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When John was recording his revelation, Smyrna had a reputation as the “Glory of Asia.” That was not always the case. The Lydians destroyed Smyrna in 600 BC; for four hundred years there was no “city,” just scattered villages in the area, yet records show people still talked about Smyrna as a place. The city was restored in 290 BC. Some ancient writers compared the city with the mythical phoenix, a symbol of resurrection. Others literally recorded Smyrna as a city that was dead and yet lived.[1]
Smyrna was famous for (among other things) fantastic architecture and town planning. You can still walk on spectacular streets that ran from one end of the city to the other. The most famous was called the Golden Street.[2] Apollonius referred to a “crown of porticoes,” a circle of beautiful public buildings that ringed the summit of Mount Pagos.[3] Smyrna was often depicted on coins as a seated woman, with a crown patterned after the buildings on the mountain[4] and a necklace representing the Golden Street.[5]
Because Rome had helped them so much in coming back to life, Smyrna proved to be incredibly loyal. At one point, the citizens literally stripped down and shipped their clothes to a desperate Roman army. When their request to build a temple to the Roman Emperor Tiberius was granted, Smyrna became a notable “temple-warden” of the imperial cult.
By the time of Domitian, emperor worship was mandatory. Burning incense and saying “Caesar is Lord” earned a certificate such as this one: “We, the representatives of the Emperor, Serenos and Hermas, have seen you sacrificing.” Then, you could go worship any god you wanted. This also gave you a “mark” that opened up the economy for you. If you did not do this, you were a disloyal citizen at best and a traitorous outlaw at worst.[6]
The Jewish people had enjoyed a large degree of freedom under the Roman Rule during the 1st century. They were exempt from emperor worship in many cases and possessed the rights of citizenship in some cities. This wasn’t necessarily good for Judaism. There was infighting about how to live with integrity in a Roman world,[7] how to “be in Rome but not of Rome.” The Essenes at one point called the rest of their Jewish neighbors “the congregation of Satan.”[8]
Christians benefitted from having their roots in Judaism. The freedoms the Jews enjoyed were largely enjoyed by Christians in many areas of the empire. But in Smyrna, the Jewish population was nervous. The Judean war against Rome two decades earlier resulted in a special tax Jews everywhere in the empire had to pay. Many Jewish leaders were uncomfortable with Messianic movements like the movement that followed Jesus - messianic movements often ended with the Roman beast breathing down their neck.
In a time of “don’t ask, don’t tell” for private religious practice for the Jewish worshippers (and by default their Christian cousins), the Jewish leaders were telling even when Rome wasn’t asking.[9] The Romans even had a name for them: delatores, denouncers, who would get the prosecutorial ball rolling. And prosecute they did.[10] So the church in Smyrna was facing a lot of hardship: locked out of the economy because they wouldn’t do emperor worship; hated by the Jews; on Rome’s radar. This brings us to the letter to Smyrna in Revelation 2.
There are a variety of ways Christians can and have responded when facing hardship and trials.[24]
1. Quit –Rome and Babylon would love to have your allegiance.[25]
2. Lie –You could lie with words (tell people you aren’t a Christian) or with your body (live as if Jesus has no say in your life) while clinging to the notion that all that matters is that you really are a follower of Jesus deep inside. “Whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33)
3. Fight – physically protect religious freedom with the sword. Peter tried this. Jesus was having none of it. “ ‘Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?’ … In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?’“ (Matthew 26:52-53; 55).
4. Accommodate – try to do Christian worship and empire worship at the same time: let’s call this serving or honoring two masters. That’s what empire worship was doing in Rome; this was one of the key problems facing the church at the time probably more than the others. The compromise that followed Constantine’s legalization of Christianity in the 300s was another. This is a long quote from Scot McKnight, but it establishes the timelessness of this challenge.
![]()
The rotunda of the US Capitol building has a mural called The Apotheosis of Washington (1865). It depicts Washington as having ascended into the heavens and becoming exalted or glorified. He wears the colors of Roman emperors, with a rainbow arch at his feet, flanked by the goddesses of Victory and Liberty. There are six scenes around him, 5 of which have Roman gods/goddesses:
5. Change the law – demand justice within the rights the empire has given us. This is an option Paul used. He maxed out his rights as a Roman citizen to avoid some pretty nasty punishments.[30] He escaped dangerous situations when he could. Being faithful to Jesus doesn’t mean we have to be gluttons for punishment.
But it’s worth nothing that even as Paul claimed his rights, he was still beaten and jailed a lot and killed eventually. One hopes the law would be Christian-friendly; at some point, it won’t be. We can and should work within the system to promote justice and mercy for all. However, when the law turns against our faith, we don’t panic, and we don’t take up the sword to get it back. We knew this day would come.
6. Be patiently faithful even unto death. There are different outcomes to suffering: Smyrna would face greater suffering (2:10), the other persecuted church (Philadelphia) would not experience the same (3:10). James was executed but Peter was released (Acts 12:2 - 7). Some Christians experienced miraculous release from prison while others died (Hebrews 11:35). Some Christians in Afghanistan got out; others didn’t. Some pastors have hidden successfully; some haven’t.
Revelation reveals a sobering truth in stark terms: when we face persecution, we might suffer a lot, and even die. It’s no surprise that John, surrounded by persecution, expects us to have to endure this also. Fortunately, Revelation shows us how to overcome in the face of persecution: the image of the triumphant lion as a slain lamb:
Don’t waste your suffering. It is far too valuable. God is using it in a thousand ways you will never see or know, but one way is to advance the gospel (Philippians 1:12). Tell people about the hope in you, how God has met you, why your faith has made a difference in your trials. It is the most powerful witness you have.
NEXT POST: http://empiresandmangers.blogspot.com/2024/04/children-of-dragon-children-of-lamb_20.html
_______________________________________________________
[1] The Letters To The Seven Churches, by William Ramsey
[2] Hmmm. I think that image might show up later in Revelation?
[3] Halley’s Bible Handbook Note
[4] Apollonius said, “Though it is the most beautiful of all cities under the sun…it is a greater charm to wear a crown of men than a crown of porticoes and pictures and gold beyond the standard of mankind.” 2nd century orator Aelius Aristides said that since Smyrna has been restored after the earthquakes in her history, “Spring’s gates…are opened by crowns.”
[5] The Letters To The Seven Churches, by William Ramsey
[6] William Barclay notes this was a political act in the eyes of Rome more than a religious act. That might have been a handy excuse: “Rome doesn’t see this as religious; why should I?” Or it might have been very tempting to find a friendly official to bribe so that you had a certificate without having to burn the incense.
[7] Both Jews and Christians struggled with this. Should they continue to participate in social activities that have a pagan (non-Jewish, non-Christian) religious character? This would include most activities: watching or participating in athletic and rhetorical contests; buying and eating meat in the precincts of pagan temples; and frequenting trade guilds, clubs, and events in private homes, each with their meetings, drinking parties, and banquets. Should they acknowledge the sovereignty of the emperor when asked to do so at a public event in the precincts of his temple, or at another of the many events in his honor? (From “Reading Revelation Responsibly” in Dragons, John, And Every Grain Of Sand: Essays On The Book Of Revelation. Edited by Shane J. Wood.
[8] NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
[9] To them, Christians distorted the Law; the worship of Jesus as Messiah was blasphemy.
[10] IVP New Testament Commentary Series
[11] Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12
[12] Many commentators see a comparison to Smyrna’s history here.
[13] Likely because they refused to participate in idolatrous trade guilds.
[14] “Blasphemy "switches" right for wrong (wrong for right), i.e. calls what God disapproves, "right." (HELPS Word Studies)
[15] “Jews by national descent, but not spiritually of "the true circumcision." Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
[16] John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father….Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
[17] Beale notes that in Isaiah 41 and 44, this is also an encouragement to the Jews.
[18] See Daniel 1:12-15, where Daniel and his friends were tested for 10 days. “The number is likely a symbol and not a 10 day time period. The number 10 represents a complete period of testing. Even though you are exiles in a different culture, you will be revealed to be the children of God.” (Shane Wood) Ramsey notes that it could be a literal reference to the time awaiting punishment: “In the Roman world, prison was usually… a prelude to trial and execution; hence the words "Be faithful, even to the point of death." The State would not burden itself with the custody of criminals, except as a preliminary stage to their trial, or in the interval between trial and execution. Fine, exile, and death constituted the usual range of penalties.” From Adam Clarke’s Commentary: “Think of the expression as implying frequency and abundance, as it does in other parts of Scripture.” Genesis 31:7; Genesis 31:41; Numbers 14:22; Nehemiah 4:12; Job 19:3.
[19] “The expression ‘be faithful,’ again, would inevitably remind Smyrnaean readers of the history of their city, which had been the faithful friend and ally of Rome for centuries. To Cicero it was ‘the most faithful of our allies’. (William Ramsey)
[20] The promise to Ephesus was “the tree of life” (v. 7). To Smyrna, it is the “crown of life” (v. 10).
[21] A large amount of the suffering in Revelation is born by followers of the Lamb. In his vision of heaven, John sees martyrs who had conquered the Beast through death. Tertullian famously said in his second century letter to Rome, “The more often we are mown down by you, the more number we grow. The blood of Christians is seed.”
[22] John 16:33
[23] Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple. McKnight and Matchett,
[24] This list is from (drum roll….) Shane J. Wood!
[25] Christian journalist Malcolm Muggeridge once wrote, “If God is dead [or if God is not worshipped], somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched first or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner.” That’s Rome and Babylon.
[26] Read this informative Senior Thesis from a Liberty University student. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1280&context=honors.
[27] Read it again :) https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1280&context=honors
[28] Biden doesn’t seem to be inspiring those comparisons. The only example I found was a magazine (Jacobin) that used Christian iconography to satirize the American tendency to have religious devotion for our leaders.
[30] Acts 22:22-23:11
[31] Luke 22:8-20
[32] https://www.vaneetha.com/about
[33] Vaneetha Risner, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-only-suffering-can-say
Smyrna was famous for (among other things) fantastic architecture and town planning. You can still walk on spectacular streets that ran from one end of the city to the other. The most famous was called the Golden Street.[2] Apollonius referred to a “crown of porticoes,” a circle of beautiful public buildings that ringed the summit of Mount Pagos.[3] Smyrna was often depicted on coins as a seated woman, with a crown patterned after the buildings on the mountain[4] and a necklace representing the Golden Street.[5]
Because Rome had helped them so much in coming back to life, Smyrna proved to be incredibly loyal. At one point, the citizens literally stripped down and shipped their clothes to a desperate Roman army. When their request to build a temple to the Roman Emperor Tiberius was granted, Smyrna became a notable “temple-warden” of the imperial cult.
By the time of Domitian, emperor worship was mandatory. Burning incense and saying “Caesar is Lord” earned a certificate such as this one: “We, the representatives of the Emperor, Serenos and Hermas, have seen you sacrificing.” Then, you could go worship any god you wanted. This also gave you a “mark” that opened up the economy for you. If you did not do this, you were a disloyal citizen at best and a traitorous outlaw at worst.[6]
The Jewish people had enjoyed a large degree of freedom under the Roman Rule during the 1st century. They were exempt from emperor worship in many cases and possessed the rights of citizenship in some cities. This wasn’t necessarily good for Judaism. There was infighting about how to live with integrity in a Roman world,[7] how to “be in Rome but not of Rome.” The Essenes at one point called the rest of their Jewish neighbors “the congregation of Satan.”[8]
Christians benefitted from having their roots in Judaism. The freedoms the Jews enjoyed were largely enjoyed by Christians in many areas of the empire. But in Smyrna, the Jewish population was nervous. The Judean war against Rome two decades earlier resulted in a special tax Jews everywhere in the empire had to pay. Many Jewish leaders were uncomfortable with Messianic movements like the movement that followed Jesus - messianic movements often ended with the Roman beast breathing down their neck.
In a time of “don’t ask, don’t tell” for private religious practice for the Jewish worshippers (and by default their Christian cousins), the Jewish leaders were telling even when Rome wasn’t asking.[9] The Romans even had a name for them: delatores, denouncers, who would get the prosecutorial ball rolling. And prosecute they did.[10] So the church in Smyrna was facing a lot of hardship: locked out of the economy because they wouldn’t do emperor worship; hated by the Jews; on Rome’s radar. This brings us to the letter to Smyrna in Revelation 2.
Write down My words, and send them to the messenger of the church in Smyrna. “These are the words of the First and the Last[11], the One who was dead and yet lived[12]: “I know [your deeds and] the difficult ordeal you are enduring and your poverty,[13] although you are actually rich. I am aware of the blasphemy[14] preached by those who call themselves ‘Jews.’ But these people are not the Jews they pretend to be[15]; they are actually the congregation of Satan[16] (“a gathering of the Adversary”). In the face of suffering, do not fear[17]. Watch; the devil will throw some of you into prison shortly so that you might be tested, and you will endure great affliction for 10 days.[18] Be faithful[19] throughout your life, until the day you die, and I will give you the victor’s crown of life.[20] “Let the person who is able to hear, listen to and follow what the Spirit proclaims to all the churches. The one who conquers through faithfulness even unto death will escape the second death.”Whereas “overcoming” in Ephesus required the restoration of love, in Smyrna it demanded withstanding persecution and enduring faithfully through suffering. So, let’s talk about suffering.[21] There were different types of suffering/trials/hardships for the church in Smyrna:
- Resisting temptation in general for the sake of Christ
- Enduring dismissal, derision, and contempt, for the sake of Christ
- Taking a financial or reputational hit for the sake of Christ
- Suffering emotional, relational, physical pain for the sake of Christ
- Dying for the sake of Christ
There are a variety of ways Christians can and have responded when facing hardship and trials.[24]
1. Quit –Rome and Babylon would love to have your allegiance.[25]
2. Lie –You could lie with words (tell people you aren’t a Christian) or with your body (live as if Jesus has no say in your life) while clinging to the notion that all that matters is that you really are a follower of Jesus deep inside. “Whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33)
3. Fight – physically protect religious freedom with the sword. Peter tried this. Jesus was having none of it. “ ‘Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?’ … In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?’“ (Matthew 26:52-53; 55).
4. Accommodate – try to do Christian worship and empire worship at the same time: let’s call this serving or honoring two masters. That’s what empire worship was doing in Rome; this was one of the key problems facing the church at the time probably more than the others. The compromise that followed Constantine’s legalization of Christianity in the 300s was another. This is a long quote from Scot McKnight, but it establishes the timelessness of this challenge.
Each century has its Babylons, each country has its Babylons, and each state and city and—yes, church institutions and churches—has the potential to release the powers of Babylon. One of America’s prophets, William Stringfellow, observes, “The moral pretenses of Imperial Rome, the millennial claims of Nazis, the arrogance of Marxist dogma, the anxious insistence that America be ‘number one’ among the nations are all versions of Babylon’s idolatry.” Babylon is as present to John as Patmos. Babylon was not some future city for him. Babylon accompanies the church as it moves through church history. This can’t be stressed enough: Babylon is timeless.
So, yes, we glimpse the wild thing and its sycophants in the Caesars of Rome, in Constantine and even more in Theodosius I, in Charlemagne, in Napoleon, in Stalin, in Hitler, in Mussolini, in Churchill, in Roosevelt, in the apartheid creators, in Mao, and in various powers in Washington DC….Yes, we see Babylon in the evil slave trade of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, in the systemic degradation of a people based on skin color and race, in the corrupted systemic residues of slavery, and in the hideous displays of privilege, power, and attempts at supremacy in the monstrous culture war in the USA. Many of those reading Revelation speculatively point their fingers at Russia or Iran or Iraq and fail to see Babylon in their own country. Yet as Michael Gorman has gone to pains to demonstrate, the USA has earmarks of empire in its exceptionalism, nationalism, colonialism, and militarism.”Since critique of nations and concern for accommodation are prominent in Revelation, let’s look at how this sneaks into our own history, which blended biblical formation with a profound influence from the very secular Enlightenment’s admiration of ancient Rome.[26]
The rotunda of the US Capitol building has a mural called The Apotheosis of Washington (1865). It depicts Washington as having ascended into the heavens and becoming exalted or glorified. He wears the colors of Roman emperors, with a rainbow arch at his feet, flanked by the goddesses of Victory and Liberty. There are six scenes around him, 5 of which have Roman gods/goddesses:
- Science, Minerva, surrounded by inventors.
- Marine, Neptune, with warships in the background.
- Commerce, Mercury, giving a bag of gold to a financier of the Revolutionary War.
- Mechanics, Vulcan, with cannons and steam engines.
- Agriculture, Ceres, with a mechanical reaper.
- War, Columbia, the personification of America, aka Lady Liberty.
“The whole "Constantine mentality" from the fourth century up to our day was a mistake. Constantine, as the Roman Emperor, in 313 ended the persecution of Christians. Unfortunately, the support he gave to the church led by 381 to the enforcing of Christianity, by Theodosius I, as the official state religion. Making Christianity the official state religion opened the way for confusion up till our own day. There have been times of very good government when this interrelationship of church and state has been present. But through the centuries it has caused great confusion between loyalty to the state and loyalty to Christ, between patriotism and being a Christian. We must not confuse the Kingdom of God with our country. To say it another way: "We should not wrap our Christianity in our national flag.”- Francis A. Schaeffer, A Christian ManifestoOkay, so the first 4 options aren’t good ones. The last two are options are viable options for Christians.
5. Change the law – demand justice within the rights the empire has given us. This is an option Paul used. He maxed out his rights as a Roman citizen to avoid some pretty nasty punishments.[30] He escaped dangerous situations when he could. Being faithful to Jesus doesn’t mean we have to be gluttons for punishment.
But it’s worth nothing that even as Paul claimed his rights, he was still beaten and jailed a lot and killed eventually. One hopes the law would be Christian-friendly; at some point, it won’t be. We can and should work within the system to promote justice and mercy for all. However, when the law turns against our faith, we don’t panic, and we don’t take up the sword to get it back. We knew this day would come.
6. Be patiently faithful even unto death. There are different outcomes to suffering: Smyrna would face greater suffering (2:10), the other persecuted church (Philadelphia) would not experience the same (3:10). James was executed but Peter was released (Acts 12:2 - 7). Some Christians experienced miraculous release from prison while others died (Hebrews 11:35). Some Christians in Afghanistan got out; others didn’t. Some pastors have hidden successfully; some haven’t.
Revelation reveals a sobering truth in stark terms: when we face persecution, we might suffer a lot, and even die. It’s no surprise that John, surrounded by persecution, expects us to have to endure this also. Fortunately, Revelation shows us how to overcome in the face of persecution: the image of the triumphant lion as a slain lamb:
Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne…” (5:5-6)We overcome not by matching hostility and violence and angry vitriol but by laying down our lives figuratively and literally. The path to the crown goes through the cross. “This do in remembrance of me.”[31] For the Christian, there is always hope through the suffering we experience and reward on the other side of faithfulness. In fact, suffering plays such a vital role in our life in Christ that we are told multiple times that we ought to actually rejoice, because it’s a means by which God matures us.
We will be granted opportunities to share in Christ’s glory by fellowshipping in his suffering. We will be granted an opportunity to prove our faithfulness through testing. We have been given the gift of being allowed to suffer with Christ so that we can live with Christ. There’s no need to seek out or sprint toward pain, but let’s not waste the opportunity to suffer well when God allows it to become a part of our life. A crown of life awaits.“We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that when we suffer we develop endurance, which shapes our characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness. And hope will never fail to satisfy our deepest need because the Holy Spirit that was given to us has flooded our hearts with God’s love.” (Romans 5:3-5)“But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed.” (1 Peter 4:13)If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. (I Peter 2:20-23)
Don’t waste your suffering. It is far too valuable. God is using it in a thousand ways you will never see or know, but one way is to advance the gospel (Philippians 1:12). Tell people about the hope in you, how God has met you, why your faith has made a difference in your trials. It is the most powerful witness you have.
NEXT POST: http://empiresandmangers.blogspot.com/2024/04/children-of-dragon-children-of-lamb_20.html
_______________________________________________________
[1] The Letters To The Seven Churches, by William Ramsey
[2] Hmmm. I think that image might show up later in Revelation?
[3] Halley’s Bible Handbook Note
[4] Apollonius said, “Though it is the most beautiful of all cities under the sun…it is a greater charm to wear a crown of men than a crown of porticoes and pictures and gold beyond the standard of mankind.” 2nd century orator Aelius Aristides said that since Smyrna has been restored after the earthquakes in her history, “Spring’s gates…are opened by crowns.”
[5] The Letters To The Seven Churches, by William Ramsey
[6] William Barclay notes this was a political act in the eyes of Rome more than a religious act. That might have been a handy excuse: “Rome doesn’t see this as religious; why should I?” Or it might have been very tempting to find a friendly official to bribe so that you had a certificate without having to burn the incense.
[7] Both Jews and Christians struggled with this. Should they continue to participate in social activities that have a pagan (non-Jewish, non-Christian) religious character? This would include most activities: watching or participating in athletic and rhetorical contests; buying and eating meat in the precincts of pagan temples; and frequenting trade guilds, clubs, and events in private homes, each with their meetings, drinking parties, and banquets. Should they acknowledge the sovereignty of the emperor when asked to do so at a public event in the precincts of his temple, or at another of the many events in his honor? (From “Reading Revelation Responsibly” in Dragons, John, And Every Grain Of Sand: Essays On The Book Of Revelation. Edited by Shane J. Wood.
[8] NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
[9] To them, Christians distorted the Law; the worship of Jesus as Messiah was blasphemy.
[10] IVP New Testament Commentary Series
[11] Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12
[12] Many commentators see a comparison to Smyrna’s history here.
[13] Likely because they refused to participate in idolatrous trade guilds.
[14] “Blasphemy "switches" right for wrong (wrong for right), i.e. calls what God disapproves, "right." (HELPS Word Studies)
[15] “Jews by national descent, but not spiritually of "the true circumcision." Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
[16] John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father….Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
[17] Beale notes that in Isaiah 41 and 44, this is also an encouragement to the Jews.
[18] See Daniel 1:12-15, where Daniel and his friends were tested for 10 days. “The number is likely a symbol and not a 10 day time period. The number 10 represents a complete period of testing. Even though you are exiles in a different culture, you will be revealed to be the children of God.” (Shane Wood) Ramsey notes that it could be a literal reference to the time awaiting punishment: “In the Roman world, prison was usually… a prelude to trial and execution; hence the words "Be faithful, even to the point of death." The State would not burden itself with the custody of criminals, except as a preliminary stage to their trial, or in the interval between trial and execution. Fine, exile, and death constituted the usual range of penalties.” From Adam Clarke’s Commentary: “Think of the expression as implying frequency and abundance, as it does in other parts of Scripture.” Genesis 31:7; Genesis 31:41; Numbers 14:22; Nehemiah 4:12; Job 19:3.
[19] “The expression ‘be faithful,’ again, would inevitably remind Smyrnaean readers of the history of their city, which had been the faithful friend and ally of Rome for centuries. To Cicero it was ‘the most faithful of our allies’. (William Ramsey)
[20] The promise to Ephesus was “the tree of life” (v. 7). To Smyrna, it is the “crown of life” (v. 10).
[21] A large amount of the suffering in Revelation is born by followers of the Lamb. In his vision of heaven, John sees martyrs who had conquered the Beast through death. Tertullian famously said in his second century letter to Rome, “The more often we are mown down by you, the more number we grow. The blood of Christians is seed.”
[22] John 16:33
[23] Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple. McKnight and Matchett,
[24] This list is from (drum roll….) Shane J. Wood!
[25] Christian journalist Malcolm Muggeridge once wrote, “If God is dead [or if God is not worshipped], somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched first or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner.” That’s Rome and Babylon.
[26] Read this informative Senior Thesis from a Liberty University student. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1280&context=honors.
[27] Read it again :) https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1280&context=honors
[28] Biden doesn’t seem to be inspiring those comparisons. The only example I found was a magazine (Jacobin) that used Christian iconography to satirize the American tendency to have religious devotion for our leaders.
[30] Acts 22:22-23:11
[31] Luke 22:8-20
[32] https://www.vaneetha.com/about
[33] Vaneetha Risner, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-only-suffering-can-say
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