“ Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
Well, here we are. Election day has finally arrived, and early tomorrow morning the polling places will open. Quite frankly, it is the arrival of a day that I have dreaded for some time. Of all of the Presidential elections I have voted in, I have approached this one with the deepest awareness of what is hanging in the balance, and all that could potentially result from the final tally of votes. So let me be the first to bluntly confess with the psalmist that, “ My soul also is greatly troubled” (Psalm 6:3), and “ I am in distress” (Psalm 31:9). Indeed, my faith is often very weak, and my perspective on things is significantly limited.
Good News for Today!
By now you’re likely wondering how this kind of talk from your pastor is related, if at all, to our Monday theme of ‘encouragement.’
Well, let’s look once again at Revelation 2:10.
As you can see, these are the very words of our Lord Jesus. And they were spoken to the Church at Smyrna, the second of the seven local Churches addressed in the Epistle. The whole of verse 10 reads this way:
“ Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
The likely scenario they faced was that the Roman emperor Domitian was about to bring down his wrath upon the Christian believers in that city. The members of the little Church there would soon face the prospect of imperial persecution, some would suffer imprisonment, and others might even face death if they did not say the words “Domitian is Lord.”
Surprisingly, Christ’s message to them was very brief indeed, and perhaps not what you would expect from Him. Our Lord simply says, “ Be faithful until death.”
You might have anticipated and desired more from Jesus, especially in view of the real peril confronting the Church there in AD 90. Yet, all they received was the exhortation to remain faithful to the Savior, the true Lord and King, even to death.
How could these words encourage anyone, or lift the spirits of those who were about to suffer for their allegiance to Jesus?
Let me suggest two sources of encouragement beautifully deposited in this one verse.
First, notice that Jesus tells them what their immediate future holds.
According to the Word of Jesus, they are “ about to suffer,” and Satan is “ about to throw” some of them “ into prison.” Their immediate future is not only known by their Lord and Savior, it has been determined from all eternity past! No accidental set of circumstances will come to pass for them, but only what has been ordained by God for their good–“ that you may be tested.”
In other words, their future was in no way in the hands of Domitian or any other earthly power! Jesus holds their immediate future! He controls their immediate future! And He has designed their immediate future to make them holy and strong! Every fraction of their future will serve this great divine purpose, no matter how it comes about! And, furthermore, it will last only as long as Jesus has determined–“ ten days.”
Second, notice that Jesus also tells them what their ultimate future holds.
As they remain faithful to the Lord, empowered by the knowledge that He is the true Sovereign One, they are to remember what awaits them in their ultimate future. And that is eternal life itself–“ the crown of life”!
For those first century believers in Smyrna, this meant that even if some should die out of loyalty to Jesus, no ultimate loss would be suffered. For eternal life with Christ would be their reward! Potentially, they may well be imprisoned, they could be persecuted in many ways, and some might even suffer martyrdom. But they could never forfeit the eternal gift of salvation in Christ Jesus! They could joyfully go about their days without fear at all! They were, as we have learned from our studies in Hebrews, pilgrims on the way to a Better Land!
We too are Christian pilgrims. This world, like the wilderness of Sinai, is not our home either. Rather, it’s our mission station. Our hopes lie elsewhere. Our future is eternally secured by a much greater Kingdom and King! And no one can vote our Sovereign Lord in or out of office, for He is “ the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 21:13), the One whose Kingdom shall have “ no end” (Isaiah 9:7)!
So come what may tomorrow, or any other day for that matter, the real winner will always be Christ! And His landslide victory, achieved on the cross and at His empty tomb, will be eternally enjoyed by His faithful people!
Vote Early, Vote Often! (just kidding about the ‘often’ part)
So, as good citizens of this earthly city, let us go out tomorrow and cast our vote. Let us pray fervently for our nation and her leaders. But let us never, even for a second, embrace the idea that our future, either immediate or ultimate, is really in the balance! For our Lord is the King! And wherever His will takes us, and whatever it takes us through, it will surely result in our greater holiness and His greater glory! His Kingdom shall never end!
Let us be faithful to Him, fearless in our service and witness, and counting on the blessing we will certainly receive when we see Him face-to-face!
You are my beloved family, and I joyfully and unceasingly pray for you!
Mike