Cross Examined 3 | Tribulation Saints

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, "These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." (Revelation 2:8–11)

To a church crushed by poverty and persecution, the eternal One who conquered death speaks words of comfort, hope, and an unfading crown.

Why Do Bad Things Happen?

In times of great suffering — whether our own or what we witness in others — we often find ourselves asking a very big, very hard question that people have wrestled with for ages: why do bad things happen to good people? Some of you immediately think, "the Bible says no one is good, no not one." Fine, remove that — why do bad things happen at all?

For some the answer "we live in a fallen, broken world" is sufficient, and it doesn't take much looking around to see that it's true. Yet even those who know that answer still find themselves asking the question. It has been a hurdle that keeps many people from putting their faith in God. If God is good and loving, why is there evil and suffering in the world?

This question has produced an entire discipline of theology called theodicy — not the Odyssey by Homer (interestingly, Homer was born in Smyrna in the 8th century BC), but theodicy. Theodicy seeks to vindicate divine goodness and providence in light of the evil and suffering in the world. Jesus does not answer that question here in this text, but He does speak powerfully and prophetically to a church going through extreme suffering, which teaches us an important truth.

Jesus Comforts Sufferers

Some teachers in our day — and throughout church history — claim that if you follow Jesus you will not suffer. The Bible doesn't teach that. Jesus taught the opposite: that His followers would be hated, would suffer persecution for His name, and would even endure extreme tribulation. Do you know what the Bible calls those who promise a suffering-free life? False prophets, diviners, dreamers, soothsayers — those who soothe with vain words.

In the 6th century BC, when Nebuchadnezzar's armies were on the move against Judah, a crowd of prophets cried, "Everything will be okay," while Jeremiah was the lone voice of truth. God said through him:

Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, "You shall not serve the king of Babylon." (Jeremiah 27:9)

We come to church wanting encouragement, and I believe this text leads us there. But it is truth that in the world we will face hardship. C.S. Lewis once wrote: "If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look only for comfort, you will not get either comfort or truth — only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair." If you honestly seek truth, you will find Jesus, and where you find Jesus you find comfort, because He comforts those who suffer.

The God of All Comfort

On the night before His own unimaginable suffering, Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure and their increasing trouble. He said:

I will not leave you comfortless. (John 14:18)

The Greek word for "comfortless" is orphanos — "I will not leave you as orphans." He promised the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, as another Comforter. Paul, writing to the Corinthians in the New Testament book that uses the word "tribulation" more than any other, said:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation. (2 Corinthians 1:3–4)

And then this striking truth:

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:5)

That's not something we naturally desire, yet as Christ's sufferings abound in us, so His comfort abounds in us through whatever trial we face.

To the Crown of Asia

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write." As we saw last week, there are two common theories about "the angel of the church" — an angelic being who oversees and reports on the church, or the overseeing earthly elder who receives and delivers the message. Either way, it doesn't change the substance of the text.

Smyrna lay about 35 miles north of Ephesus, along what we believe was a circular postal route. It was one of the oldest cities of Asia Minor, prosperous and peaceful, so beautiful it was called the "pride of Asia" and the "crown of Asia." Its one flaw was poor civil engineering — when it rained, the sewage ran through the streets. The name Smyrna is connected to myrrh, a resin from a tree of that region that, when crushed, releases a beautiful aroma. Myrrh was used as perfume and in embalming the dead. Many commentators note that myrrh brings sweetness to death — a fitting picture, because this church would be crushed and would face death as martyrs.

The Revelation: The Eternal One

Each of these seven letters follows the same outline — the rap sheet: the revelation, the commendation, the indictment, the summons, and the promise. The revelation here points back to chapter one:

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End... who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)

The Greek alphabet begins with alpha and ends with omega, so Jesus says, "I am the A to the Z and everything in between." When John saw Him, he fell as dead, but Jesus said:

Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. (Revelation 1:17–18)

This is precisely how God the Father reveals Himself in Isaiah 41, 43, 44, and 48 — "I am the First and the Last." Jesus is declaring His deity. Boiled down: "I am the eternal One, and I died but came back to life, because death could not hold Me." For a suffering church facing death, nothing could be more encouraging.

The Commendation: I Know

I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich). (Revelation 2:9)

Jesus says "I know your works" to every church, because He is intimately involved with His people. He cares nothing for buildings; He looks into the lives of those who follow Him. In a peaceful, prosperous city, this little gathering of Christians lived in the opposite condition — extreme tribulation and poverty right beside great wealth. What an encouragement that Jesus sees and cares. When we ask, "God, do You even know? Do You even care?" this passage answers yes.

These believers were quite literally tribulation saints. This matters because God's people have never been promised a tribulation-free existence. Jesus said:

In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

In the original, "you will have" is future active indicative — a certainty. But "may have peace" is subjunctive — a maybe. Jesus didn't soften it; He tells us the hard truth. In Him you might have peace, but in the world you will have tribulation. The Greek word is thlipsis — pressure, pressing, burden, dire straits.

Appointed to Tribulation

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians that he sent Timothy to establish and encourage them in their faith,

...that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. (1 Thessalonians 3:3)

We are appointed to tribulation — yet two chapters later, Paul says the church is not appointed to wrath (1 Thessalonians 5). There is a clear separation. If you are a Christian, you will never be under the wrath of God, because Jesus bore that wrath on the cross and we are sheltered in His righteousness. But if you are not a Christian, Romans 2 says wrath is being stored up for the day of wrath — so repent and become a Christian now. Tribulation and wrath are not the same thing. God appoints us to tribulation so that He may shine through us in His glory, and so we should not be shaken by it.

Tribulation Is Temporary

Again in 2 Corinthians, the book where thlipsis appears most, Paul, hard-pressed on every side, wrote:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)

The eternal One says to a church facing thlipsis: get your eyes off the seen, which is temporary, and onto the unseen, which is eternal. Tribulation and suffering are not the last word. Jesus endured suffering and still lives.

Rich Toward God

The word translated "poverty" here is not relative poverty but abject, total destitution — they had nothing. In America we have a "poverty line" that much of the world would envy. Some think they have poverty because they have only a 46-inch TV while someone else has a 70-inch one. We can scarcely comprehend abject poverty, nor suffering tribulation for the name of Jesus.

Consider this: if you've had more than one meal in the last 24 hours, own more than one set of clothing, and came in a vehicle you own or lease, you are richer than 85% of the world. If you earned $25,000 last year — our poverty level — you are in the top 10%. If you earn Escondido's average of $50,000, you are in the top 1%. That gives a different view of protesting "the one percent."

Yet Jesus says of this destitute church, "but you are rich." In the world's eyes they had nothing; in God's eyes they were rich. By contrast, Ephesus looked good outwardly but wasn't Christlike, and Laodicea said, "We are rich and in need of nothing," while Jesus called them wretched, poor, blind, and naked. God sees differently. Poverty does not make you spiritual any more than owning a Bible makes you a Christian — but for Smyrna, poverty and tribulation had refined them like pure gold. So we should seek to be rich toward God:

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:20–21)

Being Religious Does Not Make You Righteous

...and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. (Revelation 2:9)

Being religious does not make you righteous. Jesus knew the abuse these Christians endured from religious people — in this case a group of Jews in a local synagogue. U2's new album includes a song, "Raised by Wolves," about a 1980s terrorist attack in Dublin, with the line, "the worst things in the world are justified by belief." Sadly that is often true — just two days ago a woman in Oklahoma was beheaded by a man in the name of Allah. This is the same thing Saul of Tarsus did before his conversion, and even the church has justified terrible things in the name of Christ throughout history. We must be careful.

As Paul wrote, "not all Israel are of Israel" (Romans 9:6). The word Israel means "governed of God." These people were ethnically Jewish but not governed by God. This is not a statement against Jews any more than acknowledging Christian atrocities is a statement against Christians; in each group, some give the rest a bad name.

State-Sponsored Persecution

Historians believe Smyrna had a large, hostile Jewish community that slandered Christians and informed against them, fueling persecution. From about AD 64 until 311, for nearly 250 years, the Roman Empire systematically persecuted the church. Each year a Roman citizen had to go to a temple, burn incense before the bust of Caesar, and proclaim, "Caesar is Lord." Christians could not do this.

The Jews had been granted an exemption as an ancient religion, and early Christians, classified as a Jewish sect, sheltered under that covering. But in Smyrna, when the Jews informed against them and said, "They are not of us," Rome's attention fell on the Christians. So Jesus says they look more like their father the devil than like their father Abraham — exactly what He told the religious men in John 8:44, "You are of your father the devil."

Christians were an easy target. Pliny the Younger wrote to the emperor reporting the charges: Christians were called atheists (they refused the Roman gods), cannibals (they ate the body and blood of their Lord), incestuous (they called one another brother and sister), and hedonists (they gathered for "love feasts"). All of this slander, stirred by the synagogue, resulted in their persecution.

No Indictment — Be Gracious to Those Who Suffer

Of the seven churches, only two — Smyrna and Philadelphia — receive no indictment. This doesn't mean Smyrna was a perfect church; there is no perfect church. Rather it shows the grace of Jesus toward a people in extreme suffering, which reminds us to be gracious to those who suffer.

Too often we kick those who are down — just read the book of Job. But there is blessing both for the one who suffers and for the one who extends grace. It's beautifully pictured at the cross, where one thief mocked Jesus while the other defended Him and was told, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." We're all just a bunch of criminals; may we be gracious criminals.

The Summons: Do Not Fear

Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)

Endless speculation surrounds this verse — who the devil is, whether the "ten days" are literal, or symbolize ten years or ten persecuting emperors. My philosophy is: when the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense. Jesus is simply saying your tribulation will get worse, and some of you will die.

One key leader of Smyrna's church was Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle John and the church's overseeing bishop. Years later, at age 86, he was arrested for his faith. He fed the soldiers who came for him and asked to pray for an hour — so movingly that the soldiers regretted what they had to do. Brought before the Roman proconsul, he was offered his life if he would proclaim Caesar as Lord and recant Jesus. He answered, "Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" Told he would burn, he replied that earthly fire is temporary, but the fire prepared for the unrepentant is eternal. Polycarp knew the main point.

Death Is Not the End

The plain point is this: death is not the end. The eternal One who was dead but is alive writes these words. Paul put it best:

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

Even if we suffer, are wrongfully persecuted, or face death itself, we are to be faithful — because death is not the end.

The Promise: The Crown of Life

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)

There are two Greek words for crown: diadem, the royal crown, and stephanos, the victor's crown won by a competitor. This is stephanos — be faithful, endure, overcome, and you will receive the crown of life.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. (Revelation 2:11)

The answers are in the back of the book. The second death is the lake of fire:

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power. (Revelation 20:6)

Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Revelation 20:14)

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

Second death, bad; first resurrection, good. Jesus told the religious Nicodemus, "You must be born again." Born twice, you die once; born once, you die twice. So:

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4–5)

We are born of God by putting our trust in Christ, who overcame the world. So Jesus says to Smyrna: I know your tribulation, your poverty, the slander and the informants — but be faithful and keep trusting, because you will overcome, you will have the crown of life, and you will not taste the second death. This certainly has application for us. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Father God, thank You for Your Word, which is living and powerful. We pray that You would use it in each of our lives today to draw us closer to You. If there are some standing here going through a trial or severe difficulty right now, Lord, we pray for Your grace upon them, and that You would stir their hearts to overcome through whatever temporary thing we face in this life. And it may be that someone here would say, "I am not born again, and I am worried about the second death." Lord, You are faithful and clear in Your Word that if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. So if that is you today, confess your sins to the Lord in prayer, believe that Jesus died on the cross for you, taking the wrath of God upon Himself, accept His payment for your sins, and turn to Him, willing to obey Him. Lord Jesus, draw by Your Spirit any who are willing to come. In Jesus' name, amen.