The road ahead could be rough

Rev 2.8-11
 
In writing to the church at Smyrna Jesus through John identifies himself as the one “who died and came to life” (2:8). In this letter, which is the shortest of the seven, he does two things: one, he lets the church know that he understands the affliction they are going through, and two, he counsels them not to fear because following their time of difficulty they will receive the crown of life. And that is the message. They are the target for the attacks of Satan but God is the one who will reward them for faithfulness.
         Granted, this is not the kind of encouragement that one would get today from a religious motivational speaker. There would be a shift of emphasis from the difficulty to the reward. Along the way they would be responsible to think positive thoughts. While I have no problem with encouragement in general, in the really difficult places in life one can’t by the force of a positive attitude solve the genuinely difficult situations of life. My experience is that Satan is an incredibly clever master demon. Should you face him alone on some point he intends to win, it will be tough going. The real answer is to turn back to the believers’ true source of power, and that is the Holy Spirit.
         John names the Judaizers for exactly who they are – the “synagogue of Satan.” The picture being created is one in which those rabble rousers who claim to be guarding the religious rites of their honorable fathers, are, in fact, priests in the synagogue of Satan. They will cause a lot of trouble – they may even get you thrown in jail ­– but don’t let that deter you because no matter what they do to you, after a short time (call it 10 days for instance) you will receive the crown of life.
         So what can we contemporary “Smyrnians” take away from this for life in the 21st century? The major lesson is that there will be opposition. Expect it. There will be slander but that’s simply a part of the rising tide of opposition. They’ll get you thrown in jail and even manage to get a death sentence handed down to you, but remain faithful no matter what. Stay true to your conviction and you will receive “life as your prize of victory” (v. 10 TEV). Around the world right now this is not something that couldn’t happen but is happening. The militant opponent, who has decided that you should no longer live in peace since you hold to that old fable about Jesus rising from the grave, is in full battle gear. But stay true and you will win the prize, life eternal.