Rev 2:10 | KingComments | STEP | . John receives the order to write a second letter. He must address that “to the angel of the church in Smyrna”. In this letter we find no blame. This we also will see in the letter to Philadelphia. It is a letter full of comfort. This comfort is important because the church in Smyrna has to face tribulation, poverty and blasphemy. Each of those tests separately means a great suffering already. Now they have to face three trials. In such a case comfort is very desirable. The comfort comes from the Lord Jesus, Who presents Himself to this tested church as “the first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life”. So you see that the Lord presents Himself in accordance to the condition of the church. What He says of Himself here is also connected with the characteristics that you have seen of Him in the previous chapter ( ). He shows Himself as the One Who rules over time and eternity, Who has everything in control, even death. Death has no power over Him. He has conquered death, for He has risen from the dead. He is sovereign in the greatest tribulation. This is a great comfort for those who run the risk to be killed. That this letter directly follows after that one to the church in Ephesus, implies an important lesson. In the letter to the church in Ephesus you have seen that the Lord has to blame them for leaving their first love. In the message to Smyrna you read about several tests. Therein you can see the love of the Lord Who, through the means of tests, wants to work that His people return to Him with their heart. He would like to have their first love again. He again wants to be the only One for them to Whom their affection goes. The same can happen in your personal life. If you deviate from the Lord, if He does not mean everything anymore to you, He will not let you go. He will through certain, sometimes unpleasant, events make sure that you will ask for Him again. You actually are only happy if you live in fellowship with Him and your whole life is for Him. He has the right to your life, but it is also a privilege to live for Him, to which also the greatest possible happiness is connected. . If there is “tribulation”, “poverty” and “blasphemy” in the life of a church, He knows about it. He is involved. It is not that He allows it and is passively watching, but it affects Him. In a certain respect, He even directs it so. You can see that with Job. There satan comes to God and God draws satan’s attention to Job. Then satan challenges God, as it were, by suggesting to Him to test Job. And God permits satan to strike Job. However, God stands behind and beyond the tests that come on Job. That is how Job also sees it when he says: “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away” ( ). So Job does not blame satan, but accepts everything from the hand of the Lord ( ). After all his vain attempts to tempt Job to sin, satan had nothing more to say. But God had not achieved His purpose with Job yet. God used the corruptness of satan to bring Job to the point where He could bless him. Job needed to become aware of the evil in his heart . That awareness starts to grow in the conversations that are held from Job 3 and onward between Job and his friends. Until Job finally, after God has spoken to him, cries out: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes” ( ). Then he comes to the point where God wanted him to be and He showers Job with greater blessings than he had before. Therefore God’s actions are always blessed, even though it seems hard. The awareness that what happens to you, happens from the hand of your Father Who loves you, gives strength to bear it. Faith knows and holds on to: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” ( ). Except that the Lord Jesus knows of all trials and that God has His way and loving purposes with them, the Lord Jesus Himself has experienced them all. He Who says this, speaks from experience. Also that is a great comfort to those who have to face suffering and have a lack of everything. It is a special honor to them to be that close to Him and to be so like Him. It may be the same for you when you suffer for His Name’s sake ( ; ; ). With tribulation also comes poverty. They suffer from a shortage of foodstuff. The Lord knows it. He comforts them by pointing at their spiritual riches. You can gain the whole world, but what profit is it if you lose or forfeit yourself ( )? However, in the midst of the greatest poverty you can have the greatest peace and joy in your soul, if you consider that you have Christ and everything that is in Him. What you have in Christ is yours forever and ever. Those treasures are in heaven and are untouchable for people who can rob you from everything on earth or withhold food from you. An additional painful test is the blasphemy of people who profess to be “Jews”, that is, people who claim to be the people of God. Just like in the church in Ephesus ( ) there are also people here who pretend to have the true knowledge and claim to be superior to others. They moderate themselves to be the true people of God with the exclusion of others. This moderation is present during the whole history of professing Christianity. You also deal with it today. Especially the so-called Christians make it very difficult for the true Christians to remain faithful to the Word of God. Whether it is about being a church or about forms of cohabitation, as soon as you let God’s Word speak, you bring the blasphemy of nominal Christians upon yourself. Such people refuse to obey God’s Word, but are a mouthpiece of satan. Do not let yourself be intimidated by them, but remain faithful to the Bible. . With the words “do not fear what you are about to suffer” the believers are – and you are – encouraged to face the future without fear, even though that future surely includes suffering. They are prepared for the suffering in a comforting way. Tribulation, poverty and blasphemy are awful enough, but worse things will happen. There is not only persecution, but also being captured. Freedom has disappeared; satan gets the power to determine what happens to the believer. It may imply death. But the Lord has His own goal with it. The test serves to purify the faith and cleanse the life ( ) and not to bring the believer down. In addition, He also determines the limit of the tribulation, that is, He determines its duration (cf. ). The tribulation will last for “ten days” and not one day longer. Likewise, God has set the number of days of the great tribulation in the end time and that is twelve hundred and sixty days, that is three and a half years, a period that will not be exceeded ( ; ). Prophetically, there is something remarkable connected with the period of ten days. That has to do with the period of church history that bears the character of Smyrna, that is the second and third century of our era. In that period ten great persecutions took place. The prophetic application is therefore that the tribulation of ten days refers to ten separate periods in which the believers were oppressed by Roman rulers. The Lord encourages His tested church in Smyrna to be faithful until death. Hasn’t He been faithful? As an encouragement He also promises them in advance that they will be rewarded with “the crown of life” which He Himself will give to them. The enemy cannot go further than death ( ). Up to that moment the believer is encouraged to remain faithful. What follows after that is the resurrection, the world of the Risen One. That is where his eye is focused. . Although the whole is addressed, the individual responsibility is fully maintained. The point is whether you have an ear for it to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches”. If you have understood the message addressed to the angel in Smyrna and want to heed it, you are an overcomer. You don’t let trials knock you out, but through all opposition you remain faithful to Him, Who bought you with His blood. The reward for that faithfulness to the extreme is that you “will not be hurt by the second death”. “Will not” is a strong expression with the power of ‘in no thinkable way’. Also this promise is the portion of each believer, but also here it is for the believers who are in oppression and are facing death a great encouragement. The enemy has the power, that is, he is allowed, to make them die the first death ( ). But they may know that the second death, that is hell, ) has been conquered for them and has no power over them whatsoever. Now read Revelation 2:8-11 again. Reflection: In what way do you have to deal with tribulation, poverty and blasphemy?

‏ Revelation of John 2:10

Message for Smyrna

Rev 2:8. John receives the order to write a second letter. He must address that “to the angel of the church in Smyrna”. In this letter we find no blame. This we also will see in the letter to Philadelphia. It is a letter full of comfort. This comfort is important because the church in Smyrna has to face tribulation, poverty and blasphemy. Each of those tests separately means a great suffering already. Now they have to face three trials. In such a case comfort is very desirable.

The comfort comes from the Lord Jesus, Who presents Himself to this tested church as “the first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life”. So you see that the Lord presents Himself in accordance to the condition of the church. What He says of Himself here is also connected with the characteristics that you have seen of Him in the previous chapter (Rev 1:8 ; 17-18). He shows Himself as the One Who rules over time and eternity, Who has everything in control, even death. Death has no power over Him. He has conquered death, for He has risen from the dead. He is sovereign in the greatest tribulation. This is a great comfort for those who run the risk to be killed.

That this letter directly follows after that one to the church in Ephesus, implies an important lesson. In the letter to the church in Ephesus you have seen that the Lord has to blame them for leaving their first love. In the message to Smyrna you read about several tests. Therein you can see the love of the Lord Who, through the means of tests, wants to work that His people return to Him with their heart. He would like to have their first love again. He again wants to be the only One for them to Whom their affection goes.

The same can happen in your personal life. If you deviate from the Lord, if He does not mean everything anymore to you, He will not let you go. He will through certain, sometimes unpleasant, events make sure that you will ask for Him again. You actually are only happy if you live in fellowship with Him and your whole life is for Him. He has the right to your life, but it is also a privilege to live for Him, to which also the greatest possible happiness is connected.

Rev 2:9. If there is “tribulation”, “poverty” and “blasphemy” in the life of a church, He knows about it. He is involved. It is not that He allows it and is passively watching, but it affects Him. In a certain respect, He even directs it so. You can see that with Job. There satan comes to God and God draws satan’s attention to Job. Then satan challenges God, as it were, by suggesting to Him to test Job. And God permits satan to strike Job. However, God stands behind and beyond the tests that come on Job. That is how Job also sees it when he says: “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away” (Job 1:21). So Job does not blame satan, but accepts everything from the hand of the Lord (Job 2:10).

After all his vain attempts to tempt Job to sin, satan had nothing more to say. But God had not achieved His purpose with Job yet. God used the corruptness of satan to bring Job to the point where He could bless him. Job needed to become aware of the evil in his heart. That awareness starts to grow in the conversations that are held from Job 3 and onward between Job and his friends.

Until Job finally, after God has spoken to him, cries out: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6). Then he comes to the point where God wanted him to be and He showers Job with greater blessings than he had before. Therefore God’s actions are always blessed, even though it seems hard.

The awareness that what happens to you, happens from the hand of your Father Who loves you, gives strength to bear it. Faith knows and holds on to: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1Cor 10:13).

Except that the Lord Jesus knows of all trials and that God has His way and loving purposes with them, the Lord Jesus Himself has experienced them all. He Who says this, speaks from experience. Also that is a great comfort to those who have to face suffering and have a lack of everything. It is a special honor to them to be that close to Him and to be so like Him. It may be the same for you when you suffer for His Name’s sake (Lk 6:22-23; Acts 5:41; Phil 3:10-11).

With tribulation also comes poverty. They suffer from a shortage of foodstuff. The Lord knows it. He comforts them by pointing at their spiritual riches. You can gain the whole world, but what profit is it if you lose or forfeit yourself (Lk 9:25)? However, in the midst of the greatest poverty you can have the greatest peace and joy in your soul, if you consider that you have Christ and everything that is in Him. What you have in Christ is yours forever and ever. Those treasures are in heaven and are untouchable for people who can rob you from everything on earth or withhold food from you.

An additional painful test is the blasphemy of people who profess to be “Jews”, that is, people who claim to be the people of God. Just like in the church in Ephesus (Rev 2:2) there are also people here who pretend to have the true knowledge and claim to be superior to others. They moderate themselves to be the true people of God with the exclusion of others.

This moderation is present during the whole history of professing Christianity. You also deal with it today. Especially the so-called Christians make it very difficult for the true Christians to remain faithful to the Word of God. Whether it is about being a church or about forms of cohabitation, as soon as you let God’s Word speak, you bring the blasphemy of nominal Christians upon yourself. Such people refuse to obey God’s Word, but are a mouthpiece of satan. Do not let yourself be intimidated by them, but remain faithful to the Bible.

Rev 2:10. With the words “do not fear what you are about to suffer” the believers are – and you are – encouraged to face the future without fear, even though that future surely includes suffering. They are prepared for the suffering in a comforting way. Tribulation, poverty and blasphemy are awful enough, but worse things will happen. There is not only persecution, but also being captured. Freedom has disappeared; satan gets the power to determine what happens to the believer. It may imply death.

But the Lord has His own goal with it. The test serves to purify the faith and cleanse the life (1Pet 1:6-7) and not to bring the believer down. In addition, He also determines the limit of the tribulation, that is, He determines its duration (cf. Dan 1:12). The tribulation will last for “ten days” and not one day longer. Likewise, God has set the number of days of the great tribulation in the end time and that is twelve hundred and sixty days, that is three and a half years, a period that will not be exceeded (Mt 24:21-22; Rev 11:2-3).

Prophetically, there is something remarkable connected with the period of ten days. That has to do with the period of church history that bears the character of Smyrna, that is the second and third century of our era. In that period ten great persecutions took place. The prophetic application is therefore that the tribulation of ten days refers to ten separate periods in which the believers were oppressed by Roman rulers.

The Lord encourages His tested church in Smyrna to be faithful until death. Hasn’t He been faithful? As an encouragement He also promises them in advance that they will be rewarded with “the crown of life” which He Himself will give to them. The enemy cannot go further than death (Mt 10:28). Up to that moment the believer is encouraged to remain faithful. What follows after that is the resurrection, the world of the Risen One. That is where his eye is focused.

Rev 2:11. Although the whole is addressed, the individual responsibility is fully maintained. The point is whether you have an ear for it to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches”. If you have understood the message addressed to the angel in Smyrna and want to heed it, you are an overcomer. You don’t let trials knock you out, but through all opposition you remain faithful to Him, Who bought you with His blood.

The reward for that faithfulness to the extreme is that you “will not be hurt by the second death”. “Will not” is a strong expression with the power of ‘in no thinkable way’. Also this promise is the portion of each believer, but also here it is for the believers who are in oppression and are facing death a great encouragement. The enemy has the power, that is, he is allowed, to make them die the first death (Mt 10:28). But they may know that the second death, that is hell, Rev 20:14) has been conquered for them and has no power over them whatsoever.

Now read Revelation 2:8-11 again.

Reflection: In what way do you have to deal with tribulation, poverty and blasphemy?