Revelation 2:8-11 (Smyrna)

Revelation  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
0 ratings
· 5 views
Notes
Transcript

Introduction

To the Church in Smyrna

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.

9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

This week we’re going to look at Jesus’ second letter to the churches in Asia, his letter to the church in Smyrna. As I’ve pointed out before these seven churches of John’s Apocalypse were located along a well established Roman mail route. The church in Ephesus would have been the first among the seven churches to receive John’s Revelation, and Smyrna would have been next along the route, approximately 40 miles north of Ephesus. Smyrna, like Ephesus, was on the coastline of the Aegean Sea in the northern Mediterranean, it was a seaport like Ephesus. It’s the only city of the seven that still exists today, however, now it’s known as Izmir (iz-meer).
In John’s day, it’s estimated that the city had a population of approximately 100,000, which is about one-third the size of Anchorage, Alaska, or three times the size of Fairbanks. They likely had the largest Jewish population in all of Asia at the time.
The city was also the headquarters for the Roman imperial cult, which recognized various emperors and their families as having divine authority. One historian described it “as an intersection between polytheism and the patronage system within the Roman Empire.” Another historian defined the imperial cult as “the direct worship of the emperor by sacrifice and prayer in the context of priesthoods, temples, rites and festivals.” (Fishwick, “A Critical Assessment,” 130) In short, the imperial cult deified the emperor and required his worship. In Smyrna there was even a temple built to the emperor Tiberius.
The church in Smyrna is one of only two churches among the seven that didn’t receive a rebuke, in this letter there is no call for repentance. Smyrna is also where the famous church father, Polycarp, was martyred a generation later, having been a disciple of the Apostle John himself, and converted allegedly under the teaching of the apostles themselves.

The first and the last

That being said, let’s begin by starting there in verse 8,

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.

All seven letters to the seven churches begin with a short preamble, or introduction. Usually designed to warn or comfort the churches, or some combination of the two. Here, Jesus intends to comfort and embolden the church in Smyrna by reminding them of whom the letter is from. That these are the words of the one who is the first and the last, and the one who died and came to life. That this letter hasn’t been written by just anyone.
The phrase ‘the first and the last’ is a reference to the OT, and a reference to how God had often described himself. For example, Isaiah 44:6 reads, “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.’” Or in Isaiah 48:12, “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last." This is how Yahweh described himself in the OT and it’s how Jesus describes himself here in the NT.
The context of these OT passages indicates that God was describing his sovereignty over history, that he alone declares the end from the beginning, that he is the potentate of time, or the ruler of history. When we sing the fourth verse of the Hymn, Crown Him with Many Crowns, we proclaim, “Crown him the Lord of years, the potentate of time, creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime.” Jesus is not only the creator of the cosmos, but even time itself, that he declares the end from the beginning. Not merely that he observes the end from the beginning, merely predicting the future, but that he declares the end from the beginning, and “works all things according to the counsel of his will.” (Ephesians 1:11)
Also, listen to Isaiah 46:8-11,

8  “Remember this and stand firm,

recall it to mind, you transgressors,

9  remember the former things of old;

for I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like me,

10  declaring the end from the beginning

and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,

and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

11  calling a bird of prey from the east,

the man of my counsel from a far country.

I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;

I have purposed, and I will do it.

God doesn’t merely predict the future, but he brings it to pass, and his counsel will stand, and he will accomplish all his purpose.
The intent here is to remind the church in Smyrna that the one who writes to them is the first and the last, the one who declares the end from the beginning, therefore they can find solace and confidence in what he says. That their tribulation is not by accident, but fundamentally governed by the counsel of his will. That the church in Smyrna can be assured that their tribulation and persecution does not mean that God has abandoned them.
The doctrine of predestination, rightly understood, is meant to bring comfort to the church. The truth is, because every fact of history is ordained by God, we can be assured that, God does indeed, cause all things to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. If we dare remove God’s supreme governance of his creation and his creatures in time, we remove any confidence that his purposes will stand.

The one who died and came to life

Moreover, he also reminds them that he is “the one who died and came to life.” Jesus knows that some of the Christians in Smyrna will face death, so he reminds them that he is the one who died, but rose again. In other words, if I conquered the grave, then so will you. Just as Jesus said in Luke 12:4,

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.

This is also the Apostle Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 15, that because Christ has been raised, we can therefore be assured that we will too. This is also what Jesus meant when he told Peter in Matthew 16:18, when he said,

18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The word translated hell is actually the Greek word hades, which simply means the grave. It’s the equivalent to the Hebrew word sheol, which means the abode of the dead. And my point is that, what Jesus was saying, was that death would not prevail against his church, that the grave would not prevail against his church. That though the church in Smyrna would face martyrdom, that they could be assured that, like Jesus, they too would come to life.

I know your tribulation

Then Jesus goes on there in verse 9,

9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

I love what Jesus says there, “I know your tribulation and your poverty.” Jesus is not unaware of their tribulation or their poverty, these things have not gone unnoticed by him, and he’s not indifferent to them, rather, he sees, he knows their tribulation and their poverty. In fact, we know that he can sympathize with their plight. He too had suffered at the hands of the Jews and Romans.

Slander

It says there that the church in Smyrna was being slandered by those who called themselves Jews. That there were certain Jews in the city who spoke falsely of the church, so as to hurt their reputation, to damage their character. We sometimes refer to it as character assassination, and many of us are probably all too familiar with the pain that can be caused by false accusation. It can ruin friendships, destroy businesses, and even blacklist you from society. It can be very painful to be slandered.

Synagogue of Satan

Jesus writes that these men claimed to be Jews and were not, but rather were a synagogue of Satan. Notice that Jesus refers to them in the strongest of terms, a synagogue of Satan, or you might say, a congregation of accusers, taking their cues from the devil himself.
Now, in our modern context, and because of the popularity of dispensational theology, we’re prone to, unreservedly, look favorably upon anyone who claims Jewish ethnicity, as though their ethnicity might somehow confer salvation, or God’s favor, referring to them, without distinction, as God’s chosen people, as though their rejection of Christ were irrelevant. But we must not forget that anyone’s rejection of Jesus as God’s Son, and savior, will ultimately result in condemnation, in fact, more so for the Jew. Listen to the judgment Jesus pronounced upon the cities in Galilee after they remained unrepentant despite seeing his miracles and hearing his teaching. Matthew 11:20-24 says, speaking of Jesus,

20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Why will it be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum? Because Jesus didn’t perform miracles in Tyre and Sidon, but he did in these cities, and all throughout the district of Galilee. Not only were the Jews entrusted with the oracles of God, while the Gentiles were not, but Jesus came to the Jews, and he didn’t go to the Gentiles. Therefore, their rejection of Christ was that much more serious, than any rejection that could have come from the Gentiles. While all men are without excuse, how much more are the Jews without excuse, who reject Christ?
So, Jesus had good reason to use the strongest of terms to describe the so called Jews in Smyrna. Despite all of the light they had been given, they remained stiff-necked, and had even gone so far as to persecute Christ’s church.
Now, in one sense, the children of Abraham, can be referred to as God’s chosen people. In fact, Romans chapter 11 seems to hold out hope that God is purposefully using the salvation of Gentiles to make jealous ethnic Israel, and to graft many of them back into the vine, but we must not forget the distinction the Apostle Paul makes in Romans 2:28, when he says,

28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.

But tragically, here in Smyrna, and throughout much of the Roman Empire at the time, the Jewish synagogue had become a synagogue of Satan, a pawn of the devil. The Jews were as the Apostle Paul once was, an enemy of the church, and persecuting the church. In the first century they were, at first, the fiercest enemies of the church. And as we’ll see later in chapter 13 apostate Judaism is described as a beast that rises out of land, the land of Israel. And we’re told that these apostate Jews exercised the authority of another beast that arises out of the sea, namely, the Roman Empire.

Disciples warned

However, the Jewish opposition should not have caught the church off guard. Jesus had warned his disciples of this kind of opposition from the very beginning. In Matthew 10:17-18 he warned them saying,

17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

And it was Jesus himself who would face these very circumstances at first. As early on in his ministry as his time in Nazareth when the people from his home town drove him out of their synagogue to throw him off a cliff. And then finally culminating in his being put outside the city by the religious leaders to hang on a cross.
And then throughout the entire book of Acts we see the church increasingly persecuted by the Jews. In Acts 7 we’re told the synagogue of the Freedmen instigated the stoning of Stephen, then in Acts 14 the synagogue in Iconium attempted to stone Paul and Barnabas, then in Acts 17 those from the Jewish synagogue in Thessalonica formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked some of the Christians, in Acts 18 the Jewish synagogue in Corinth opposed the Apostle Paul and formed a united attack upon him and brought him before a tribunal to have him punished, Acts 19:9 says that some from the synagogue in Ephesus became stubborn, continued in their unbelief, and spoke evil of the Apostle Paul and of Christianity, then in Acts 21 we’re told that certain Jews from Asia, while at the Temple in Jerusalem, stirred up the crowd and laid hands on the Apostle Paul, seized him, dragged him out of the Temple, and proceeded to beat him, stopping short of killing him only when the Romans came and stopped them. And those are only some of the most prominent example in the Book of Acts. Therefore, by the time John writes to the seven churches in Asia, the fact that the Jews are persecuting them is not new.

Kept from falling away

However, Jesus reminds them that he knows their tribulation, that their tribulation has not gone unnoticed. And he tells them there in verse 10,

10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Jesus tells them, that further tribulation is coming, and to remain faithful, even unto death. And Jesus warns them of this future tribulation so as to protect them from falling away. And we know this because it’s why Jesus warned his disciples back in John 16:1-4, when he said, the night before his crucifixion,

16 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

So, in the same way, Jesus is bolstering the faith of the church in Smyrna, that when this hour of tribulation comes upon them, that they will remember what he has told them, to keep them from falling away. These words were given to them so as to preserve them, to provide them with endurance. And the application here is precisely the same for us, to be warned, that when the hour of trial comes upon us that we don’t think it strange and lose hope, but that we too would remember what Jesus has told us. When the Apostle Paul was stoned in Acts 14 we’re told shortly thereafter that he began strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
Therefore, we should ask ourselves, are our hearts prepared to endure tribulation? Are we prepared to endure slander, defamation, and reviling? Are we prepared to be thrown even into prison for Christ’s sake? And while some of us might balk at the idea that this kind of persecution could befall us in our own day, just remember how far fetched Jesus’ warnings probably sounded to his disciples at first, how disconnected from reality those warnings probably felt. However, within a year or two it would become very real for the disciples when they saw Jesus hanging from a tree outside the city, and it would be Jesus’ words that would provide them with endurance in those early years of the church as they faced relentless persecution.
We also see there in verse 10 that Jesus tells them that “for ten days they will have tribulation.” It’s interesting that Jesus is so specific, however, his use of the number 10 may be his way of indicating to the church in Smyrna, that while they would face persecution for a time, that their persecution would be short and temporary. We’ll see later in chapter 20 that Satan is bound and the saints rule with Christ for a thousand years (10 x 10 x 10), so it might be that we’re supposed to see that Smyrna’s tribulation will pale in comparison to their reign with Christ. That compared to their reign with Christ, their tribulation will seem like light and momentary afflictions. Either way, I think Jesus means to put their tribulation in perspective, just as we should also.

To be tested

Now, notice what else it says there in verse 10,

10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested,

Notice there’s a purpose behind their tribulation. It can be easy to conclude that God has abandoned us when we experience tribulation or distress, but that’s not what Scripture teaches. The Bible teaches us that tribulation is meant to test our faith, trials are meant to prove our faith. The testing of our faith is meant for our good. It’s intended to strengthen our faith, produce in us endurance, refine us, and mature us. The testing of our faith is not for God’s benefit, but for ours.
First, tribulation proves the genuineness of our faith, tribulation reveals to us whether our faith is real or not. I can’t help but think of Jesus’ Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, as he described the seed that had been sown on rocky ground, that there were many who heard the word of God and immediately received it with joy, yet there was no root in them, that they endured for a while, but when tribulation or persecution arose on account of the word, immediately they fell away. (Matthew 13:20-21) This parable teaches at least two things, 1) the reasons people fall away, and 2) to warn us from falling away. On one hand the parable explains the responses we observe among those who hear the Gospel, but on the other hand I’m warned against falling away myself. I’m taught that when tribulation and persecution arise on account of the word, that I must endure and not fall away.
The testing of our faith is also meant to produce in us endurance. James 1:2-3 says,

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

The Apostle Paul says similarly, in Romans 5:3,

we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

Both James and the Apostle Paul go on to teach that the testing of our faith also matures us. James 1:4 says,

4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Romans 5:4 says that,

endurance produces character,

The testing of our faith produces in us endurance and carries us on to spiritual maturity.
The Bible also describes testing as a force that refines us. In Isaiah 48:10 affliction is described as a refiner’s fire, “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.” Psalm 66:10 says, “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.” Job 23:10 says, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” The process of refining is meant to purify us, to conform us into the image of Christ.
When precious metals are mined from the earth they don’t always look like fine jewelry at first. In fact, the precious metal may be unrecognizable to the naked eye, until it’s been refined by fire. The process involves heating up the metal until all of the impurities rise to the surface and can be removed to reveal the gold or silver underneath. Trials act like a refiner’s fire in the Christian life, therefore, while the trial or tribulation may be unpleasant for a time, the Christian should embrace the trial, knowing that they’re embracing the good and purposeful hand of God.

Poverty

We also see in verse 9 that the church in Smyrna was facing poverty. In fact, it’s quite possible that the tribulation they endured had contributed to their poverty. They may have suffered as Hebrews 10:32-36 describes, as having “joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” Or like Moses in Egypt, as Hebrews 11:24-26 says, “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward."
Their unwillingness to compromise undoubtedly marginalized them. It would have been difficult to posses a job in the city, since it would have required them to participate in pagan idolatry or sexual immorality. Imagine not being able to join the longshoreman’s union as a Christian, because in doing so you would have to compromise your faith by participating in certain sinful activities. To be a Christian in the Roman Empire almost guaranteed your poverty.

Rich in faith

But Jesus reminds them there in verse 9, “but you are rich.” While they may not possess much in terms of earthly wealth, they are rich in faith. James 2:5 says, “has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to us?” And Smyrna stands in contrast to the church in Laodicea, later in chapter 3, who is described as prosperous, and who is in need of nothing, but they don’t realize they are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. While the church in Laodicea had laid up for themselves treasure on earth, the church in Smyrna had laid up for themselves treasure in heaven.
It’s at this point we should examine ourselves, where is our treasure? Is it on earth, or is it in heaven? Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt. 6:21) Again, like Jesus’ Parable of the Sower, “as for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. (Matt. 13:22) We must be on guard against the deceitfulness of riches, for the love of money will choke the word, for we cannot serve both God and money. (Luke 16:13)

Crown of life

Then we come to Jesus’ final words to the church in Smyrna, let’s start again in verse 10,

10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

Again, we see that, what’s fundamentally required of us, as it is for the church in Smyrna, is faithfulness, even if that means our faithfulness leads to death. Jesus repeatedly told his disciples in Matthew’s Gospel that “the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matt. 10:22, 13:13, 24:13) This is what Jesus means when he says, “be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life”, the crown of life is salvation. Those who prevail by their faithfulness, are those who conquer, are those who overcome, and who will not be hurt by the second death. God does not promise us that we will be shielded from tribulation, persecution, prison, or even martyrdom, but rather, that if we remain faithful, even to death, that we will be given the crown of life.

Prayer

Lord, I pray for faithfulness, faithfulness in our whole life. I ask for endurance, that we would be a people who endure to the end. I ask that through our tribulation we would be strengthened, refined, made perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. I pray that when tribulation and persecution arise on account of the word that we would not immediately fall away, but that you would keep us. May your warning here in Scripture keep us from falling away. And let us not fear tribulation but remember that all things stem from your good and perfect purposes. Lord, we are comforted that you sovereignty over time and creation, and your governance of all things great and small is according the council of your will, that you are the first and the last, and the one who died and came to life. Let us not forget that because Christ has been raised, so will we.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more
Copyright 2024 Logos Bible SoftwareFeatures|Pricing|Privacy|Terms of Use|Support