Chapter 4
The Church at Smyrna
Revelation 2:8-11 continues Christ’s address to the Seven Churches. He speaks to the church in Smyrna. This church was the church that was headed by the martyr Polycarp, a disciple of John’s in the second century. It was one of only two churches addressed in a completely positive manner.
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.
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.
Matthew Henry, in the commentary that bears his name, writes regarding this passage, “Our Lord Jesus is the First, for by him were all things made; he was before all things, with God, and is God himself. He is the Last, for he will be the Judge of all. As this First and Last, who was dead and is alive, is the believer’s Brother and Friend, he must be rich in the deepest poverty, honourable amidst the lowest abasement, and happy under the heaviest tribulation, like the church of Smyrna. Many who are rich as to this world, are poor as to the next; and some who are poor outwardly, are inwardly rich; rich in faith, in good works, rich in privileges, rich in gifts, rich in hope. Where there is spiritual plenty, outward poverty may be well borne; and when God’s people are made poor as to this life, for the sake of Christ and a good conscience, he makes all up to them in spiritual riches. Christ arms against coming troubles. Fear none of these things; not only forbid slavish fear, but subdue it, furnishing the soul with strength and courage. It should be to try them, not to destroy them. Observe, the sureness of the reward; "I will give thee:" they shall have the reward from Christ’s own hand. Also, how suitable it is; "a crown of life:" the life worn out in his service, or laid down in his cause, shall be rewarded with a much better life, which shall be eternal. The second death is unspeakably worse than the first death, both in the agonies of it, and as it is eternal death: it is indeed awful to die, and to be always dying. If a man is kept from the second death and wrath to come, he may patiently endure whatever he meets with in this world.”
What is this second death that Matthew Henry mentions? Take your Bible and turn to Revelation 21:5-8:
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
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.
That second death is that eternal Lake of Fire which burns forever and ever. It is described here in the above passage.
Notice the phrase “ten days” in Revelation 2:10. John Gill, a prolific Bible scholar, says of this phrase, ““and ye shall have tribulation ten days” meaning it may be the ten persecutions under the Roman emperors; the "first" was under Nero, in the year 64 or 66; the "second" was under Domitian, about the year 93; the "third" was under Trojan, in the year 104; the "fourth" was under Hadrian, in the year 125; the "fifth" was under Marcus Antoninus, in the year 151; the "sixth" was under Septimius Severus, in the year 197; the "seventh" was under Maximinus, in the years 235, 236, 237; the "eighth" was under Decius, in the year 250; the "ninth" was under Valerianus, in the year 257; and the "tenth" was under Dioclesian, in the year 303. Austin reckons the ten persecutions thus: the first by Nero, the second by Domitian, the third by Trojan, the fourth by Antoninus, the fifth by Severus, the sixth by Maximus, the seventh by Decius, the eighth by Valerianus, the ninth by Aurelianus, the tenth by Dioclesian and Maximianus.” These ten days is obviously not a literal ten day period. Following our rules of Biblical interpretation, as outlined earlier, we must conclude that since the ten days do not make good literal sense, we must conclude that they represent something other than literal days. Please refer to the prior chart for a quick reference guide to the Ten Historic Persecutions of the Church. These ten persecutions are documented and verifiable through a variety of available historical documents.
One thing must be made perfectly clear. These persecutions refer to the True Church—the church of the believers. The author recommends Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by John Foxe for a wealth of information on the True Church’s persecution at the hand of the False Church. The first persecution that Smyrna would endure was under Nero in 64 or 66 AD. History records that Nero was a mad man, and legend tells of Nero fiddling while Rome burned (a fire that he allegedly started and ultimately blamed on the Christian community). The second persecution was under Domitian in 93 AD; the third was under Trojan in 104 AD; the fourth under Hadrian (the great wall builder) in 125 AD; the firth persecution was under Marcus Antoninus in 151 AD; the sixth persecution was at the hand of Septimius Severus in 197 AD; the seventh persecution was by the emperor Maximinus in the years 235, 236, and 237 AD; the eighth persecution was at the hand of Decius in 250 AD; the ninth persecution was by Valerianus in 257 AD; the tenth persecution took place under the emperor Dioclesian in 303 AD. Dioclesian’s reign has been well documented as one of the most horrific as it pertains to the persecution of the Christian community at the time.
The reason that these persecutions are so important to our study of the Book of Revelation is because they help to delineate the True Church from the false one. It specifically is important because it shows the difference that persecution can make in keeping a local assembly pure. If you compare the suffering Smyrna to the Ephesus church, you can see the danger and decay that can creep in without the element of persecution. In Ephesus, the worship and reverence for Mary led to Jesus saying that they had left their first love. Eventually Ephesus was left without a witness. Through persecution, Smyrna illustrates that devotion to the Saviour is maintained in the face of adversity. No wonder Scripture records in James 1:2 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” Every church will become more and more liberal if steps are not taken to prevent its occurrence. Every Christian school that teaches and trains young people the Word of God today will slowly become more apostate if safeguards are not actively pursued. Most former conservative schools are today noticeably more liberal.
A perfect example of exemplary faith in the face of persecution can be seen in the Smyrnan pastor Polycarp’s personal example. The following excerpt is from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by John Foxe:
“Polycarp, the venerable bishop of Smyrna, hearing that persons were seeking for him, escaped, but was discovered by a child. After feasting the guards who apprehended him, he desired an hour in prayer, which being allowed, he prayed with such fervency, that his guards repented that they had been instrumental in taking him. He was, however, carried before the proconsul, condemned, and burnt in the market place.
The proconsul then urged him, saying, “Swear, and I will release thee; reproach Christ.”
Polycarp answered, “Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?” At the stake to which he was only tied, but not nailed as usual, as he assured them he should stand immovable, the flames, on their kindling the fagots, encircled his body, like an arch, without touching him; and the executioner, on seeing this, was ordered to pierce him with a sword, when so great a quantity of blood flowed out as extinguished the fire. But his body, at the instigation of the enemies of the Gospel, especially Jews, was ordered to be consumed in the pile, and the request of his friends, who wished to give it Christian burial, rejected. They nevertheless collected his bones and as much of his remains as possible, and caused them to be decently interred.”
Smyrna was the faithful, persecuted church. Jesus never offers any criticism or condemnation to this church, but instead only offers praise and continued encouragement to be faithful. As a way of introduction, it is important to remember that the churches of Asia Minor not only are seven literal congregations, but also represent seven eras of the church age. Ephesus represented the church (after the “first church”) that had left its first love; Smyrna represented the church during the early persecutions, that time period before it became the official church of the Roman Empire during the reign of Constantine the Great in 313 AD; Pergamos represents the post-persecution church; Thyatira represents the organized church; Sardis represents the church under ritualism; Philadelphia represents the church under revival; and Laodicea represents the present church—the apostate church of the end times. While it may be observed that each of these churches can represent a time period during the church age, it should also be noted that it does not preclude any of the types of churches existing in any of the predominant eras. For example, there have always been congregations in revival, regardless of the conditions that might define a particular period (such as, the ritualistic church era) and vice versa. A perfect example is the fact that all these churches existed at the same time when Jesus spoke to them. These kinds of churches have existed at all times since.
What Jesus is saying to the church at Smyrna is that if a church takes a stand against wrong and for the right, then that church can expect to face persecution. One of the mistakes that we commonly make when we lead someone to Jesus Christ is that we forget to tell them is that in the rose garden we call salvation, there are some thorns along the way. The Bible promises in II Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” We should not be surprised when the world does not love Christians. We should not be surprised when people hate us. To the church in Smyrna, Christ Jesus was simply saying to keep up the good work. He was inferring that they were doing a good job.
In regard to the church at Smyrna, we need to look at three things: what Jesus saw; what Jesus said; and what Jesus settled. As we look at this historical congregation; however, we need to consider that Jesus has a message for us today in each of his addresses. That is why Jesus was standing in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. The seven golden candlesticks are the seven churches. Jesus was basically saying to the churches that each church should listen to every address. Each church needed its own particular message, but all the churches needed to listen to all the messages to the churches. As we study all these churches, we should remember that Jesus is speaking to us today through each of them.
What did Jesus see? When Jesus looks, He looks deeply. He will not look on the surface to see what folks are saying about their faith. He looks for genuine faith that is accompanied by a changed life and good works (not works to save, but works because we are saved). When Jesus looks at genuine faith, He looks for a faith that has changed our sinful desires, that transforms us to desire to be near Him and like Him. That kind of faith that Jesus looks for will not see the one who professes to be His child, while having no possession of eternal life. If a person simply recites a prayer, without a hint of repentance, that person’s faith is vain. This is not meant to make salvation a complicated or hard procedure for sinners. The hard part has been completed by the Saviour, but it does not lessen the part that repentance plays in genuine salvation. Scripture illustrates that the sinner’s part is as simple as a prayer when the thief on the cross uttered, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom,” and he was remembered by our Lord. He was saved. Other scripture in the context reveals his repentance when it says, “Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.” When someone humbles themselves and says, “O, God, help me. I’m a sinner. Would you save me?” and they do so with an earnest and repentant heart, God will save them.
When a person gets saved, that person’s life should change. Christianity is suffering today because we have a lot of people in our churches that have made professions, but do not have possessions. There a lot of wolves in sheep’s clothing because it is popular in some circles to appear to be a sheep. One of the things that Jesus looks for when He looks at us is works. Works will not save anyone, but works are important in a Christian’s life. Just take a look at the book of James. James, through the authority of the Holy Spirit, records, “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James is saying that while works would not get him to Heaven, that faith without works is a dead faith. Jesus looked at this church in Smyrna and pronounced their faithfulness. How? By their works. A church that is full of good works is an active church. An active church reaches out to a lost world and seeks to win the lost. That is the kind of church that Smyrna was, and good works is one of the things for which Jesus looks. He is looking for an active church; He is looking for a working church. He wants to see if our works match up to our mouths.
Jesus saw the Smyrnan church’s works through their service. As a practical matter of our faith, there should never be a call from the pulpit in a local church for volunteers for service that should go unanswered. We are not all called to preach or sing or teach or drive a bus, but we can all do something. We can do more than warm a pew. Everyone can do something. Whether it is taking a little salt and putting it down on an icy sidewalk, picking up litter in the church parking lot, or baking cookies for the shut-ins, no job is too small if it is done in Jesus’ name. Whether we sweep the floor, or clean a toilet, or preach a sermon, if it is done in the service of the King, it will someday be rewarded. We need to show our faith in more than words and put that faith into action. Sometimes that action takes the form of ‘simple’ things. Don’t worry if you are the only one doing your job. Don’t worry if no one seems to notice. God sees and He does take note. He will reward you for your faithfulness. Christianity is a reward based faith. Jesus taught that there is nothing wrong with doing right and remaining faithful in order to receive a reward someday. Remember, great spiritual works do not always take the form of great sermons, or fancy prayers, or large monetary donations. Sometimes the great works are humble prayers, a gift in secret, a swept nursery floor, or a host of other ‘mundane’ things.
Not only did Jesus see their works in service, He saw their works in sanctification. Sanctification simply means “setting apart.” Christians need to set themselves apart from this world and sanctify themselves unto God. It is not being “holier than thou” or better than others. It is simply coming to the realization that what we have in Jesus Christ demands that we set ourselves apart and not be like the world. Why is sanctification so important in our Christian life? The main reason is that the world needs to see something pure in the salvation we possess. Jesus said in Matthew 5:13 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” In the days of the Roman Empire, salt that was no longer good for salting was used to pave roads. While it was worthwhile, however, it was used to pay workers and soldiers alike, hence, the saying, “he is worth his salt.” As salt that was good for salting, it was a valuable commodity in Bible times. Jesus was well understood in the context of His hearers. Worthless salt would truly be trodden under foot. Jesus was telling the Smyrnan church that they were indeed the salt that still had its savour—their testimony of faithfulness was pure. Along with that commendation necessarily follows a warning for Christians today. If we lose our savour, we lose our witness.
Not only did Jesus see their works in their service, and in their sanctification, but also in their soul-winning. Jesus recognized the fact that they faced opposition. The church that is trying to do God’s will, in the area of soul-winning, will always face opposition. Jesus referred to the church at Smyrna’s opposition as the “synagogue of Satan.” Unfortunately, there will always be a synagogue of Satan facing the church. Anyone who opposes the work of Jesus Christ belongs to the synagogue of Satan. It does not refer to a particular person or people, but to an attitude of enmity. These people may be religious, and most of the time, are. They are comfortable in their form of “Christianity.” They are comfortable in appeasing themselves before God by a casual attendance in formal churches that do not require a personal commitment. They would prefer not to know about the power of God that is available in a personal walk with the Saviour. Jesus reminds the church at Smyrna that He is thankful for their faithfulness in witnessing in the face of opposition. The best plan to avert future trouble in the church is to go out and seek to win the opposition. If the church seeks to win as many souls as possible, the number of the opposition will necessarily decrease. Jesus promises that the “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Soul-winning changes the balance of power.
Jesus also saw their tribulation. Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of physics basically states that any object in motion tends to stay in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force. Anytime something or someone is in motion, there is always the by-product of friction. Just as you cannot have a physical object in motion without friction, you cannot have an active church without friction. Friction will exist within the church and, especially, outside the church. Since objects in motion do tend to stay in motion, activity breeds activity. Some of that activity will, unfortunately, be negative. There will always be someone, or a group of someones, to cause friction in any local assembly. They may be within the walls of the church or they may be in the community that the church is trying to reach for Christ, but you can be assured of one thing—the church or the Christian that emphasizes soul-winning will face the greatest opposition from the world. We should not, therefore, be surprised that the lost world dislikes our testimony when they are reminded of their need for a Saviour. Like the Smyrnan church, we should not be deterred in our witness. Remember that faithfulness in witnessing will eventually yield results.
Jesus also saw their tribulation in their buffeting—their problems, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Some people oppose the active, genuine Christian by playing with their minds. Some folks will take others to task for what they believe (even though they themselves usually believe in nothing). Just because a person cannot explain what he or she believes, does not make what is believed to be untrue. That is the substance of faith. We can be confident in even the things which we may not be able to verbalize to another’s satisfaction. We can be confident because we hold our trust in the faithful promises of a faithful Saviour. It is He who assures our salvation. It is He who assures His second coming. It is He who assures that we shall someday rule and reign with Him. The Word of God is true; Jesus Christ is true.
If the opposition cannot oppose you mentally, it will oppose you physically. The church at Smyrna was suffering literal physical harm in their persecution. We would consider them to be martyrs. Persecutions exist today throughout the world, though precious little of it occurs in America. We should remember that past protection from physical buffeting in persecution does not guarantee that we shall not someday be asked to go through what countless believers have been asked to endure in the past. We may someday personally see persecutions.
Jesus also saw their tribulation in the people who blasphemed against them. We should take comfort in the fact that we may be reviled by the world. It was Christ Himself in Luke 6:26 that warned, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you!” When they blaspheme our Saviour, however, it should be an opportunity for witness and not for silence. God is not taken by surprise when His children face blasphemy or are reviled by this world. He is in control. He saw the blasphemies against His Son and remained longsuffering toward those who committed the blasphemies by withholding immediate judgment against them. When His only begotten Son, who was abused for our iniquities, was blasphemed (both then and now), He still remains merciful. Though it may be tempting for us as mere mortals to wish immediate retribution for others’ sins, we often fail to realize that it was the very longsuffering of God that permitted our own salvation. God loves the sinner, even when the sinner has an attitude. Jesus reminds us that He sees the blasphemies against His church as well. He will avenge. When someone meddles with the church, he or she should be forewarned that they are wreaking havoc with the highest priority of the Saviour. Though His desire is to seek and save the lost, His main vehicle for that desire is the church. That is why ministries should be based in the local church. It is Christ’s manner and method for reaching the lost. He never founded the para-church. He founded the church. Jesus never loved and gave Himself for anything other than the church. The true church has more staying power and more ability to stay true to the Word of God than any organization founded outside the auspices of the local church.
Sometimes the blasphemies are not only turned toward the Saviour and the church, but also toward the individual Christian as well. Few and rare are those who are unaffected by what others say about them. It is very difficult to handle vicious rumors and unbelievable lies, especially when you can’t figure out the reason for them. All that a Christian can do is simply turn it over to Jesus. He can handle what we cannot. He did not make us to handle our burdens alone. When someone speaks evil of us, we need to turn that over to God. We cannot “un-spread” a rumor or “un-tell” a lie. If we realize that God is sovereign and in control, we can then accept the fact that God indeed will take care of us. He is saying to the church in Smyrna and to us that, though at times, it may seem that no one knows or cares, that we are going through persecution for no apparent reason; just remember to continue to be faithful. We need to be faithful through the persecutions, faithful through the rumors, faithful through the mocking and ridiculing, faithful through the lies and falsehoods of others, and faithful through the attacks on our Saviour. Jesus reminds us that the opposition that faced Smyrna still faces us today, and it still comes from the synagogue of Satan. They act that way because it is their nature. They have a different father. We should identify with our Father’s nature. If we respond in kind to the synagogue of Satan, we will be identified therewith. If we respond with the love and patience that illustrates the Saviour, we shall be identified as His own. If we choose to lie and spread gossip, ridicule and mock others, then we will affect the cause of Christ in our lives. It will become unimportant, because we have reflected and magnified the devices of the world.
Jesus also reflected upon the church in Smyrna’s tribulation in their banishment. The new converts in Smyrna had paid a heavy price for their newly found salvation. Many had been banished from their social circles and some had even been banished from their families. They had been banished, in many cases, out of their synagogues. They had become outcasts and were now paying the price through persecutions. Not only were they banished out of the synagogues, but many had been banished into the prisons. Scripture records numerous examples of faithful men who had been imprisoned: Paul, Silas, Peter, John. It was not surprising that persecutions had come to Smyrna. It should not be surprising if they come to us. The church was growing stronger through its persecutions. Christianity was becoming more and more precious. There may come a time in our lives where we will see churches padlocked and preachers go to jail for doing nothing more than preaching the whole counsel of God. Christianity is slowly and surely becoming politically incorrect in our modern society. Scripture teaches in II Timothy 4:3-4 that “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” How would it affect our faithfulness if we knew the authorities would be asking for our credentials before we entered the next church service, or would report to their superiors the names and addresses of all who followed the Lord in believer’s baptism? It may be that we shall suffer someday as did the church at Smyrna, but His message to us remains the same today as it did then…remain faithful through it all.
Not only did Jesus see their works through tribulation, but He also saw their poverty. He did not see their poverty as we would see their poverty. There are a lot of churches today that we would consider wealthy. They have money in the bank and well orchestrated budgets. Many have become so wealthy that they have become complacent. The world would say that Smyrna was poor. When most Americans say that we do not have anything, what we really mean is that we do not have anything in our pockets right now. The folks at Smyrna were living in poverty by anyone’s standards. Scripture teaches that we can be rich in this world’s goods and poor in Heavenly goods. That does not mean that God is against the wealthy. What it does reveal is that it is harder to trust in God while we have much in this world’s wealth. Smyrna did not have that problem. If you fall into that category, just remember that while you may be poor in the things of this world, you can be rich in the things of Christ. We would be better off investing our time and our talents in the things of God than trying to amass a large fortune here on earth. The former is for eternity while the latter is only for a very short time. Riches are not only fleeting, but are far less important than the world maintains. Money is not enough to get us through this life. There are rich people who take their lives. There are rich people who are abusing themselves and others through vices that bring joy to no one. There are rich people who buy the hype of the world and the lies of Satan that deceive themselves into thinking that the more that they own, the better they are. Wealthy people just have bigger problems. As we increase more in this world’s goods, our desire to have more increases, until what we do attain means far less to us as we attain it. There is only one kind of riches that is important and Jesus is saying that the Smyrnan church had it. They were wealthy in things of Christ. When we invest here on earth, we can only do so for a limited amount of time. Then we die and leave our riches to others. When we invest in eternity, we shall reap the dividends beyond the scope of time. It just seems to this author that God is not less responsible than a broker or banker here would be. He will invest our good works for His glory to be distributed as blessings to us forever. We are promised a mansion in Glory that holds no mortgage, a River of the Water of Life to drink from, no electric bills (for He is the Light), and a permanent position in His new government. While that may seem facetious, in reality it is fact.
What Jesus said to the church in Smyrna was that He did not want them to fear those who would bring persecution. It is a very difficult thing to live, but the Bible says in I John 4:18 that “perfect love casteth out fear.” If we have a right relationship with Jesus Christ, then we will not have to fear those who come against us. So many Christians today live their lives in fear of being afraid that they get little done for the Saviour. As He was saying to the church in Smyrna, so is Jesus saying to the church today—endure. We need folks today who will not quit. We need church members and church leaders to realize that since we already have the victory, quitting is not an option. Enduring to the end is not working for our salvation. It is simply holding the faith that we have in Christ Jesus in constant observance. Our faithfulness should not be event based. We need to be faithful the most when we are in the deepest trials. The time we need to be in church most is when the Devil fights the most to see that we don’t go. The time we need to witness for Christ is when we face the greatest opposition. The time we need to do the things of God is when we least feel like doing them. We need to learn not only to be faithful in the start of tribulation, but we need to be faithful all the way through them. Sometimes, in the midst of tribulation, we think we can see the end of it. Beware that you do not let your guard down. Remain faithful until the end. Endure when tribulations begin; endure when tribulations abound; endure when you think you see the end; and, if it winds up not being the end, endure until the end comes.
Scripture records the ultimate reason to be faithful in persecution. Jesus says in Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” While persecution may be able to kill the body, the persecutors can never take away from the Christian the eternal life that he or she possesses in Christ. Persecution cannot take away our relationship with the Saviour or our home in Heaven. Our bodies are simply temporary dwellings. Our eternal abode is in Heaven. We need to overcome in death.
We also need to overcome in deeds. When tribulations overwhelm us, one of the best things we can do is to find a job in the church and do it. We need to find a need and meet it. We need to busy ourselves in the lives of others. We need to do so in order to get our eyes off ourselves and our problems and find fulfillment in helping others. When we lose ourselves in others’ needs, we won’t have the time to dwell on our own dilemmas. We can release our burdens to Jesus by sharing the burdens of others. Don’t let Satan deceive you! There is no time to rest here! This world is not a resting place; it is a battlefield! It is time for some of us to come back off leave and enter active duty. The Captain of the Lord of Hosts is issuing a call for all to serve.
Jesus is expressing that since the Smyrnan church was overcoming in death and in deeds, they will someday overcome in rewards. Sometimes the Christian simply needs to be reminded that Jesus loves us. We need to be reminded that He will reward us for our faithfulness. Heaven is an indescribable reward. When Paul was caught up to the third heaven, he was shown things and “heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” He was not permitted to record the extravagances of Heaven. God knows that none of us could fathom the spectacular nature of His splendor. It is awaiting His faithful. God would not let Paul record the sights he saw. He permitted John the revelator to record what he saw. One might surmise that what John recorded in Revelation is only a small glimpse of His glory, since the same Holy Spirit that inspired John also forbad Paul from speaking on such things. One thing can be sure. Heaven is a wonderful place—prepared for those that love Him. It is almost as if this present is so special to the Father that He wishes to surprise and amaze us with its magnificence. Jesus reminds the church in Smyrna that if they will overcome, He will meet them with rewards.
We have looked at what Jesus saw and what Jesus said. We need now to look at what Jesus settled. He settles the question of eternal life. He states in verse 11 of our text, “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.” If someone believes, Christ promises eternal life. It is not by our merit, but because of His faith. Because Jesus paid the penalty for sin that we could not pay, and because we trust Him and Him alone to save us, He has promised that we shall not experience the second death. We have life everlasting through Him. Not only does He promise eternal life, but He also promises eternal reward and eternal safety from the second death.
What can we learn from Smyrna that Smyrna learned for itself? We can learn to be faithful. Though Smyrna was going through trials; though many were being cast into prison; though it seemed like the persecutions would never cease; they remained faithful, for they realized that ‘this, too, shall pass” and Jesus would someday deliver them. We learn from the church at Smyrna that anyone can be faithful. We can be faithful in or out of persecution. We can be faithful when persecutions abound and seem to overwhelm us. What is the best news that the church of Smyrna received? It was the commendation from Christ Himself that because they were faithful, they had overcome to the end. Smyrna was a suffering, persecuted church. They existed in unbelievable poverty (as men count poverty), but abounded in true wealth. What can we learn from Smyrna? Faithfulness.
