Revelation 2:8-11 (Smyrna)

Introduction

In John Bunyan’s classic book, The Pilgrim’s Progress, Bunyan told an allegorical story of the Christian life.[i] Christian is the main character, and he faces all of the many challenges that Christians do as they make their way through this world and onto the Celestial City that is to come.

Along the way, Christian meets other characters – some good and some very bad. One of the good characters Christian meets is a man name Faithful. Like Christian before him, Faithful obeyed what he read in The Book and also what he heard from a man named Mr. Evangelist. And like Christian, he too had escaped from the City of Destruction and was on his way to the Celestial City.

Christian and Faithful became traveling companions after they both had barely made their way through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. You’ll have to read about that episode some other time, but today I want to tell you about what happened when Christian and Faithful came to a city, called Vanity Fair.

Their wise and helpful counselor (Mr. Evangelist) told them that they must endure many tribulations before they enter the kingdom of heaven. And he said, “therefore you cannot expect that you should go long on your pilgrimage without them in some sort or other.” Then Mr. Evangelist said, “you will soon come into a town that you will see, and in that town, you will be hardly beset with enemies who will strain hard to kill you. And you can be sure that one or both of you must seal the testimony which you hold with blood.”

“But,” said Mr. Evangelist, “be faithful unto death, and the King will give you a crown of life. So, quit yourselves like men, and commit the keeping of your souls to God as unto a faithful King.”

As I said, the town was called Vanity Fair. And it was named this way because everything bought and sold and experienced there is “lighter than vanity.” (Bunyan seems to be echoing Ecclesiastes here.) He described the city as having been designed by the devil and his legions. At this fair you can buy anything: houses, lands, trades, places, honors, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures, and delights of all sorts… wives, husbands, children, masters, slaves, lives, souls, silver, gold, and precious stones. So too, at all times (day and night), there are jugglers, cheats, games, plays, fools, apes, and rogues of every kind.

Bunyan also said that the only way to avoid the city was to go out of this world… so every pilgrim that lives a while must travel right through it. And Christian and Faithful did as they must.

But when they came into the city, it wasn’t long before the people of the fair began to notice them. The pilgrims did not look like everyone else, they didn’t talk like others at the fair, and they didn’t buy what the city was selling. Well, this caused a commotion among the people of the fair. And when one of the leaders of the town heard about it, the pilgrims were arrested as disturbers of the peace.

After some examination, much mocking, and even some abuse, Christian and Faithful remained unwilling to participate in the fair; so they were brought before the court for a trial… not to judge their guilt or innocence, but to decide what to do with them. Faithful was the only one to speak in their defense, so it was Faithful who became the focus of their bitter anger.

The judge’s name was Lord Hate-good, and a few townspeople gave testimony against Faithful… two were named Envy and Superstition. Then the jury (Mr. Blindman, Mr. No-good, Mr. Malice, Mr. Love-lust, Mr. Liar, Mr. Cruelty, and Mr. High-mind… among others)… the jury went out to decide what to do with Faithful. And when they returned, each one said that there was simply no way to go on living with someone like him. “Therefore,” they judged, “let us forthwith bring him in guilty of death.”

Today, we’re continuing our study through the book of Revelation. And today, we’re focusing on the second of seven churches that are specifically addressed, each with their own letter. The church of Smyrna is where we are today; and they received one basic command – “Don’t fear, but be faithful, even unto death.” Let’s consider together what we might learn from Christ’s hope-filled and sobering words to this ancient church.

Scripture Reading

Revelation 2:8–11 (ESV)

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.’

Main Idea:

Christians will endure various afflictions in this world, up to and including fatal persecution, but Christ promises eternal life to those who remain faithful.

Sermon

1. The King of Life (v8)

All seven of these churches in Revelation 2-3 received “words” from Christ through the prophet, John (Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, 18, 3:3, 7, 14). Last week, Josh led us through “The words of him who holds the seven stars… [and] who walks among the seven golden lampstands” (Rev. 2:1). Josh helped us to consider together how we too have “worked” to emphasize sound doctrine and godly living (Rev. 2:2). But also, how we might guard against the intrusion of bad teaching and immoral living, by being careful about what we watch on screens, what we read, and what we hear and sing that is marketed to us under the label of “Christian music.”

Josh also helped us to consider some ways that we (like the church in Ephesus) might be prone to “abandon the love [we] had at first” (Rev. 2:4). He urged us to pray and strive for increasing our love… both for Christ and for one another. I appreciated Josh’s sermon last Sunday, and I was both encouraged and challenged by it.

Today, we are reading “The words of the first and the last,” the one “who died and came to life” again (Rev. 2:8). Each of these letters to the seven churches has the same basic structure and elements.

There’s a description of some feature of who Jesus is (drawn from the vision of Christ in Revelation 1).

There’s a statement about something that Christ “knows” (v9 here).

What Jesus “knows” about the churches is usually positive, but Sardis and Laodicea are exceptions to this pattern.

Next, there’s usually a statement of critique or negative evaluation.

To the church in Ephesus, Jesus said, “But I have this against you…” (Rev. 2:4).

For the church in Smyrna, there is no critique.

Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only two who do not hear any negative word from Christ.

After the critique (or after what Christ “knows”), there is always some sort of command or imperative.

This is the most substantial section of our passage today (v10).

And then, finally, there is a call to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches” as well as a promise of blessing for those who “conquer” or “overcome” (NIV, NASB) or “prevail” (v11).

There are many interesting things to note when we compare these seven letters in this way, but for now, I want to point us toward what we find at the beginning and at the end of our letter to Smyrna. Notice how the description of who Jesus is directly corresponds to the promise of blessing at the end. To the church in Smyrna, Jesus is described as the one “who died and came to life” again (Rev. 2:8). And then at the end of the letter, Jesus promises that the one who “conquers” will escape unharmed “by the second death” (Rev. 2:11).

The One who has Himself died and risen again is able to preserve others from the kind of death that lasts forever!

But it gets even more fascinating when we look a bit further into that other phrase… “the first and the last” in v8. There are three places where the prophet Isaiah uses this exact phrase, and in all three of them, there is an overarching emphasis on God’s ability to save or deliver His people as well as a call for those who trust in God to not be afraid.

Turn with me to Isaiah 40. Let’s look at one of those places together.

Isaiah was a prophet to both the northern and the southern kingdoms of OT Israel. The kingdom was divided in two, “Israel” in the north, and “Judah” in the south. The northern kingdom never had a good king; that nation was doomed from the beginning because it’s first king set up an elaborate idolatrous system as an alternative to the temple sacrifices in Jerusalem (you can read about this in 1 Kings 12). This was a big no-no, and all of Israel’s kings led the people to continue in idolatry and blasphemy until they were destroyed as a nation in 722 BC.

Isaiah was alive when Israel fell, and he had even prophesied of their demise. But the bulk of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry was aimed at the southern kingdom – Judah. It would be about 150 years later when Judah itself would fall to an invading army (the whole story of the OT is how sinners – even those who have the words and the blessings of God – but sinners are utterly incapable of doing or being right with God on their own).

So, Isaiah’s message was full of God’s judgment against a sinful and hard-hearted people. But Isaiah’s message was also shot through with promises of future hope, deliverance, salvation, and restoration. This is the sort of message we see from God through Isaiah in chapter 40. “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (Is. 40:1). Then Isaiah prophesied that “her [i.e., God’s people] warfare is ended,” that “her iniquity [or sin] is pardoned,” and that “she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins” (Is. 40:2). In other words, God’s wrath had been poured out upon them, and a time of restoration was coming.

Then in v3-5, many of us will recognize the prophecy that is picked up in the NT as being fulfilled by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1-3). And, of course, when Jesus came in the flesh, that’s when “the glory of the LORD” began to be revealed as Isaiah had prophesied hundreds of years before (Is. 40:5).

Let’s pick up the pace a bit now. Verses 6-8 proclaim the trustworthiness of God’s word – “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Is. 40:8). Verses 9-26 offer lengthy and poetic praise of the incomparable greatness of God – “his arm rules” (v10), He “marked off the heavens” with His own hands (v12), no one has ever “taught him knowledge… [or] understanding” (v14), and “all the nations are as nothing before him” (v17).

Behold the God who is, and who was, and who is to come! “It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers” (Is. 40:22). He “stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in” (Is. 40:22). And He “brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness” (Is. 40:23).

“To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? Says the Holy One” (Is. 40:25).

All of this is quite terrifying, and we would have no reason to take comfort at all… unless this same terrifying and awesome and incomparable God turns Himself toward grasshoppers like us in love and not in wrath!

See the turn in v27! “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God?” (Is. 40:27). God Himself says to His people, “Why do you speak as though I don’t know where you are and how you’re doing?”

God says, picking it up in v28, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Is. 40:28-30).

Now, some of you might be thinking… “This all sounds incredible.” I mean, who isn’t switched on a bit by hearing God talk like this?! But some of you might also be thinking… “Marc, what does all of this have to do with Revelation 2?”

Well, I’m glad you asked!

Stay here in Isaiah just a bit longer and see the repeated question (i.e., “Who?”) at the beginning of ch. 41. Remember, the chapter & verse divisions weren’t there when Isaiah wrote this… and ch. 41 of Isaiah is a continuation of the content of ch. 40. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord God continues to speak… “Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment [or “disputation” or “legal argument”] (Is. 41:1)… God is reasoning with them!

“Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step?” (Is. 41:2). This is a prophecy directly about a pagan king that God later raises up to save His people and restore them to Jerusalem. “Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning?” (Is. 41:4). This is a reminder that God not only knows what will happen in the course of history, but that God is the one who is working out His own plans… and over the span of generations, not mere days or months or years.

And what is God’s answer to the repeated question of “Who”?

Of course, it’s God who does this, but how does God say it at the end of v4?

Look at it there! “I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he” (Is. 41:4). Or as the NET translates it, “I, the LORD, am present at the very beginning, and at the very end – I am the one” (Is. 41:4 NET).

This statement of “first” and “last” is joined with the concept of God’s sovereignty (and especially His providence)… He is working in all things to bring about His good ends… And it is no coincidence that the rest of Isaiah 41 is about how the people of God are not to “fear” because the Lord God Himself is “with” them, He will “strengthen” them, and He will “uphold” them with His own “righteous right hand” (Is. 41:10). This is the OT soil from which our passage this morning is meant to spring up and blossom in front of us!

Our passage (in Revelation) was a letter written to an ancient congregation of Christians who were already facing affliction, and they were about to head into even greater tribulation. They needed to hear words from the One who is the “first and the last” – the covenant-keeping God who is known for His keeping His word and known for His sovereign rule over history. And they needed to hear the words from the One who’d already faced death and been resurrected, never to die again.

Brothers and sisters, this is a message particularly for Christians, and this is the word of the King of life… who is our King… He’s our Savior… He’s the one who died for us… And He’s the one who came to life again… And He has the power to grant life to all those who remain faithful to Him… even if they die.

2. Present Circumstances (v9)

In five of the seven churches, what Jesus “knows” about them is their “works.” For example, Jesus said to the church of Ephesus, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance…” (Rev. 2:2).

But to the churches in Smyrna and Pergamum, Jesus said He “knows” their circumstances. Look with me at Revelation 2:9… Jesus says, “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…” (Rev. 2:9).

Jesus knows what they are going through, and Jesus knows that their troubles are real!

Brothers and sisters, none of us are facing the afflictions that Christians did in first-century Rome… but all of us are experiencing troubles of one kind or another. And it is a great comfort and encouragement to know this morning that Jesus has not forgotten us… He knows… He knows right where we are… He knows exactly what we’re enduring… and He is neither neglecting us nor overlooking us.

This is true in the everyday troubles of life in a sinful world… This is true in the ongoing afflictions we endure because of our own sin… And this is true in our lives together as members of this church… He knows we face challenges in the world… He knows we are still battling our own sinful desires… and He knows that we want to grow in love and grace and wisdom and even in number together.

We may take heart this morning to remember that Christ knows.

But in our passage Jesus “knows” about a particular kind of affliction or “tribulation” that the church in Smyrna was facing (v9). They were being “slandered” or “blasphemed” (to “falsely accuse” or “lie about” someone).

And it was a particular group that was doing the slandering. It was “those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (v9).

I already pointed out a few of Sundays ago (when we were in 1 Peter 2), that the Bible teaches what I called “fulfillment theology” – the idea that Christ and His people are the fulfillment of all that God has promised in the OT… including the promises of a nation and a priesthood… a kingdom and a citizenship. We see exactly this sort of language in Revelation 1, where John is praising Christ for being the one “who loves us [believing Jews and Gentiles] and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (Rev. 1:5-6)… It is the universal Church (or Christians) who are described as the NT kingdom and priests of God, not OT Israel or ethnic descendents of Abraham.

I believe that’s the way we ought to understand what Jesus is saying in v9 of our passage this morning… that Jewish people in Smyrna (who were ethnic descendants of Abraham) were accusing the Christians (who are truly the people of God) of being rebellious against Judaism and also against Rome.

There was a decent population of Jewish people living in Smyrna at that time (enough to have a synagogue there). And Jews were (under Roman decree) allowed to be exempt from offering pagan worship to the Roman emperor… The Jewish religion was an official sect that had some liberties… they didn’t have to offer the “pinch of incense” on the altar in an act of worship the emperor… but everyone else in Smyrna did have to do it.

All of the first Christians were Jews, and many Jewish converts continued to come into churches across the empire. Civil and historical documents outside of the Bible confirm that Rome considered early Christianity a Jewish sect. Therefore, it is entirely possible that the “slander” and “tribulation” mentioned here is referring to Jewish people telling the Roman authorities that Christians were most definitely not Jews. In such a case, Christians would be forced to join in pagan worship like everyone else or suffer all sorts of penalties for not doing it.

And this is often how it goes for Christians in the world. The politicians, the businesses, the community organizations… they are all very happy to have Christians around, living and working and voting… until they realize that Christians actually have a higher allegiance and loyalty than political party, or job security, or playing time for my kid out on the ball field.

And when Christian commitments clash with worldly priorities, worldly people react… sometimes with pity (Oh, you poor and ignorant person.), sometimes with disgust (I can’t believe she’s doing that!), sometimes with anger (How dare you!), and sometimes even with overt opposition (You can’t be allowed to keep doing that.).

It’s a big deal that Jesus calls those slanderers in Smyrna a “synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9). Slander or false accusation is what the word “satan” means, and we are never more like the devil than when we are lying about someone to make them look bad or guilty.

But this also teaches us something about what is going on in the world when non-Christians rise up against Christians… just for talking and acting like faithful Christians… It’s demonic and devilish… There is a supernatural war going on, and we are participants in it… even if we don’t want to be or if we are not aware of it.

Just like Mr. Evangelist told Christian and Faithful, and just like Jesus told His disciples… “In the world you will have tribulation” (Jn. 16:33). Not all Christians are persecuted to the highest degree, but all Christians (in one way or another) must endure affliction and trouble in order to remain faithful to Christ in this world… This is Vanity Fair, and we are strangers and pilgrims here.

3. Fearless Faithfulness (v10-11)

If you’re like me, then v10 of our passage is at least somewhat disappointing. We’ve already talked about how Jesus “knows” the circumstances of these Christians in Smyrna. He “knows” their “tribulation” and the “slander” they are enduring just because they are walking faithfully in obedience to Christ. But the words Jesus says in v10 are not words of deliverance (at least not immediate deliverance). Instead, Jesus commands them to persevere… and He even tells them it’s going to get worse before it gets better!

They were already suffering, but Jesus says, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer” (Rev. 2:10). He tells them that “the devil” is behind a scheme that is about to unfold, wherein “some” of them are going to be thrown into prison (Rev. 2:10). This whole episode is going to “test” their faith, and they will be tempted to give up on Christ and go along with whatever their persecutors ask of them (Rev. 2:10). But Jesus commands them, “Be faithful unto death” (v10), which implies that at least some of them would die on account of their faithfulness.

Friends, if we’re honest, many of us probably find this verse hard to square with our expectations of faithful Christian living. Many of us (though we don’t embrace the prosperity gospel per se) we have certainly embraced some of the assumptions of Americanized Christianity. The “American gospel” teaches us to expect good results from our Christian efforts. If we are faithful to trust and obey Christ, then He will make our lives better – we’ll get the good job, we’ll get the better house, our spouse will treat us better, our kids will do right, and on and on.

But this is not what the Bible itself teaches Christians to expect from faithful Christian living. So many times, in the Bible, Christians are told to expect things to go quite badly, even when they do what is right. “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the [unbelievers] honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Pet. 2:11-12).

Friends, the Bible calls us to expect persecution, to expect slander, and to expect our own desires to be obstacles (and even enemies) to overcome. And this is true for all Christians, not just some. Certainly, some Christians have and will endure greater persecution and tribulation than others, but none of us should expect to escape this world without some degree of affliction.

Our hope is not that we shall avoid pain, suffering, loss, and even death… No, our hope is that even death itself will not win in the end!

And that’s the whole point of this letter to the church in Smyrna! The King of life has sent them word… reminding them that He is the sovereign Lord over all the events of human history (both the good and the bad) and reminding them that He Himself has already “conquered” or overcome that terrible foe – death.

Jesus’s promise to those Christians back then, and His promise to Christians of every generation since is that He will “give” the “crown of life” to all who remain “faithful” (Rev. 2:10). And we can know that this “crown of life” is a promise of eternal life/salvation/glory (i.e., not mere prolonged life or pleasure in this world) because of what Jesus says in v11.

Verse 11 gives a further explanation of what Jesus meant by “crown of life” in v10. The end of each of the seven letters to the churches includes a call to “hear what the Spirit says” (Rev. 2:11). And the particular word of promise here is that “the one who conquers” [or “overcomes” or “prevails”; think perseverance] these ones “will not be hurt by the second death” (Rev. 2:11).

The concept of “the second death” is not new. It is a common idea in many other places in the Bible. But this particular phrase is unique to the book of Revelation. It first appears here (in ch. 2), and then it shows up again twice in ch. 20 and once in ch. 21. In short, “the second death” is “hell” or “the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:14, 21:8). It is that place that Jesus described as the “destruction” of the “soul and body” (Matt. 10:28), a place of “unquenchable fire” (Mk. 9:43), and a state of eternal “judgment” where God Himself will unleash His wrath upon sin and sinners forever (Matt. 5:22).

The Bible uses a few different words to describe where the wicked go when they die, and the King James Bible (while it is so good in many ways) is the cause of some confusion on this point. The KJV uses the word “hell” to translate all three of these words, but they each mean something different (slightly or significantly).[ii]

Some of you have probably heard of the words “sheol” and “hades” and “gehenna.” Sheol and hades refer to “the grave” or the general “realm of the dead” – where all dead people go when they die. Before Jesus died and was raised (as I understand it), all people went to the same place… though the righteous and the wicked already had then very different experiences in the afterlife.

But when Jesus actually atoned (or paid for) sin (when He died upon the cross), those who trust in Jesus were taken up into glory with Him… and so have all those who have died in faith since… Jesus said to the criminal beside Him upon the cross, “today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:43).

But on the final day, when Christ shall separate the righteous and the wicked from among all people everywhere (i.e., final judgment), some will be resurrected to life (in the new heavens and the new earth), while others will “thrown into” “gehenna” or “the lake of fire” or “the second death” or hell (Rev. 20:14, 21:8).

And this is why Jesus promised the Christians in Smyrna that they would not “be hurt by” it (Rev. 2:11)! This is the judgment that Christ will render upon all who sin, all who rebel against Him, and all who persecute and slander His people… But this is also the judgment and condemnation that those who remain faithful will not suffer… No, those who remain faithful will receive the “crown of life” from the King of life, who has Himself died and come to life again!

And this is the perspective Christ is calling Christians to have as they endure their present circumstances of tribulation and slander. Jesus even says that the present “poverty” of Christians in this world is not ultimately true or real… Indeed, the very Christians who are suffering “are rich” according to Jesus (Rev. 2:9)… not because their poverty is pretend or because their hardship isn’t painful… but because it pales in comparison with the glory that is to come!

Brothers and sisters, Christians will endure various afflictions in this world, up to and including fatal persecution, but Christ promises eternal life to those who remain faithful.

Remember what I told you about Faithful before… the character from Pilgrim’s Progress… that he did not fail the test of Vanity Fair? He remained faithful to the King as he made his way through the town, and he even remained faithful when he was brought before the kangaroo court. But like the courts of public opinion, of economic opportunities, and even of civil institutions in this world, the court of Vanity Fair did indeed have the power or ability to carry out their judgments.

Faithful was condemned to be put to death. He was first scourged, then beaten, then cut, and then stoned with stones. And last of all, they burned him to ashes at the stake. “Thus,” said John Bunyan, “came Faithful to his end.”

But then Bunyan narrates the story a bit further. He wrote, “Now, I saw that there stood behind the murderous multitude a chariot and a couple of horses waiting for Faithful, who (as soon as his adversaries had dispatched him) was taken up into it, and straightway was carried up through the clouds with the sound of a trumpet the nearest way to the celestial gate.”

Bunyan knew what the Bible teaches us about slander and tribulation and even fatal persecution. He knew that Christ is the one who overrules all things, and that He even has the power of the rage of His enemies in His own hand. And Bunyan knew that even death itself must give way to life for those who remain faithful to Christ… So Bunyan put this song in Christian’s mouth:

Well, Faithful, thou hast faithfully professed

Unto thy Lord, with whom thou shalt be blessed.

When faithless ones, with all their vain delights,

Are crying out under their hellish plights,

Sing, Faithful, sing, and let thy name survive,

For, though they killed thee, thou art yet alive.

May God help us believe the words of the One who is the first and the last, the One who died and came to life again… and may God help us to trust Him, to endure whatever tribulation may come our way, and to remain faithful… even unto death… so that we too may receive (on the last day) the crown of life.

Bibliography

Aland, Kurt, Barbara Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, eds. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.

Beale, G. K., and David H. Campbell. Revelation: A Shorter Commentary. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2015.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. Logos Research Edition. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

Dodd, Damon C. The Book of Revelation. Randall House Publications, 2000.

Lange, John Peter, et al. A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Revelation. Logos Bible Software, 2008.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Logos Research Edition. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Logos Research Edition. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. Logos Research Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984.

The NET Bible First Edition. Logos Research Edition. Biblical Studies Press, 2005.

Endnotes

[i] Here’s a free PDF version on Google Books of The Pilgrim’s Progress published in 1856. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_pilgrim_s_progress/Bv0CAAAAQAAJ?hl=en

[ii] Here’s a helpful instruction and summary of the terms sheol, hades, and gehenna. https://thecripplegate.com/sheol-hades-and-gehenna-are-there-differences/