Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Rev. 2:10,11).
After learning he had a terminal illness, the aged pastor expressed no fear of dying. However, he did dread the intense pain that might come before his departure. We were created to experience neither suffering nor death. It is sin that has brought these woes upon us and with them comes fear. The ultimate fear being that of death. However, we need not be afraid! Why? Because Jesus has freed “those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb. 2:14). Notice that fear brings bondage, but through Christ we are freed from its shackles.
In the first century, the church members at Smyrna faced imprisonment and intense persecution, even unto death. If any had a worthy reason to be afraid, it was they and apparently, they were! However, they had a high priest in the courts of heaven, who sympathised with them and their plight. Jesus suffered fierce persecution and travail on this earth. He became our sin bearer and took the punishment thereof. He experienced death, even the horridness of the second death. What is that? It is not the sleep of the first death, rather it’s the finality that total God abandonment will bring. However, Jesus promises the faithful Christians of Smyrna that they would receive not crowns of withered thorns but crowns of everlasting life. The second death would have NO power over them.
Notice the way Jesus presents Himself to this church. He comes to each of the seven churches in Revelation uniquely. That is, each church receives the same Jesus, yet each receives a different aspect of Him. Why? Because each church has unique needs or weaknesses. In Smyrna’s case He comes as the “First and the Last.” That is, He’s sovereign and in full control. As well, Jesus “was dead, but has come to life.” Therefore, they served a risen saviour who was triumphant over death and the grave (Revelation 1:18). Nothing would separate them from Him or His love, neither tribulation nor death (Romans 8:35-39). Therefore their fear, though understandable, was unwarranted!
Smyrna was a suffering church, afflicted and impoverished. Yet, from God’s perspective they were “spiritually rich” (James 2:5). They had faith and with it came every spiritual blessing in Christ. Therefore, there was no need to be afraid, even if their lives should be prematurely terminated. Their suffering would be only temporary, but their joy would be eternal. Smyrna, in the Greek, means sweet-smelling fragrance. Their witness would bear such fragrance as it was coupled to Christ’s faithfulness and sure promises.
What transcends fear? Love! God’s love transcends fear. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). Are you fearful? Then place your trust firmly in God’s unshakable and everlasting love. If you do, your fear will be cast aside.
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