D. Scott Meadows
2/7 prophetic messages to churches (Rev 2-3); what we need to hear. Thesis: Christ counsels suffering disciples about to die for Him.
Structure: 1) charge to writer, 2) Christ described, 3) commendation, 4) criticism [none for Smyrna], 5) counsel, 6) call to hear, 7) closing promise. No church is perfect, but some are better. Calls for varied counsel—some more encouragement, others more reproof (e.g., Laodicea).
CHARGE TO THE WRITER (v. 8a). Jesus commands John to write the following message for the “angel” to deliver to the church at Smyrna.
“Smyrna” (Gr. translated myrrh, precious resin used as incense [Matt 2.11] and burial prep [Jn 19.39]). Renamed “Izmer” (1930), Turkey. 40 miles N of Ephesus (Rev 2.1-7) on W coast of Asia Minor (Aegean Sea; E of Greece). Beautiful port, sheltered harbor. Sunsets over the water.
Inhabited from 3000 BC; 3500 years of recorded history. Known for loyalty to Rome (Temple to worship dea Roma, “the goddess Rome”) and the Caesar (first city to build a temple for emperor worship, for Augustus [d. 14 AD]). Wealthy by commerce; skyline with temples resembled a crown.
Roman trade guilds merged business and (pagan) religion. Religious groups: 1) mostly idolatrous Romans, 2) syncretistic Jews legally exempt from pagan sacrifices, and 3) by 100 AD, marginalized, poor Christians (conscientiously separate from lucrative businesses), considered “atheists” because they resisted idolatry, universally despised. At first considered a sect of Judaism but later Jews disowned them and joined the pagans in slandering, persecuting them. A very hard and dangerous place and time to be a real Christian, like many places around the world today (e.g., countries dominated by Islam and atheist dictators).
But no place and time is spiritually safe. Satan is a murderer, a liar (John 8.44), and a tempter (Gen 3.1; Matt 4.1)—a lion of might (intimidation; 1 Pet 5.8), an angel of light (deception; 2 Cor 11.14), and a woman of the night (seduction; Prov 5.3-5; Rev 17.4). All are effective tests of our faith; many professing Christians fall prey to the devil and perish.
Satan has captured most of the visible church in the West by deception and seduction; intimidation is next. Coming decades will probably bring us more overt and severe persecution (e.g., “gay ministers and marriages” now accepted by mainline denominations; growing intolerance of traditional-biblical-Christians). Social vilification (happening now) criminal prosecution (has begun) legal punishment economic oppression. Get ready! Pastors are often the first to go.
CHRIST DESCRIBED (v. 8b). He shows Himself to His beloved. First we must know Christ truly and recognize His voice (John 10.14, 16, 27).
1. The living Lord speaking now. “These things saith” (present tense, even when read later). OT prophetic formula, “Thus saith the LORD.”
As in all 7 messages, elements from the Rev 1 vision (v. 11, 17-18).
2. Eternal God. “The first (Gk. protos) and the last (Gk. eschatos).” OT title of Jehovah (Isa 41.4; 44.6); here a claim to full deity, coequality with the Father (Rev 1.8 equivalent). Christ is eternal; therefore he lives forever to reward the godly (adapted from Thomas Watson).
There is peace without trouble, ease without pain, glory without end, “ever with the Lord.” Let this comfort the saints in all their troubles; their sufferings are but short, but their reward is eternal. Eternity makes heaven to be heaven; it is the diamond in the ring (Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity, “The Eternity of God”).
3. Risen from the Dead. “Which was dead, and is alive.” Without question refers to Jesus’ historic resurrection: total conquest of death and entrance into an irrevocable state of eternal life (Rom 6.9).
A great comfort to Christians facing death, even martyrdom. Our Savior has passed through death—only a brief intermediate state—and now He is as alive as alive can be! Living soul and living body conjoined; one Person! Being in Christ, a Christian’s death/resurrection is not a catastrophe but a conquest (1 Cor 15.54-55).
COMMENDATION (v. 9). He praises their faithfulness during opposition.
His commendation arises from his knowledge (“I know”), not mere intellectual awareness, but recognition and approval. Gk. for “know” can mean “to have information about,” “to be intimately acquainted with,” and even “to recognize merit, to respect, to honor” (BDAG).
1. He Knows Their Faithfulness. All praise and no criticism for this church. They had true faith, true love, true loyalty to Jesus Christ, and it was seen in their steadfast attachment to Him in a wicked society.
A. “Thy (singular) works.” Jesus notices every individual church member’s works, tribulation, and poverty. “Works” (deeds, labors) have a positive connotation—“divinely-given tasks,” the tangible obedience of servants of God and Christ. An apt summary for the whole course of a believer’s righteous life.
B. “Thy tribulation.” The sense here is “an oppressive state of physical, mental, social, or economic adversity” (Logos Bible Sense Lexicon). Lit., “pressure;” met., “trouble that inflicts distress, oppression, affliction, tribulation” (BDAG). They faced pressure to conform and compromise their Christian beliefs and holy lifestyle; resisted only at great practical cost (literal, $$).
C. “Thy poverty.” Financial “the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions; often understood as the status of someone who must beg to survive” (LBSL). Poor in a wealthy city. Sometimes Christian integrity leads right into poverty; here, perhaps the general contempt of neighbors and exclusion from trade guilds. “But thou art rich” (spiritually, where it
matters most). “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Tim 6.10 ESV). Smyrna church a contrast to Laodicea (Rev 3.17).
2. He Knows of Their Opposition. “I know the blasphemy,” etc. Ungodly people who happened to be “Jews” in the OT sense (physical ancestors of Abraham, circumcised, Judaism without Jesus). “Say they are Jews, and are not,” exposes vain boast to be “God’s chosen people.” N.B. Jesus’ dialogue with Pharisees in John 8.39-44 and Paul’s teaching in Rom 2.28-29 and Phil 3.3. The so-called “Jews” of Rev 2.9 evidently opposed the Smyrna Christians, the “true Jews,” and so constitute a “synagogue of Satan.” Beale (in loc.) explains:
Perhaps Jews were motivated to inform on Christians because they were irritated that some of their Jewish brethren or Gentile “godfearers” were converting to Christianity. Jews would have viewed Christianity as a religion distorting the Jewish Law and offering a perversely easy way of salvation. They also considered the Christian worship of a crucified criminal as the divine Messiah a blasphemy. The mention of Roman persecution in v 10 directly following that of Jewish slander conforms to historical reports of Jews allying with and encouraging Romans and Gentiles to
oppress Christians. The specific accusations of Jews before government authorities were probably that Christians were upsetting the peace of the status quo, were not a Jewish sect, and refused to pay homage to Caesar as Lord.
Ironically, Jesus condemns the “Jews” for “blasphemy” (i.e., slander), which word had connotations with them of a capital offense (Lev 24.16).
The Lord counts godly living more precious when it costs us dearly. Those who persist despite hostile spiritual enemies show the greatest faith, love, and loyalty to the Lord, and manifest the highest virtue, the most sublime likeness to Christ who suffered crucifixion for God’s glory.
COUNSEL (v. 10). The Lord prepares them to face martyrdom.
1. Encouragement. “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer.” Suffering there will be, but fear is wrong and unnecessary for you. May seem incredible to us but church history has countless examples of fearless martyrs, even joyful as they went to the stake for Christ.
2. Explanation. “Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days.” The Lord exposes the foul spirit behind injustices of sinful people. “Prison” was short-term detention, usually leading to banishment or execution. “Tried” spiritually—the Lord’s purpose, not that of the wicked. “Tribulation ten days” is likely figurative for a short and definite time. Jesus foretells a time of increased persecution, violent and intense. It comes in waves.
3. Exhortation. “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The city of Smyrna was faithful to Rome; the church of Smyrna is called to be faithful to Christ, even in martyrdom. “The crown [which is] life [eternal].” Smyrna’s skyline resembled a crown, yet soon to perish with those who worshipped her; Christ promises a crown of eternal life to the faithful who worship Him.
CALL TO HEAR (v. 11a). “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” This message is directed to all the churches everywhere and at all times; the same dynamics apply even if our persecutions have temporarily subsided.
CLOSING PROMISE (v. 11b). “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” Lit., “He that / overcomes / in no wise / shall be injured / of / the / second / death.” “Overcomes” “conquers,” “to win in the face of obstacles” (BDAG). The “second death” is eternal damnation and punishment (cf. Rev 21.8, where the “fearful” go). The spiritually courageous conquerors will inherit glory with Christ.
HISTORIC POSTLUDE: THE MARTYRDOM OF POLYCARP
The same church at Smyrna did later suffer a famous case of martyrdom which they recorded for posterity—their aged pastor (86), Polycarp. We believe he was a disciple of the Apostle John, and he doubtless knew of Rev 2.8-11. The ancient document is called “The Martyrdom of Polycarp.”
It seems historically-reliable. Here is a modernized, abridged excerpt.
Three days before he was arrested, while he was praying, he had a vision of the pillow under his head in flames. He said prophetically to those who were with him, “I will be burnt alive.” Those who were looking for him were coming near, so he left for another house.
They immediately followed him, and when they could not find him, they seized two young men from his own household and tortured them into confession. The sheriff, called Herod, was impatient to bring Polycarp to the stadium, so that he might fulfill his special role, to share the sufferings of Christ, while those who betrayed him would be punished like Judas. The police and horsemen came with the young man at suppertime on the Friday with their usual weapons, as if coming out against a robber. That evening, they found him lying down in the upper room of a cottage. He could have escaped but he refused saying, “God’s will be done.” When he heard that they had come, he went down and spoke with them.
They were amazed at his age and steadfastness, and some of them said. “Why did we go to so much trouble to capture a man like this?” Immediately he called for food and drink for them, and asked for an hour to pray uninterrupted. They agreed, and he stood and prayed, so full of the grace of God, that he could not stop for two hours. The men were astounded and many of them regretted coming to arrest such a godly and venerable an old man. When he finished praying… they put him on a donkey, and took him into the city…. As Polycarp was being taken into the arena, a voice came to him from heaven: “Be strong, Polycarp and play the man!” No one saw who had spoken, but our brothers who were there heard the voice. When the crowd heard that Polycarp had been captured, there was an uproar. The Proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On hearing that he was, he tried to persuade him to apostatize, saying, “Have respect for your old age, swear by the fortune of Caesar. Repent, and say, ‘Down with the Atheists!’”
Polycarp looked grimly at the wicked heathen multitude in the stadium, and gesturing towards them, he said, “Down with the Atheists!” “Swear,” urged the Proconsul, “reproach Christ, and I will set you free.” “86 years have I have served him,” Polycarp declared, “and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” “I have wild animals here,” the Proconsul said. “I will throw you to them if you do not repent.” “Call them,” Polycarp replied. “It is unthinkable for me to repent from what is good to turn to what is evil. I will be glad though to be changed from evil to righteousness.” “If you despise the animals, I will have you burned.” “You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and is then extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. Why are you waiting? Bring on whatever you want.” It was all done in the time it takes to tell. The crowd collected wood and bundles of sticks from the shops and public baths. The Jews, as usual, were keen to help. When the pile was ready, Polycarp took off his outer clothes, undid his belt, and tried to take off his sandals – something he was not used to, as the faithful always raced to do it for him, each wanting to be the one to touch his skin – this is how good his life was. But when they went to fix him with nails, he said, “Leave me as I am, for he that gives me strength to endure the fire, will enable me not to struggle, without the help of your nails.” So they simply bound him with his hands behind him like a distinguished ram chosen from a great flock for sacrifice. Ready to be an acceptable burnt-offering to God, he looked up to heaven, and said, “O Lord God Almighty, the Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of you, the God of angels, powers and every creature, and of all the righteous who live before you, I give you thanks that you count me worthy to be numbered among your martyrs, sharing the cup of Christ and the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and body, through the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be received this day as an acceptable sacrifice, as you, the true God, have predestined, revealed to me, and now fulfilled. I praise you for all these things, I bless you and glorify you, along with the everlasting Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. To you, with him, through the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and forever. Amen.”
Then the fire was lit, and the flame blazed furiously. We who were privileged to witness it saw a great miracle, and this is why we have been preserved, to tell the story. The fire shaped itself into the form of an arch, like the sail of a ship when filled with the wind, and formed a circle around the body of the martyr. Inside it, he looked not like flesh that is burnt, but like bread that is baked, or gold and silver glowing in a furnace. And we smelt a sweet scent, like frankincense or some such precious spices. Eventually, when those wicked men saw that his body could not be consumed by the fire, they commanded an executioner to pierce him with a dagger. When he did this . . . such a great quantity of blood flowed that the fire was extinguished. The crowd were amazed at the difference between the unbelievers and the elect – of whom the great Polycarp was surely one, having in our own times been an apostolic and prophetic teacher, and bishop of the Church in Smyrna. For every word he spoke either has been or shall be accomplished.1
Notes:
1. From https://www.christianhistoryinstitute.org/study/module/polycarp/#toc_item1