Rev 2:8 - 17 Smyrna & Pergamum

Smyrna and Pergamum

Rev 2:8-17

Smyrna – The persecuted church 100-312 AD

Read V8-11

Smyrna means “myrrh”. What is myrrh? Burial spice.

Where have we seen myrrh before in the bible? It was offered to Jesus twice, at his birth (with gold (king), Frankincense (priest) and at his Crucifixion ( as an anesthetic which he refused.)

Where does it come from and how is it made? Comes from a tree and must be crushed to release its fragrance. (An important point to this church.)

V8 Jesus describes Himself again as the First and the Last who died and came to life again. He is reminding them and us that He has conquered death as many in this church would have to give their life for being a Christian.

V9 Note: He knows..what we are going through. Sometimes that is al l we need to remember.

Works- note: the only church where there is no corrective exhortation given.

Tribulation (affliction NIV) – literally, crushing or pressure. Jesus knows the pressure you are under.

Matt 11:28 He say take his yoke which is easy.

Poverty yet you are rich. Compare to Laodecia- 3:17 (Rich but poor)

I know the blasphemy or slander of those who say they are Jews.. Just because one is in a garage doesn’t make him a car.

V10 No health or wealth doctrine here..put in prison to test you.

Suffer persecution for 10 days- Commentators on the Book of Revelation have long debated the meaning of these ten days.

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i. Some think that John really means ten years of persecution. "As the daysin this book are what is commonly called prophetic days, each answering to a year, the ten years of tribulation may denote ten years of persecution; and this was precisely the duration of the persecution under Diocletian, during which all the Asiatic Churches were grievously afflicted." (Clarke)

ii. Others think that John really means persecution over the reign of tenRoman Emperors. "The first under Nero, A.D. 54; the second under Domitian, A.D. 81; the third under Trajan, A.D. 98; the fourth under Adrian [Hadrian], A.D. 117;

the fifth under Septimus Severus, A.D. 193; the sixthunder Maximin, A.D. 235; the seventh under Decius, A.D. 249; the eighthunder Valerian, A.D. 254; the ninth under Aurelian, A.D. 270; the tenthunder Diocletian, A.D. 284." (White, cited in Walvoord)

iii. Still others have taken stranger approaches: "Others observe, that in ten days are two hundred and forty hours, which make up the number of years from 85, when the second persecution began, (under which John at this time was) to 325, when all the persecutions ceased." (Poole)

The most famous martyr in smyna was Polycarp, pastor at Smyrna, last disciple of the Apostle John, who died in 155 at the age of 86.

Polycarp was a remarkable example of both the persecution and the courage of early Christians.

i. The year after Polycarp returned from Rome, a great persecution came upon the Christians of Smyrna. His congregation urged him to leave the city until the threat blew over. So, believing that God wanted him to be around a few more years, Polycarp left the city and hid out on a farm belonging to some Christian friends. One day on the farm, as he prayed in his room, Polycarp had a vision of his pillow engulfed in flames. He knew what God said to him, and calmly told his companions "I see that I must be burnt at the stake."

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ii. Meanwhile, the chief of police issued a warrant for his arrest. They seized one of Polycarp's servants and tortured him until he told them where his master was. Towards evening, the police chief and a band of soldiers came to the old farmhouse. When the soldiers found him, they were embarrassed to see that they had come to arrest such an old, frail man. But they reluctantly put him on a donkey and walked him back to the city of Smyrna.

iii. On the way to the city, the police chief and other government officials tried to persuade Polycarp to offer a pinch of incense before a statue of Caesar and simply say "Caesar is Lord." That's all he had to do, and he would be off the hook. They pleaded with him to do it, and escape the dreadful penalties. At first Polycarp was silent, but then he calmly gave them his firm answer: no. The police chief was now angry. Annoyed with the old man, he pushed him out of his carriage and onto the hard ground. Polycarp, bruised but resolute, got up and walked the rest of the way to the arena.

iv. The horrid games at the arena had already begun in earnest. A large, bloodthirsty mob had gathered to see Christians tortured and killed. One Christian named Quintis had boldly proclaimed himself a follower of Jesus and said he was willing to be martyred. But when he saw the vicious animals in the arena, he lost courage and agreed to burn that pinch of incense to Caesar as Lord. But another young man named Germanicus didn't back down. He marched out and faced the lions, and died an agonizing death for his Lord Jesus Christ. Ten other Christians gave their lives that day, but the mob was unsatisfied. They cried out, "Away with the atheists who do not worship our gods!" To them, Christians were atheists because they did not recognize the traditional gods of Rome and Greece. Finally, the crowd started chanting "Bring out Polycarp."

v. When Polycarp brought his tired body into the arena, he and the other Christians heard a voice from heaven. It said, "Be strong, Polycarp, play the man." As he stood before the proconsul, they tried one more time to get him to renounce Jesus. The proconsul told Polycarp to agree with the crowd and shout out "Away with the atheists!" Polycarp looked sternly at the bloodthirsty mob,

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waved his hand towards them and said, "Away with those atheists!" The proconsul persisted. "Take the oath and revile Christ and I'll set you free!" Polycarp answered, "For eighty-six years I've served Jesus; how dare I now revile my King?" The proconsul finally gave up, and announced to the crowd the crime of the accused: "Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian."

vi. The crowd shouted, "let the lions loose." But the animals had already been put away. The crowd then demanded that Polycarp be burnt. The old man remembered the dream about the burning pillow, and took courage in God. He said to his executioners, "It is well. I fear not the fire that burns for a season and after a while is quenched. Why do you delay? Come, do your will."

vii. They arranged a great pile of wood, and set up a pole in the middle. As they tied Polycarp to the pole, he prayed: "I thank You that You have graciously thought me worthy of this day and of this hour, that I may receive a portion in the number of the martyrs, in the cup of Your Christ." After he prayed and gave thanks to God, they set the wood ablaze. A great wall of flame shot up to the sky, but it never touched Polycarp. God had set a hedge of protection between him and the fire. Seeing that he would not burn, the executioner, in a furious rage, stabbed the old man with a long spear. Immediately, streams of blood gushed from his body and seemed to extinguish the fire. When this happened, witnesses say they saw a dove fly up from the smoke into heaven. At the very same moment, a church leader in Rome named Iraenus, said he heard God say to him, "Polycarp is dead." God called his servant home.

V10 Crown of life- victors crown, garland or wreath.

V11 Eternal motivation- not hurt by the second death.

Rev 21: 6 And He said to me, “It is done!fn I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things,fn and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving,fn abominable,

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murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Pergamos – known as the compromising church, represents 313-600 AD. The name means objectionable marriage. During this period Constantine comes to power after having a vision of a flaming cross, and hearing a voice saying “ under this sign conquer”.

It is questionable as to whether Constantine became a “born again” but he did win the battle and became emperor.

In AD 313 he declared that Christians were no longer to be persecuted and made Christianity the state religion. As there were long established pagan religions with temples and traditions including a priestly hierarchy, he took many of the pagan practices and just put Christian names on them.

All pagan religious practices have their beginnings in the Babylonian Mystery Religion.

Q- Do you ever wonder where our Christmas and Easter traditions come from?

Nimrod, Simmeramis and Tamouz (baby)

Aka- Venus and Cupid, Aphrodite and Aros, Isis and Horas, Ashtarte and Tamouz

Saturnalia- Celebrated at the winter solstice, late December, celebrates the resurrection of Tamouz.

Yule Log? Chaldean word for child is “Yule”. The log is burned and replaced with an evergreen tree. Jeremiah 10: 3-4

The Babylonian priest sat on a throne labled “pontifus maximus”, wearin the tall “fish Hat”.

So Constantine, married the church with political power and paganism.

Rev 2: 12-17

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V12 Jesus focus his attention on his “double-edged sword”. His word.

V13 Satan’s throne- there was a huge platform or altar built for “Zeus” worship called Zeus’ seat.

Pergamos was especially known as a center for the worship of the deity known as Asclepios. Represented by a serpent, Asclepios was the god of healing and knowledge. There was a medical school at his temple in Pergamos. Because of the famous temple to the Roman god of healing, sick and diseased people from all over the Roman Empire flocked to Pergamos for relief.

i. "Sufferers were allowed to spend the night in the darkness of the temple. In the temple there were tame snakes. In the night the sufferer might be touched by one of these tame and harmless snakes as it glided over the ground on which he lay. The touch of the snake was held to be the touch of the god himself, and the touch was held to bring health and healing." (Barclay)

V13- Yet, this are tough but their were some who were true to Jesus’ name.

Who was Antipas? Article

V14 – Corrective exhortation: teaching of Balaam: allowing food offered to idols and sexual immorality. See Num 25:1-2, 31:16

He taught Israel how to compromise with the world.

V15 Nicolatines- beginnings of the church hierarchy. (Conquering the Laity)

V16 Repent- Jesus will fight against them with his Word.

V17- Message to all who have an ear:

Overcomers will receive hidden manna (hidden would be important as they lived among secret religions). We get the hidden manna directly from fellowship with Jesus.

White stone- used in voting, (black-balled) With a special new name on it.