Revelation 2:10,11

Revelation 2:10,11

Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Do not fear what you are about to suffer

In the verse 2:9 Lord told “I know your tribulation”,  from these word we can understand what kind of trail this church was faced. One of the example what God servant Polygraph sacrificed his life for Jesus. But Jesus mentioning in 2:10, your trail is not yet over still it will going to continue. For that you “don’t fear what you are about the suffer”

Now  we can understand why Jesus was introduce Himself in Rev.2:8 verse, “first and the last”. That means He knows about the church past, present and feature.  In Rev.2:9 He told about its past and present in Rev.2:10 He mentioning about its feature.

…Behold, the devil

            Here the devil means evil workers. Who try to stop the Christian works all are devil workers. Here who is doing this job? It mentioned in Rev.2:9 Jesus told “those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” So here devil mean who persecuting Christians. The Jews community who killed Christ the same people is still continuing the persecution that followed the Christ.

…about to throw some of you into prison

Here Jesus mentioning “some of you you into prison” that’s mean very few only following the Christ those days. Who followed the Christ those people only persecuted by the synagogue what Jesus mentions in the Rev 2:9. From this statement what we can understand if you work for God’s Kingdom, you will face the more problems.

…that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation

In bible we know that each number has some biblical meaning. The number 10 refers the testing for example we see some bible reference for this.

Genesis 24:55 Her brother and her mother said, "Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go."

Here what the servant was replied in Genesis 24:56 “But he said to them, "Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master."

Here the servant told the Lord has prospered my way so test me, please allow me to go.

Another one we can see the reference from book of Daniel 1:12 "Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.

From these references we can understand the meaning the number ten. Here also the Lord told to the Christ’s workers you will face the trail up to ten days. This ten days was a measurement or time line. If you tell you are going to suffer for fifty year or 100 years means you may be disappoint. That’s why in bible always it will not mention the exact days are years. Even we know that according the God one day is equivalent of 1 year. Even though we can able to see in 2 Cor. 4:17 Paul said “For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”. See what word he used here “slight momentary affliction”, that means we don’t know the exact the time duration how long.

Here if we take the Smyrna church time it started from 64 AD to 313 AD. During this time, this church was ruled by 10 roman kings, meaning it may be the ten persecutions under the Roman emperors; the "first" was under Nero, in the year 64 or 66; the "second" was under Domitian, about the year 93; the "third" was under Trojan, in the year 104; the "fourth" was under Hadrian, in the year 125; the "fifth" was under Marcus Antoninus, in the year 151; the "sixth" was under Septimius Severus, in the year 197; the "seventh" was under Maximinus, in the years 235, 236, 237; the "eighth" was under Decius, in the year 250; the "ninth" was under Valerianus, in the year 257; and the "tenth" was under Dioclesian, in the year 303. Austin (o) reckons the ten persecutions thus: the first by Nero, the second by Domitian, the third by Trojan, the fourth by Antoninus, the fifth by Severus, the sixth by Maximus, the seventh by Decius, the eighth by Valerianus, the ninth by Aurelianus, the tenth by Dioclesian and Maximianus. Others, inasmuch as Nero's persecution was before this vision, reckon the ten persecutions thus: Domitian, Trojan, M. Antoninus, Verus and Lucius, Severus, Maximinus, Decius, Valerianus, Aurelianus, Dioclesianus, Licinius: the Dioclesian persecution lasted ten years almost throughout: and some think that this last persecution, which held ten years, is here particularly meant, and not without some good reason; since it is usual in prophetic writings, and in this book of the Revelation, to put days for years; so that these ten days may be the ten years the last persecution held, and at which time the period of this church state ended, and that of Pergamos took place,

  From this what we can understand ten days mean not exactly ten days it refers ten kingdoms, if we calculated how many years 313-64=249 years this Smyrna was suffered.

… Be faithful unto death

What Jesus expect from us is what ever happened in the Christian works be faithful unto death. This we can learn form St.Paul, he mention one of his epistyles to 2 Tim. 4:5-7. In 2 Tim. 4:5 he motioned  “endure suffering”, in 6^th verse “the time of my departure has come” and in the 7^th verse “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”. So Paul suffered up to his end of life. Like that God expect us to be faithful unto death.

Even our Lord Jesus told in Math.24:13 “who ever withstand upto death those will be saved”. Now we can understand how the name Smyrna was exactly matching to this church. We know myrrh means fragrance, this fragrance compare to glory of God, because these people suffered for God, for Jesus and for the sake of Gospel. At the same time this fragrance was used for preserve the dead body, in this church sacrifice so many soul for Christ.

  

…I will give you the crown of life

For all this suffering what reward we will going to get from our Lord Christ. He mentioned here that “I will give you the crown of life”. from bible we know that there are many type of crowns mentioned. In 2 Tim.4:8 Paul says that “there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness” and in James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. If a person receives a crown, what is his position ? He become a king. Only kings are eligible to wear crowns. Our lord want to make us a king, He mention in Rev 1:6 and 5:10 “God made as Kings…”. Now what is the meaning the crown of life, this means God remove the death from our life. We will live forever in God’s Kingdom.

Revelation 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.'

…He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Here the Holy Spirit wants to tell us, this message not only to the Smyrna church this message is applicable to who has an ears.

… the one who conquer will not be hurt by second death.

The second death is unspeakably worse than the first death, both in the agonies of it, and as it is eternal death: it is indeed awful to die, and to be always dying. If a man is kept from the second death and wrath to come, he may patiently endure whatever he meets with in this world. the conquer will not be hurt by this second death.