Faithfulness in Testimony
The church of Smyrna is only one of two of the seven Asian churches that received no correction, the other being Philadelphia. What set this congregation apart was the level of persecution that it endured because of its “testimony,” and its steadfast refusal to “eat meat offered to idols” and otherwise compromise with the Greco-Roman culture. Its members stood firm in their refusal to participate in the imperial idolatry of Rome, and consequently, they suffered “tribulation” and persecution due to false accusations against them made by Satan’s agents.
More than the others, the Assembly in
Smyrna becomes the model of faithfulness for other congregations and individual
believers to emulate, both then and now, and especially in times of persecution.
By remaining “faithful until death,” the saint “overcomes” Satan
and avoids the “Second Death,” and he also qualifies to receive the “Crown
of Life.”
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| [Photo by Madhu Madhavan on Unsplash] |
The city of Smyrna was a seaport that prospered from its seaborne commerce. Unfortunately for the congregation, the imperial cult was well-established. The name “Smyrna” possibly derives from the Greek word for “myrrh,” an ointment used commonly for burial preparations. If so, and in this context, this etymology points to martyrdom.
The Letter opens with Jesus stressing his exalted
position. He is “The First and the Last,” the one who now possesses
absolute authority over everything that transpires in the city; therefore, the Assembly
has no reason to fear what is coming. He has the “last” word on all
things.
He is the one who “became dead and lived.”
The clause refers to the words of the “one like a Son of Man” in Chapter
1 who told John not to fear since he had risen from the dead and therefore
holds the “Keys of Death and of Hades.”
Because of his death, he is the “Faithful
Witness,” and due to his resurrection, he is the “Firstborn of the Dead.”
His past resurrection assures the members of the congregation that they will
not experience the “Second Death” – (Revelation 1:4-6, 1:16-20).
Near the end of the Book, “Death
and Hades” are cast into the “Lake of Fire,” the “Second Death.”
Despite appearances, the day is coming when death will be no more, at least for
faithful believers – (Revelation 20:14, 1 Corinthians 15:24-28).
THE TRIBULATION
- (Revelation 2:8-11) - “And to the angel of the Assembly in Smyrna write: These things the first and the last declares, who became dead and lived: I know your tribulationˎ and destitution, nevertheless, you are rich, and the slanderous speech from among them who affirm that they themselves are Jews, and they are not, but a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear the things which you are going to suffer. Behold, the Devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried and may have tribulation ten days. Become faithful until death, and I will give you the Crown of Life. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. He that overcomes shall in nowise be injured by the Second Death.”
Jesus “knows” the condition of the
congregation. From his perspective, it is “rich,” though many of its
members are impoverished, perhaps even marginalized participants in the local
economy. They are enriched with what truly matters because of their faithful
testimony borne even in “tribulation” and during persecution.
Their financial poverty is due to the “slander”
of those who claim to be Jews “but are not.” Jesus knows the works of
the Assembly, namely, its faithfulness in bearing witness despite opposition
from neighbors and government officials. Nevertheless, the congregation is
about to endure even more persecution - “Tribulation for ten days.”
John previously referred to “the
Tribulation” in the Book’s salutation when he issued “greetings” to
the Seven Assemblies and described himself as a “fellow participant in the
Tribulation and the Kingdom and the Perseverance of Jesus.” For him and the
congregation in Smyrna, the “Tribulation” was a present reality.
The economic condition of the Asian
believers anticipates the program of the “Beast from the Earth,” the “False
Prophet” described in Chapter 13. He uses his control over the world of
commerce to compel submission to the political and religious agendas of the “Beast
from the Sea.” It is not Rome and local magistrates that are prosecuting believers
in Smyrna, but the “Beast” and the “False Prophet,” and ultimately
their overlord, the “Dragon” - (Revelation 13:15-18).
The “slander” by the local synagogue
refers to the denouncement of members of the Assembly to governing authorities
by “false Jews,” accusations that result in legal proceedings against the
saints. Likewise, the “Beast from the Sea” has the “name of slander”
or blasphémia written on its several heads, and a mouth that speaks “slanders”
against God and his saints. Moreover, Babylon, the “Great Whore” sits on
the “Scarlet Beast that is full of slanders” - (Revelation 13:1-6,
17:3).
UNTIL DEATH
The false accusations made against the
congregation demonstrate how Satan “slanders” believers, and that the “Dragon”
is behind these efforts to suppress the Church. He is called Diabolos,
the “Devil,” meaning, the “Adversary.” Likewise, before he was
expelled, he was the “accuser of the brethren” in the Court of Heaven,
and the Greek noun diabolos means just that, “accuser” or “slanderer” –
(Revelation 12:6-12).
The call for the congregation to “become
faithful until death” is echoed in the declaration of Chapter 12 that the “brethren”
overcame the Devil “by the WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY, and because they LOVED
NOT THEIR LIVES UNTO DEATH” – (Revelation 12:11).
Faithfulness in bearing witness to the world even “until death” is HOW the Assembly of Jesus Christ confronts and “overcomes” the “Beast,” its earthly allies and unwitting human instruments, and especially the Devil.
Because Satan was behind the persecution of
the Assembly in Smyrna, Jesus labeled these human accusers collectively as the
“Synagogue of Satan.” However, the “Dragon” was the real power behind
Caesar’s throne and the source and driving force of the persecution of the
saints.
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| [Photo by Matt Palmer on Unsplash] |
The Assembly has endured trials without wavering. It is now being exhorted to remain faithful in the coming “Tribulation.” Some disciples will be cast into prison. In that society, prisons were holding cells for the accused until their trial and execution. That possible reality is anticipated by the exhortation to “become faithful until death.”
The congregation will be tried for “ten
days,” a figure that alludes to the “ten days” during which Daniel
and his Jewish compatriots were “tested” and refused to eat “food offered
to idols.” The allusion is fitting since the Asian congregations were
struggling with false teachers who promoted “fornication” and “eating
food offered to idols” - (Daniel 1:12-14).
Faithfulness in trials and “testimony”
will result in the “Crown of Life.” The saint who “overcomes”
even in death will not taste the “Second Death,” which is identified elsewhere
as the “Lake of Fire” - (Revelation 20:6-14).
Thus, the faithful disciple “overcomes”
sin and Satan in the same paradoxical way as Jesus did by enduring persecution
and martyrdom because of his or her testimony. He was the true “Faithful Witness
until death,” and consequently, he reigns with His Father on the Throne at
the center of Creation and summons his followers to do likewise - (Revelation
3:21, 5:6-14).
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