Revelation 2:10-11

Revelation 2:10-11

As we return to Revelation, and Christ’s dealing with the church of Smyrna, we find a church that has struggled with finances, persecution, and deceitful workers of Satan. With so much that they have dealt with, it is easy to see why they are called the suffering church.

But just like this church and the sufferings it faced, there were those within this church who did love the Lord and sought to make this a church a place that glorified Christ. Are we going to face persecution? Yes! Are we going to have troubles in this world with its morality and teachings? We should. But through it all, we need to keep our eyes on the prize.

At the height of World War II Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned for taking a stand against Hitler. Yet he continued to urge fellow believers to resist Nazi tyranny. A group of Christians, believing that Hitler was the Antichrist, asked Bonhoeffer, “Why do you expose yourself to all this danger? Jesus will return any day, and all your work and suffering will be for nothing.” Bonhoeffer replied, “If Jesus returns tomorrow, then tomorrow I’ll rest from my labor. But today I have work to do. I must continue the struggle until it’s finished.”

The disciples knew and understood suffering, they had endured it for some time. Most at this point had given their life because of their faith in Christ. John the lone disciple has suffered tremendously. Learning of his fellow brothers being martyred for their faith had to be hard on him emotionally. But John was faithful to Christ. He began teaching and training others to continue on the work. And one of those was Polycarp. Faithful to Christ, Polycarp was instrumental in these days for the church of Smyrna. In fact, it has been said that Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna. But just like the words that were shared with John, the suffering came full force on the church when Polycarp was taken and burned at the stake by Marcus Aurelius. That name may sound familiar to some, as in the movie Gladiator, Marcus is portrayed in the movie by Richard Harris. A far cry of who Marcus really was.

But through all of this, the church endured, so much that it still exists today. Through the suffering and the hard work, here is a church that has remained for the cause of Christ.

Vs 10 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:”

· When we hear that word suffering, there is a shrieking feeling that comes over us that wants to avoid suffering as much as possible.

· The Lord encourages His own to face boldly the hatred and violent opposition of this world.

· We are scared to deal with these types of situations. We don’t like pain or verbal abuse. But we are encouraged to deal with these uncomfortable ordeals.

· The long history of the church has been one of constant persecution. Many of those whose names have become household words in the family of God have had to suffer severely for their faith. John Knox, for example, labored at the oar of a French ship as a galley slave at one point in his confrontation with Mary Queen of Scots. He was a man of iron who could be neither coaxed nor cowed into submission. One day when at the oar, John Knox was presented by a priest with an image of the virgin mother and was required, as a blasphemous heretic, to do it reverence. John Knox took the image in his hand and looked at it. “Mother? Mother of God?” he snorted, “This is no mother of God; this is a piece of painted wood, more fit for swimming than worship.” And he pitched it overboard![1]

· Here was a church that was about to face great agony by the world. That society, the government, and the forces of Satan were about to unleash an assault on this church.

· We may feel like we are under assault as well, when we are persecuted by life for being followers of Christ.

· I believe that the church is facing one of the severest attacks by Satan than ever before. It reminds me of a light house on the rocky shores of a coast, and the deep waters rising up and splashing into that house, but the light house remains. Listen we need to get into the safety of the light house and know that we will be safe there.

“Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison”

· Now, I don’t believe any of us want to go to prison. They are overcrowded. Filled with violence and drug activity. So, we live our lives to avoid going there. But what happens when we are told we are going to be thrown in prison because of our faith; what do we do?

· Smyrna was about the face a terrible wrath of Satan. And one of his tactics was to get people to denounce their faith, to turn from Christ and become apostates, by throwing them into prison.

· Around the world, there are a multitude of people who are incarcerated because they believe in Jesus Christ. They are falsely accused of crimes. For example

· This month marks the two-year anniversary of Pastor Andrew Brunson’s release from Turkey. He was arrested and acquitted of charges of espionage and terrorism. Andrew is from NC and spent 25 years leading the church in Izmir, Turkey. Which is the church of Smyrna!

· Yet, there are still thousands around the world who are just like Andrew, and are imprisoned, and no one is reporting on them and praying for them by name.

· Listen, this verse is a foreshadow of things to come. I believe whole-heartedly that many people will begin to fill the cells of prisons and even worse, executed for their faith in Jesus Christ. It can happen even here in America.

“That ye may be tried”

· I have never experienced the agony of living behind bars, but from those who have, they tell me it is torturous. Not having the freedom to come or go, to deal without some of the conveniences that we enjoy today, can becoming taxing on one’s body and mind.

· Satan wants to make Christians a public example. He wants to mock and parade around them, causing them to question their faith and scare others.

· As we mentioned earlier, Polycarp, was one who went through such persecution. Satan was trying to break the branches from the vine, and trying and executing Polycarp gave him the platform to get his point out.

· The congregants of Smyrna lived in a society where it was scary to walk outside, to go to sleep, to even speak the name of Jesus, without the fear of being brought before the court and then sentenced to death.

· This type of tyranny by the Devil, will ramp up as we approach the day of the Lord’s return. I believe that soon, we will see the shift in American society, where our faith will be labeled as a terror organization, and we will be tried on what we believe from the Bible.

“And ye shall have tribulation ten days”

· Now we come to an intriguing phrase. Jesus speaks to this church that they will have tribulation ten days.

· It is unknown if this is a literal time period, or a symbolic of something greater, but we can determine that this is not going to be a pleasant time for the believer.

· As Satan persecutes the church, it appears that those who refuse to deny Jesus will be taken to execution. In the case of Polycarp, he was burned at the stake. Those confessing Christ will find that the world will come with a quick punishment, without delay.

· Note that the number 10 is used. 10 has been used in the Bible in several instances, often with law and judgment. For instance, there are 10 commandments or laws given by God to Moses, there were 10 plagues on the Egypt. In the Old Testament, a tithe or a tenth was given to the Lord.

· When we think about 10, we can say that something is given. For example, the 10 commandments the nation of Israel was to give obedience. The 10 plagues, Egypt was to give up the children of Israel, in a tithe, a person was to give of their wealth. And in this passage, a person would give up their life.

· Now we may think this idea of being put to death for our faith silly, but it will be like this once again.

“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

· In 1999, our nation endured a terrible event, the Columbine shooting. 12 students and 1 teacher lost their life that day. In that two of those students were professing Christians, who when asked if they believed in God were shot.

· Dying for our faith in Jesus seems extreme for many of us, but not for this church at Smyrna, and honestly, I don’t believe it will be too much longer when we see this happening in our own communities.

· One of the songs I remember listening too, by Philips, Craig and Dean is called I am a friend of God. Now that is a great message we like to hear, being a friend of God. But listen to what John 15:13 says

No Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends

· Listen, when you are a friend of God, you should be willing to give it all up, including your life. But listen, Jesus has something waiting for you on the other side. A Crown of Life!!

· Here is a crown that will be given to all who believe in Jesus, a crown that Christ has bestowed on us for trusting and believing in him.

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches”

· Jesus now addresses the entire reading and listening audience, here he has spoken to the church of Smyrna, and to us. This phrasing is not just to one church but to all of us, past and present. Listen to what the Lord has to say.

· Oh, if we would just listen to Jesus. Listen to His Spirit. Instead of turning a deaf ear to him, listen and realize that what he is saying is not something to laugh, scoff, or deny. But that we realize this is going to happen.

· Throughout the Bible, Jesus has shared his message to us Israel and to us, let us not forsake what he is saying in the Word!

· The message is from the Spirit, it should resonate in our life, it should echo in our ears, it should root in our soul. Here is the Words that need to be heard.

“He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death”

· So, as we come to the final phrase, we see that Jesus makes mention of the one that overcometh. Who is this that overcometh? It is not speaking of Jesus directly, Jesus is the one speaking these words. It is the believer of Christ.

· 1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

· The overcomer is the one who has put their faith and trust in Jesus and been born again. Jesus is speaking to us a promise. Now what is the promise?

· It is deliverance from Hell, which is called the second death. When we are a child of God, there is no need to fear death, because we have the assurance that Jesus is there to give us life.

· An example of one who was not worried was Peter, when faced with a pending execution. He had been arrested by Herod and condemned to death, the sentence to be executed on the morrow. Already James had been slain. His turn was next. But what was Peter doing? Was he down on his knees praying for strength to go boldly to his execution? No! Was he pacing the floor gripping his hands and resolving to face his death like a man? No! He was asleep! He was not only conqueror; he was more than conqueror. He had the blessed assurance. Death is the gateway to life![2]

· As a believer, don’t worry or fret about death, but remember that when that day comes, it will be the day that you see Jesus.

[1] Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Revelation: An Expository Commentary (Re 2:10a). Kregel; WORDsearch Corp.

[2] Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Revelation: An Expository Commentary (Re 2:10b–11). Kregel; WORDsearch Corp.