Revelation
2:8-11 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things
saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 9 I know thy works, and tribulation,
and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say
they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 10 Fear none of those things which thou
shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may
be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life. 11
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He
that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Apart from the Bible, the things that happen on this planet don't
make sense.
It's impossible to explain the selfish, savage and sinful deeds men are capable
of otherwise...
Some want to blame their background,... But if the environment were to blame, then
everyone in that environment would to be effected. The environment contributes, but is not the cause.
Some want to call degenerate behavior a
disease...
But it isn’t passed on by a germ or virus, nor can it be cured by a medication.
Life can't be explained apart from God! The Bible looks beyond the visible.
· It allows us to see
what is going on behind the scenes of human existence.
· It not only shows
us what is going to happen; it explains what is happening.
· It helps us
understand the invisible forces in conflict with the visible.
The message to Smyrna is the shortest of the messages to the
seven churches.
Yet, its four verses help explain events that seem unexplainable.
The church at Smyrna was suffering; it was a church under persecution. For
many years, they faced persistent hostility. It wasn’t easy to be a Christian
in Smyrna, but it was possible, and that is what Jesus wanted them to know.
Please notice first what is said about...
1.
THEIR WORKS (v 8-9).
· They Suffered persecution. I know thy…tribulation,..
The word tribulation means pressed together. It's a picture of a crushing pressure like
that necessary to grind wheat into flour or squeeze the juice from an orange. The
city of Smyrna was putting the squeeze on these believers. They faced
harassment, religious and political purges, threats, and vicious attacks. The
tribulation mentioned here is trouble these believers would not have experienced
if they had not been Christians.
· They Struggled with poverty. I know
thy…poverty,..
Smyrna was a wealthy city, but persecution had made the
believers poor. When
Jesus spoke of their poverty, he didn’t mean that they
were hard up, or that money was a little tight. The word means absolute destitution. These believers had nothing.
In the eyes of the world, these believers were poor;
but in the eyes of God, they were rich. The citizens of Smyrna judged the poverty
of the Christians and said, “See, it doesn’t pay to be a follower of Jesus.”
Jesus looked into eternity, and saw great deposits in
the Bank of Heaven.
He saw riches that could not be diminished by time or stolen by thieves, and He
said, “I know thy poverty (but thou art rich.)”
I
know [oido]. The word
that Jesus used means “to know fully; to know inside out.” It refers to
knowledge gained by experience.
When Jesus said, I know thy tribulation and poverty, he was
saying, “I know what you’re going through. I’ve been there and done that.” He had
faced ridicule and rejection. He had experienced sorrow and pain. He had given
up the riches of heaven and became poor for us. He even knew what it was to die
a cruel, painful, humiliating death at the hands of angry sinners.
When we hurt, and think know one knows what we are
going through, Jesus does!
2.
THEIR WARFARE (v 9-10). ...I know the blasphemy of them
which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 10 Fear none of those things which thou
shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may
be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life.
·
The
Reality of the Devil. In these verses, Jesus speaks of men belonging to the
synagogue (church) of Satan. He spoke of persecutions instigated by the devil.
He reminds us that we have an unseen enemy.
Not only is there an evil heart at work in man, but
there is an evil
host at work upon man. The Bible saya we have a powerful enemy
who is ruthless in his hatred of mankind and God’s people specifically.
He's totally dedicated to opposing the advancement of true Christianity
and is the author of pseudo-Christianity.
·
The
Range of his Devices.
Deception: There were persons
in the assembly that claiming to be God’s people and believed they were doing
God’s work. In reality, they were controlled by Satan and were accomplishing
his purposes. They are self-deceived. There
are many today like them – College professors, Judges, Clergy, Politicians,
Hollywood socialites, etc...
Circumstances: Jesus makes it clear the devil is the master mind of
the persecution the church endured. The
circumstances meant to crush us begins
in the heart of our enemy.
Time: John wrote Revelation
at the end of Domitian’s reign. That persecution was followed by an even more
intense persecution under the Trajan. His bloody persecution
continued until Adrian succeeded him. History tells us the length of that persecution
was precisely ten years.
3.
THEIR WITNESS (v 11). He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
What was the persecuted church to do?
· Face trials without fear (v 10a). Fear
none of those things which thou shalt suffer.
Jesus is the Lord
of the Extremes, the things that come first and the things that come
last. He was present before there was
anything to fear, and He will remain victorious when all the things we fear
have passed away.
· Face death with faith (v 10b). Be thou faithful unto death.
Jesus was telling them to remain faithful,
even if it cost them their lives. Being faithful to Jesus may cost you
popularity, a promotion, friendships, health (such as missionaries); it may even
cost you your life.
· Focus on the final victory (v 10c). I will give thee a
crown of life.
James
1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the
Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Matthew
Henry – “We
only bear the cross for a little while, but we shall wear the crown of life for
eternity.”
Adam
Clark –
“It is only love for God that can enable a man to endure the trials of life.
Love lifts burdens; all things are possible to those who love.”
