“Faithful Unto Death” Revelation 2:8-11

VII – Book of Revelation

A Sermon Series

“Faithful Unto Death”

Revelation 2:8-11

Introduction

In the book of Job we find a man who endures great suffering. He loses his children, his house, and his health. He finds himself sitting on an ash heap covered in boils and is absolutely miserable. He is left with a wife that tells him, “Why don’t you curse God and die?” and he has friends who ask him foolish questions and give him bad advice. We are told that in all that he went through he was faithful and loved the Lord – but he was never given an answer for why he had gone through all that he had gone through.

What Job cannot know and cannot see is a reality beyond what he can see and experience. Satan goes to God and they talk about Job – of which Job never knows about. Jesus wants the church to know that there is a reality beyond what can be seen and experienced here, that if we remain faithful, we will receive eternal life. But why things happen here the way they do, we may never know, yet Jesus expects us to remain faithful, even unto death.”

Prayer

Jesus is Bigger Than Death (v. 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.

This is the second letter that is written to the churches in John’s Revelation, and is specifically written to the church in Smyrna. It is the next stop on the route of the seven churches that are mentioned. “If one traveled from Ephesus to Smyrna, he would cover a distance of about thirty-five miles to the north.”[1]

Smyrna was a wealthy seaport city, and is the seat of Roman emperor worship. “Under Emperor Domitian, it became a capital offense to refuse to offer the yearly sacrifice to the emperor.”[2] Every Roman citizen on threat of death, once a year had to burn incense on the alter of the godhead of Caesar, after which he was issued a certificate. You burn a pinch of incense and say, “Caesar is Lord (kyrios).”

Remember, that Jesus is described in the opening verse in such a way that helps us apply the message that is given to the specific church. In v. 8 Jesus is described as “the first and the last,” and the one “who died and came to life.” As the first that ever was and the one who will outlast all that will ever be, Jesus is eternal. “The first and the last” is an OT title for God (Isa. 44:6; 48:12; 41:2). Yet, the eternal one died and came back to life. He has never ceased to be and will never cease to be, yet for a moment He died.We who have not always existed, have been born, and in a moment (like steam) will pass from this earth, and yet remain eternal (either with Christ in eternal life, or in eternal separation from Him, that John will later call “the second death”).

Jesus is Eternal (over time and circumstances)

and the God Who Died and Rose Again (over life and death).

Nothing that is happening is outside of His Plan.

 Jesus Knows His People in Their Suffering (v. 9)

⁹ “‘I know your tribulation (pressure) 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. 

For the church at Ephesus, Jesus says that He knows how they have faithfully served, but He told them that they needed to repent of the sin of an unloving heart. Their love for the God and other Christians had grown cold. But there is no reprimand for the church in Smyrna.

Jesus says to the church in Smyrna, “I know . . . ,” This church is facing tribulation, poverty, and slander. When the church faces persecution and tribulation, or when you as a Christian have to endure hardship (specifically because you are a Christian), Jesus is telling you, “I know.”

He doesn’t tell them, that “it’s really not that hard, or that bad,” He doesn’t tell them that “if they had more faith then the situation would be better,” He reminds them that He is God “the first and the last, who died and came to life.,” He has the power over all life and death, and He fully understands their suffering.

The word used for poverty here is the word for abject poverty, “denying even the basics of life.”[3] They were not just poor, they were extremely poor. Probably robbed of their possessions or businesses because of their faith in Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:8b-10 “. . . We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” We may not have what the world counts wealth, we have what is in reality wealth.

(v. 9) Is God being cruel by saying that He knows the hardships they are enduring, “your poverty (but you are rich).” No, He is pointing them to a true reality, an eternal perspective, beyond what is happening to them in the moment. These believers are rich, but not in the way the world views riches.

“Unlike the Nicolaitans (with the church at Ephesus), who endanger Christian faith from within, religious Jews, especially strong in Smyrna, were members of a distinct religious community which persecuted Christians as outsiders.”[4] Also, in the church at Ephesus, they were commended for faithfully withstanding the teachings of so-called/false apostles, the church at Smyrna have so-called/false Jewish followers.

 “and the slander[5] of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” – These are Jews in name only, “after the flesh and not after the spirit. Rom. 2:28,”[6] but they use that religion to attack and hurt other people, becoming, “a synagogue of Satan.”

“Regardless of their national descent, they had become by their bitter opposition to the church and its message, a synagogue carrying out the activities of God’s supreme adversary, Satan.”[7] The Roman authorities might be the ones carrying out the persecution, but it was in reality Satan, behind the scenes, testing them through imprisonment and tribulation.

“Unbelieving Jews commonly accused Christians of cannibalism (based on a misunderstanding of the Lord’s Supper), immorality (based on a perversion of the holy kiss with which believers greeted each other,[8] breaking up homes (when one spouse became a Christian and the other did not, it often caused conflict cf. Lk 12L51-53), atheism (because Christians rejected the pagan pantheon of deities), and political disloyalty and rebellion (because Christians refused to offer the required sacrifices to the emperor and talked about “fire from heaven” they were accused of being arsonists (Patterson, 96). Hoping to destroy the Christian faith some of Smyrna’s influential wealthy Jews reported these slanderous allegations to the Romans.”[9] What others are saying has cost them greatly.

 “Those Jews who had been guilty of the slanderous accusations against the Christians had not only reject the Jewish Messiah but had also indulged in behavior clearly forbidden by Jewish law in order to guarantee their own physical and financial well-being.”[10]

Jesus Calls His People to Be Faithful unto Death (v. 10)

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[11] you will have tribulation. Be faithful 

unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Jesus tells them that as they are going about being a Christian, doing what Christians do, worshipping how Christians worship, they will be arrested and tested for ten days. “Worse things than poverty and slander are about to come.”[12] Some of them, will die because of the persecution. But, Jesus doesn’t tell them to dial it back a little bit, don’t be quite so dogmatic. Jesus doesn’t tell them to not share their faith, or in any way change what they were doing. Keep being faithful (all the way to the end).

“that you may be tested,” – the suffering they were about to endure (being thrown in prison for 10 days) was being allowed by God so that they would be tested. Jesus’ command was for them “to be faithful.”

Jesus has nothing against this church, “The purifying fires of affliction caused the lamp of testimony to burn all the more brilliantly.”[13] “Hypocrites do not stay to face persecution, because false believers do not want to endure the pain. Trails and persecution strengthen and refine genuine saving faith, but uncover and destroy false faith.”[14]

By this time in church history, “John himself is in exile. Peter and John had often been in prison together. James the brother of John, Paul, and Peter had all suffered martyrdom.”[15]

In this life what are you willing to die for? What we are willing to die for, ultimately shows what is most important to us. We may not live under tyranny but every day you get up and give your life to/toward something.

Jesus Promises His People Life (v. 11)

¹¹He 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.’

“The one who conquers,” points back to the one who remains faithful even unto death. “We need this. Not just because some of us might die as martyrs, but because all of us live.” But which reality do we dedicate our lives to? Jesus says that if we choose to remain faithful – He does not promise a reprieve from the suffering but instead Jesus will be with them during the trial, and will be with them for eternity afterwards.

The promise to the believer is two-fold, “I will give you the crown of life (the victor’s crown),” and “The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.” James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

Revelation 21:8 explains what the “second death” is, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Those who persevere to the end, will have no part with this lake of fire.

The reward for the faithful believer is eternal life.

“. . .the first death is defined as the separation of the soul from the body, whereas the second death is the separation of the soul from God and its confinement in the place the Bible denominates as hell.”[16]

2 Timothy 4:6-8 are the apostle Paul’s words as he faces the end of his days, and he knows that his end is coming soon, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” The church is not promised ease, fortune, or popularity – It is however, promised the presence of God for those who remain faithful all the way to the end.

“The ‘crown’ usually referred to a garland of flowers worn chiefly in the worship of the pagan gods such as Cybele or Bacchus, who was pictured on coins with a crown of battlements. Faithful servants of the city appeared on coins with laurel wreaths on their heads.”[17] The crown mentioned here is the stephanos, the victor’s crown. It was awarded to the athlete who had won an athletic event. You can be loyal to this world and have your face on coins, and be celebrated by those of this reality – or you await a day when Jesus will give you a crown of righteousness.

Of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, which one would you predict to make it until today? Of the seven, only Smyrna remained. The incredibly poor, greatly persecuted, and slandered group of believers kept pushing on and the current city has about 2/3 population of professing Christians. Rome has long since fallen, but the church still stands strong despite Satan’s best efforts to crush it.

“Gen. William Nelson, a Union general in the Civil War, was consumed with the battles in Kentucky when a brawl ended up in his being shot, mortally, in the chest. He had faced many battles, but the fatal blow came while he was relaxing with his men. As such, he was caught fully unprepared. As men ran up the stairs to help him, the general had just one phrase, “Send for a clergyman; I wish to be baptized.” He never had time as an adolescent or young man. He never had time as a private or after he became a general. And his wound did not stop or slow down the war. Everything around him was left virtually unchanged–except for the general’s priorities. With only minutes left before he entered eternity, the one thing he cared about was preparing for eternity. He wanted to be baptized. Thirty minutes later he was dead.”[18]

Why would God want this church to be so close to death? Because it forces us to ask the questions, of what do we daily give our lives to, and what is truly important in this life.

_____________________

[1] John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Press, 1966) 59.

[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Revelation 1-11 (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Press, 1999) 69.

[3] Paige Patterson, The New American Commentary, Volume 39, Revelation (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishing, 2012) 96.

[4] Robert W. Wall, New International Biblical Commentary, Revelation (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1991) 73.

[5] For example, see Acts 18:12-17

[6] R. H. Charles, The International Critical Commentary, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John (Edinburgh, Scotland; T & T Clark Publishing, 1963) 57.

[7] Robert H. Mounce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1977) 93.

[8] See Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26

[9] MacArthur, 72.

[10] Patterson, 97.

[11] Patterson also suggests that there is some evidence that the 10 days mentioned may be a reference to a 10-day process for gladiatorial games.

[12] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures In the New Testament, Volume VI, The General Epistles and The Revelation of John (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1933) 302.

[13] Walvoord, 65.

[14] MacArthur, 68.

[15] Robertson, 302.

[16] Patterson, 99.

[17] Alan F. Johnson, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 12 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1981) 439.

[18] https://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/d/death.htm