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Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer - This may be addressed particularly to Polycarp, if he was at that time the bishop of this Church. He had much to suffer; and was at last burnt alive at Smyrna, about the year of our Lord 166. We have a very ancient account of his martyrdom, which has been translated by Cave, and is worthy of the reader's perusal. That account states that the Jews were particularly active in this martyrdom, and brought the fagots, etc., by which he was consumed. Such persons must indeed have been of the synagogue of Satan.
Ten days - As the days in this book are what is commonly called prophetic days, each answering to a year, the ten years of tribulation may denote ten years of persecution; and this was precisely the duration of the persecution under Diocletian, during which all the Asiatic Churches were grievously afflicted. Others understand the expression as implying frequency and abundance, as it does in other parts of Scripture. Genesis 31:7, Genesis 31:41; : Thou hast changed my wages Ten Times; i.e. thou hast frequently changed my wages Numbers 14:22; : Those men have tempted me now these Ten Times; i.e. they have frequently and grievously tempted and sinned against me. Nehemiah 4:12; : The Jews that dwelt by them came and said unto us Ten Times, i.e. they were frequently coming and informing us, that our adversaries intended to attack us, Job 19:3; These Ten Times have ye reproached me; i.e. ye have loaded me with continual reproaches. Daniel 1:20; : In all matters of wisdom, he found them Ten Times better than all the magicians; i.e. the king frequently consulted Daniel and his companions, and found them more abundantly informed and wise than all his counsellors.
Some think the shortness of the affliction is here intended, and that the ten days are to be understood as in Terence, Heaut., Act v., scen. 1, ver. 36, Decem dierum vis mi est familia. "I have enjoyed my family but a short time."
Be thou faithful unto death - Be firm, hold fast the faith, confess Christ to the last, and at all hazards, and thou shalt have a crown of life - thou shalt be crowned with life, have an eternal happy existence, though thou suffer a temporal death. It is said of Polycarp that when brought before the judge, and commanded to abjure and blaspheme Christ, he firmly answered, "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never did me wrong, how then can I blaspheme my king who hath saved me?" He was then adjudged to the flames, and suffered cheerfully for Christ his Lord and Master.
Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer - He did not promise them exemption from suffering. He saw that they were about to suffer, and he specifies the manner in which their affliction would occur. But he entreats and commands them not to be afraid. They were to look to the “crown of life,” and to be comforted with the assurance that if they were faithful unto death, that would be, theirs. We need not dread suffering if we can hear the voice of the Redeemer encouraging us, and if he assures us that in a little while we shall have the crown of life.
Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison - Or, shall cause some of you to be cast into prison. He had just said that their persecutors were of the “synagogue of Satan.” He here represents Satan, or the devil - another name of the same being - as about to throw them into prison. This would be done undoubtedly by the hands of men, but still Satan was the prime mover, or the instigator in doing it. It was common to cast those who were persecuted into prison. See Acts 12:3-4; Acts 16:23. It is not said on what pretence, or by what authority, this would be done; but, as John had been banished to Patmos from Ephesus, it is probable that this persecution was raging in the adjacent places, and there is no improbability in supposing that many might be thrown into prison.
That ye may be tried - That the reality of your faith may be subjected to a test to show whether it is genuine. The design in the case is that of the Saviour, though Satan is allowed to do it. It was common in the early periods of the church to suffer religion to be subjected to trial amidst persecutions, in order to show that it was of heavenly origin, and to demonstrate its value in view of the world. This is, indeed, one of the designs of trial at all times, but this seemed eminently desirable when a new system of religion was about to be given to mankind. Compare the notes on 1 Peter 1:6-7.
And ye shall have tribulation ten days - A short time; a brief period; a few days. It is possible, indeed, that this might have been literally ten days, but it is much more in accordance with the general character of this book, in regard to numbers, to suppose that the word “ten” here is used to denote a few. Compare Genesis 24:55; 1 Samuel 25:38; Daniel 1:12, Daniel 1:14. We are wholly ignorant how long the trial actually lasted; but the assurance was that it would not be long, and they were to allow this thought to cheer and sustain them in their sorrows. Why should not the same thought encourage us now? Affliction in this life, however severe, can be but brief; and in the hope that it will soon end, why should we not bear it without complaining or repining?
Be thou faithful unto death - Implying, perhaps, that though, in regard to the church, the affliction would be brief, yet that it might be fatal to some of them, and they who were thus about to die should remain faithful to their Saviour until the hour of death. In relation to all, whether they were to suffer a violent death or not, the same injunction and the same promise was applicable. It is true of everyone who is a Christian, in whatever manner he is to die, that if he is faithful unto death, a crown of life awaits him. Compare the notes on 2 Timothy 4:8.
And I will give thee a crown of life - See the notes on James 1:12. Compare 1 Peter 5:4; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. The promise here is somewhat different from what was made to the faithful in Ephesus Revelation 2:7, but the same thing substantially is promised them - happiness hereafter, or an admission into heaven. In the former case it is the peaceful image of those admitted into the scenes of paradise; here it is the triumph of the crowned martyr.
Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary
Our Lord Jesus is the First, for by him were all things made; he was before all things, with God, and is God himself. He is the Last, for he will be the Judge of all. As this First and Last, who was dead and is alive, is the believer's Brother and Friend, he must be rich in the deepest poverty, honourable amidst the lowest abasement, and happy under the heaviest tribulation, like the church of Smyrna. Many who are rich as to this world, are poor as to the next; and some who are poor outwardly, are inwardly rich; rich in faith, in good works, rich in privileges, rich in gifts, rich in hope. Where there is spiritual plenty, outward poverty may be well borne; and when God's people are made poor as to this life, for the sake of Christ and a good conscience, he makes all up to them in spiritual riches. Christ arms against coming troubles. Fear none of these things; not only forbid slavish fear, but subdue it, furnishing the soul with strength and courage. It should be to try them, not to destroy them. Observe, the sureness of the reward; "I will give thee:" they shall have the reward from Christ's own hand. Also, how suitable it is; "a crown of life:" the life worn out in his service, or laid down in his cause, shall be rewarded with a much better life, which shall be eternal. The second death is unspeakably worse than the first death, both in the agonies of it, and as it is eternal death: it is indeed awful to die, and to be always dying. If a man is kept from the second death and wrath to come, he may patiently endure whatever he meets with in this world.
Shalt suffer. Or, “art about to suffer.” Apparently, the Smyrna church had been an important target of Jewish slander, but the members had not yet felt the full brunt of persecution. However, the Christians there doubtless knew of the persecution that already raged elsewhere, and must have anticipated future trouble for themselves. This is implied by the form of the verb here translated “fear,” which indicates that they were already fearful. Christ consoles them with the assurance that, despite the prospect of persecution, they need not be afraid. See on Matt. 5:10-12.
Tried. Or, “tested.” Satan would subject them to persecution in order to prevail upon them to relinquish their faith. God would permit the persecution as a means of strengthening and proving the genuineness of their faith. Though Satan may rage against the church, God’s hand accomplishes His purpose. See on James 1:2; Rev. 2:9.
The Roman emperor Trajan (a.d. 98-117) laid down the first official Roman policy toward Christianity. In the famous ninety-seventh letter, written to Pliny the Younger, his governor in Bithynia and Pontus in Asia Minor, Trajan outlined a procedure for dealing with Christians, who were, at that time, an illegal religious society. He ordered that Roman officials were not to hunt Christians out, but that if persons were brought before them for other offenses and proved to be Christians, they were to be executed unless they recanted. This regulation, though by no means uniformly enforced, remained the law until Constantine issued his edict of toleration in a.d. 313.
Thus, for two centuries Christians were constantly subject to the possibility of sudden arrest and death for their faith. Their well-being depended in large measure upon the favor of their pagan and Jewish neighbors, who might either leave them in peace or complain against them before the authorities. This might be termed permissive persecution. The emperor did not take the initiative in persecuting Christians, but permitted his own representatives and the local authorities to take such measures against Christians as they might see fit. This policy left the Christians to the mercy of the various local administrations under which they lived. Especially in times of famine, earthquake, storm, and other catastrophes, Christians found themselves the objects of attack, their pagan neighbors supposing that by refusing to worship the gods the Christians had brought divine wrath upon the whole country.
At times, however, the Roman government carried on aggressive persecution against the church (see on v.9). Thinking Romans observed that Christianity was constantly growing in extent and in influence throughout the empire, and that it was fundamentally incompatible with the Roman way of life. They realized that, given time, it would destroy the Roman way of life. Accordingly, it was often the more capable emperors who persecuted the church, whereas those who took their responsibilities less seriously were usually content not to molest Christians.
The first general, systematic persecution of the church was undertaken by the emperor Decius, whose imperial edict of the year 250 decreed the universal suppression of Christianity by means of torture, death, and the confiscation of property. The occasion for this decree was the millennial celebration of the founding of Rome, some three years earlier, when the decadent state of the empire was rendered more apparent by comparison with the glories of the past. Christianity became the scapegoat, and it was decided to obliterate the church in order, presumably, to save the empire. This policy lapsed with the death of Decius in a.d. 251, but was revived by Valerian a short time later. With his death the policy again lapsed, and not until the reign of Diocletian did the church face another major crisis (see below on “ten days”).
Ten days. This expression has been understood in two ways. On the basis of the year-day principle of reckoning prophetic time periods (see on Dan. 7:25), it has been interpreted as a period of ten literal years and applied to the period of the most severe imperial persecution (a.d. 303-313), begun by Diocletian and continued by his associate and successor Galerius. This was an attempt to wipe out Christianity by burning the Scriptures, destroying church buildings, and imprisoning the leaders. These rulers believed that the church had grown to such dimensions of strength and popularity in the empire that unless Christianity should be promptly stamped out the traditional Roman way of life would cease to exist and the empire itself would disintegrate. Consequently they inaugurated a policy designed to exterminate the church. Diocletian’s first decree against Christians was issued in the year 303, banning the practice of Christianity throughout the empire.
Persecution began in the army and spread throughout the empire. The Roman authorities concentrated their terrors on the Christian clergy, in the belief that if the shepherds were removed, the flock would scatter. The horrors of this persecution are vividly described by the church historian Theodoret (Ecclesiastical History i. 6), who describes the gathering of the bishops of the church to the Council of Nicaea some years after the end of the persecution (a.d. 325). Some came with out eyes, some without arms, which had been pulled from their sockets, others with their bodies horribly maimed in different ways. Many, of course, did not survive this time of trouble. In 313, ten years after the beginning of these persecutions, Constantine and his colleague Licinius issued an edict that granted Christians (and all others) liberty to practice their religion.
Other interpreters think it is not altogether certain that the “ten days” were intended to represent prophetic time. They reason thus: The “things which thou shalt suffer,” “the devil,” “prison,” and “death” are obviously literal, and it would seem most natural to expect the “ten days” to be literal also. In this case the number “ten” would be considered a round number, as is so often the case in Scripture (see Eccl. 7:19; Isa. 5:10; Dan. 1:20; Amos 6:9; Haggai 2:16; Zech. 8:23; Matt. 25:1, 28; Luke 15:8; etc.; cf.MishnahAboth 5. 1-9). As a round number, “ten days” would represent a brief period of persecution such as the literal church at Smyrna no doubt suffered in apostolic times. It would be entirely consistent with sound principles of prophetic interpretation (see on Deut. 18:15) for the “ten days” to have a literal application to the immediate historical situation at Smyrna and a figurative application to the period of history represented by the Smyrna church (see on Rev. 1:11; 2:1, 28; see p. 725; Additional Note at end of chapter).
Be thou faithful. The Greek verb form implies, “continue to be faithful.” Smyrna proved to be a faithful church.
Unto death. The Greek implies, “up to and including death.”
Crown.Gr.stephanos, “a chaplet,” or “garland, of victory,” not a diadem of rulership. This word was used for the wreaths given to victors in Greek games. Here, it is a symbol of the reward given to the victor in the struggle with Satan.
Of life. The phrase “crown of life” is probably best translated in the sense, the “crown that is life”—the “crown” is “life.” This crown is evidence of victory over the devil and the “tribulation” he has caused. Compare 2 Tim. 4:8.
Ellen G. White
The Acts of the Apostles, 588
It was through one who declared himself to be a “brother, and companion in tribulation” (Revelation 1:9), that Christ revealed to His church the things that they must suffer for His sake. Looking down through long centuries of darkness and superstition, the aged exile saw multitudes suffering martyrdom because of their love for the truth. But he saw also that He who sustained His early witnesses would not forsake His faithful followers during the centuries of persecution that they must pass through before the close of time. “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer,” the Lord declared; “behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation: ... be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Revelation 2:10.AA 588.1
And to all the faithful ones who were striving against evil, John heard the promises made: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.” “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” Verse 7; 3:5, 21.AA 588.2
John saw the mercy, the tenderness, and the love of God blending with His holiness, justice, and power. He saw sinners finding a Father in Him of whom their sins had made them afraid. And looking beyond the culmination of the great conflict, he beheld upon Zion “them that had gotten the victory ... stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God,” and singing “the song of Moses” and the Lamb. Revelation 15:2, 3.AA 589.1
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; ... be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Revelation 2:10.CC 362.1
If one member of Christ's household falls into temptation, the other members are to look after him with kindly interest, seeking to arrest the feet that are straying into false paths, and win him to a pure, holy life. This service God requires from every member of His church.... The members of the Lord's family are to be wise and watchful, doing all in their power to save their weaker brethren from Satan's concealed nets.Ev 353.1
This is home missionary work, and it is as helpful to those who do it as to those for whom it is done. The kindly interest we manifest in the home circle, the words of sympathy we speak to our brothers and sisters, fit us to work for the members of the Lord's household, with whom, if we remain loyal to Christ, we shall live through eternal ages. “Be thou faithful unto death,” Christ says, “and I will give thee a crown of life.” Then how carefully should the members of the Lord's family guard their brethren and sisters! Make yourself their friend. If they are poor and in need of food and clothing, minister to their temporal as well as their spiritual wants. Thus you will be a double blessing to them.—Manuscript 63, 1898.Ev 353.2
The forgiveness of sin is promised to him who repents and believes; the crown of life will be the reward of him who is faithful to the end. We may grow in grace by improving through the grace we already have. We are to keep ourselves unspotted from the world if we would be found blameless in the day of God. Faith and works go hand in hand; they act harmoniously in the work of overcoming. Works without faith are dead, and faith without works is dead. Works will never save us; it is the merit of Christ that will avail in our behalf. Through faith in Him, Christ will make all our imperfect efforts acceptable to God. The faith we are required to have is not a do-nothing faith; saving faith is that which works by love and purifies the soul. He who will lift up holy hands to God without wrath and doubting will walk intelligently in the way of God's commandments.FW 48.3
