persecution

Harmony #63: The Fire of God (Luke 12:1-9, 11-12; 49-56; 6:40; Matthew 10:17-20, 22-36)

Meanwhile, when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Do not be afraid of them, for nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what is whispered in your ear in private rooms, proclaim from the housetops.

I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body,[1] and after that have nothing more they can do, because they cannot kill the soul. But I will warn you whom you should fear: Fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body[2], who has authority to end them both in Gehennah. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God, or falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. In fact, even all the hairs on your head are numbered. So do not be afraid; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man, will also acknowledge in the heavenly court before the angels and my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven and before his angels.”[3]

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves. Beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils and bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, and flog you in their synagogues. And you will be brought before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them and the Gentiles.

But when they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers and the authorities, and hand you over for trial, do not worry about how you should make your defense or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you must say. For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.[4]

All the nations will hate (denounce, persecute[5]) you because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Whenever they persecute you in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.[6]

A disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor a slave greater than his master. It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. Everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher. If they have called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more will they defame the members of his household!”

I have come to bring fire on the earth—and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism (of suffering) to undergo, and how hard pressed I am until it is finished![7]

Do you think I have come to bring peace (wholeness[8]) on earth? No, I tell you, my arrival is bring disunion of opinion and conduct![9] I have not come (to help everybody smooth over their differences), but to wield a sword (of the Spirit, the word of God.)[10]

For from now on there will be five in one household divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his household.[11]

* * * * *

There are multiple points to be made this week. Apply as needed :)

Guard against hypocrisy. I feel like we covered this last week.

We are sheep, not wolves. Watch out for the wolves; identify them, and don’t be like them. Jesus then identifies the wolves: councils, synagogues, rulers, authorities, governors and kings. Those with power. Religion has never done well when wedded with power; Judaism and Christianity are no exception. I think one reason is that it takes wolves to keep power – or maybe power makes us wolfish. God does not intend for us to go into hostile spaces and fight with the weapons of the hostile.

 The Good Shepherd’s Sermon on the Mount is the template for us sheep. Poor in spirit; mourning our brokenness; meek/gentle; hungering for righteousness; merciful; pure in heart; peacemakers; willing to endure persecution. (Matthew 5) That’s how sheep go into the territory of wolves. It feels so opposed to what we want to do, but it’s the path the Good Shepherd gave to us.

Proclaim truth boldly, show wisdom/sensibility, and live blamelessly. Representing Jesus well calls us to a faithful attitude, a discerning presentation, and a righteous lifestyle. First, we ought not be embarrassed or cowardly about our faith. We don’t have to be obnoxious, but Jesus said, “Acknowledge me before others.” When we have light for the darkness, we make sure it shines. Second, we need to pray for Holy Spirit help to ‘read the room’ when we present or defend our faith. What do people need in the moment? Not every field is harvested the same way; don’t take a combine to a melon patch. Third, we need to make sure we live in habits of faithfulness and righteousness. If faith without deeds is a dead faith, surely the presentation of our faith without the commentary of our deeds to accompany it is equally problematic. Our actions and words should tell the same story.

Truth is divisive. Expect pushback and persecution. Your translation might say, “All the people will hate you.” I think the better translations use “nations.” Jesus’ language clearly wasn’t meant to apply to every individual. The early church grew very, very quickly. Jesus is simply noting that everywhere they go, there will be pushback and minimum and persecution at maximum from somebody. I’ve talked with some followers of Jesus who just assumed that the larger amount of people who disliked them, the more faithful they must be. That… might not be what’s happening. The early church exploded because so many people really liked what they heard and saw in the first followers of Jesus.

That sword Jesus brings is elsewhere called “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17) that “is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) The message and means of peace with God was a foolish stumbling block for some. (1 Corinthians 1:23) Just like the same light can illuminate or blind, the same truth can land very differently in the eyes of different people.

If God’s truth divides us from others or brings disdainful attitudes on us, so be it. Let’s just be sure we don’t give reasons other than God’s truth for those things to happen.

Disciples of Jesus need not be afraid of the One who truly deserves their fear/awe/reverence.[12] Within the space of a paragraph, we read “fear God/don’t fear God.” I think that contrast is purposeful. We are supposed to wrestle with it. So here’s where I wrestled to J We are so used to being afraid of power, because so often power has been used to abuse. But God is Great AND God is Good (as we used to sing before meals). Jesus, right in front of them, is showing that God is using His power to save the world. Jesus is watching sparrows in person. The power is stunning; so is the love and provision. Peter will be a recipient of this. Even after denying Jesus and bringing on himself the punishment of a traitor, Jesus draws him back. When Jesus resurrects, he tells people, “Don’t be afraid.” He wasn’t on a revenge tour. He was there to seek and save the lost.

God’s Spirit will empower you. You don’t have to have perfect preparation or extensive training to represent Jesus. You just need to be faithfully present. Preparation is not a bad idea: “Be ready always to give a reason for the hope that lies within you, with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15) Just remember that when we are weak, He is strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9) We won’t ever stand in front of the Sanhedrin, but we will stand in front of family members, and co-workers, and classmates. Be wise and gentle, but be bold. God’s Spirit is with you.

‘Baptism by fire’ is part of God’s plan. It will purify us.

The fire of God is a beautiful and terrifying gift. The imagery is used generously throughout the Bible.

OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLES[13]

·  “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.” (Psalm 66:10-12) 

· “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts.” (Proverbs 17:3)

· “Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel…” (Proverbs 25:4)

· “I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy.” (Isaiah 1:25)

· “The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: ‘Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?’ He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil.” (Isaiah 33:14-15)

· “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.” (Isaiah 48:10)

· “And it shall come to pass in all the land, says the LORD, that two- thirds in it shall be cast off and die, but one-third shall be left in it; I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; and each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God'” (Zech. 13:8-9).

· “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.” (Lamentations 3:22)

· “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10).

·“Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people?” (Jeremiah 9:7)

·  “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver…. ‘So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.’ (Malachi 3:2-6)

 

NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES

· “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[14] His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12)

· “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)

· “ Their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work… If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire. ” (1 Corinthians 3:13-15)

·  And have mercy on those who waver; save others by snatching them out of the fire.” (Jude 1:22-23)

· “Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns.” (1 Peter 1:7)

· “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

· “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:12

· “And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into Gehenna, where ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ Everyone will be salted with fire.” (Mark 9:47-49)

 

So…. when the Bible talks about fire in this life, be it real or metaphorical, it always does two things: fire judges and purifies. The judgment of that which is evil also purifies the land or the person by getting rid of that which is destructive and evil.[15] The fire of judgment is a mercy to the victims of evil; the fire of purification a gift to the one doing the evil.

In the In the New Testament’s unveiling of the New Covenant, this fire seems to be two key things, both of which offer a judgment (by revealing what it pure and good) and a purification (since what is left is pure and good).

God’s Word

“’For what has chaff to do with wheat?’ declares the Lord. ‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:28-29)

Foresters will occasionally do a “controlled burn” for the health of a forest. It gets out dead grass and trees, fallen branches, and thick undergrowth.

“By ridding a forest of dead leaves, tree limbs, and other debris, a prescribed burn can help prevent a destructive wildfire. Controlled burns can also reduce insect populations and destroy invasive plants. In addition, fire can be rejuvenating. It returns nutrients to the soil in the ashes of vegetation that could otherwise take years to decompose.

 And after a fire, the additional sunlight and open space in a forest can help young trees and other plants start to grow. Some plants, such as certain pine species, require fire before the cones or fruits containing the seeds can release them. These cones or fruits need fire to melt a resin that holds the seeds inside. As a result, without fire these species cannot reproduce.”

Apply these principles generously to the fire of God’s Word in our lives. God’s word will bring life, but there will be a prescribed burn. It’s taking up our cross to follow Jesus. It’s “dying daily,” like Paul described his life.  It’s being pruned. If God’s word does not at times feel like a fire burning away your sin, we aren’t taking the Bible seriously enough. Let’s try a couple verses.

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” (James 1:26)

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” (1 John 3:17)

Trials/Tests

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

Greek scholar, Kenneth Wuest, provides a beautiful illustration of God’s refining fire.

“The picture here is of an ancient goldsmith who puts his crude gold ore in a crucible, subjects it to intense heat, and thus liquefies the mass. The impurities rise to the surface and are skimmed off. When the metalworker is able to see the reflection of his face clearly mirrored in the surface of the liquid, he takes it off the fire, for he knows that the contents are pure gold. So it is with God and His child. He puts us in the crucible of Christian suffering, in which process sin is gradually put out of our lives, our faith is purified from the slag of unbelief that somehow mingles with it so often, and the result is the reflection of the face of Jesus Christ in the character of the Christian. This, above all, God the Father desires to see. Christlikeness is God’s ideal for His child. Christian suffering is one of the most potent means to that end.”

Why did Jesus bring a fire to the earth? Because the fire of God produces purified men and women of God. Because God is a Good Father, he desires the best for His children. He desires us to flourish as transformed image bearers living in the path of life, expanding the Kingdom of God wherever we go.

 ________________________________________________________________

[1] In 4 Maccabees, a first-century Jewish text about the martyrdom of a man named Eleazar and his seven sons, we read, “Let us not fear him who thinks he is killing us... . For if we so die, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob will welcome us, and all the fathers will praise us.” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds of the New Testament)

[2] “The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.” (Isaiah 8:13)

[3] “Before that glorious throng of heavenly beings, whose existence was a part of the creed of every true Jew; before the mighty angels, the awful seraphim; before that countless crowd of winged and burning ones who assisted at the awful mysteries of Sinai, would they who witnessed for him, and suffered because of him, be acknowledged by him. Their sufferings…would be recounted before the angels by the same King of heaven, when he returned to his home of grandeur and of peace in heaven.” (Pulpit Commentary)

[4] An example is seen in Peter’s testimony in Acts 4:8-12.

[5] https://biblehub.com/greek/3404.htm

[6] How could this happen in their lifetime? Many commentaries agree with the ESV Reformation Study Bible: “The ‘coming’ refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70 as an act of judgment against the nation of Israel. This understanding retains the note of urgency and fits the experience of the church prior to a.d. 70… That event was terrible in intensity and fell on what had been the central visible symbol of God’s presence, the temple.

[7] “If Jesus refers here to the “baptism” with fire he may be suggesting that he will first experience the judgment in others’ place.” (NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

[8] “Wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together (HELPS Word Studies)

[9] Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. This is the only time this word is used in the New Testament.

[10] Ephesians 6:17)

[11] “The passage recalls Micah’s description of the social disintegration in Israel leading up to the Assyrian conquest, when “a man’s enemies are the members of his own household” (Mic. 7:6). The rabbis interpreted this Old Testament passage with reference to the great time of crisis before the coming of the Messiah, when “children shall shame the elders, and the elders shall rise up before the children.” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds of the New Testament)

[12] The Greek word for “fear” can mean the obvious “afraid”, but also “awe and reverence”. We can see which meaning is intended based on the context. Luke 12:4-7 is Jesus telling the listeners to whom they ought to owe allegiance; instead of revering human rulers, who do not control the afterlife, we ought to obey God, who does. (Expositors Bible Commentary)

[13] Moses saw a burning bush from which God spoke. (Exodus 3:1-3)  A pillar of fire led the people of Israel from Egypt. (Exodus 13:20-22)  A fire hovered over the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:38) – the same fire that hovered over the converts in Acts, identifying people as the temple of God.

[14] Probably a reference to the event in Acts when the Holy Spirit appeared like “divided tongues of fire… and rested on each one of them.”(Acts 2:3)

[15] “It is difficult to determine the precise meaning of "fire" because the word can signify either judgment or purification. The immediate context suggests judgment; while Jesus came to bring salvation rather than judgment (Lk 4:19Jn 3:17), his coming also meant judgment (Jn 9:39). But it may also signify purification. John the Baptist promised that Jesus would "baptize . . . with the Holy Spirit and fire" (see comments on 3:16). It is possible that this fire was to be "kindled" by the baptism of the Spirit (Ac 2:1-4), something that could only occur after his own "baptism" of death (v.50), the thought of which distressed him greatly.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

SMYRNA: Alive In Death (Revelation 2:8-11)

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 1stcentury. 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. 

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”). 

 10 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] 

11 “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

Christians won’t necessarily face all of these, but “in this world you will have trouble.”[22] There are a variety of ways Christians can and have responded when facing hardship and trials.[23]

1. Quit –Rome and Babylon would love to have your allegiance.[24]

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. Since critique of nations and concern for accommodation are prominent in Revelation, let’s look at how this sneaks into our own history, which was profoundly influenced by the Enlightenment admiration of ancient Rome.[25]

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:

·  ScienceMinerva, surrounded by inventors.

·  Marine,Neptune, with warships in the background.

·  CommerceMercury, giving a bag of gold to a financier of the Revolutionary War.

·  MechanicsVulcan, with cannons and steam engines.

·  Agriculture,Ceres, with a mechanical reaper.

·  WarColumbia, the personification of  America, aka Lady Liberty.

It’s obviously not the same as 1st century Emperor worship, but there is no doubht that national values and admired leaders are viewed with an awe approaching reverence.[26] We still do it culturally (I’m thinking of the Messianic imagery associated with presidents Obama and Trump in recent years[27]). Francis Schaeffer warned us about this decdes ago:[28]

“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 Manifesto

Okay, 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.[29] 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.”[30]

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 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)

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.

* * * * *

Let’s #practicerighteousness. I want to offer a practical way for us to patiently and faithfully endure in a way that shows the peace and the hope we have in Christ. We are not being asked to physically die in the United States, but there others ways in which trials test our faith. We can prepare now with what’s in front of us.

I often see anger and fear sometimes verging on panic when THIS LAW or THIS PERSON or THIS MOVEMENT is apparently going to destroy the church. Nothing has had the power to do that for 2,000 years and counting. Dragons and beasts are nothing compared to God’s power and majesty.  God is still sovereign. God will be with His people and supply what they need and hand the faithful a crown of life in the end. It may well make our life hard – but we were warned. “Taking up our cross” is a thing. 

I’m not suggesting we should be apathetic or lazy or even fatalistic. Christians aren’t called to any of those either. I think we can be really engaged in thoughtful and careful ways in all these areas as we name the darkness and light the candle of gospel hope. In fact, part of suffering for the sake of Christ is probably the relentlessly bold (and grace-filled, and loving) promotion of the message and the values of the Kingdom in the face of opposition.

I’m talking about what orients and grounds us and makes us righteously different in the midst of life in a hard and sometimes cruel world. God has granted us the opportunity to patiently endure in the midst of hardship so that we can share in His glory and obtain the crown in the end. We have not yet been called to shed our blood, but we have been called to lay down our lives in different ways honor of the Lamb who conquers by being slain.

I will end with some thoughts from Vaneetha Risner, who speaks with some authority on experiencing suffering:[31]

Watching believers suffer and die well changes a world that lives to avoid suffering. There’s nothing unusual about Christians who are happy in prosperity. That’s natural. Even expected. But joy in suffering is supernatural. The world takes notice. Like Moses and the burning bush, they step aside to see why we are not destroyed (Exodus 3:2–3).[32]

A few of us may end up giving our lives for the gospel. Some of us may proclaim Christ through indescribable and extraordinary suffering. But all of us can show the surpassing worth of Christ to others through our mundane, often daily, trials. People want to see how we respond to our challenging children. Our chronic pain. Our difficult boss. Our financial struggles. Our ailing parents. Our unwanted singleness.  

The situations that we wish were most different are likely the places that others are watching us most closely. They are each, therefore, a precious opportunity to share how Christ meets us in our suffering. 

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.

 

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[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 Notes

[4] Apollonius said, “Though it is the most beautiful of all cities under the sun…yet 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 disastrous 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. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. 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 31:7Genesis 31:41Numbers 14:22Nehemiah 4:12Job 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] This list is from (drum roll….) Shane J. Wood!

[24] 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.

[25] Read this informative Senior Thesis from a Liberty University student. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1280&context=honors. Francis Schaeffer’s How Should We Then Live opens with a Rome/United States comparison.

[26] Read this senior thesis from a student at Liberty University on this influence.https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1280&context=honors

[27] 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.

[28] This requires several myths.

a. a “myth of righteousness” that  sets values of the Empire on par with the values of the Kingdom (in which both are seen as part of the euangelion, the good news of God’s plan for the world).

b.a “myth of greatness” as defined by the standards of Babylon and Rome: financial, political, and/or military strength as the markers of success. 

c.   a “myth of innocence” that sees the power, prosperity, and peace of the (apparently) righteous and great Empire as achieved by and sustained by thoroughly righteous means and people. 

d.   a “myth of worthiness” that demands an appreciation of and allegiance to the state as a profoundly moral responsibility for Christians. 

[29] Acts 22:22-23:11

[30] Luke 22:8-20

[31] https://www.vaneetha.com/about

[32] Vaneetha Risner, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-only-suffering-can-say