DEMAND UPON THE SMYRNA CHURCH

The Demand Laid Upon the Smyrna Church

"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

This is Twofold

The encouragement not to fear the coming distress

This is a clear statement that they are not to be carried away with an inner sense of constant dread for the future, even though they are in imminent danger of entering into sensuous suffering.

The devil intends to test them out and break them if possible. He intends to do this by casting some of them into prison. This may last over some period of time. Here it refers to ten days. Perhaps this is symbolical. Some think it refers to the ten different persecutions that were introduced by decree of the Roman Emperors.

The command to be faithful even in the face of all these coming horrors

Physical horror often forces some to recant or retract from their faith. And thousands did. But many other thousands did not. Thus we have the noblest record in history of faithful saints.

It is a real encouragement to know that by being faithful unto death, the crown which belongs to the victor will be placed upon him. And this is the crown which belongs to life. This kind of people already have life. To them should be given the crown which indicates clearly that they are people to whom has been imparted the eternal life, which life gives victory in the midst of severe testing. The crown properly belongs to such people (Jas. 1:12).
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."

Perhaps another period of persecution would do more than anything else to weed out the people who are making mere professions of faith and nothing more.