Revelation 2:8 – “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:
9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
11 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death. (NLT)
In this passage, Jesus speaks to the church in Smyrna. Smyrna was an interesting city in that while it had a large pagan population, it also had a large Jewish population. A number of these Jews became Christians, but many others did not follow Christ. The Christians in Smyrna were facing opposition from several fronts. Jesus makes it clear that whatever is opposing the Church – which is the Body of Christ at work in the world – is of Satan. The opposition that they were facing was of Satan, and any opposition that we face as we follow Christ is from Satan, as well.
Jesus says that some will be thrown into prison for ten days. Jewish writers (and John was a Jewish Christian) would often use ten to mean a short period of time, and when we read this we probably think that ten days is not so bad. We must understand, however, that in those days, if one was in prison for a short period of time, it was probably because a sentence had already been passed, and they would soon be executed. This is why Jesus calls for them to be faithful even when facing death. Jesus tells them that if they were faithful they would soon wear the crown of life. There were several words for crown in the Greek, and this crown was one signifying joy, the type of crown worn at a banquet. The lesson for us is that while we may never achieve the things we desire in this life, thanks be to Jesus, we can still be victorious and experience true joy at God’s great banquet!
The ‘second death’ spoke of in verse eleven is the judgment that all must receive. The Christians in Smyrna were told that if they were strong, and did not deny Jesus, then Jesus would not deny them at the time of judgment. While, in this country, we do not face the persecution that these early Christians faced, we, too, must not deny Jesus. Once again we are reminded that confessing with our mouth is great, but the proof of our faith is lived out daily in the ‘real world’.
Today, let us be strong against that which would oppose our Christian walk. Let us remain faithful, knowing that any trouble we face now is fleeting, and that the crown of life awaits us in our heavenly home.
Posted by Ramón Torres
The same opposition is today, and that of Satan. Always trying to creep into any crevice that he can.
Please Holy Spirit help me to do the right thing of keeping my eyes on Jesus in thought, and whatever-else during each moment of the day.
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There is so much out there that would like to keep us from following the way of Jesus. The enemy is slick at trying to convince a person that just once will not do any harm. Thank God for the Holy Spirit who lets us know when we are about to do something we will regret. And thanks be to God that the power that rose Jesus from the dead is the same power given to us by the Holy Spirit and it gives us power to resist the enemy! He who lives in us is stronger than he who lives in the world!