Revelation 2b Commentary
Letter To Smyrna: The only church with a positive rating! And it is poor! But that is for our statistics. They are rich according to Heaven! Verse 9.
If physical letters were delivered, Smyrna would be the next stop after Ephesus, going by the official road northward. The letters would appear in the order of physical delivery by road.
In Chapter 1, Jesus is seen amid the 7 lampstands. He also introduces Himself as the one who was, who is, and who is to come. What a way to describe the I AM God! He knows the afflictions and the poverty of the church in Smyrna! He is present in the churches!
The Jew is one at heart. Never mind the outward qualifications. The LORD invites us to note the difference. Out there is a synagogue of satan. Verse 9.
Persecution for 10 days is a metaphor for a short period of time. The believers experienced actual persecution in Smyrna. One of the Early Church fathers, Polycarp, is reportedly known to have been martyred in Smyrna.
Believers in Smyrna weren’t poor because of laziness. They refused to be corrupt. They refused to mix in with the wicked in their dirty transactions. They weren’t part of the club. They isolated themselves from the main-stream deception that has always characterized the commercial space.
Today believers face demotions, lose jobs, or miss out on contracts because of Jesus. They are a good example of riches for Jesus’ sake. Look at it this way and you will have less pressure for material possessions. The great deception is that all need this level or that level of wealth to fit in. But who says conformity is the goal! Not the Smyrnians! They chose the Jesus path.
Jesus is happy with the church; the world isn’t. The world persecutes the church. Some of them die for their faith. Another lie is to think cash flows into your account when Jesus is pleased with you. Vanity is such that many believers think of Jesus as the means to riches or comfort. You can tell from our prayers! Then you shouldn’t be part of the church in Smyrna!
“Be faithful even to the point of death”. Verse 10. What an indictment when we falter because the name of Jesus “makes me look bad”. We aren’t even talking about a threat of imprisonment! It is a shame when I dishonor Jesus because my friends will laugh at me. And the Smyrnians faced death but remained faithful!
“The devil will put some of you in prison…” Know who the enemy is. It’s not the ‘system’. It’s not my employers. It’s not the bad guys at the office or in the family. It is the devil. And he is defeated already. Even the death he threatens isn’t under his authority; the Creator God (Jesus) decreed it. “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment”.
Never mind the first death; it comes to all (as the Creator decreed). Of concern is the second death. Jesus’ faithful servants don’t have to worry about the second death. Theirs is a crown of life! The Smyrnians!
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