““Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive: “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death. “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword: “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city. “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.”
Revelation 2:8-17 NLT
SMYRNA:
Jesus gives a message of hope to the stuggling Smyrnans. He wishes them to remember who he was and how suffering was a part of it. He wishes them to remember that suffering is for a time and for a purpose. This is not a western message of hope, in which suffering is eliminated. But it is a biblical message of hope in which the useless idea of suffering is elevated into something that creates a way to commune with Christ and ultimately creates better people. Suffering in this life is inevitable. But hope in suffering is hard to come by.
PERGAMUM:
Jesus offers a warning to the church. They allow doctrine to sit alongside lies. They have used the Roman blueprint of syncretic assimilation and do not fight against falsehoods within their congregation. Jesus warning is a direct rebuke from his hand and tongue to the church. We don’t know if this would be a specific message or an edict against them. What we do know is that, within the body, there should not be difference of worship or doctrine. This leads room for people to hold false hoods, secret relationships and heresies. Jesus is very clear that he considers this a serious enough offense to take it personally. We should to.
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