We have
briefly looked at the doctrine of the church while studying the letter sent to
the church in Ephesus, one of the seven to whom Christ wrote through the
apostle John. These seven churches'
circumstances were different and covered a spectrum that reflects the trials
and lives of churches of all time. As
we identify with some or all of the churches at some time or another, we know
two things: Christ already addressed our particular circumstance, and hearing
His voice on the matter comforts us.
[1]Ephesus was famous for its temple
dedicated to Artemis, the virgin huntress of Greek mythology. The temple's
extensive land holdings and banking reserves established its economic dominance
in Ephesus and its environs. Miniature terra cotta copies of the goddess's
image found throughout the Mediterranean region suggest that the temple was a
magnet of religious tourism.
Merchants
and manufacturers were making handsome profits making artifacts and shrines for
the goddess Artemis. Denouncing Artemis affected the manufacturing industry
directly. Let's read about the effects that industry felt as the message of
Christianity brought conflict in Ephesus.
Acts 19:23 - 40 About that time there arose a great disturbance
about the Way. 24A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver
shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25He
called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said:
"Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26And
you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large
numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of
Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27There is
danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple
of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who
is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of
her divine majesty."
28When
they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis
of the Ephesians!" 29Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The
people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from
Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. 30Paul wanted to
appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31Even
some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message
begging him not to venture into the theater. 32The assembly was in
confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did
not even know why they were there.
33The
Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions
to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34But
when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two
hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 35The city
clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world
know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great
Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36Therefore, since
these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37You
have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor
blasphemed our goddess. 38If, then, Demetrius and his fellow
craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are
proconsuls. They can press charges. 39If there is anything further
you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40As
it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's
events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since
there is no reason for it."
41After
he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
This is
not much different from our culture today where business is considered parallel
and independent of religious beliefs.
The gospel instantly sets sinful practices apart from itself as it was
designed to do, combating sin. The Christian business person can and should
practice within the precepts of the gospel, confirmed by the law, and not
separate and independent of it. There
is no 'Sunday life' and the rest of the week being 'Business as usual.'
Ephesus
was a center of learning with an impressive library. It was also a center for
occult arts. As soon as the power of
the apostle Paul became known, as we read in Acts 19:12, every practitioner of
evil wanted to have this power of healing, not that they had any interest in
healing people, but their interest was to have a product to sell to their
customers. And what better product can they ask for than to be able to sell
health and freedom from evil spirits.
Some of
them went around driving out evil spirits invoking the name of Jesus saying,
"In the name of Jesus … I command you to come out." Sounds awfully like an evangelical
television preacher of today doesn't it?
Even a Jewish chief priest with his seven sons practiced it but they
were severely beaten. Let's read
further:
Acts 19:15 - 20 [One day] the evil spirit answered them,
"Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" 16Then
the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He
gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. 17When
this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all
seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18Many
of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. 19A
number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them
publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to
fifty thousand drachmas. 20In this way the word of the Lord spread
widely and grew in power.
The church
in Ephesus needed spiritual discernment and so do all the churches always, till
the end of time. Discernment is the very fiber by which Jesus keeps his church
together, which is why discernment of his body before celebrating the sacrament
of communion is so important. The believer has to discern many things and judge
whether they are from God or not.
Discernment
is the very quality for which Jesus commends the Ephesian church, "you
cannot tolerate evil men and you put to the test those who call themselves
apostles…" and "you hate the
deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." So, we see a church locked
in a battle for its doctrinal purity.
Paul
warned them of an impending danger:
Acts 20:29 - 31 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come
in among you and will not spare the flock. 30Even from your own
number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples
after them. 31So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I
never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
Later Paul
left Timothy at Ephesus to "instruct certain men not to teach strange
doctrines nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies."[2] Paul's protectiveness had borne good fruit.
The Ephesians refused to tolerate counterfeit apostles and other purveyors of
deceit. The church's intolerance was as
politically incorrect in the midst of ancient pluralism as it would be today,
but it reflected Jesus' intolerance of poisonous lies and of liars who prey on
his sheep. Jesus shares this church's hatred of the Nicolaitans' deeds.
As a
matter of interest, Nicolaitanism represented a movement in the churches at
Ephesus and Pergamos to subject the people of God to one or more powerful
leaders. The term is derived from "nikao," which means "to
conquer," and "laos" meaning "people," hence,
"people conquerors." Very
plausibly, the Nicolaitan movement marks the beginning of a form of priesthood
in the church. It is a separation of people in a priest class and laity. It is an "us and them"
philosophy. Jesus hated them for their
deeds and so did the Ehesians, because Scripture teaches that all believers are
priests and have direct access to the Father through Jesus[3].
In the
letter to the church in Pergamum, which we will deal with later, the
Nicolaitans are compared with Balaam, who, after failing to pronounce a
prophetic curse against Israel, recommended to King Balak of Moab a different
strategy to defeat God's people: estrange them from their divine Protector by
luring them into immorality and idolatry.
Numbers 25:1 While Israel
was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with
Moabite women 2who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The
people ate and bowed down before these gods, 3so Israel joined in
worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the LORD'S anger burned against them.
Numbers 31:16 "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice
and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD in what
happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the LORD'S people.
This is
the threat - using the same weapons, sex and idolatry - that the Nicolaitans
posed for the churches of Asia Minor.
But the church at Ephesus saw through their ruse, reacting with holy
hatred. They were also noteworthy for
their perseverance, which had not caused them to grow weary in response to
their sufferings.
They have
endured for Christ's sake.
John 15:21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for
they do not know the One who sent me.
Isaiah 61:10 I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my
God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe
of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride
adorns herself with her jewels.
Matthew 5:10, 12 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 12Rejoice and be
glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Luke 6:22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you
and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
II Corinthians 12:10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in
weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For
when I am weak, then I am strong.
Acts 5:41 The apostles
left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering
disgrace for the Name.
Romans 5:3 - 5 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4Perseverance,
character; and character, hope; 5And hope does not disappoint us,
because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he
has given us.
But Jesus
finds fault with this hard-working, enduring church. He accuses them of having left their "first love." One may compare this admonishment to
Jeremiah 2:2-3 in which the Lord reminds Israel of their honeymoon in the
wilderness, calling his bride to the exclusive love she had for him then. But
Jesus' rebuke to Ephesus is not like Jeremiah's accusation against Israel, for
Jeremiah contrasts Israel's early love for the Lord to her later adultery with
idols. (Jeremiah 2:4-13). Idolatry is not the Ephesian church's problem.
In his
letters to some of the other churches Jesus identifies classic symptoms of
declining love for himself: idolatry, which is adultery, lukewarm self-reliance
and tolerance of error. He finds none
of these symptoms in Ephesus.
It is more
likely that the reference to having left their first love, refers to the love
they ought to have had for their fellow-men.
The noun love appears only here and in the letter to Thyatira,
where the qualities of love and faith are paired with the pair service
and perseverance (Rev 2:19). As perseverance under persecution
demonstrates faith, so service shows love.
Jesus had predicted that persecution would tempt people to apostatize,
to betray others, or to withdraw from others in suspicious hatred; and that
false teaching would mislead others.
We read
in,
Matthew 24:10 - 13 At that time many will turn away from the faith
and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will
appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of
wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands
firm to the end will be saved.
There is
the danger that an embattled church may turn inward in self-protection and
suspicion, just as a church that experiences prolonged prosperity and peace
could slip into lethargy and indifference.
The remedy is a repentance that involves doing "the deeds you did
at first." This command confirms
the focus of first love for other people, for in John's writings the proof of
love is found in deeds of service to others.
I John 3:16 - 20 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ
laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need
but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear
children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This
then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at
rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is
greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
Paul also
emphasized the balance of truth and love that makes the church grow, such as
"speaking the truth in love."
Having heeded the apostles' emphasis on truth, this church has slipped
off balance by neglecting love. Unless corrected, the loss would prove lethal
to the church's light-bearing mission in its city.
Revelation
2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I
will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of
God.
Overcoming
the temptations of the workers of unrighteousness means perseverance and
fasting in denying oneself those things that could break down the resolve to
persevere in Jesus Christ. Here Jesus
uses this phrase as a general promise to everyone who perseveres in the earthly
battle against evil.
John 16:33 "I have
told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will
have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us.
I Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in
them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Hebrews 10:36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the
will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
I John 4:4 You, dear
children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is
greater than the one who is in the world.
I John 5:1 - 5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is
born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2This
is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out
his commands. 3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his
commands are not burdensome. 4For everyone born of God overcomes the
world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who
is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of
God.
Revelation
2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will
give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
This
passage refers to the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden in Genesis
2:9; 3:22 signaling the removal of man from the source of eternal life due to
their sin. Those who overcome in Jesus, however, will gain access to the tree
of life and will be able to eat from it and live in glory forever.
Revelation 22:2 Down the middle of the great street of the city.
On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of
fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the
healing of the nations.
Jesus'
last words to Ephesus are not a threat but a promise: the victor will eat from
the tree of life in the paradise of God. In this first letter the painful
memory of paradise lost is transformed into hope as the promise points ahead to
the tree of life in the new Jerusalem, bearing a different crop each month and
healing the nations through its leaves.
The great
temple of Artemis at Ephesus was built on the site of an ancient tree-shrine,
and the image of the date palm symbolized the goddess and her city,
Ephesus. But Jesus excels Artemis, for
he promises to those who overcome, through truth expressed in love, access to a
tree that yields endless delight and eternal life.
Revelation
2:8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the
words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
Smyrna is
praised, encouraged and admonished with a view to the oppression that is about
to come. Smyrna is an ancient harbor
city north of Ephesus. In approximately
200 BC a temple was erected in Smyrna in which Rome was hailed as a
goddess.
Revelation
2:8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of
him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
This is
the second variation on the introduction identifying Jesus Christ as the
Author. Jesus affirms that he is the one who is eternal (the First and the
Last), who died for our sins, which impresses upon them that they belong to
Christ and not to themselves nor to this world. Not only does Christ impress
upon them that he has fully paid for their sins, he also affirms that he took
up his life again to live forever seated at the right hand of the Father, and
that he has overcome that which would have destroyed them, namely, death. These words expressed by our Savior are the
very essence of the gospel and hold within them the entire definition of our
comfort and hope. To the church in
Smyrna, these words have special meaning because of their circumstances. From this they know that nothing can happen
to them unless it is the will of the Father, even martyrdom.
Suffering
and faithfulness fit the church that lives in a city such as Smyrna. The city's name was identified with mourning
through association with the embalming spice, myrrh. (Greek smyrna as in
John 19:39.)
Revelation
2:9 I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know
the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of
Satan.
The
Smyrnan Christians were poor in material possession but they were rich in their
faith in the gospel.
Luke 12:21 "This is
how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich
toward God."
II Corinthians 6:10 Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet
making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
II Corinthians 8:2, 9 Out of the most severe trial, their
overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 9For
you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for
your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
James 2:5 Listen, my dear
brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be
rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him.
Revelation
2:9 I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the
slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of
Satan.
Their
opponents claim to be Jews but are in reality Satan's synagogue. The victor who is faithful to the extremity
of death is promised a crown of life and safety from the second death.
These
opponents claim to be Jews and while they are from the physical lineage of
Abraham their father is the devil.
John 8:37 - 44 I know you are Abraham's descendants, yet you are
ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38I am
telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have
heard from your father.
39"Abraham
is our father," they answered. "If you were Abraham's children,"
said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. 40As it
is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I
heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the
things your own father does." "We are not illegitimate
children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God
himself."
42Jesus
said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from
God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43Why
is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You
belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's
desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for
there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he
is a liar and the father of lies.
These
passages confirm the Reformed Doctrine that God created the Universal Invisible
church when he wrote the names of the elect into the book of life, chose the
nation of Israel as a carrier nation for the sake of the elect, and when the
time came for God to appear in the flesh as the Messiah, he extracted the elect
from the nation of Israel and scattered them among all nations.
The other
Jews who did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah but held fast to their physical
ancestry with Abraham, are called a synagogue of Satan.
God shows
covenant faithfulness to families through the generations, but in the last
analysis the people of God are defined Christocentrically and not
genealogically. The issue that separates the elect from the hypocrites is birth
from the Spirit and not birth from the flesh.
John 3:6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to
spirit.
Romans 8:5 - 9, 13 Those who live according to the sinful nature
have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in
accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The
mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and
peace. 7The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to
God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature
cannot please God. 9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful
nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does
not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 13For
if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit
you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Circumcision
is also not a fleshly surgery to effect pureness of heart, but it was a sign
that marked God's people and the effect of that called for a pure heart. As
soon as the Pharisees relied on their physical ancestry they lost sight of the
sign of circumcision and clung to the sign instead of that which it signified.
Romans 2:28, 29 A man is
not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and
physical. 29No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and
circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written
code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.
Philippians 3:2, 3 Watch
out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh, 3for
it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who
glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.
Gentiles,
Once … not a people, but now … the people of God … (I Peter 2:10)
have been
called to become
… a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of
darkness into his wonderful light. (I Peter 2:9)
Once the
church had matured, after having been tutored by the law while within the
nation of Israel, she came of age and her Head, Jesus Christ, appearing in the
flesh, separated her from Israel. Titles that belonged to Israel, which set it
apart from the rest of the world, now belong to all who are in Jesus Christ.
Exodus 19:5, 6 'Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant,
then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole
earth is mine, 6you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation...'
But the
key is to remain in Jesus Christ. The
prophet Isaiah has foretold it to the Israelites and the Pharisees knew this,
having read it in their Synagogues every Sabbath.
Isaiah 5:1 - 7 I will sing for the one I love a song about his
vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. 2He dug
it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built
a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop
of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.
3"Now
you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4What
more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I
looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? 5Now I will tell
you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it
will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. 6I
will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns
will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it."
7The
vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are
the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for
righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
John 15:1 "I am the
true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch
in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so
that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because
of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain
in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither
can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15:5 "I am the vine;
you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much
fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain
in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are
picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and
my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This
is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my
disciples.
This was
the message of the gospel and the apostles had to preach it to the Jews and
gentiles alike. One can imagine that there would have been fierce resistance
from Jews to accept, what seemed to them as, a radical heresy. But they were
already blinded and calloused not able to discern the prophecies and psalms,
reading only what they wanted to hear.
Revelation
2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the
devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer
persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will
give you the crown of life.
These
words comfort them and also affirm the warning about persecution that is
imminent. They are not to be afraid of
anything even for a moment. These words are also valuable for Christians of all
time, because of the immutable character of God, we know that we should not
fear anything today. To remain true to the gospel, one's faith cannot waiver
for a moment.
Isaiah 8:12 "Do not call conspiracy everything that these
people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. 13The
LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to
fear, he is the one you are to dread."
Jeremiah 5:22 Should you not fear me?" declares the LORD.
"Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the
sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they
cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it."
Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul
and body in hell.
Luke 12:5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who,
after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell
you, fear him.
Romans 8:35 - 39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or
sword. 36As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day
long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 37No, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jewish
communities often welcomed the apostles but as soon as they realized that they
were preaching a crucified Messiah who welcomes pagans apart from the
circumcision, they were quickly banished from the synagogues.
Acts 13:44 - 48 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered
to hear the word of the Lord. 45When the Jews saw the crowds, they
were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. 46Then
Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God
to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of
eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47For this is what the
Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that
you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" 48When the
Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all
who were appointed for eternal life believed.
This
alienation of the apostles and newly minted believers from mainstream society
was cause for great suspicion among their neighbors and they were considered
troublemakers and political threats, exposing them to intimidation by local
officials.
Revelation
2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil
will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for
ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the
crown of life.
The word
used for the devil in this verse can also be translated as 'the accuser' as we
see in
Zechariah 3:1 Then he
showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and
Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.
When Jesus
refers to 'some of you' it means that the whole congregation would be subject
to the persecution and not the minister only.
It would be a test for the whole congregation testing their faith and
refining their resolve to remain in Christ Jesus even until death.
The
imprisonment awaiting the church of Smyrna would be brief: a mere 'ten
days.' It was customary for the Roman
authorities to incarcerate for short periods of time those who awaited trial or
sentencing to death.
Jesus
doesn't promise them freedom after ten days in prison but to be delivered to
martyrdom - the apparent defeat that is, paradoxically, the supreme victory.
Ten is the
number of completeness as we see in the Ten Commandments, the Ten Plagues, and
the Ten Tests as mentioned in Numbers 14:22. This indicates their complete
suffering here on earth after which they will enter martyrdom and God's glory.
Revelation
2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil
will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for
ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the
crown of life.
This
admonishment flows from the first words of this passage, 'Do not be afraid…'
and further strengthens those who are facing terrible persecutions leading to
their deaths. Not only does Jesus
comfort and encourage them, but the promise of eternal life completes the
purpose of their persecutions.
Smyrna was
well known for its athletics and the image of a crown was used to relate to the
winner of a race.
I Corinthians 9:24, 25 Do
you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in
the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not
last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for
which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
II Timothy 2:5 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he
does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.
II Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
race, I have kept the faith.
I Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive
the crown of glory that will never fade away.
James 1:12 Blessed is the
man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will
receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Revelation
2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at
all by the second death.
This
closing admonition contrasts the callousness of the reprobate who has 'ears
without hearing.' The congregation of Smyrna is hereby given the assurance that
if they are sensitive to discern the word of God, they will hear what the
Spirit says to the churches, revealing the will of God to them.
Revelation
2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at
all by the second death.
The first
death is the end of our lives here on earth and the second death is when
judgment is passed on those who follow the beast into the abyss. As a result of the merits of Christ, the
first death is merely a passage that has no horror or should cause no fear, as
the believer is safely and lovingly carried from the sting of death to the
bosom of Abraham.