10 Days of Trial.
Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death. – Revelation 2:10-11 NLT
Daniel and his friends experienced ten days of trial in Daniel 1. The church at Smyrna would also experience ten days of trial. But faithfulness in that trial would prepare them for future glory. Like Daniel and his three friends we prepare best for future challenges by passing the tests we are given in the present. While Daniel’s 10 days was literal, this is a metaphorical reference (from Daniel’s test) to the time of the church’s persecution under successive emperors until the time of Constantine’s conversion. Therefore, spanning the approximate 200 years from 100 – 313AD
Trials don’t produce character, they reveal it. Our success on the field of trial and temptation is determined by what we do in the training room.
All serious athletes train vigorously. The “victory crown” of life (Olympic gold medal) that Jesus promised the Smyrnians was not a casual result of their behaviour. God used the grievous things they had suffered to prepare them for the ultimate victory of human existence, eternal life.
The ten days point to the 10 savage years of the emperor Diocletian from AD 303 to 313. These brutal persecutions of Christianity reached their climax in A.D. 313. It came to an end when Constantine became emperor – an interesting history in itself.
A story that comes from the 200 years of the church of Smyrna comes from the book: “The Martyrdom of Polycarp” we find that Polycarp was the elderly bishop of Smyrna around 155 AD. A crowd in the stadium clamoured for his arrest. But when mounted police arrived at his cottage to arrest him, he served them a banquet, requesting an hour of prayer before they took him away. The soldiers marvelled at his graciousness and lamented that they were required to arrest him. As he marched into the stadium to the roar of the crowd a voice from heaven said, “Be strong, Polycarp.”
He was brought before the Proconsul (governor), who out of respect for his age tried to persuade him by offering a simple way out that included cursing the name of Christ. Polycarp responded, “Eighty and six years have I served him and he has done me no wrong, how then can I blaspheme my king who saved me?”
When the Proconsul then threatened him with fire, Polycarp responded, “You threaten me with a fire that burns for just an hour, because you don’t know about the fire of judgment that will come upon all the ungodly. But why do we delay? Bring what you will!” And so, Polycarp died for his faith.
The threat of death for Christians is not an issue in much of today’s world. It may be easy to consider texts and stories like this irrelevant to our daily lives, especially if we live comfortably in the suburbs. But there is still much to be learned here.
The martyrdom of fellow beleivers in the past and in the present challenges us to count the cost of our faith. How would we fare if placed in similar circumstances? Can our faith grow and mature without such challenges? How much is Jesus truly worth to us?
May the Lord, help us to remember that the difficult issues in our life today are not obstacles, they are opportunities to prepare for the ultimate looming battle of human history.
Lord bless us and give us the strength to face whatever we’re to face whatever is to come upon us in the end days
amen