Faithful until Death

(The audio recording of this message is not available due to technical difficulties.)

Rev. 2:10 “… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Introduction:

We are continuing our series of messages based Revelation 2 – 3 that contains the messages from Jesus Christ unto the seven churches in Asia (modern-day Turkey).

Last Sunday we spoke about the message sent to the church at Ephesus regarding their glaring fault of forsaking their original love for Christ. At one time they demonstrated a fervent love for the Lord, but by the time John was writing this book, they had left (walked away) from the kinds of attitudes and behaviors that would have nurtured their love and kept it fresh and vibrant.

Now, we are giving attention to the second message that was directed to the church in Smyrna.

Let me just briefly review a couple of introductory points that I shared last time.

The word “angel” should probably be understood as a word that describes the person who would be delivering the message to the believers, such as a pastor or church leader. We also spoke about the possibility that even though these seven churches did actually exist in the first century, there is a likelihood that the number seven is meant to emphasize the Christian church in its entirety or as a complete group.

We mentioned that these messages had specific meaning to the original audiences to whom they were written, but they also apply to all Christians in all generations. This means that the descriptions of these seven churches, would also accurately describe individual believers and churches in every historical period of the church at large.

(Descriptions of Smyrna from Wm Barclay & F.G. Smith) The city of Smyrna, just like the other churches mentioned, was located in Asia Minor about 45 miles north of Ephesus.

Smyrna was considered the loveliest city of Asia and was called by some, the ornament, the crown and the flower of Asia. The long, narrow, land-locked harbor off the Aegean Sea ended in the heart of the city and was one of the safest harbors most easily defended in the time of war. The city of Smyrna was a free city and its loyalty to Rome dated well before the period of Rome’s ascendance to status of empire. It was a city of great trade as well as religious, and cultural eminence. It laid claim to being the birthplace of Homer. Its magnificent architecture was displayed in the many temples to pagan deities.

(Matthew Henry) Smyrna is perhaps the only city out of the seven that is still known by the same name.

As we mentioned last week, we have noticed that the messages to these seven churches all follow a similar pattern in each one. That pattern includes a word of revelation; a word of commendation; a word of accusation; and a word of exhortation.

There are a couple of deviations from that pattern and one of the deviations is the fact that two of the churches did not receive any accusation from the Lord. One of those was the church we are reading about today, Smyrna, and Philadelphia was the other one. Neither one of these received a word of accusation or condemnation, but only praise and support.

Let us take a look now at the “words” the Lord offers to the believers in the town of Smyrna.

I. A Word of Revelation (v. 8)

Revelation 2:8 (NKJV) "…These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life…”

As we pointed out last week, the message to each church begins with a statement that reveals an important quality about Christ that reveals His divine attributes or qualities. There are two aspects of self-revelation that the Lord gives here in verse 8.

A. First and Last

This is a title that the believers (and the Jews) would have recognized as a title for God.

Isaiah 44:6 "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.

They were to understand that Jesus Christ was there in the very beginning and would always continue to be; just like the God of Abraham in the O.T. This would be a very relevant point to the Jews in this city who opposed the Christians.

This truth would undoubtedly be a comfort to these believers during times of opposition and persecution. They would not face anything in their present or future, but what the Lord would be right there accompanying them through every event.

B. Was dead, but is alive.

(Barclay) The structure of this sentence in the original Greek gives the idea of one who has “passed through the experience of death” and “came to life again” by experiencing the resurrection from the dead.

How comforting these words must be to the people who were facing severe persecution and death as predicted just a couple of verses later. Jesus Christ had already experienced death and had risen again in victory over death and the grave, so He could provide the grace for these followers in their time of great need.

Certainly we can receive hope and inspiration from these words as well. The same Christ that provided such bold assurance to these first century Christians, is still available for you and me today!

“Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Heb. 13:8)

 II. A Word of Commendation (v. 9)

Revelation 2:9 (NKJV) I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

A. He knows their works

“I know your works” – this is a statement that the Lord gives to every one of the churches.

The Lord reminds the saints at Smyrna that He knows all about them and the efforts they have put forth to serve Him and obey Him even in the midst of stiff opposition.

We must realize dear friends that our “works” are wide open to the eyes of the Lord, whether good or bad. He intimately knows all that we do whether it is for His glory or not; whether it is promoting righteousness or not; and whether it is from a pure motive or not.

B. He knows their tribulation.

(Barclay) The Greek word used for “tribulation” literally means “crushed beneath a weight.” (Thayer) The word is defined by the terms, pressing and pressure.

The kind of persecution and opposition they were facing on a regular basis undoubtedly felt like being pressured or pressed by a heavy weight until the point of being crushed. I can’t really imagine what they must have been going through. I read stories of Christians even today who are persecuted for their faith and it is hard to grasp or mentally comprehend. These people were serving the Lord in spite of these fierce tribulations.

C. He knows their poverty.

(Wm. Barclay) There are two Greek words for “poverty.” One describes the state of a man who has nothing superfluous. The other one describes the one who has nothing at all. It is this second term that is used here.

This is probably a literal reference to their economic situation. Various writers describe this kind of situation to stem from two possible causes (or more likely from both causes):

ð     The Gospel of Jesus Christ has always appealed more to the people of lower economic status because of the hope it offered for a better life after this earthly life has ended. The adverse living conditions of those in poverty made the heavenly world seem all the more attractive.

ð     They were also in poverty due to the fact that they were the objects of attack and confiscation of their earthly goods by those who despised their faith and their loyalty to Christ.

In spite of their poverty by the standards of the world and society around them, the Lord says they were rich! How satisfying it is to know that even though the children of God may be poor by the world’s standards, they can be wealthy by God’s standards because of their spiritual faith and their relationship with Jesus Christ.

What a stark contrast there is between this church and the one we will be studying in a few weeks: Laodicea. It was a congregation that said they were rich, but God says they were poor.

I don’t know about you, dear friends, but I’d much rather have God say I am rich, than to have influential people of the world honor me for my wealth. I’d rather be spiritually wealthy and physically poor than to have all the riches of this world and be bankrupt in my soul. “I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.”

D. He knows their enemies.

“…those who say they are Jews and are not.”

(Barclay) If you recall in the book of Acts, it was the Jews in several different towns that caused the mobs and rulers of the cities to rise up against the Christian missionaries. There are at least 4 cities where this is described. (See Acts 13:50; 14:2, 5, 19; 17:5)

(Albert Barnes) …they indulged in a bitterness of reproach, and a severity of language, which showed that they had not the spirit of the Jewish religion; they had nothing which became those who were under the guidance of the spirit of their own Scriptures. … and the meaning here is, that although they were of Jewish origin, they were not worthy of the name.

Some have suggested that the name “synagogue of Satan” was an accusation that some Jews levied against the Christians, so here the term is returned against them. (Bible Background Commentary)

III. A Word of Exhortation (v.10)

Revelation 2:10 (NKJV) Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

A. Do not fear.

Has anyone ever told you, “Cheer up, things could be a lot worse!”

My Dad used to say, “They told me, ‘Cheer up, things could be worse.’ So I cheered up, and sure enough, they did get worse!”

It seems to me that the words of Christ to the saints in Smyrna could be paraphrased in the same way – “You’ve been suffering already for your loyalty to Me, but you’re going to suffer more than you already have.” “So, do not be afraid.”

In the Gospels, Jesus is quoted as saying, “Do not fear him who can kill the body, but fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body.” Now He is providing encouragement to the believers that they need not be afraid what man can do to them. There is imprisonment awaiting them, and more tribulation and finally death for some.

“ten days” – Some say it is figurative language denoting a short period of time (Barclay) and some believe it was symbolic language probably meaning ten years (FG Smith). In any case death was included as the possible end of it all.

One of the pastors of this church, Polycarp, was a disciple of John. Polycarp was martyred for his faith about mid-way through the second century.

B. Be faithful.

The key for them was to remain faithful in their loyalty to Christ and the truth of the Gospel.

Several sources I used referred to the martyrdom of Polycarp. He was given many opportunities to save His own life if he would only declare “Caesar is Lord,” and deny Christ.

Rather than forsake His Lord, Polycarp willingly went to be burned at the stake as many of the local citizens carried the wood to be laid around his body for fuel. His dying testimony included these words, “Eighty and six years have I served Him and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”

If they stayed true to God, then He would grant them life that was eternal – life that would far outweigh the physical death they might have to experience for their undying allegiance to their King Jesus.

Conclusion:

As we close this morning, I want to encourage each one of us to take heart and look up to the Lord in faith and confidence. The Lord knows you works, your suffering and tribulation, your poverty and need. He knows all about those who are His enemies and would do their best to turn you away from obedience and faith.

 He knows all about these things in our lives that try our faith and our endurance. He also knows every detail of the future. He knows what every one of us will go through before we leave this world. But, He is the First and the Last! He has always been and always will be!

He was put to death, but He rose again and conquered the enemy. His victory is available for every one of us because He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Praise God!