Persecution and Compromise: September 2015
Table of Contents
Persecution and Compromise
Persecute: “To harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve or afflict, specifically to cause to suffer because of belief.” Compromise: “Something intermediate between or blending qualities of two different things.” Satan wants us to blend God’s truth with Satan’s lies, and by doing so to avoid persecution. Our Lord says to us, “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20). “They shall ... persecute you ... for My name’s sake” (Luke 21:12). “They departed ... rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:4,10). “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not” (Rom. 12:14).
The Need for Persecution
With regard to us as believers, persecution and trial are used to hinder our departure from God. There is the constant tendency in the heart to take rest in prosperous circumstances, for the flesh turns to what is agreeable in the world, but this will not do. God says, “Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest” (Mic. 2:10). Persecution is the natural portion of the children of God. When the church was taking rest at the beginning, persecution soon came in. In Matthew the principles and character of the kingdom were brought out in the sermon on the mount. Blessing is the character, for then the grace of Christ was just beginning to be manifested. The miracles had begun to be performed, and God was now showing them what was “blessed” in His sight. Towards the end of the Gospel, instead of blessing it is, “Woe” — “your house is left unto you desolate,” because the opposition was fully brought out by the perfect manifestation of what was in Him.
Tribulation
God sends us tribulation, opposition from without, to bring out grace and to hinder decay. With Christ it was always and only the former. But take the case of Job: God uses Satan as an instrument of blessing to him, as He does with the church. About Job, God begins the conversation, “Hast thou considered My servant Job?” and God uses the trial to bring out to him what Job had never known before. Again, take the case of Paul. He had to be taken up into the third heaven, to get such a sight of the glory as to fit him for the peculiar service to the church to which he was called. Then what use would the flesh make of this? It would puff up. Then a messenger of Satan is sent to buffet him, and he prays that it may be removed. But he is not allowed to have the thorn in the flesh removed, but gets the assurance, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). It was this that strengthened him for after service, not the being in the third heaven and the sight of the glory, in one sense, for it was to be God’s strength, not Paul’s. Take another case in Peter. He needed to be sifted, because of his self-confidence; therefore the Lord allows Satan to sift him, but He prayed for him. When confidence in self was pulled down, then he could be used to help others.
God’s Use of Satan
It seems astonishing that God should use Satan as the instrument to try the saints here, but it is so, and He says, “The devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried” (Rev. 2:10). In this church we find the state is decaying (they have left their first love), and God has to put them into the furnace. They are put in the place where Satan persecuted them — where Satan’s seat was. “I know thy works, and tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich)” (Rev. 2:9). God knew that they were rich; they were multiplied in the world, and then there was a tendency to rest in their circumstances, instead of in the Lord Himself. The Lord would not suffer this. He must put them into trouble, because He would make them lean on Him. He will give them to find the hostility of the world, in order that they may be brought back to know their own privileges in their own real position. How strange that the church should need persecution, not only that Christ should suffer them to be cast into prison, but also that they were to be faithful even to death! And the promise to them is “the crown of life.” They may be martyrs, but there is positive blessing and honor for them. Christians are seeking what the world does. If the Lord turns the current, He puts them through the fire. If the church has the world in any sense down here, it must give up a heavenly, a crucified, Christ.
Carnal Ordinances and Heaven
You cannot associate the world and religion like in Judaism; there it was the object to connect them. It set about to mingle the tastes and feelings of nature with God, and whenever the world is connected with religion, there must be priesthood to bring them together, because the moment you get man as he is, he cannot stand before God. But now all Christians are priests — no need of an order of priests between God and you; you are a heavenly, not an earthly people. “Jesus ... suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach” (Heb. 13:12-13). The moment the blood is carried into the heavenly places, we are associated with Him; we are taken outside the world altogether and connected with the heavenly places. Judaism connected these two in an earthly tabernacle. Our place is outside the camp and inside the veil, with Him. Carnal ordinances connected man with God under Judaism, but when Christ is rejected on earth, the meeting place is in heaven, and there cannot be a mixture of the two. We are raised up together and made to sit together in the heavenly places in Him. We have no middlemen between us and Christ who is our portion. The moment we lose the sense of this, God must let loose the power of Satan to keep us in a straight path.
J. N. Darby, adapted
The Real Cause of Persecution
Although different reasons may be given by different persons and governments for persecuting Christians, yet we believe that the real cause is the heart’s enmity against Christ and His truth, as seen in the godly lives of His people. Besides, their light makes manifest the darkness around and exposes and reproves the inconsistencies of false professors and the godless lives of the wicked. The enemy, taking occasion by these things, stirs up the cruel passions of those in power to quench the light by persecuting the light-bearer. “Every one that doeth evil hateth the light” (John 3:20). Such has been the experience of all Christians, in all ages, both in times of peace and in times of trouble. There is no exemption from persecution, secretly or openly, if we live according to the Spirit and truth of Christ. Among the last words that Paul wrote we read these: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).
The following may be considered as some of the unavoidable causes of persecution, looking at both sides of the question — God’s purposes and man’s reasons.
The War of Aggression
Christianity, unlike all other religions that preceded it, was aggressive (openly active) in its character. Judaism was exclusive — the religion of one nation; Christ was proclaimed to the whole world. This was an entirely new thing on the earth. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15) was the Lord’s command to the disciples. They were to go forth and make war with error, in every form and in all its workings. The conquest to be made was the heart for Christ. “The weapons of our warfare,” says the Apostle, “are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4-5). In this war of aggression with existing institutions and with the corrupt habits of the heathen, the disciples of Jesus had little to expect but resistance, persecution and suffering.
Pagan Religions and the State
The pagan religions, which Christianity was rapidly undermining and destined to overthrow, were institutions of the state. They were so closely interwoven with the civil and social systems that to attack the religion was to be brought into conflict with both the civil and the social. And this was exactly what took place. If the primitive church had been as accommodating to the world as Christendom is now, much persecution might have been avoided. But the early church would not go for such lax accommodation. The gospel which the Christians then preached and the purity of doctrine and life which they maintained shook to the very foundation the old and deeply rooted religions of the state.
The Christians naturally withdrew themselves from the pagans. They became a separate and distinct people. They could not but condemn and abhor polytheism, as utterly opposed to the one living and true God and to the gospel of His Son Jesus Christ. This gave the Romans the idea that Christians were unfriendly to the human race, seeing they condemned all religions but their own. Hence they were called “atheists,” because they did not believe in the heathen deities and refused heathen worship.
Christian Worship
Simplicity and humility characterized the Christians’ worship. They peaceably came together before sunrise or after sunset, to avoid giving offense. They sang hymns to Christ as to God; they broke bread in remembrance of His love in dying for them; they edified one another and pledged themselves to a life of holiness. But they had no fine temples, no statues, no order of priests, and no victims to offer in sacrifice. The contrast between their worship and that of all others in the empire became most manifest. The heathen, in their ignorance, concluded that the Christians had no religion at all and that their secret meetings were for the worst of purposes. The world now, as then, would say of those who worship God in spirit and in truth that “these people have no religion at all.” Christian worship, in true simplicity, without the aid of temples and priests, rites and ceremonies, is not much better understood now by professing Christendom than it was then by pagan Rome. Still it is true: “God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
The Temporary Interests
By the progress of Christianity, the temporal interests of a great number of persons were seriously affected. This was a fruitful and bitter source of persecution. A countless throng of priests, image-makers, dealers, soothsayers, augurs and artisans found good livings in connection with the worship of so many deities.
All these, seeing their craft in danger, rose up in united strength against the Christians and sought by every means to arrest the progress of Christianity. They invented and disseminated the vilest calumnies against everything Christian. The cunning priests and the artful soothsayers easily persuaded the vulgar, and the public mind in general, that all the calamities, wars, tempests and diseases that afflicted mankind were sent upon them by the angry gods, because the Christians who despised their authority were tolerated.
Sheep Among Wolves
Many other things might be mentioned, but these were everywhere the daily causes of the Christians’ sufferings, both publicly and privately. A moment’s reflection will convince every reader of the truth of this. But faith could see the Lord’s hand and hear His voice in it all: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. ... They will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. ... Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:16-18,34).
A. Miller, adapted
Persecution of God’s People
None of us wants to face persecution! But since the fall of man, it has always been the lot of God’s people in this world to be persecuted. Man’s evil nature has always had an innate hatred of that which is good, and especially if exposure to that which was good was a constant irritation to a bad conscience. We see this beginning with Cain and Abel. Abel’s sacrifice was accepted while Cain’s was rejected, and we read that “Cain ... slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12).
This same pattern was repeated throughout the Old Testament, and especially in the nation of Israel. Stephen could challenge the Jewish leaders of his day by raising the question, “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?” (Acts 7:52). The Lord Jesus Himself summed it up, when He spoke about “all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar” (Matt. 23:35). Between these two men lies almost the whole of the Old Testament history of man.
Parable of the Vineyard
But did all this improve with the coming of the Lord Jesus into the world? The story is told by our Lord Himself in the parable of the vineyard. After the ill treatment of multiple servants sent by the owner of the vineyard, he finally said, “What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him” (Luke 20:13). It is not difficult to see God as the owner of the vineyard and the Lord Jesus as His beloved Son. But man’s heart was not changed by this display of God’s goodness. “They cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him” (Luke 20:15).
Afflictions of Christ
But God’s heart of love was not to be shut up by this supreme display of man’s wickedness. Instead of instant judgment, we read that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). However, it was not to be a popular message, and the Lord’s followers were to expect persecution. Those who left possessions or relatives to follow the Lord would receive a recompense, even in the present time, but “with persecutions” (Mark 10:30). The Lord Jesus could also remind His disciples, “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). Later on, after the conversion of Saul of Tarsus (later the Apostle Paul), the Lord could tell Ananias, “I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:16). Then Paul became a “standard bearer” of this dispensation, even to the point of being able to say, “I ... fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the church” (Col. 1:24). Christ suffered before the church existed, as it was not formed until He ascended to glory and sent down the Holy Spirit. In this way Paul “filled up” those sufferings, by suffering for the church and for the truth of the assembly. Persecution continues today in various forms, and it will not cease until we are called home, for the believer is called to follow a rejected Christ. I would suggest that there are two major kinds of persecution among believers today.
The World
First of all, there is the kind of persecution which we can all recognize — persecution which Paul refers to as “those things that are without” (2 Cor. 11:28). The world has not changed since it cast out the Son of God, and the Lord Jesus could say, “If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Down through the ages of the church, the world has vented its rage against the followers of the Lord Jesus, beginning with men like the Roman emperor Nero, under whose rule Paul was executed, and continuing on with others like Domitian and Trajan, who murdered Christians simply because they no longer worshipped Roman gods. It is beyond the scope of this article to follow all the persecutions down through the centuries, but we all know that this persecution continues today. Believers in many areas of the world today are being killed, either directly or indirectly, for their faith in Christ. It is impossible to get accurate figures, but estimates range from a low of 7,000-8,000 to a figure as high as 100,000, every year. Many who are not killed outright doubtless have their lives shortened by harsh economic conditions and other ill-treatment, such as imprisonment. Many others who are not killed are subjected to relentless harassment, often with constant exposure to physical suffering.
The Crown of Life
The Lord encourages them in His Word by saying, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). The Lord knows each one, even if suffering unknown to the rest of the world, and will reward their faithfulness. For some of us, living in favored lands where, for the moment, we have religious freedom, the Lord tells us, “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them” (Heb. 13:3). We are members of the same body, and thus we are to feel with them in their adversity.
Persecution Is Everywhere
Persecution from the world occurs everywhere, for the world is the same, even if it puts on a pleasant face. Some of us may not suffer violence to our persons or the direct confiscation of our property, but Satan finds a way to make the faithful believer feel unwanted. If we confess Christ, we will soon see the world’s hatred. It may come in mild forms such as shunning, or in more tangible forms such as loss of a promotion at work. But Satan, who is now the god and prince of this world, will make it clear that we do not fit into the world he rules. We may, and should, feel this, but rather than resenting it, we should remember that we are only walking in the steps of the Master.
Rejection of Paul
But there is another kind of persecution today, a kind that has existed ever since the latter part of Paul’s life. It was during this time that Paul had to tell Timothy that “all they which are in Asia be turned away from me” (2 Tim. 1:15). They had not rejected Christianity, but rather had rejected Paul because of his faithfulness in both living out and teaching the truth of the church. From that time on, those who wanted to be faithful to the Lord would have to separate, not only from the world, but from vessels to dishonor within the great house of Christendom. One result of all this would be persecution arising from those who called themselves Christians. (Similar persecution will occur in the future during the tribulation, when the godly Jewish remnant will be cast out of the city of Jerusalem and even killed by their own countrymen for preaching the gospel of the kingdom.)
Paul alludes to this when he says to Timothy, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). Doubtless the persecution from without would continue, but superadded to it would be persecution from within, which would be much harder to bear. The “grievous wolves” from without would surely enter in and spoil the flock, but Paul’s words about those within would also be fulfilled: “Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things” (Acts 20:29-30). In the Apostle’s day such persecution took the form of rejection, for Paul could say, “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). Later, under established systems of men in the great house, true believers would be hunted down and killed by those who themselves named the name of Christ.
Faithfulness
Again, all this continues in our day. Faithfulness to the Lord in the middle of an ungodly and threatening world takes real courage, but courage is also needed to stand for “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). When men “heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Tim. 4:3), it takes real resolution before the Lord to honor God’s Word and to be willing to take a despised and rejected place for doing so. But all this likewise will be rewarded, for the “crown of righteousness” will be given to “all them also that love His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). At His appearing, all will be manifested as to rewards, but most of all, our blessed Saviour will have His rightful place. He will have His rightful place then, and all will own Him. It is our privilege to give Him His rightful place now by keeping His Word and not denying His name, in spite of the persecution it may bring.
W. J. Prost
Religious Freedom
Many countries in the world today pride themselves on their policy of so-called “religious freedom.” It is fair to say that this idea really originated in the Christian world, where the separation of church and state was practiced and where, within the limits of the public good, the individual was allowed to worship “each according to the dictates of his own conscience.” This attitude has taken root in some other parts of the world where diversity of religion exists, but it has also been forced on some countries by economic considerations, where wealthy and influential nations have made international trade agreements dependent on the allowing of religious freedom. We can be thankful for this, while recognizing that in many parts of the world, religious minorities continue to be downtrodden and persecuted. In still other nations, while they may declare themselves “secular countries,” yet in practice the “official” religion takes precedence, and those who espouse different religious beliefs are discounted and disadvantaged.
Piety — Godliness
Many of us who live in lands where religious freedom has been enjoyed for many years, when we hear the word “persecution,” tend to think of areas of the world where believers are subjected to such things as the loss of privileges, loss of livelihood, confiscation of property, physical abuse, imprisonment, and even martyrdom. Yet, when we read the Word of God, we find the clear and unmistakable statement that “all indeed who desire to live piously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12 JND). What does this mean for those who live in lands where they can easily obtain an education, pursue a career, raise a family, and generally, as Scripture says, “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Tim. 2:2)?
The Christian World
We can be most thankful if we live in a part of the world where we may worship the Lord freely, but let us not be under any illusions. The so-called Christian world is no more accepting of the name of Christ than the heathen world. I would suggest that the Word of God is unfailingly true and that the key word in the verse quoted above (2 Tim. 3:12) is “piously,” or “godly.” To live piously or godly in this world is not, as another has said, merely to lead a good, morally upright life and then to go to heaven at the end. To be sure, the believer should indeed do all of that, but merely doing so will not bring the “reproach of Christ” (Heb. 11:26) or “the offense of the cross” (Gal. 5:11). No, the world is happy to have those who exhibit Christian virtues such as honesty, integrity, industry and philanthropy, and it will accord them its praise and respect. What then does it mean to live piously?
A Chaste Virgin
First of all, Paul could remind the Corinthians (who wanted to enjoy this world as well as being Christians) that “I have espoused you ... as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2). If we recognize that we are the bride of Christ and walk and talk as such, we will soon find that the world in which we live has not only rejected Christ, but it actually hates Him. If we speak of Him as our Saviour and confess His name publicly, we will soon find that we do not fit in this world. To live in a godly or pious way in this world is to display God’s character. Christ did this perfectly, and He was rejected. He could remind His disciples, “If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).
Children of Light
Second, Paul also reminds us to “walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). This surely means that we are to be living witnesses of the light that God has given us. But in doing so, we will find that “all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light” (Eph. 5:13). While He was on earth, the Lord Jesus could say, “The world cannot hate you; but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil” (John 7:7). The world will often gladly accept a Christian who displays right values and principles, but it will not tolerate those who tell men that they are not only sinners, but lost and helpless sinners.
Our Testimony
To carry this out in a practical way requires courage. Two true stories come to mind, one concerning a young man who took an office job with a large company. Wanting to honor His Lord and Saviour, he placed his Bible on his desk on his first day of work. During the day, another employee saw the Bible, and during the ensuing conversation he remarked to the new employee, “I’m a Christian too, but don’t tell anyone.” In another situation, a young believer was sent to work for several months in a somewhat isolated logging camp. When he arrived back home, another believer who knew him asked, “How did you get along as a Christian in that logging camp? Those camps are often pretty rough places for a Christian to work.” His reply was, “I don’t think they even suspected that I was a Christian.”
Avoiding Reproach
Such stories could be multiplied, but they show us what is all too common among believers today in countries with religious freedom — namely, that we can avoid reproach by not confessing Christ. We are told in Ephesians 5:11 to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Of course, there is a right way and a wrong way to do this. We must remember the exhortation, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col. 4:6). The salt of reproof should be a seasoning, with the main message being the grace of God. This requires wisdom that comes only from the Lord.
Our Heavenly Calling
Third, to live piously means that we display practically our heavenly calling, which effectively separates us from the ambitions and plans of this world and will bring its reproach. Again, those of us who enjoy religious freedom may well ask ourselves if those with whom we live and move recognize this heavenly calling in our lifestyle. But the believer who really appreciates and lives in the good of his “calling on high of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14 JND) will soon find that he follows a rejected Christ. He will experience a distancing — a lack of fellowship, not only with the world, but also with worldly Christians.
Satan’s Work
Satan has done a good job of bringing Christianity down to the level of this world and making it a force for social good, in order to “make the world a better place.” To become involved in all this brings respect and recognition from the world, but it is not true Christianity. Paul could have avoided the offense of the cross by allowing Judaism and its principles into his ministry, and today this same tendency translates into “covenant” or “reconstruction” theology. To go into detail on the subject is not the purpose of this article, but suffice it to say that this kind of thinking brings the believer down to the level of this world, gives him license to take part in “reconstructing” that which God has placed under judgment, and destroys the present hope of the Lord’s coming. This is why Paul, when he first went to Corinth, could say, “I did not judge it well to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2 JND). His preaching was not “with enticing words of man’s wisdom” (1 Cor. 2:4), for this would have appealed to their worldly hearts. No, he preached a rejected and crucified Christ, in order that their faith “should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5). Such preaching is not popular today.
Rejection and Shunning
If we are willing to face the world’s reproach, we will find that indeed we will be persecuted. Not only will this take the form of rejection and shunning, but more subtle ways will often be found by the world in order to register its dislike of the Christian. I knew a believer who was passed over for a well-deserved promotion in his work, despite the fact that he was by far the most qualified person for the job. His boss commented to him at the time, “We would gladly have given you the position, but you are just too good a man!” By this he meant that the brother’s moral uprightness would have made him refuse to do certain things that the job inevitably required. In other situations, the believer may be discriminated against behind the scenes or perhaps “stabbed in the back” by those who do not like him. In most cases it will be obvious what is happening, although usually nothing can be proven.
Spiritual Power
Three aspects of persecution should encourage us, however. First of all, there will be power, spiritual power, with the believer who is walking with the Lord. He will have “a mouth and wisdom,” which his adversaries “shall not be able to gainsay nor resist” (Luke 21:15). An unbeliever once commented about a believer who worked in his company, saying, “That man carries a Bible in his pocket, and I am more afraid of that than if he carried a gun!”
Facing Uncertainty
Second, we do not know what lies ahead and how long the present freedom of worship may exist in so-called Western countries. We may see these liberties eroded, as the tide of public feeling escalates against the name of Christ. However, it could be said of the only One who knew what lay ahead of Him, “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God” (Heb. 12:2). There was a joy connected in doing the Father’s will; the end of the pathway was certain glory, and thus He could despise the shame. So it will be for us, even if the pathway grows more difficult.
Prayer
Third, let us remember that we are told to “pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). We never know when the Lord may step in and save them! While Satan may seem to have the upper hand, he never wins, for God turns it all to His glory. When a wave of persecution arose after the stoning of Stephen, the resultant scattering of believers only spread the gospel further. More than this, God put His finger on the worst one responsible — Saul of Tarsus — and, as it were, said, “Then you will come and take his place!” Then God made of Saul an even greater servant than Stephen. Such is the grace of God, and despite the opposition of man, He will never be frustrated in His purposes.
In summary, then, we must realize that the believer is an unwanted ambassador in this world, but one who has been left here by the Lord, to seek after His interests in this world and to be a living witness of the grace that brought him to Christ. He will suffer persecution, but as another has said, “Never fear persecution; it will make your face shine like an angel.” In all such suffering, we are to “rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13).
W. J. Prost
Smyrna
If the address to Ephesus brings before us the condition of the church in the last days of the apostolic era, the address to Smyrna vividly portrays the condition of the church during the years of persecution that continued for two centuries after the apostles had passed away. In the freshness of first love the church was entirely separate from the world, and the world had no power over it. In Ephesus we see an outwardly united church in separation from the world, but one that had declined from first love to Christ, and therefore in His sight it was a fallen church. Leaving first love, whether in the case of an individual or of the church as a whole, opens the door for the world to enter and assert its power.
It is well then to remember that in the Smyrna period the church is already a fallen church. In tender love we see the Lord dealing with this condition in a way that, for a time, arrests this downward path. As the result of the Lord’s dealing, Smyrna was persecuted by the world, but faithful before the Lord.
The First and Last
The Lord presents Himself to this church in the glory of His Person as the First and the Last and in the glory of His work as the One who became dead but was now alive. What could be more suited to sustain and encourage those who are called to face a martyr’s death than the knowledge that they are in the hands of the One who still exists, having passed through every opposing power, and will remain when the last enemy has been put under His feet? Death could not prevail against Him; therefore death will not prevail against those that are His.
The Lord lets these suffering saints know that all is under His eye; “I know,” He says. Nor is it otherwise today. Our trials, our circumstances, the opposition we may have to meet, whether within the Christian circle or without, are all known to the One who, being the First and the Last, can see the end from the beginning. If, however, He has all power in His hands, why are His people permitted to pass through trial? Is it not because He has not only all power in His hands, but all love in His heart? If in His unchanging love He has to pass us through trial, it is for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. In His dealings He not only corrects for past failure, but would also form us according to His own holiness in the present, and prepare us for what He sees we may yet have to meet in the future.
It may be pointed out that the word “works” of Revelation 2:9 is not in the original. These saints were not characteristically distinguished by works, but by suffering. The saints of the Ephesian period were great workers; the saints of the Smyrna period were great sufferers. Let us remember that there is the service of suffering as well as the service of doing.
Threefold Trials
The trials that were allowed to come upon the church at this period were threefold: suffering from the world, poverty of circumstances, and opposition from the devil.
A church that has left first love is in danger of drifting into the world and will be in danger of adopting the world’s methods, of attempting to advance the Lord’s interests by means of earthly riches and the acquisition of worldly power and influence. Foreseeing the danger of the world, the Lord stripped the church of Smyrna, so that they were poor in those things that the world counts gain, such as wealth, power and influence, in order to leave them rich in His sight. Thus the Lord can say of this church, “I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty, but thou art rich” (Rev. 2:9 JND). It is far better to be poor in the eyes of the world and rich in the sight of the Lord, than to be rich and increased with goods, like the church in its last stage, and yet “wretched and miserable and poor” in the eyes of the Lord.
Jewish Principles
There was, however, another way in which the enemy sought to draw the church into the world. In the Smyrna period the church had to meet the opposition of those who insisted on Jewish principles and thus sought to draw the church into a worldly religion. Probably the word “Jews” is used in a figurative sense, signifying those who sought to make Christianity attractive to the flesh by the use of such things as magnificent buildings, gorgeous vestments, ritualistic ceremonies and instrumental music. Thus the effort was made to turn Christianity into a system which, while highly pleasing to the flesh, keeps the soul at a distance from God. If we consent to recognize the flesh and adopt methods that appeal to the flesh, the world would have no objection to being religious and, instead of persecuting, would begin to patronize a Christianity corrupted according to its tastes.
Double Form of Persecution
The devil’s attack on the church in the Smyrna period of its history took a double form. First the devil sought to undermine the foundations of the church by corrupting it with Judaism. This failing, the devil opposed the church by persecution. It is ever thus that he works. At the birth of the Lord, the malignity of Satan first took the form of corruption, when Herod sought to find the young child under the pretense of desiring to pay Him homage. When this failed, the devil tried by violence to destroy Him by slaying all the young children in Bethlehem. So, too, when the gospel was first preached in Philippi, the devil sought to stop the work by the devil-possessed woman, who corruptly appeared to be helping on the work. When this was exposed, he resorted to violence, inciting the people to beat the apostles and thrust them into prison. Here in Smyrna, he sought first to seduce the church from her heavenly calling through the corrupting influences of Judaism. The effort apparently failed, for the Lord says, “I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews” (Rev. 2:9). The Lord knew them and the church resisted them.
The attack by corruption having failed, the devil was permitted to resort to violence, but it was safer for them than the wiles of the devil. If, however, the Lord sees a “need be” for the trial, He will also put a limit to it: “Ye shall have tribulation ten days.” Peter too says these manifold trials are but “for a season.” The devil may be allowed to cast some into prison, but he cannot go a day beyond the Lord’s ten days.
The Cross and the Crown
The Lord does not hide from these saints the path that lies before them. Suffering, imprisonment and possible martyrdom will be their portion. The Lord sets before them the cross here and the crown hereafter. Beyond death neither men nor devils have any power. They cannot touch the tree of life in the paradise of God, nor the crown of life that awaits the faithful martyr.
The “ten days” of fiery persecution may be passed, but what was said to Smyrna in the days of fiery persecution has a voice for us in these days of easy profession. It tells us the true character of the world under the power of Satan and reminds us of the two ways in which the world can divert the church from its allegiance to Christ. We find ourselves in the last days of Christendom when the wile of corruption has so thoroughly leavened the vast mass of the Christian profession that it is hardly necessary for the devil to persecute. Nevertheless, neither the devil nor the world have altered in hostility to Christ.
In the day of persecution, how suited is the promise to the overcomer. He shall not be hurt of the second death. The body may die a martyr’s death, but the believer cannot be hurt of the second death. The martyr’s death may separate soul from body, but the second death will never separate the believer from God. The overcomer is to enjoy the comfort of this promise while passing through sufferings.
H. Smith, adapted
The Mixture of Fables
Satan could not burn out the truth, so he mixes fable with it, and here he has a measure of success so far as public profession goes. Christendom on a large scale is like Belshazzar’s feast, for as he caused the vessels of the temple to be mingled with the vessels of his gods, so the old leaders in Christendom mixed revealed truth with fable on the one hand and, on the other, persecution. But persecution did not vanish when the world became nominally Christian. Rather, it became more bitter than its pagan ancestor, for the ritualists and rationalists of the present time were like the Pharisees and Sadducees. Superstition and infidelity mark both the ancient and the modern; they make void the Word of God by their tradition and the commandments of men.
R. Beacon, adapted
Suffering and Glory
“If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:17).
We cannot be children of God without suffering with Christ. But the measure of our suffering with Him will entirely depend upon the degree in which we are under the governance and power of the Holy Spirit. A child of God who is walking faithfully before God with an ungrieved Spirit will thus suffer with Christ more than one who is walking carelessly. But it should never be forgotten that the suffering as well as the glory is with Christ. This blessed companionship is never wanting.
E. Dennett
Afraid? of What?
Afraid? Of what?
To feel the spirit’s glad release?
To pass from pain to perfect peace,
The strife and strain of life to cease?
Afraid — of that?
Afraid? Of what?
Afraid to see the Saviour’s face,
To hear His welcome, and to trace
The glory gleam from wounds of grace?
Afraid — of that?
Afraid? Of what?
A flash, a crash, a pierced heart;
Darkness, light, oh heaven’s art!
A wound of His a counterpart!
Afraid — of that?
Afraid? Of what?
To enter into heaven’s rest,
And yet to serve the Master blest,
From service good to service best?
Afraid — of that?
Afraid? Of what?
To do by death what life could not —
Baptize with blood a stony plot,
Till souls shall blossom from the spot?
Afraid — of that?
E. H. Hamilton