2021-8-22, Revive and Rebuke: Jesus Speaks to His Church, The Church at Smyrna, Revelation 2:8-11
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This morning, we gathered at 9 AM to pray for the Afghan Crisis.
Taliban going door to door looking for Christians. It’s bad. The Christians there are suffering. They cannot escape. They are left to simply trust God and endure.
With this we have a true-life example of our brothers and sisters in Christ enduring brutal persecution.
Perhaps this helps us to understand the context of the Christians of the seven churches of Revelation.
They we facing persecution throughout the empire, but they could receive comfort that Christ wins in the end.
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Jesus walks among the seven golden lampstands.
Robed and wearing a wearing a golden sash as a great high priest.
He judges His churches according to righteousness. Whiteness of His hair and his feet like burnished bronze.
He sees deeply into the hearts of His churches- and weighs their intentions.
He bears authority- voice like roaring waves.
He protects His churches- double edged sword coming out of His mouth.
He bears the glory of God- Shining face
He holds his churches, and their elders, in His hand
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.
Restatement of 1:17-18, so we know this is Jesus.
Critical components of the gospel: He is the Son of God, He died, and He was raised. In doing these things, he won our redemption.
9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
He paved the way for us.
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
As Jesus goes, so do we.
The letter is from Jesus to the church at Smyrna...
Rev 2:8a, We do not know much from Scripture about the church at Smyrna. It was likely founded by church planters from Ephesus.
The Christians in Smyrna were persecuted.
Gov’t Persecution
The city emphasized emperor worship:
In Rome, worship of the emperor was a litmus test of patriotism. Citizens had to regularly burn incense to the emperor as a sign of loyalty, received a certificate saying they had done so.
This was no problem for most of the citizens of Smyrna. They were cheerfully on board with emperor worship. The city had already dedicated a whole temple to Emperor Tiberius in A.D. 26.
In the late first century, Emperor Domitian made the refusal to offer incense punishable by death.
Faithful Christians would not submit to the government on this issue. Therefore, they were constantly at risk of persecution and execution.
One of John’s students, Polycarp, was martyred because he would not worship the emperor. He was burned at the stake when he was at least 86. “Eighty and six years have I served Him. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched; but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked" (Wikipedia).
Social Persecution
Smyrna was generally pagan:
The citizens worshipped a variety of gods. There were temples to Zeus, Cybele (sai-bell), Appollo, Asklepios, and Aphrodite.
There were a regular parade of pagan celebrations over the course of the year, filled with every kind of debauchery and sin.
The Christians refused to participate in these too. Socially they came to be known as outcasts (JM 59)
Jewish Persecution
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.
The Jews accused the Christians of
cannibalism,
immorality,
breaking up homes,
and rebellion to Rome.
The Jews reported these accusations to the local Roman authorities (JM, 59).
Jesus’ perspective on these Jews, God’s chosen people, who did not believe in Him, was that they were not children of God, but children of the devil. This is not the first time Jesus has called out the Jews for their rejection of Him.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
This is their blasphemy- It is blasphemy to deny that Jesus is the Christ.
John reiterates that because they deny Christ, they do not belong to God.
23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
The Jews, who prided themselves as being God’s covenant people, failed to recognize that their denial of Christ and the persecution of Christ followers was satanic.
So, Jesus tells the Christians at Smyrna, that the Jews there are not true Jews (maybe physically, but not spiritually, Romans 2:28-29).
And their synagogues belong to Satan.
Wow! This sounds like dramatic rhetoric. But given the source, Jesus our Lord, we have to take these statements as truth.
Maybe we need to adjust our perspective about those who reject Jesus Christ. People may say a lot of good things, but what they say about Jesus is most important, and it reveals if they belong to God.
The persecution the Christians endured is their tribulation.
Related to it is their poverty. Many of the believers were slaves who owned nothing. Those who were not slaves were losing their possessions due to persecution.
Jesus says that He knows their tribulation and poverty. He commends them for suffering for His sake.
In these is assurance that He is with them in the midst of it. (Mt. 28:20).
After the commendation, Jesus warns them that they will face more persecution.
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.
Some of them will be thrown into prison, specifically for 10 days. There is a lot in the Book of Revelation which is intended to be taken figuratively. In this particular case, there is nothing compelling us to interpret it symbolically. So, the Christians in Smyrna need to be ready to experience an intense, but brief, trial. The sobering part of this, some of the Christian will not make it out alive.
There are a few takeaways from this short verse.
1. The devil is behind the persecution of believers. He is the one who inspires attacks on those who hold the truth by those in power- Romans, Jews. He works to see Christians destroyed.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
2. God allows the devil to do it. Trials serve as an opportunity for true believers to demonstrate that their faith in Christ is genuine saving faith which never ends.
As Christians maintain their faith even unto death, God receives glory, the devil is defeated, and believers are strengthened and delivered.
3. Jesus tells them not to fear the suffering they are about to endure. In this Jesus encourages them to maintain a right perspective even as they face horrible things. Beyond the present suffering is the Lord Most High who promises to strengthen us in our trials and to deliver us. 1 Cor. 10:13.
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus gives them counsel...
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.’
Christians who are faithful to the end are truly Christians. The reward for those who make it to the end of this life with faith intact (proving that it was genuine saving faith from the beginning) will receive eternal life. Here, Jesus describes it as a crown of life.
There is a promise which comes to believers from the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit- they will not receive the second death. This is foreshadowing of the things to come. Rev 20:14, 21:8
Christians, though they suffer pain in the first death, will not suffer in the second- the one which matters more.
Interestingly, Smyrna is one of the two churches (with Philadelphia) which did not receive a rebuke from Jesus.
This should tell us that there is something the Lord looks upon joyfully, God treasures the perseverance of His children in the midst of pressure.
From Mark Morris TGC-
In early July, Afghan pastors and church leaders made a difficult decision. They decided to formally register their faith with the Afghan government. What an absurdity to register as Christians in an Islamic republic that prohibits a person from converting to Christianity! Against the advice of many, these Afghan church leaders felt compelled, for the sake of future generations, to legally declare their true faith in Christ.
“What about our children and our grandchildren?” they said. “Someone should make this sacrifice so the next generations can openly call themselves followers of Jesus.” They registered with the government, and we all prayed from outside, asking God to protect them from being rounded up and imprisoned the next morning. They were interviewed but not arrested.
...
We ended a church meeting with a synopsis of David Platt’s admonition at a secret church gathering on The Cross and Suffering:
We must face suffering with a higher view of God.
We must face suffering with a humble view of ourselves and other people.
Remember that suffering and evil exist to exalt the glory of God’s grace, as demonstrated through the suffering of Jesus for the salvation of all.
God ordains suffering for Christians in different ways for different purposes and through different means.
Among other reasons, he leads us into suffering to refine our faith, to show his glory and to teach us to depend on him.
Finally, our good and merciful Father leads his people into the turbulent waters of suffering as part of the orchestration of His plan to complete the Great Commission.
God does not promise no problems, quite literally the opposite.
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
Our role in them is to hold fast to the Lord. Stay the course. Hold the line. Trust the long game. Stay faithful to the end.
“The Greek word translated ‘Smyrna’ was used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to translate the Hebrew word for “myrrh,” a substance used as a perfume for the living (Mt 2:11) and the dead (Jn 19:39). Its association with death perfectly pictures the suffering church at Smyrna. Like myrrh, produced by crushing a fragrant plant, the church at Smyrna, crushed by persecution, gave off a fragrant aroma of faithfulness to God (JM , Because the Time is Near, 57).”