Revelation 2:8-11

Ok so here we go with the next part of chapter two. We are talking about the church in Smyrna. I hope yall are ready for this one because this is the pep rally church. Remember the views we talked about last meeting. The first one is this was a church at the time of the letter and they were dealing with some stuff or that God wanted to deal with them about some stuff and that is it. This letter was going directly to them and this is a church in fear. Major persecution and blasphemy in the church so they are dealing with that fear.

If you are of the 2nd view of this yes being a real church but the letter is to the church as a whole and there are some things for us to gain. You would see ritualism coming in. They have formed their traditions and norms and that may not be appropriate so therefore you are now at odds with God.

If you are looking at the 3rd view which is this is ages of the church, they are the church of persecution. All the emperors of roman empire were on the war path against the church.

So what is some of the history of Smyrna. They were settled some believe around 3000 BC. The more clear record is a greek settement around 1000 BC. Around 600 BC the lydians came in and wiped it out. Alexander the great successor came and rebuilt it in 290 BC. This was the city that was standing at the time of this letter.

Smyrna was a huge ally to Roman empire. They loved the Roman empire and supported it which is why they are facing so much persecution in the church because if you as a city worship roman government then someone comes in and says we are to only worship God, you are going to have a problem with that. They built a temple in 195 BC in which the entire goal was to worship Rome. In 26 AD another temple was built to the roman emperor Tiberius. An earthquake took the city out in the late 2nd century. Then Markus Aurelius the emperor of Rome rebuilt it. Anyone know that name? The movie gladiator? He will be the one that the church of Smyrna will have to deal with. We also have the turks that keep destroying the city.

So this is all the things going on for this church when his letter was written. Let’s get into it.

Revelation 2:8–9 NKJV

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, ‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 9 “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.

So the Lord right out of the gate identifies who He is. He is giving his resume. He wants everyone who will read this letter to know that these words are coming from their Lord. The first and last. He is referencing that again. But also the one who was dead and is now alive. Here is why he is saying that. He is not unaware of your suffering. He knows what is going on. There is nothing happening to you around you or in you that Jesus is sitting on the throne minding his own business and an angel walks up and goes you aren’t going to believe what is going on with Chris Wiley. Then he gets up and goes oh no, tell me. It is also a fly in the ointment to your complaining spirit. You know why, you ain’t dead yet. Did you die? Like we use that tongue and cheek but really I want to start using that when people come and complain to me. But did you die. See Jesus walks up with the nail prints, the whip marks, the crown of thorns marks having surpassed all of it. But you wanna complain your boss don’t like you and you can’t overcome that. So he starts out shutting down all the whining and in this church they had reason to whine. They were really persecuted.

Then he says, I know your works, your tribulation, and poverty. But you are rich. Now hold up a minute. Those two don’t compute. What is he really saying? I know all the things going on physically the works, mentally: the tribulation and spiritually: the poverty. He is saying that things aren’t going well though you have wealth.

Then he goes into the real depth of what is going on and he hits the blasphemy happening. Some of you may have slander. But this is not a mild thing that Jesus is talking about. This is something happening in our church today. I mean locally in our church and in the church of the west as a whole that we get too casual with God. Look I am one very often in my prayer time to say daddy or dad. If I am in public I will say father simply because I have said daddy before and people look at me weird. But I didn’t call my earthly father, father when I was talking to him. I said dad. I never called him by his first name. So I figure if i can have reverence for my earthly dad and call him dad I can do the same even more so or my heavenly one. But what I am talking about is I wouldn’t go into my dads house and start leaving trash everywhere. If I ate something, I would clean it up. I would ask before I ate something or at least mention what I was doing. I would say hey dad, yall got something to eat. He would say go check it out. I knew that would be what he said. I didn’t have to ask but out of honor for him and his house that is what I did. We have gotten so comfortable with God we act like he owes us. I am so serious. It is blasphemy. We don’t understand that some of the things we are just glossing over are actually blasphemy and God is not ok with it. We need to deal with it.

What does he mean as a synagogue of Satan. He says I know their true heart. They were not one of us. They are not of the church. You think they are because they show up. Because they come and to your face and say we are with you. They are actually against you. This group of people were actually for the Roman empire. What they are doing is coming in and finding out what is happening and then reporting it to the government. Remember this two system thing doesn’t work in the church. Paul was persecuting the Way, Disciples of Christ, because he was saying what they believe doesn’t coexist with what we believe. It can’t. Because you cannot have two masters. This is what Jesus was saying they are trying to serve two. You cannot be in and of the church while simultaneously trying to destroy the church. It doesn’t work.

They are not representing me, they are representing satan and you need to get rid of them. One of the biggest losses in the church today is church discipline. We don’t do it as the bible has said to do it. If people are in the church and undermining the church you need to get rid of them. We keep them around in hopes they can change if they are around us long enough or around the word but the bible says just the opposite. That you remove them to purify the church and that removal is the hope they have for being reconciled. If you will remove them from the church and turn them over to satan. Don’t let them sit in the protection of the church.

This is why he says the very strong words. To make sure the church takes it seriously. Then here is what comes next. The persecution. It sounds so much like what Jesus said to Peter and we don’t like this verse because it doesn’t show our version of the loving God.

Luke 22:31–34 ESV

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”

Jesus if you loved me why don’t you stop the sifting. Why don’t you just hold me.

By the way side note

So first the you there is plural meaning. So Jesus though talking to Peter is actually referring to all the disciples. Satan the accuser has asked about you Peter that he may sift you all as wheat. Then I got to think and looking what does it mean to sift as wheat because it’s not the same as sifting like flour which is what I always imagined. So what they did with sifting wheat and you may know this as after the threshing process, things still hung on to the wheat kernels. So they would take the wheat and put it in these containers and shake it violently to get what clung to the wheat to drop off. So wheat being used to make bread and Jesus being the bread of life is about to be shook to the foundation in hopes of making the disciples drop off. So the wheat and the “dirt” both get shook. What doesn’t hold on to wheat gets dropped off and discarded. Peter is told by Jesus not that he wouldn’t get sifted but when he does fall off that he would return because he is inevitably going to fall off. And when he returns he will be a vital part of the process to strengthen the mix!

Because Peter will fail the first time but once he is filled with the Holy Spirit he would never fail again. He would not ultimately ever be removed from the hand of Jesus.

So they are reading this letter and they are hearing you better deal with this. And so I can just see it because i know me there were some men there and they were like yeah we have to go deal with this and then Jesus says this

Revelation 2:10 ESV

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.

Do not fear for what you are about to suffer. Wait a minute. We should hear do not fear because I am going to protect you. But he says because the devil is about to throw you into prison. Well there are no amen going up after that. I mean you talk about crickets in the church. I would have felt the exact same way. I would have been all riled up and ready to start fresh princeing people out of the church and then Jesus hits with this and I would sat myself down and little Chris would've been in there talking about I'm about to go to jail. But Jesus is not silent on this. He tells us.

You are going to be tested. That is the reason. So 10 days you will have to deal with this. But something you have to read. When does it end. Be faithful unto death. Not if you last the 10 days they will set you free. He is saying that the 10 days will likely end in your death so be faithful unto death.

Any of you heard of the Bishop of Smyrna called Polycarp. First it is likely that John, the writer of this book, was his mentor or the person who discipled him. He was the past of this church. He was 86 years old and the traitors had been reporting and the roman empire decided they have to take him out. So they took him captive really to scare him. They didn’t want to kill him. They just want him to denounce Jesus. We will leave you alone if you just do that. They called the church atheist because they didn’t believe in the roman gods. Polycarp tries to flee and hide but every time he does they find them so he finally surrenders not to them but he determines that God has determined that he go through this so he surrenders to God. He says all I ask is that you let me pray for an hr. His prayer was so powerful that he did not pray just for 1 hr he prays for 2 hrs and he says to the people of the house he is staying bring them some food and drink. He is literally feeding his enemies.

So for 2 hr they let him pray they can hear it and because of his prayer some of these soldiers even repent or at the very least regret coming to get him. They begin to ask about Christ. but they have to do what their job is. They don’t want to be killed. They are too young in their faith. So as they are traveling with him they think we can get him out of here or at least convince him so they start attempting to do so.

He refuses so they take him into the arena. Marcus and the proconsul is there. They say tell the atheist to repent. Meaning that the Christians need to repent and then get out of Rome. He turns to the romans and looks at them and says atheist get out of rome. Well that ticks them off. He says if you just deny christ I will let you go. His response is this 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?”

So they say bring in the animals. He hears a voice from Heaven and others there that says “Be strong, Polycarp play the man!

So Polycarp says call the wild animals. It is unthinkable for me to turn from what is good to what is evil. So the emperor says if you despise the animals then I will burn you fire. Polycarp says, “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.”

So they prepare the fire. When he comes up to the stake they go to nail his hands he says...”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 they lit the fire. The witnesses say that they saw a miracle that day because when they lit the fire it went up and a blaze but it actually surrounded Polycarp. Not burning him. They say his body was not like it was being burned but that it was like gold in a furnace. When they saw that the fire was not going to kill him, the proconsul ordered the executioner to stab him with a dagger and when he did his blood came in such a flood that it extinguished the flames.

They also that the arena was filled with the smell of sweet bread not of melting flesh.