“Revelation 1:9-20
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. 19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands
are the seven churches.
Revelation 2:8-11
8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 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. 11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.””
“A man really believes not what he recites in his creed, but only the things he is ready to die for.” Those words were written by a persecuted disciple of Christ.
To be a Christian is to put something above your own life. To be a Christian is to put Christ above your own life. This is much more obvious to believers who live in certain parts of this world, but it is no less true for you and I.
Now you are a sensible person. For you to be willing to die, you will need to know that what you are dying for is worth more than your life and your life is rightly important to you. For you to believe that Christ is worth even more than your life, you will need to see him as even more glorious than your life.
To believers in the midst of persecution Jesus showed himself more glorious than life. He came to his people as they suffered for his sake. Christ is with his people as they suffer for his sake. That is the claim of this sermon: Christ is with his people as they suffer for his sake.
We will study this in two points. First: the glory of Christ in the midst of persecution. Second: the message to those in persecution. Our text in chapter 1 as well as 2:8 reveals the glory of Christ in the midst of persecution. Verse 9 through 12 of chapter 2 reveals the message.
First: the glory of Christ in the midst of persecution. Jesus gave John this revelation in the midst of persecution. John sent this revelation out to disciples who were suffering for Jesus’ sake. John understood persecution. He was exiled for his faith – he had to leave his church, his family, and his friends. John understood persecution because he was the last of original disciples left alive. The other eleven were already martyred for their faith. Peter was crucified upside down. Andrew was crucified as were Philip, Simon, and Bartholomew. Judas, not Iscariot, was beaten to death with rocks – so were James and Matthias. The other James was beheaded, and Matthew and Thomas were speared to death – all for the faith.
John writes about this persecution in chapter 1, verse 9, “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: ‘Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.’”
John knew what it meant to suffer for Jesus. These churches knew what it was like to suffer for Jesus. They were companions in the “suffering and kingdom… that are ours in Jesus,” as John put it.
Jesus gave John this revelation because he and the churches needed to see reality in the midst of their suffering. The book of Revelation was written to embolden suffering, persecuted disciples to stand firm by seeing the real reality. There was something more real than Roman power. There was something more real than Jewish rejection. There was something more real than “the beast” to use the imagery of Revelation.
This real reality, this truth that makes sense of what we suffer in this beast age, is nothing less than the person of Jesus. Those suffering disciples needed to see his glory. You need to see his glory.
The person of Jesus is the ground for confidence for all believers in all circumstances including persecution. That was true for disciples in Smyrna and Sardis in the first century and that is true for disciples in Iraq and North Korea today.
This is true for you just as it was true for John. “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me,” wrote John, “and when I turned I saw seven golden lamp stands, and among the lamp stands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”
The book of Revelation describes the beast as ferocious, but not as ferocious as Jesus. Persecution is not a sign that Jesus has lost control, even for a second. When John saw Jesus it was obvious that,yes, he was stuck on that island but not because Rome was stronger than Jesus. He must be there because it was part of Jesus’ plan. The same for persecuted disciples today. When you behold Jesus, you recognize that he is in control.
He is God Himself. This description of Jesus contains parallels with the description of the son of man of Daniel 7 who receives all authority from the Ancient of Days.
“As I looked,” wrote Daniel, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him… In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Jesus is making it clear to John that he is that son of man. It was he who approached the Ancient of Days and was given authority over everything in heaven and earth. It was for that kingdom and for that king that John and the seven churches to whom this letter was written were suffering. It is for that kingdom and king that the church suffers today. “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” We suffer because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. You will only see that as worthwhile if you love the word of God and if you love Jesus. You will only see that as worthwhile if you trust the word of God and if you trust Jesus.
Jesus gives you ample reasons for love and trust by way of this Revelation. He makes clear that he is God Himself. In Daniel 7, the Ancient of Days is described as having hair that was white as well. His throne was flaming with fire. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Jesus reveals himself the same way, “his head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace… His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”
When John saw Jesus he saw the Ancient of Days. When any man sees Jesus, he sees God Himself. That was veiled during Jesus’ earthly ministry. It was veiled to the point that Peter dared to pull Jesus aside and rebuke him. It was veiled to the point that Pilate dared to think that he had the right to decide Jesus’ case. There were moments like on the Mount of Transfiguration when the veil lifted. When it is lifted, there is no mistake that Jesus and the Father are one.
John wrote these words to make that clear to his persecuted brothers and sisters. ‘Don’t forget what this is about; this is about Jesus. This is for his glory and for his fame.’ If you could see what Jesus is worth, you would give him anything.
Persecuted believers will never find motivation to obey by thinking about how faithful they are to shed blood or tears – ‘look at me I’m such a good Christian’; they only find motivation to keep going by thinking about Jesus. The same goes for you.
Christians dying in Iraq, those crucified by ISIS, aren’t dying because they merely believe certain truths in their heart; they are dying because they publicly confess that Jesus is worth it.
And Jesus hasn’t forgotten his persecuted people. We see that over and over again in Revelation; here we see it in his robe. Verse 13 tells us that he was, “dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet - with a golden sash around his chest.” This was a priestly garment. Jesus was acting as a priest. One of the priestly duties was to tend the lamp stands, to make sure the candles were burning bright, and where did John see Jesus? Verse 12, “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lamp stands, and among the lamp stands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.” Jesus, our great high priest, is among the seven lamp stands and verse 20 tells us that these seven lamp stands are the seven churches - Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
Jesus was tending to his persecuted, suffering lamp stands – his bleeding churches; he was making sure they burned brightly in a world of darkness that longed to snuff them out. Jesus hadn’t abandoned his suffering people. He was tending to them. It was he who was enabling them to burn brightly even unto death.
The same is true today. Jesus still walks among the lamp stands. He still moves among his churches – in Iraq, in Nigeria, in North Korea, in America. He enables us to burn brightly even if it means the shedding of our blood or the end of our lives.
For some disciples it will mean shedding blood. For some disciples holding fast to Jesus will mean the end of life. We see this in our second point: the message to those in persecution. We are only going to be looking at Jesus’ words to one of the seven churches. The church in Smyrna was persecuted and for the sake of our own faith and our solidarity with persecuted believers we look at these words. “I know your afflictions and your poverty,” says Jesus, “yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”
Jesus acknowledged the seeming weakness of this church; they weren’t financially well off; they were the have-nots of the world. They didn’t have an impressive building or influential members in the eyes of society, but they were rich because they belonged to Jesus, “I know your afflictions and your poverty; yet you are rich!”
Christians in persecution are to look to Jesus to remind themselves that they are rich. They have become friend with God Himself. They live under His smile no matter what the world might do to them. That is enough for so many of them. “You can have all this world but give me Jesus,” as the spiritual puts it. You have to ask yourself if that is enough for you.
This church in Smyrna was suffering, in part, at the hands of the Jews. The Jews didn’t stop persecuting Jesus’ followers after the conversion of Saul. They continued to consider Christianity to be a horrible blasphemy. Jesus said such people might consider themselves Jews, but they are really a synagogue of Satan. “I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”
Now remember that this is Jesus speaking. He is the, “king of the Jews.” Jesus knew that the Jews who rejected him were Jews in name only; they weren’t true children of Abraham because they didn’t have faith like Abraham. They rejected the one promised to Abraham and they incited Rome to kill him and were now inciting Rome to kill his people – the church.
Rome demanded that all people offered sacrifices to Caesar as a god. You could worship whatever gods you wanted – Zeus, Baal, Dagon, the Lord as long as you also worshiped Caesar. Some Jews were willing to do so – after all they had been happy to worship both Baal and the Lord during the time of Elijah. Other Jews fumed against this demand and refused to worship Caesar. Rome tired of their revolts and gave them a special dispensation; the Jews no longer needed to acknowledge Caesar as a god.
For years the church shared this same privilege. Rome saw the church as just another Jewish sect and so they didn’t demand sacrifices to Caesar as god. But as we see in the book of Acts, as the Jewish leaders sought to exterminate the church, they called on Rome for help. They explained to Rome that the church wasn’t Jewish at all; they worshipped a different God – Jesus – and therefore shouldn’t be excused from offering sacrifices to Caesar.
The first Rome sponsored persecution of Christians occurred in the year 67 AD under Nero, who accused the Christians of setting fire to Rome. He had believers sewed within the skins of wild animals and set wolves on them to tear them to death. He covered others in wax, attached them to trees, and then set them on fire to serve as giant candles to light his garden parties. Peter and Paul were killed during this time of persecution.
The church of Smyrna knew about real suffering. And yet Jesus told them, “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 the crown of life.”
It is most likely that Jesus was pointing his persecuted people back to another time of persecution by his reference to these ten days—“the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.”
These ten days are most likely a reference to Danie land his friends who remained true to God for ten days in the face of state sponsored laws enacted against their faith. At the end of those ten days, Daniel and his friends prevailed by faith. And so to the church in Smyrna, Jesus said, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” The disciples in Smyrna needed to be dared to be a Daniel. So do you and I. We need to remember the times when God cared for His people in their persecution.
Daniel and his friends could have avoided persecution if they were willing to bend on their faith. The church in Smyrna could have avoided persecution if they were willing to bend to Rome. ‘You don’t need to really think Caesar is god… just give a little offering and say the words. Don’t rock the boat.’
That temptation is present in my heart. That’s where my persecuted brothers and sisters help me. That’s when I need to hear that, as Richard Wurmbrand, put it, “A man really believes not what he recites in his creed, but only the things he is ready to die for.” If I am willing to bow just a bit to the god of this age to avoid trouble, then I need to ask myself if I really believe this whole Jesus business or if I love comfort more than I love Jesus.
This Richard Wurmbrand who said, “A man really believes not what he recites in his creed, but only the things he is ready to die for” saw the contrast between Christ and the beast clearly in Soviet Russia. He was tortured for fourteen years for spreading the gospel. “The tortures and brutality continued without interruption,” Wurmbrand wrote. “When I lost consciousness or became too dazed to give the torturers any further hopes of confession, I would be returned to my cell. There I would lie, untended and half dead, to regain a little strength so they could work on me again… they broke four vertebrae in my back, and many other bones. They carved me in a dozen placed. They burned and cut eighteen holes in my body.”
Wurmbrand wasn’t tortured because he simply had Jesus in his heart. He was tortured for over a decade because he believed that the Jesus was fantastically glorious and Wurmbrand wanted to see souls satisfied in him. Wurmbrand wasn’t tortured for his own private beliefs. He was tortured because he took those beliefs public. He stood against the beast of his age. The beast only bites back if you stand against him.
Now part of the reason the we don’t suffer grievous persecution in this country is because of common grace working through the First Amendment, part of it is the cumulative effect of generations upon generations of Christian influence. Another part of the reason that we don’t suffer grievous persecution in this country is the cumulative effect of the faithfulness of those who have come before. It is also possible that part of the reason that we don’t suffer real persecution in this country might be because we’ve made so many compromises. We’ve made a truce with the live and let live attitude of our nation. We think of morality and lifestyle as a purely private matter. We’ll happily call Jesus ‘Lord’ until that belief bumps into the gods of this age; when those gods start pushing back, we are so very tempted to retreat and say, ‘all that matters is that Jesus is in my heart and that is where I will keep him—in private.’
Square that with Jesus’ words, “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 the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”
I need a bigger picture of Jesus. I need to remember that whatever I suffer for his sake, for holiness, for the gospel is out of love for him. I need to see him in all his glory. I need to see Jesus or I will fold before the pressure. I will be afraid to obey. I will bend and break. I need to see Jesus. You need to see Jesus. Our brothers and sisters around the world need to see Jesus.
You need to keep your eyes on the victor’s crown. “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” To obey in persecution, a man must prioritize the next life over this life. If this life is more important to you than the next life, you will deny Christ under persecution.
Now this life is important. A Christian doesn’t hate life. He loves life. He just loves Jesus more. Do you love Jesus more than life? He loved you more than life. If you are suffering for him today, he is with you. He reminds you that this is for him. He reminds you that he is worth it. Amen.