear, let him
hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches.” It is the duty of
every believer and every church to hear this message. We must all stand fast
against the persecution of the world: ridicule, mockery, abuse, being bypassed
and overlooked, neglected and ignored, being imprisoned and killed. We must be
faithful. The promises are too great to lose: we shall receive the crown of
life and never suffer the second death.
Thought 1. Note
the certainty of this point: there is to be a second death. There is no
question, no equivocation about the matter. It is stated simply and in a
straightforward manner. There is to be a second death, a death from which all
men should escape. How? By being faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ through all
the trials and temptations of this life. We must be faithful to God’s Son, even
if it means standing firm in the midst of persecution.
“And they departed from the presence of
the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his
name” (Ac. 5:41).
“And when they had laid many stripes
upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison and made
their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang
praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” (Ac.
16:23–25).
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with
our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs
of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we
may be also glorified together” (Ro. 8:16–17).
“For our light affliction, which is but
for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”
(2 Co. 4:17).
“Therefore, I endure all things for the
elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus
with eternal glory” (2 Tim. 2:10).
“For ye had compassion of me in my
bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that
ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance” (He.
10:34).
“Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward” (He. 11:26).[5]
“Don’t
be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The
Devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test. You will be persecuted for ‘ten days.’” Remain
faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life.” 2:10 NLT
Christ
told the believers in Smyrna, who had already been facing persecution and
suffering, that they ought not to be afraid of what they were about to suffer. More was coming, yet
they should remember that although the Jews and Roman authorities were carrying
out the persecution, behind any actions against them was the Devil himself. Satan would cause some of the believers to be
thrown into prison and even killed.
He would put the believers to the test—that
is, he would test their faith. Jesus had told his disciples, “Don’t be afraid
of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch
your soul” (Matthew 10:28 nlt). The persecution would continue for “ten days”—probably symbolizing that
although persecution would be intense, it would be relatively short and have a
definite beginning and end. God was in complete control. The church was
challenged to remain faithful to
Christ even when facing death.
Believers need not fear death
because it will only result in their receiving the crown of life. Smyrna was famous for its athletic games. Each
champion would receive a crown and victory wreath. In ancient Rome, this was
the most sought-after prize. To have gained this wreath meant that one had done
special acts for Rome and would be considered a patron of the Empire. This can
be compared to being knighted in England. In contrast, those who have suffered
for their faith will receive “the crown of life” in God’s kingdom.
The message to the Smyrna church was to remain faithful during their suffering because God is in control and because his promises are reliable. Jesus never taught that by being faithful to him, believers would avoid troubles, suffering, and persecution. Instead, believers must be faithful to Christ even when suffering. Only then will their faith prove genuine. Believers remain faithful by keeping their eyes on Christ and on what he promises for now and for the future (see Philippians 3:13–14; 2 Timothy 4:8).
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OUT OF SUFFERING |
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John
predicted that the church in Smyrna would be persecuted (2:10). Pain is part of life, but it is never
easy to suffer, regardless of the reason. Jesus commended the church at
Smyrna for its faith in suffering. He then encouraged the believers that they
did not need to fear the future—if they remained faithful. Don’t let
difficult times turn you away from God. Remember that when you suffer, Christ
suffers with you because you belong to him (Philippians
3:10). Allow your suffering to draw you toward greater faithfulness.
Trust God, and remember your heavenly reward (see also 22:12–14). Out of suffering will come the crown
of life. |
The call for anyone who is willing to hear to listen to the Spirit is repeated at the end of each letter. Whoever is victorious—that is, whoever stands strong for the faith despite persecution and suffering—will not be hurt by the second death. The Greek negative is emphatic—they will not in any way be hurt. Believers and unbelievers alike experience physical death. The first death for those in Smyrna might well be martyrdom. But even then, they would be victorious because they would not face the second death. All people will be resurrected, but believers will be resurrected to eternal life with God, while unbelievers will be resurrected to be punished with a second death—eternal separation from God (see also 20:14; 21:8, 27; 22:15).[6]
Smyrna: Words of Cheer from
A Reigning Saviour to A Suffering Church
In some respects, this letter
awakens more interest in the Church to which it was addressed than any other of
the seven. Out of the seven Churches, two only are unrebuked. Of these two,
Smyrna is one. It is a poor Church, but Jesus calls it rich. It is beset with
opposition, but it has the Lord for its Advocate and is addressed by him in
words of cheer and hope. Not only, however, is this Church interesting to us on
account of its high moral and spiritual standing, but also on account of the
historical details which are preserved to us concerning it.
The Book of Revelation was, in
all probability, written about the year a.d.
96. Under Marcus Aurelius, in the year 168, there was martyred that venerable
teacher of the gospel—Polycarp. When he was urged to deny Christ, he said,
“Eighty-six years have I served Jesus Christ; he has been a good master to me
all these years, and shall I forsake him now?” Deducting eighty-six years from
168, we go back to the year 82 as the time of Polycarp’s conversion. This being
so, Polycarp would have been a Christian for fourteen years at the time when
this letter was addressed to the Church at Smyrna. Ignatius tells us that in
the year 108, he found Polycarp, the overseer of the Church there, and
Tertullian says that he had been placed in that office by the Apostle John.
This being the case, there can be but little doubt that this letter was sent
when Polycarp was in office in the Church to which it was addressed, while
there can be no reasonable question that he was a prominent sharer in the
sufferings which afterward came upon the believers there.29
We leave to the student the task of showing the striking illustration this letter receives from the history referred to in the footnote, as all the space at our command is required for the strictly homiletic exposition of it. There are no fewer than seven lines of meditation here suggested. We have—
I. A living Saviour over all. (Ver. 8.) To the members of this poor and struggling Church, the Lord Jesus presents the fact of his mediatorial dominion to them for their comfort and support. For a struggling Church to see enthroned on high the Son of God as Head and Lord is “better than life.” “The First.” Then he was before this changeful scene began. “The Last.” Then he will be after they shall have closed. “Who was dead.” Then he understands what it is “to resist unto blood.” “And lived.” Revived! Then he has conquered death. He reigns. And as a reigning Saviour, he addresses the suffering Church.
II. A living Saviour knowing all. Other epistles begin, “I know thy works.” This and the next begin, “I know thy tribulation.” It is possible for a Church so to be placed that activity is out of the question. Endurance may be the only possible form of service. It may be a duty to give up any attempt at sowing or reaping for a while in order to secure the field on which the harvest must be won. In the old times of persecution, with the Jews, religion was regulated by priestcraft, and among the pagans, by statecraft. Christians knew no priest but Jesus, and no law for the conscience but the law of the truth and the Spirit of God. If for a while, the storm would beat about this Church, it would be an unspeakable comfort to hear the voice of Jesus saying, “I know it all.” Note: There are some professors now who delight to make a show and never dream of pleading poverty except when they are asked to give to the cause of God! But here, the plea of poverty comes not from the Church; the recognition of that came from the Lord Jesus. This makes all the difference!
III. A living Saviour estimating all. “Thou art rich.” These words, as a testimony from the Lord Jesus, speak volumes for the genuineness of life and for the power of faith and love which were in the Church. “Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” It is all-important that we should learn to see light in God’s light—to reckon silver and gold as corruptible things and to regard faith, love, and good hope through grace as the only durable riches. Note: Christ values his Churches according to what they are, as well as according to what they do. If their trials are such that all they can do is to bear them, and to wait God’s own time—well. So, if in old age, Christians find their powers of active service fail them, though they may do less, they may be more. It is not only needful for us to quicken sluggish Christians to activity, it is also needful (and perhaps, in this age of feverish heat and restlessness, even more so) to show to believers that it is by being as well as by doing that they can please, serve, and glorify their Lord. There may be much activity with a very defective inner life. But if the “being” is right, the right “doing” is sure to follow.
IV. A living Saviour foreseeing all. “Ye shall have tribulation”—θλῖψις, tribulatio. In this, the devil would have a hand. The persecution of Christians is here regarded as the work of the evil one. Paul’s thorn in the flesh was a “messenger of Satan.” He wanted to do this or that, but Satan hindered him. Satan goes about as a roaring lion. The object was “that ye may be tried.” Satan tries for a bad purpose; God, for a good one. Satan, to destroy the faith; God, to prove and strengthen it. Satan, to put out the fire; God, to make it blaze the more! Note: All this is foreseen by Christ. Not one trial shall befall that is unforeseen and unprovided for by him. He is planning to outwit the evil one, by making his grace so conspicuous in the evil day, that men shall glorify God the more when they see what his grace enables believers to bear.
V. A living Saviour limiting all. “Ten
days.” We take the force of this expression to be equivalent to “A little
while, and it will be over!”
“Griefs of God’s sending all
have an ending;
Sunshine will come when the
tempest is past”
It is not always that the Churches of God shall be harassed by the enemy. Hostile power shall rage not a moment longer than our heavenly Father shall please.
VI. A living Saviour cheering them amid all.
“Fear not,” not “No Fear.” “In the world, ye shall have tribulation; but in me,
ye shall have peace.” “Fear not them which all the body, and after that have no
more that they can do.” “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the
age.” It is true that mere mortals fear, but the command of our Lord is “Fear
Not.” Not that mortals have “No Fear.” Fear in the face of danger is natural,
but the miracle of courage in the face of mortal danger is to stand erecting
one’s spine and obeying the command of the Lord and “Fearing Not.”
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” [7]
VII. A living saviour promising life at the end of all. “Be …, and I will give thee a crown of life … He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” There is underlying the word “hurt” the notion of injustice, and the phrase is equivalent to “The hand of injustice may strike once,” but that is all. It shall be powerless then. “Neither can they die anymore.” The promise is, however, not merely negative; it is positive. “Life.” And surely it must be, as Canon Tristram suggests, something more than an accidental circumstance that out of the seven cities whose Churches are addressed, only those two in which the Churches are unrebuked, viz. Smyrna and Philadelphia “have retained their importance, their population, and even their Churches in comparative freedom through the trials and vicissitudes of centuries, to the present day;” not, however, without much tribulation. And as it is in the sphere of discipline, so in that, of reward. Churches in this life; individuals also in the next; and those believers who have, like the Master, “endured the cross, despising the shame,” shall in another state realize the promise, “Where I am there shall also my servant be.” They shall have a crown—a crown of life, of glory, of righteousness. These shall be the crown, not merely its characteristics. Life, that lives on and is evermore to be. Glory, that shall be fadeless in its splendor. Righteousness, that shall be spotless in its perfection. The evolution of the spiritual man has infinite ages before it. This age cannot limit its being. This earth has no scope for its growth. As there is a life beyond the present life, there is a death beyond the present death. He who is born twice can die only once, but he who is born only once will die twice. But if the first death were extinction, a second would be impossible; and if the first death had no notion of extinction in it, so neither may the second. Better, far better, a life of suffering in, with, and for Christ than to have all possible luxury and no life in Christ! And, by the help of God, we may be “faithful,” and this is all that is required of us. We are but imperfect servants at the best, but we need not be unfaithful. Our position may not be one of ease, but we can be faithful. It is not said, “Well done, good and rich servant;” nor “Well done, good and successful servant;” but “Well done, good and faithful servant.” “Ah!” say some, “in such stirring times, methinks it was easy to be faithful. Give me a chance of immortalizing myself by martyrdom, and then—” Ah! how easy it is for distance to throw a romantic glamour over even the sufferings of the past. If they who speak like this had to lie upon a bed of spikes, it would be a more severer test than they now deem it. But this is not likely to be required of us. “He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much.” A daily fidelity in cross-bearing, in small vexations, in little trials, amid the glare and glitter of a deceptive world, and the incessant temptations to desert the standard—this is what the Master asks for from us. “Be faithful unto death.” [8]
Revelation 2:10-11 “Be Faithful unto Death.” The Counsel and the Promise to the Overcomers
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. 2015. Holy Bible: New
Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
DS
Deeper Study
[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership
Ministries Worldwide.
[4] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical Bible
Expositor: Revelation. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.
[5] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership
Ministries Worldwide.
NLT
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All
rights reserved.
nlt Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
NLT
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All
rights reserved.
[6] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation.
Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL:
Tyndale House Publishers.
29 See
Eusebius’s ‘Ecclesiastical History,’ bk. iv. ch. 14. and 15.
[7] Hebrews 12:1-3 The Holy Bible:
King James Version. 1995. Electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of
the 1611 Authorized Version. Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[8] Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. 1909. Revelation.
The Pulpit Commentary. London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.
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