SEP 25

Revelation 2:8-11
Memorise Revelation 2:10
“Be thou faithful unto death…”

Out of all the seven churches, there were only two churches that did not receive any rebuke at all from the Lord – Smyrna and Philadelphia. These two churches serve as good examples for us to emulate.

Compared to Ephesus, Smyrna was a relatively less well known city. It was known for its strong allegiance to Caesar, and even had a temple built to worship the Emperor of Rome. It was a matter of great pride to the people of Smyrna, and compelled all of them to be involved in this cultic practice of Caesar worship. Anyone publicly refusing to do so would be put to death. As you can imagine, this would have resulted in a huge problem for the Christians in Smyrna. Christians would refuse to worship Caesar and would not be able to hold any public jobs. They would have been greatly persecuted for their faith, and have to endure much sufferings and persecutions. It was in this city of Smyrna, that the Bishop Polycarp (69-155AD), leader of the church there, was martyred for refusing to swear to Caesar for reviling Christ.

To these persecuted Christians, Christ encouraged them with an exhortation to not fear, but be faithful to death. He does not promise that their persecutions would cease. Instead He warns that they would have to suffer even more in the days to come. However, the requirement that Christ had for them was to just remain faithful. Christ knew exactly what they were going through, and that they would be able to endure the blasphemy of those of the Synagogue of Satan.

Till today, the church continues to face persecutions. We may not experience the same difficult and trying conditions the Christians at Smyrna had to face, nevertheless, we must be like them and be faithful unto death. We must remain steadfast in the Lord Jesus Christ, even if it means that we might have to suffer ridicule or scorn before our friends, or that we might have to be inconvenienced or even harmed in some way because we refuse to compromise. No matter what happens, we must never fear, but always remember to trust in the Lord.

Thought: What would it take to cause me to stop being faithful?
Prayer: Lord, may you grant me the courage and boldness to be faithful even unto death!