Smyrna, You’ve Got Mail!
Revelation 2:8-11
Revelation 2:8 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.
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How can anyone be rich and poor at the same time? You look at a man who may be a millionaire and live in a fine house, drives a nice car, wears expensive clothes, who literally has everything that money can buy and there is no way that you would say that he is poor. On the other hand you look at a fellow who lives on the “other side of the tracks” as we used to say, who has a difficult time taking care of his family and may have to depend the charity of others and you would say that he is poor. But the Bible tells us that there are two kinds of wealth and two kinds of poverty. A man can have gazillion dollars but is he doesn’t know Christ as his savior; he is the poorest of the poor. On the other hand a man may be poor materially, but if he knows Jesus as his savior, he is richer that King Solomon or King Midas because he is rich spiritually. This was the case of the church at Smyrna. They were poor materially but rich spiritually! Let’s examine the Lord’s love letter to the Smyrna church.
I. The Consolation for the Church
a. He is Lord
Let’s look at the comfort in verse 6. Jesus declares that He is the “first and the last.” This church was having a hard time. They were being persecuted and suffering greatly. The name Smyrna means “suffering.” It comes from the word “myrrh” which is the same spice which the wise men brought to the baby Jesus and it is the same spice mixed with vinegar offered to our Lord on the Cross. It is a fragrant spice but in order to smell it’s perfume it must be beaten and crushed. This church was going through some deep water and it was being crushed by the persecution it was facing. But Jesus is saying “The one who is with you is greater than the one who is against you,” and “I am with you, I have more power than Satan, don’t be afraid, I’ll never leave you nor forsake you.”
b. He lives
Next, Jesus says that “I was dead, but am alive.” He is saying that they killed me but death couldn’t keep me and if I have power over death, surely I have the power to help you. Other people die never to live again in this world but not Jesus. You can go to the tomb of Lenin or Stalin and you will find their bodies. You can go to the tomb of Mohammed or Confucius or Buddha and you find a pile of bones. But go to that little rock hew tomb where the Son of God was laid and you will find it bare and empty. We can sing, “Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph or his foes, He arose a victor from the dark domain and He lives forever with his saints to reign, He arose, He arose, hallelujah, Christ arose!” Friends it is a great comfort indeed to know that we have a Savior who can sympathize and understand our sorrows and suffering and walk through the “valley of the shadow” with us and also be the omnipotent one who lives forevermore.
II. The Conditions for the Church
a. He knows their works
Jesus is not only the all-powerful one, he is the all-knowing one. Whether we live in the first of the twenty first century he knows everything about our condition.
b. He knows their walk
The word “tribulation” in verse 8 sometimes refers to the Roman whip or scourge like the one used on Jesus the night before his crucifixion. Here Jesus uses an even stronger word that suggests the crushing of grain under a huge millstone. Some folks today think that they are having tribulation when a little trouble comes but that is not real tribulation, it’s almost sacrilegious to call it that. The trouble mentioned here is due to their bearing the cross of Jesus. They were really suffering in order to serve the Lord. This church had been blessed with a good pastor but he was no longer with them. He didn’t take another congregation, he was burned at the stake. Polycarp was the bishop of the Smyrna church, had been arrested and condemned to burn because he would not renounce Christ. His executioners called on him to renounce Christ and this was his reply, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has never wronged me, How then shall I blaspheme my King who saved me?”
c. He knew their wealth
They had suffered the loss of all things. Business, social position, and even the bare necessities of life; they were hated and outlawed. They worshipped in caves and catacombs but in spite of their poverty, Jesus said that they were wealthy! Poor in this worlds goods, they were rich in spiritual things.
d. He knew the words spoken against them
There was a Jewish synagogue in Smyrna that was openly hostile to this poverty stricken church. They were told that they were not the people of God, they were slandered and vilified but Jesus assures them that he knows about it and He identifies himself with them.
Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
III. The Coronation of the Church
a. Their adversary
Satan is our adversary and will do whatever he can to destroy us. Here Jesus says that they would be thrown into prison for their faith and that there would be tribulation for “ten days.” Most scholars agree that this is a reference to ten periods of persecution beginning with Nero and ending with Diocletian and these persecutions did come. They were crucified by the thousands alone the Appian Way. On one occasion 130 miles of the Appian Way was lined with the crucified.
Hebrews 11:36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
b. Their assurance
Jesus says that He is going to reward those who were faithful with a crown. He tells not to be “fearful” but to be “faithful unto death.” He didn’t say that they would be delivered from prison or even death but He did say that He would give them a “crown of life.”
2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
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.
1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
IV. The Conquerors in the Church
a. Their promise
Jesus closes this love letter by stating “He that overcometh shall not be hurt.” We ought to pause right here and say that there are many professing Christians who are always getting their feelings hurt. One man says, “I was a deacon for 20 years so I suggested that they take my name off this year and they did and elected somebody else. Now I am hurt. A woman says that I used to sing in the choir, and if I do say so myself, I was pretty good but I am unappreciated and they never ask me to sing solo’s or specials so I am quitting because I am hurt. Then a man says, I taught a Sunday school class but never received any recognition from the pulpit, so I am quitting because I am hurt! What do these all have in common you ask? They are all willing to serve as long as they get some recognition or special treatment. God give the church men and women who are willing to serve anywhere, just so all the glory goes to God!!!!!
Those who have been faithful unto death will not be hurt of the “second death.” What is this second that the faithful will be delivered from?
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
ILL - An old missionary couple had been working in Africa for years and were returning to New York to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they felt defeated, discouraged, and afraid.
As the trip began, they discovered they were on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions.
No one paid any attention to them. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the President’s entourage, with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, "Something is wrong."
"Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us? Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes much over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us."
"Dear, you shouldn’t feel that way," his wife said.
He replied "I can’t help it; it just doesn’t seem right."
When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The papers were full of the President’s arrival. No one noticed the missionary couple. They slipped off the ship, disappeared in the crowd, and found a cheap flat on the East Side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city.
That night the man’s spirit broke. He said to his wife, "I can’t take this; God is not treating us fairly." His wife replied, "Why don’t you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?"
A short time later he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, "Dear, what happened?"
The Lord settled it with me. I told Him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said;
"You’re not home yet!"
