Faithful Until Death

Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: “The First and the Last, the One who was dead and came to life, says: I know your affliction and 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. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will have affliction for 10 days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The victor will never be harmed by the second death.” (Revelation 2:8-11 HCSB)

The modern word martyr comes from the Greek “martus,” which means to witness or give testimony to some fact or action. Early Christians were “witnesses” of what they had seen and heard, and they often suffered persecution or death for those beliefs. Thus, the word used to describe someone who witnessed Jesus’ actions and gave testimony as to the truth of His claims came to describe those who would die for their testimony. So, the verb used to describe the actions of those who believed in Christ and refused to recant their faith in the face of persecution and death became a noun to identify the faithful.

Today, we often make the mistake of assuming that Christian persecution is a thing of the past. It’s what early Christians suffered at the hands of the Romans and the Jews. But in reality, more Christians suffer and die today for their testimony and faith than in any previous generation. It is estimated that over 70 million Christians have died for their faith since Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. Over half of those—more than 35 million believers—were martyred in the past 125 years. At first, those numbers might seem a bit exaggerated or fantastic, but keep in mind the population growth and religious and cultural shifts that have occurred in that time.

The mere idea of religious persecution in the lives of American Christians seemed unimaginable just 50 years ago. While we certainly do not face persecution in our churches like many of our brothers and sisters around the world do, we are certainly not so naive as to believe it can’t or won’t happen. The growing animosity in American culture towards Biblical and historically orthodox Christian beliefs is quite evident and is, in fact, intensifying. It isn’t a question of religious freedom; we still have those freedoms and enjoy them under the protection of our Constitution. But we are rapidly losing that position of favor and support we have been so accustomed to enjoying. As that favor fades and support wanes, we can certainly expect ongoing challenges and pressure to cultural conformity to increase.

Smyrna was a major seaport city north of Ephesus and was home to several large pagan temples, a major temple dedicated to Roman emperor worship, and a very large Jewish population. It is the only one of the seven cities in Revelation that still exists, as the modern city of Izmir in Turkey. A temple to the goddess Roma was established in Smyrna in 195 BC. This temple was not only a source of great pride for the city and a sign of its loyalty to Rome, it was also an indicator of the immense cultural pressure placed upon its citizens to participate openly in the worship of the Emperor.

As mentioned last week, Jesus begins each of these letters with a link back to one of the characteristics John observed of Him in chapter one. He tells them, “The First and the Last, the One who was dead and came to life, says: I know your affliction and poverty, yet you are rich.” This phrase, the First and the Last, is a very clear reference to the LORD God of Israel in Isaiah 41 and 44. So, Jesus is affirming that He and the LORD God are one and the same. He is the Almighty God of ancient Israel, the Creator of the universe, the giver, sustainer, and LORD of life. He is God, the great I AM, and there is no other. It is a reference to both time and eternity, and He is the divine LORD over both.

But it is also a reference to His humanity—“the One who was dead and came to life.” This is not just the distant and invisible God of ancient Israel; this is the divine Son of God who came and took on human flesh and dwelt among them—IMMANUEL. This is the Son of God and the Son of Man who bore their sins as the LAMB of God and died on a Roman cross in their place. But He didn’t just die; He came to life again. He is not just the LORD of life because He created them; He is the LORD of death and hell because He conquered death and defeated Hell, and He offers these Smyrnian believers (and us) the hope of eternal life.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:4-9 HCSB)

Notice, “I know your affliction and poverty, yet you are rich.” Jesus is not asking them to live in a state of perpetual denial about their circumstances. He knows intimately the affliction and poverty they face every day. He wants them to learn how to live in the confidence and courage of what He has accomplished that is still waiting to be realized in their circumstances. The word “affliction” is the intense pressure these Christians are under to conform to cultural expectations and norms. It is the same word used to describe crushing grapes to extract their juice. These Smyrnian Christians are living each day with the pressure to give in to the demands and expectations of emperor worship.

A few decades after John recorded Jesus’ words to this afflicted church, that same church in Smyrna had a pastor known as Polycarp who was discipled by John. Irenaeus, who was discipled by Polycarp, tells us that Polycarp was burned at the stake in 155 AD at Smyrna because he was “the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods, who teaches many not to sacrifice nor to worship.” While our beliefs are not popular in our culture, we aren’t being burned at the stake, yet.

But they aren’t just facing afflictions and pressure to conform to cultural expectations and demands; they are also facing poverty. It appears that the livelihood, jobs, and businesses of the Smyrnian Christians are being targeted by their detractors and persecutors. If cultural pressure won’t force them into compliance and conformity, then maybe financial instability and survival might. If you want to get someone’s attention, you have to hit them where it hurts. Most of us are very sensitive and vulnerable when it comes to our job, business, or financial stability.

Pay attention: the deeper this threat concerns or impacts you, the more likely you are to be holding onto this world’s goods and gods. We are continually reminded in the Gospels that we must not lay up treasure on earth but in heaven, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Usually, we immediately follow this up with some “but” statement or a justification for why we’re doing this very thing. Here’s a reminder from Paul: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:5-6 ESV)

Jesus tells the church, “I know your affliction and poverty, yet you ARE rich.” We must not let the world define our affections or our treasures. The things of this world are passing away, but the treasures we lay up in heaven are eternal and never pass away. If you are a believer and have placed your faith in Jesus, then He and He alone is the treasure of your life. He is the “pearl of great price” and the treasure hidden in the field that is worth selling everything so you can buy that field. So, regardless of your affliction and poverty, you ARE rich.

Jesus also “knows the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” These Christians in Smyrna are facing physical affliction and financial poverty, but they are also facing verbal abuse and slander. These are people who claim to be Jews, the people of God, but are not. There are a couple of possibilities in understanding this statement: 1) they are people who falsely claim to be of Jewish ethnicity (unlikely); 2) they are ethnic Jews but are not sons of Abraham by faith (maybe); 3) they are former members of the Smyrna church but have succumbed to the pressure and have aligned themselves with the local synagogue to escape the persecution (highly likely).

Judaism is a protected religion under Roman rule, and Christianity is no longer being seen as a legitimate sect of Judaism and more and more as a distinct and separate religion. As such, Christians are not legally protected and are, thus, expected to succumb to Roman laws regarding the worship of the emperor or face persecution. Many Christians began to realign themselves with Judaism and Jewish religious practices as a means to assuage the persecution, silence their critics, and restore their social status. Practically speaking, this means that they would have denied and abandoned the key tenets of the Christian faith. This seems to clearly fit the situation the Smyrnian church is facing and the strong wording of Christ’s condemnation.

My fellow Christians, we must recognize the same pressures we face in our own culture. As our beliefs become less and less aligned with our culture, we will face more and more pressure to abandon orthodox Biblical beliefs and embrace culturally aligned beliefs. If we seek to alleviate this pressure by succumbing to their demands, then are we aligning ourselves with the “synagogue of Satan”? Absolutely! This is certainly true in American culture, but I believe it true in every culture. There is always that pressure to conform our beliefs to cultural pressure. Consider the Apostle Paul’s words: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2 HCSB)

Now, the LORD gives these Smyrnian believers another warning and a corresponding encouragement and promise. They are going to suffer even more than before. Some of them are going to be put into prison and tested for 10 days. If they are faithful until death, the LORD will give them a crown of life. First, let’s deal with the length of this test—10 days. As with most numbers in Revelation, the number 10 has meaning. It is the number of human completeness. Is it possible that the number references a literal 10 days of testing? Of course, it can, but I believe it is more likely referencing the fullness or complete time of persecution and testing these believers are facing. Whatever they face and for however long they face it, they are being called to remain faithful until death.

Next, let’s deal with the reality of this testing. Some of them are going to be thrown into prison and will die for their faith. This isn’t some academic possibility on paper that could happen; this is a physical reality and will happen to them. But the one who is speaking these overwhelming words of challenge that could ignite their fear is also the One who conquered death, is ALIVE, and promises them a crown of life. They need not fear; they have the promise of the King: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Did you happen to catch the purpose of this suffering? “The Devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will have affliction for 10 days.” The purpose of their suffering is to test them. Just as God was able to take the horrific tragedy of the cross and bring a divine purpose out of it, He is able to take their suffering and bring the divine purpose of the testing of their faith out of it. God tests our faith, and that testing produces endurance (see James 1:2-3). That is precisely the purpose of testing in their lives and in ours. The suffering is not intended to destroy them but to produce endurance and to enable them to be faithful until death. The testing of our faith is what produces in us the endurance that leads to the crown of life.

Now, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches—theirs, yours, and mine: “The victor (overcomer) will never be harmed by the second death.” Initially, you might not recognize that “second death” reference. It comes from the end of the book, Revelation 20 & 21 (Rev. 20:6, 14; 21:8). The second death is the final judgment that results in being consigned to the Lake of Fire. It’s been said, “If you are born twice, you’ll die once; and if you are born once, you’ll die twice.” Jesus said, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3 HCSB) So, the second death is that final judgment and eternal spiritual death in the Lake of Fire and is the end result of a life devoid of faith and absolute love for God.

The victor, the overcomer, or the one who endures the testing and stays true to their faith is the one who will inherit eternal life instead of eternal death, judgment, and damnation. We face these kinds of tests on a daily basis, even though we may not realize it. While most of them are certainly not as severe as the one faced by the Smyrnian Christians, they’re all designed to strengthen our faith and prepare us for those larger, harder challenges.

Like Job, we often cry out wanting to know why God? Why me? What have I done to deserve this? But the lesson from Job and from Smyrna is that faith doesn’t need to know why; it needs to know who—who is walking with us in the midst of these challenges. The One who walks with us is the First and the Last, the One who was dead and came to life. The One who is able to sustain us in these tests of faith is the One who holds time and eternity in His hand and has conquered death. When Job demanded an answer from God regarding his trials, God showed up (see Job 38). When God showed up, He asked Job some probing questions, and Job’s questions were no longer important. Not because God answered Job’s questions, but because God’s presence affirmed Job’s faith and satisfied his doubts and questions.

When faith gets hard, don’t turn away from Christ—turn towards Him. Lean into your faith. It is only when you get closer to Him that your faith gets strengthened, and those doubts and questions become irrelevant and meaningless. You don’t need your questions answered; you just need more of the First and the Last, the One who was dead and came to life and knows your affliction and poverty. Listen to what He says, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”