Allen Raynor Weblog:
“Smyrna: The Persecuted Church” (Pt. 1)
(June 19, 2019)
Since the
inception of Christianity, it has not been unusual for Christ’s followers to
experience various levels of persecution.
It has/does range from the relatively minor to the major. Each of us has probably experienced some
level of minor persecution at school, at work, among our family, and among our
friends. In America as a whole,
animosity and hostility is being ramped up quickly against Christians. A few years ago one of the biggest news
stories was that of the IRS targeting conservative political groups and also
auditing Christian organizations such as Focus
on the Family, Samaritans Purse,
and The Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association. Many view this, myself
included, as a for-shadowing of things to come.
Things we
are seeing today, at least thus far, pale in comparison with what they were in
the days of the early church and even what they are right now in other places
around the globe. Apart from America,
where we have been relatively sheltered, there have been more Christian martyrs
in recent years than there were during the first century. According to a study by Regent University, nearly 164,000 Christians worldwide were
martyred for their faith in 1999. In
2000, that number rose to nearly 165,000.
With each passing year, the number of Christians who face death for
their beliefs increases. It has been
estimated that since A.D. 70, over seventy million Christians have been put to
death for refusing to renounce their faith.
Smyrna (Rev.
2:8-11) came to be known as the “Persecuted Church,” because of the horrible
difficulties it faced and also the fact it was addressed the way it was, here
in Revelation by the Lord Himself.
Smyrna was an important seaport about 35-40 miles north of Ephesus. The city received its name from one of its
principle products – myrrh. Smyrna
probably goes back to about 3000 B.C. It
was destroyed at one point, and laid in ruins for over 3000 years but was
rebuilt in 290 B.C. It was a noted
center of science and medicine according to various writings from the
period. The city was claimed to be the
birthplace of Homer, the great epic poet of The
Iliad and The Odyssey. The city is the only one of the 7 churches
addressed in chapters 2 and 3 that still exists today. Today it is the Turkish city of Izmir.
Jesus’ words
are primarily words of comfort to the church in Smyrna. He had no rebuke like what He did for
Ephesus. This church had power and
purity on display. Persecution had
purified and purged it from sin and affirmed the reality of its member’s
faith. John MacArthur writes “Hypocrites
do not stay to face persecution, because false believers do not want to endure
the pain. Trials and persecution
strengthen and refine genuine saving faith, but uncover and destroy false
faith.” (John MacArthur; New Testament
Commentary; Revelation 1-11; 68)
Christ is
described to this congregation as “The first and the last, Who was dead, and
came to life.” (vs. 8) “The first and
the last” is an Old Testament title for God, used about 3 times in Isaiah.
(44:6; 48:12; 41:4) Christ’s equality
and very nature are affirmed as being equal to God the Father. The “Resurrection” is affirmed as John
reminds them Christ was dead but now is alive.
This was a quick and to-the-point reminder of Jesus to help encourage
them in a time of suffering and uncertainty.
It is a sort of reminder He is eternal, while their suffering is only
temporary. It is so easy to lose sight
of the big picture and get mired down in the cares of the moment and our
suffering. One can easily get bogged
down and focus on the details of the moment and forget about nearly everything
else. This is true even of the things we
hold most dear. To illustrate this
consider with me that when you are hungry, food may be all that is on your
mind. When you are really sleepy and
tired, rest/sleep is about all you can focus on. When you get really good news or really bad
news your mind dwells there and you can hardly think about anything else. The church at Smyrna had been dwelling on
their present suffering/persecution and had not been dwelling upon Christ!
Jesus offers
encouragement for this congregation. He
assures them He knows what they are going through. He is saying to all of us today “I know what
you are going through, and I care.”
Jesus never tries to tell the people at this church, it is not as bad as
it seems. He just tries to help them
keep it all in perspective. Jesus frames
their difficulties with hope in the broader picture.
Jesus knew
all about their work, the tribulation they were experiencing, and the physical
poverty they were going through. He
reminds them though they are spiritually rich.
The word “tribulation” means “pressure.”
They were under enormous pressure!
In Acts 14:22 we are told “We must through many tribulations enter the
Kingdom of God.” In John 16:33 Jesus
spoke “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but
be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Every day of our lives we need to remember we have genuine reason to be
of good cheer. It is because our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ has overcome the world!
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
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