Revelation – Bigger than Death – 5

Revelation 2:8-11 – 8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. 9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 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. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

What is a famous quote you like? Like one you always remember? A quote I love and quote often is from an early church father named Tertullian. It is, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” The actual quote of his where this comes from, in his response to defending Christianity to the Roman Empire, is, “We multiply whenever we are mowed down by you; the blood of Christians is seed.”[1] Christianity spread because of Christians being killed for their faith. If your faith causes you to be killed, it means you truly lived it.

If you are going to live for Jesus no matter what comes your way, “Jesus must be bigger to us than death itself.”[2]

Jesus is bigger… (vs 8)

Jesus is bigger…than time. Let’s stretch our brains for a little bit. Think back as far as you can remember. What’s your first memory? Now, go back even further. Picture the times of Jesus, 2000 years ago. Now, go back another 2,000 years, like the time of Abraham in the Bible. Can you think back that far? Even though Jesus came after Abraham, Jesus once said,

John 8:58 – “Before Abraham was, I am.”

Now, go back another 2,000 years or so. What’s happening? The events of Genesis 1 and 2, when God created everything. You know what the Bible says about Jesus and those times?

John 1:1-3 – 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Now go back another not 2,000 years, but 2 billion years. Jesus is there. And he’s before then and before then and before then. Our brains can’t even handle the capacity to think about it. And Jesus is there. We see in this verse, Jesus is “the first and the last.” What He is confirming here is simple, and it is an essential doctrine. Jesus is God. This is one of the core doctrines that sets Christianity apart from other religions that believe in God. Jesus is not only bigger than time, but he’s bigger than our greatest threat.

Jesus is bigger…than death. We not only see who He is in relation to eternity, but we see who He is in relation to life and death. James Hamilton said,

“The death and resurrection of Jesus mean that death has no power over him. He is bigger than death itself, and given what the church in Smyrna faces, that reality is one they must keep in their minds if they are to be faithful.”[3]

Hear what else he says, bringing the application to our lives:

“Applying to our fears the knowledge that Jesus is bigger than death will make us courageous. Courage is a great thing, but we must keep in mind that courage is not our ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is to live in ways that show our confidence in Jesus.”

Knowing Jesus is bigger than death gives us confidence to truly live. This means that you can face whatever comes your way. And as we already saw with the church in Ephesus, Jesus stands with and amidst his churches. Whatever you face, He is with you, and you can get through.

Jesus knows His people in their suffering. (vs 9) He says he knows three things in this verse: their tribulation, their poverty, and the slander against them. H