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2. The Letter of Jesus Christ to the Pastor in Smyrna (Izmir) (Revelation 2:8-11)
The Devil Is About to Throw Some of You into Prison: Jesus commanded the church leader: “Fear not!” His presence and everlastingness were the foundation for the prohibition against fearing. Fear hinders faith and hope, and it is a sign of insufficient love towards Jesus.
The threatening danger appears clearer in Jesus’ prophetic words in Smyrna than in the letter to the Ephesians. Jesus told the church leader that real sufferings awaited him, which were born of divine necessity and were, therefore, inevitable. He and some other church pastors were to be interrogated and imprisoned, not only because the infuriated Judas wanted this, but because this was the will of the Lord. Their suffering would be a testing and purifying of their spiritual substance, which would show whether they loved Jesus above everything else and trusted Him. It would also expose where their true riches lay.
Satan* was behind this attack. He is always the one who revolts against God and wages war against His children. The existence of the Church is a thorn in the eye of this evil one. With all sorts of machinations, he seeks to tempt Christians to fall away, or to tempt them to renounce Christ by means of violence or torture. It was Satan who drove the Jews to heap shame and contempt upon the church by slandering the leaders of the church and having them arrested. Not all Jews are tools of Satan; but the synagogue in Smyrna opened itself to his evil spirit.
You Will Have Tribulation Ten Days: The Jewish congregation had no authority to imprison or condemn either one of their own members or an outsider. That is why they most likely influenced and bribed the heathen Roman officials. With false accusations they forced them to come against the main church leaders. The examining magistrates were not squeamish about pursuing their suspects, but sought, with all means at their disposal, to find out what was behind the accusations. Even today torture and humiliating penalties are often used in the East in order to wring out the truth from prisoners.
After ten days of interrogation and torment, the examining officials and their authorities would know that the accused were not guilty of causing political unrest. They would also know that the issue at hand also had nothing to do with fraudulent business or tax matters, but rather that the problem was only of a religious and pastoral nature. But this turn of events also brought a great danger with it, for not acknowledging the divinity of the Caesar could be interpreted as revolt and rebellion. The Jews most likely accused the Christians of worshiping as “King of Kings” a man whom the Romans had judged and crucified. This accusation represented a very real and mortal threat to the pastor and elder of this church. That is why Jesus instructed John to write:
Be Faithful Until Death, And I Will Give You the Crown of Life: The testing of the church pastor and his congregation had to do with their love towards Jesus and their faith in Him. They were asked not only to be steadfast in difficulty, but also faithful in their evangelizing. In Revelation 1:5 we already read about Jesus Christ, the unique and true Witness; here we read about courageously standing up for Him. The goal of this testing was not only to defend the truth and to persevere in it, but also the salvation of the accusers and judges. On the Cross Jesus prayed that all those should be forgiven who, because of their sins, were responsible for His death.
Thus we see that not only was their belief in God being tested, but also the intensity of their love towards Him and their fellow man. In the Greek language, belief and faithfulness are the same word, and in Arabic they are closely related.
For the majority of the church pastors, the time of testing was limited to ten days. The evil one was not given the authority to destroy or endlessly torment the congregation. Nevertheless, a death sentence was a very real possibility for the church pastor. Whoever did not worship Caesar was considered a rebel, and whoever acknowledged a different king was suspected of being a spy.
This fundamental principle is seen again and again in many totalitarian governments: Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Khomeini, Saddam Hussein, and other tribunes require not only fealty and obedience, but also faithfulness and complete submission. Muhammad also combined faith and politics in his theocracy. It is true that he did not demand the worship of his person, but rather faith in him and a complete obedience in all matters of life and faith. In the Islamic confession of faith, the names of Muhammad and Allah are both honored. The Sharia, in addition to containing the so-called commands of Allah, also includes ordinances based on Muhammad’s example and way of life.
At the end of the age, the Antichrist will sit in a newly built Temple, proclaim himself to be God, and demand everyone to worship him. Whoever does not submit to him will not be able to buy or sell, and a global persecution of Christians will soon follow. Therefore, the words of Christ – “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” – have relevance for today as well as the time when He returns.
The word crown in Greek can also be understood as “victor’s laurels”. In a race whoever is the first one to reach the goal is entitled to receive the victor’s laurels. Priests are also asked to be faithful to their calling until the very end – cost what it may!
Jesus challenged the church leader to be faithful until death, for He had promised him the crown of life. All those who are in Christ are already living eternally in the here and now, yet this divine life in Christ must be tested. Just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead after His death, so too will the believer rise after death and be received by the Resurrected One. However, this church leader, unlike Jesus, would not be alone and forsaken during his last moments of life. Jesus, the Son of God, was the only One who had to suffer being totally godforsaken on our behalf, so that we could always rely on His presence. David confessed: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4). Jesus assured this threatened man: “See, I am the First and the Last. I was dead but am now alive and hold the keys of death and Hades.” This revelation of Jesus represents an anointing for life, for all those who die for Him.
He Who Has an Ear, Let Him Hear What the Spirit Says to the Churches: In the letter to the head of the church in Smyrna, all seven churches in Asia Minor were also being addressed. Suffering for Jesus unto death was a very real possibility for most of the congregants. That is why they were to listen closely and comprehend the comfort that the Lord, in His love and care, wished to give them. The Lord encouraged them not to be pessimistic, but to remain positive and live as those who had already crossed over from death to life.
He Who Overcomes Shall Not Be Hurt by the Second Death: One overcomes fear by looking to Jesus Christ, as the writer of the letter to the Hebrews attests: “Therefore … let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews12:1-3). When we look to Jesus, He can give us His strength to overcome!
Smyrna was a city in which future martyrs would also die for Jesus Christ. The famous bishop Polycarp was executed there fifty years later because he refused to worship Caesar as God. He was faithful to his Lord unto death.
The New Testament speaks of a first and second death. The first death is the death of the body, which is the point at which the heart stops beating and the body perishes. This death has authority over us for a limited time. In the case of spiritually reborn Christians, this death is conquered through faith and baptism, for Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26). The second death is the suffering of the soul in the absence of God and in the restless and evil company of the damned and demons. All remorse is, at this point, too late. Like fire, it will burn in the conscience of the unbelieving rebel. The ongoing clamor and cacophony from everyone there will accompany his ever-increasing terror and fear. This second death represents an eternal wish for death with an accompanying inability to ever do so. In the story of poor Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus described this state clearly, in order to call the living to repentance (Luke 16:19-31).
The pastor in Smyrna, however, was assured that he would never suffer the second death of the eternally damned. He also did not need to fear his physical death, for this would actually represent a release from poverty, shame, and persecution. The life of God would be realized in him as eternal peace and constant comfort.
PRAYER: O Living Lord, Source of eternal life, we thank you because You revealed to the church minister in Smyrna the tribulation his church was about to suffer with false accusations and fearful imprisonment, and you encouraged him to forbear and be faithful until death for the sake of the eternal life that You granted him. Strengthen thousands in our days who experience the same danger that they may overcome the fear in themselves and stand firm in Your eternal life granted to them indeed.
QUESTION:
- What is the Crown of Life?