Revelation 2:8 - 11

May 1, 2020

It’s a cold and dreary Friday. Let’s make this a “short and sweet” study today. It’s another month, as this pandemic has dragged on with no reasonable end in sight.

On to a happier subject. The second of the seven churches is Smyrna. Nothing negative is said about this church. It’s the first church with a word of encouragement from Jesus.

2.            Smyrna [2:8 – 11]

Overview: modern Izmir, north of Ephesus, first city to perform emperor worship, temple to Emperor Tiberius, temples to Zeus and Cybele, tree lined streets produced resin for myrrh, image of a crown used to honor the dead.

REVELATION: “…These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.” [Revelation 2:8 NIV]

Strength: rich despite afflictions, poverty, and slander. (see verses 9 and 10)

Weakness: NONE!

Encouragement: don’t be afraid, be faithful. “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” [Revelation 2:10 NIV]

Promise: “crown of life” – no harm by the “second death.”

What “the second death.”  I am so glad you asked!!! This expression seems to be confined to the Book of Revelation. Revelation 20:14 defines the term, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.” [NIV] So, “the second death” signifies the final eternal destiny earned and chosen by those who are not in right relationship with God. More on this later, stay tuned.

Revelation 21:8 expands the image, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” [NIV] Looking at the Greek is enlightening. The “cowardly” are those who recant under pressure. The “vile” are those who are contaminated by mixed worship, such as emperor worship. The “sexually immoral,” is literally a male prostitute, but the understanding of the word is much wider. The word translated “those who practice magic” generates the English word “pharmacist.” Caution: we cannot legitimately transfer meaning backwards. The rest of the list is self-evident. It can be argued they all relate to false, mixed, or deceptive religion.

It has been proposed that Smyrna represents the church from 120 – 325. This is what is called the “Ante-Nicene” or “the Apologists” era.

The fine print: Optimistically looking forward, the isolation will slowly be relaxed and we will be able to meet as a congregation, hopefully soon. If you are reading this and are in need of a church family, please join us at Faith Alliance Church of Fuoss Mills. (Just search "Fuoss Mills" and you will find us.)