Fear Not

Imagine opening up a letter you received and reading the following, “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.”You’d likely find it pretty unsettling, so much so that your eyes might glaze over and you’d begin to think, “Is this for real? Who sent this to me?” And when you glance back down at the letter you notice the words that follow, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:8-10).

With confidence we can say that in the West not one of us has ever opened up our mailbox and found such a letter. But at some point, near the end of first century, the church at Smyrna did. Jesus, through the apostle John, was sending a message to this group of believers so that they would be prepared for what was about to transpire. Despite the trepidation that they would have initially felt, Jesus told them to not fear. A reward awaited their faithfulness.

In a similar vein, Jesus warns all of his followers to be prepared to suffer on account of him. And, as he offered to Smyrna, he tells of the reward that awaits those who look beyond the persecutor’s threats to the final reckoning.