Resource Detail

Revelation Lecture 4

BE FAITHFUL, EVEN TO THE POINT OF DEATH

Revelation 2:8-17

Key Verse 2:10

1. How does Jesus describe himself in his message to the church in Smyrna (8)? What does Jesus know about their affliction, poverty, and persecution (9)? In what sense are they rich?
2. How does Jesus encourage them to face the suffering ahead (10)? What does it mean to be “faithful, even to the point of death”? What promises does Jesus give to those who are victorious (10b-11)?
3. What is Jesus’ description of himself as the one with the “sharp, double-edged sword”significant for the church in Pergamum (12)? What does “Satan’s throne”mean in the context of Pergamum (13)? What does Jesus commend them for?
4. What does Jesus hold against some members of the church in Pergamum (14–15)? What does the story of Balaam and Balak reveal about the situation in Pergamum? How are the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans related?
5. What does Jesus mean when he says, “I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (16)? What do the “hidden manna,” the “white stone,” and the “new name” represent (17)?

Revelation Lecture 4 Aug. 30, 2026

BE FAITHFUL, EVEN TO THE POINT OF DEATH

Revelation 2:8-17

Key Verse 2:10

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”

Have you ever seen Martin Scorsese’s film Silence? The story takes place in seventeenth-century Japan, when Christianity was strictly forbidden. Japanese officials searched for hidden Christians by forcing people to step on a fumie—a tablet engraved with an image of Jesus or Mary. The officials said, in effect, “You can keep believing in your heart. This is only a formality. Just step on it once, and you can go free.” They did not say, “Stop believing forever.” They said, “Compromise just once.” Some Christians refused and died for their faith. Others stepped on the image and were released. Later, a Portuguese priest named Rodrigues was arrested. The officials did not torture him directly. Instead, they tortured Japanese Christians and told him that their suffering would stop only if he denied Christ. Rodrigues cried out, “Lord, why are you silent?” In the end, he stepped on the image and publicly denied Jesus.

The film leaves us with some questions. Can we claim to love Jesus inwardly while denying him outwardly? What do we do when faithfulness becomes costly? Perhaps no one in New York will place a fumie under our feet. But every day, the world puts smaller compromises before us: “Just this once. Everyone does it. You can still believe in your heart.” Today we will listen to Jesus’ messages to two churches: Smyrna and Pergamum. Smyrna shows us the beauty of faithfulness, while Pergamum shows us the danger of compromise.

Verse 8 says, “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.” Smyrna was a beautiful and prosperous port city about forty miles north of Ephesus. Smyrna received the prestigious title “temple warden.” This meant that the city had the honor and responsibility of maintaining an important center of emperor worship. As a result, loyalty to Rome and emperor worship were deeply embedded in the city’s public life.

Look at verse 9: “I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” In this one verse, Jesus says, “I know,” twice. “I know your afflictions and your poverty.” And again, “I know about the slander” against you. The believers in Smyrna suffered because they refused to participate in emperor worship. Their faithfulness to Jesus brought persecution and serious economic disadvantages. They may have been excluded from business opportunities, rejected by their neighbors, and treated as outsiders in society. They were looked down on because they were Christians, and many of them lived in poverty. Imagine that your friends and coworkers begin to avoid you simply because you are a Christian. Imagine that they call you old-fashioned or narrow-minded because you follow the teachings of Jesus. Imagine losing an opportunity because you will not lie, cheat, or participate in something that violates your conscience. How difficult would that be?

Roman authorities often permitted the Jews to maintain their religious practices without participating fully in the imperial cult. To outsiders, Christianity may have appeared to be another movement within Judaism. But as time passed, the separation between the synagogue and the church became increasingly clear. Many synagogues rejected the Christian confession that Jesus was the Messiah. In Smyrna, certain members of the Jewish community slandered the Christians. Their accusations may have caused the Roman authorities to persecute the believers.

Jesus knew exactly what they were going through. He saw their suffering, understood their poverty, heard every false accusation, and stood firmly on their side. Jesus told them, “You are rich.” They were poor financially, but they were rich spiritually. This is true Christian wealth. Imagine the great comfort the believers in Smyrna received when they heard these words. Perhaps, as they listened, they may have expected Jesus to say, “I know how much you have suffered. Now I will stop the persecution. I will defeat your enemies, restore what you have lost, and give you a more comfortable life.” They may have thought, “Finally, our suffering is coming to an end. Since Jesus knows our situation, surely he will rescue us and make our lives easier.”

But what did Jesus say to them? Look at verse 10a: “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.” Jesus did not tell them that their suffering was over. Instead, he prepared them for even more suffering. Their present affliction and poverty would soon be followed by imprisonment and further persecution. The believers in Smyrna might want to respond, “Jesus, how can you say that? Why don’t you rescue us from persecution and poverty? We have already suffered enough. Why are you allowing us to suffer even more?” But Jesus did not hide what was coming. Instead, he commanded them, “Do not be afraid.” Jesus encouraged them to prepare their hearts and face the coming suffering with faith.

Why would God allow this persecution? Jesus said that the devil would put some of them in prison “to test” them. The devil intended to frighten them, break their faith, and make them deny Jesus. But under God’s sovereign hand, the same trial would test, refine, and strengthen their faith. A test reveals what is truly in our hearts. When everything is comfortable, it is easy to say, “I trust Jesus.” But when following Jesus becomes costly, the true condition of our faith is revealed. Trials purify our faith. They expose the things we have trusted in besides Jesus—our comfort, money, reputation, abilities, and security. As these things are taken away, we learn to depend on Christ alone. Eventually, trials help our faith grow. Our faith becomes stronger when it is exercised through hardship. God can use even the attacks of the devil to make us spiritually mature.

Some people say that if we believe in Jesus, we will become successful and enjoy a comfortable life. This is often called the “prosperity gospel.” But we do not believe in Jesus simply so that we can live comfortably and prosper in this world. We believe in Jesus because he is our Savior and Lord. We live not for our own comfort but for the glory of God. We follow Jesus because we love him. We are pilgrims traveling through this world. This world is not our final home. We walk by faith, looking forward to the kingdom of God. Therefore, our greatest goal is not to avoid every hardship but to remain faithful to Jesus through every hardship. Jesus told them, “You are rich.” They were poor financially, but they were rich spiritually. This is true Christian wealth.

Please read verse 10b: “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” Jesus understood their pain, but he called them to an even deeper level of faith: “Be faithful, even to the point of death.” To “be faithful” means to remain loyal to Jesus. It means refusing to deny him, no matter how difficult the circumstances become. It means continuing to trust Jesus as our only Savior, confess him as our Lord, and live for his glory. How long should we remain faithful? Jesus says, “Even to the point of death.” What does this mean? It means that we must remain faithful even if following Jesus costs us our lives. Are you ready to remain faithful to Jesus, even to the point of death? This may sound like an extreme question. But think about what Jesus has done for us. Before we met him, we were already spiritually dead in our sins. We were separated from God and living under the power of sin and death. But Jesus gave his life on the cross to save us. Through his death and resurrection, he forgave our sins and gave us new and eternal life. The life we now have is a gift from Jesus. Therefore, we are called to offer our lives back to him.

Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna in the second century. When persecution broke out in Smyrna, Roman officials arrested Christians and pressured them to deny Jesus. Eventually, they arrested Polycarp and placed him before the Roman proconsul. The proconsul commanded Polycarp to swear loyalty to Caesar and deny Christ. But Polycarp answered, “For eighty-six years I have served him, and he never wronged me. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” Finally, Polycarp was executed. Polycarp lived out the words that Jesus had spoken to the church in his own city: “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”

Now let us turn to Jesus’ message to the church in Pergamum. Please look at verse 12. “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.” Pergamum was located in the region of Mysia, about sixty-five miles north of Smyrna. It was a large and important city. Although Ephesus was the official capital of the Roman province of Asia in John’s time, Pergamum remained a powerful center of Roman government, law, culture, and religion. Pergamum was also an important judicial center. The city hosted Roman court proceedings, and Roman authority was symbolized by the sword. This is why Jesus introduced himself as “him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.” Rome claimed to hold the sword and the power of life and death. But Jesus declared that the ultimate sword belonged to him. Jesus is the final judge.

Pergamum was also one of the most important centers of emperor worship in Asia Minor. It became the first city in the province of Asia to build a provincial temple honoring Roma and the emperor. Pergamum was also filled with temples and religious cults dedicated to various gods. The city was especially famous for the cult of Asclepius, the god of healing, whose symbol was a serpent. Therefore, living faithfully as a Christian in Pergamum was extremely difficult. The believers were surrounded by constant pressure to compromise.

Look at verse 13: “I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.” Jesus described Pergamum as the place “where Satan has his throne” and “where Satan lives.” This expression describes Pergamum as a city where political power, emperor worship, and pagan religion worked together to oppose Christ and pressure his people to compromise. Despite living where Satan exercised such great influence, the believers in Pergamum remained true to the name of Jesus. They continued to confess that Jesus alone was their Lord and Savior. They did not renounce their faith in him. Their faithfulness was especially remarkable because one of their own members, Antipas—possibly a pastor of the church, had been killed. Jesus called him “my faithful witness.” Antipas testified faithfully, even when his testimony cost him his life.

Imagine the atmosphere in the church after Antipas was killed. The believers must have been shocked and heartbroken. They may have wondered, “Who will be arrested next?” “Will they come for me?” Fear could easily have spread throughout the church. Some members might have been tempted to stop gathering, hide their faith, or participate outwardly in emperor worship. They could have told themselves, “Jesus knows what I believe in my heart. I will compromise just this once to protect my family and save my life.” But even after witnessing the death of Antipas, they did not deny Jesus. They held firmly to his name and remained faithful.

But the church in Pergamum had a very serious problem. Look at verse 14: “Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.” Some members of the church held to “the teaching of Balaam.” What does this mean? To understand it, we need to go back to the story of Balaam and Balak in the book of Numbers. As the Israelites traveled toward the Promised Land, Balak, the king of Moab, heard what Israel had done to other nations and became terrified. So, Balak sent messengers to Balaam, a well-known pagan diviner, and offered him a great reward if he would come and curse Israel. Balaam desired Balak’s money and honor, but God put words of blessing in Balaam’s mouth. However, Balaam still wanted Balak’s reward and advised Balak to entice the Israelites into sin. Moabite women invited the Israelite men to participate in their feasts. The Israelites ate food sacrificed to idols, bowed down to the gods of Moab, and committed sexual immorality. And God punished the people of Israel.

Because of this, Balaam became a symbol of spiritual compromise. His teaching was this: “You can worship God while participating in idolatry. You can serve God and enjoy the world at the same time.” Some false teachers at the church in Pergamum may have said, “An idol is nothing. You can participate in worshipping pagan gods and the Roman emperor outwardly and still believe in Jesus inwardly. God knows your heart.” Their message sounded practical and reasonable. It offered Christians a way to avoid conflict and fit into society. When Satan could not destroy the church through fear, he tried to corrupt it through temptation. He whispers, “It is only a small compromise. Everyone else does it. You can follow Jesus and still enjoy this. You do not need to take your faith so seriously.”

Jesus gives the church one clear command: “Repent!” He calls the whole church to repent. Only some of them were involved in these sins, but the church as a whole had tolerated their teaching and behavior. The church leaders and members should have confronted the false teaching, called those involved to repentance, and restored the holiness of the church. But they failed to do so. Therefore, Jesus rebuked the whole church. Jesus then gives them a serious warning: “Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” The sword comes from his mouth because his word exposes lies, reveals hidden sin, and penetrates our souls and spirits.

What do Jesus’ messages to these two churches mean for us living in New York today? The message “Be faithful, even to the point of death” may not seem immediately relevant. We live in a country where religious freedom is protected. Generally, we are not arrested or imprisoned simply because we confess that Jesus is the Christ. No one can legally force us to follow a particular religion. But we face a different kind of spiritual danger. Our greatest temptation may not come through persecution but through compromise. We may not be threatened into denying Jesus. Instead, we may be slowly drawn away from him by secular values, material comfort, the desire for success, and the pressure to fit into society. For example, we may become so busy pursuing success that we continually push prayer and worship aside. We may hide our faith to gain acceptance at work, compromise our integrity for financial gain, or remain silent about what we believe because we are afraid of rejection. We may begin to find our identity in our careers, income, homes, or social status rather than in Jesus. No one is forcing us to deny Christ, but little by little, these pressures can move him away from the center of our lives.

To us, Jesus says, “Repent and be faithful, even to the point of death.” We live in a secularized world filled with the temptations of materialism, worldly success, and pleasure. May we accept Jesus as our only Lord and live according to God’s word as faithful disciples of Jesus. May God help us resist these temptations, stand firm in our faith, and show the truth of Jesus through our lives. Amen.