Scripture Reading:Rev. 2—3
Revelation is a book given by the Lord Jesus "to His slaves" (1:1). This is a book for slaves. It shows the slaves the things that must quickly take place. In this book on future events, two of the letters to the seven local churches speak of martyrdom. One is to the church in Smyrna and the other to the church in Pergamos. In the letter to Smyrna, there is not a word of rebuke. The word Smyrna means "myrrh" in the original language; it signifies suffering. Myrrh is a compound used to embalm the dead (John 19:39). It is very much related to death. The church in Smyrna, like its name suggests, is a suffering church. It is a church that suffers for the sake of Christ. The Lord commands this church, "Do not fear the things that you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison that you may be tried, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10). Martyrdom, trial, persecution, and tribulation for ten days — these are the Lord's allotted portions for the church in Smyrna. In spite of the fact that the Lord allowed Satan to inflict all kinds of tribulation on His church, He put a limit to Satan's activities. "You will have tribulation for ten days." "Ten days" in the Bible signifies a very short time (Gen. 24:55; Dan. 1:12). It denotes a short period. This signifies that the sufferings which the post-apostolic church experienced were very brief.
The church in Pergamos describes the condition that came immediately after the church in Smyrna. Although the suffering of Smyrna reversed the backsliding of Ephesus, the trend did not last for long. By the time of Pergamos, confusion came in again. The Lord says to the church in Pergamos, "I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name and have not denied My faith, even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells" (Rev. 2:13). The throne is a symbol of authority. The place where Satan exercises his authority is the present world. The world is the place where Satan reigns (1 John 5:19; John 14:30). The Lord says that Pergamos dwells where Satan's throne is. This indicates that the church in Pergamos is in the world. What a pity that the church is dwelling in the place where Satan reigns! Under these circumstances the Lord boasts in His martyrs. He mentions the name of Antipas, His faithful witness. He says, "Antipas, My witness, My faithful one." The Lord expects His children to be like Antipas, faithful unto death. He wants them to hold fast the Lord's word even at the point of death. He wants them to be witnesses to His life.
In the previous letter to Smyrna, we find Satan casting some into prison. In this letter to Pergamos, we find persecutions, tribulations, and martyrdom in the dwelling place of Satan. According to the letter to Pergamos, Satan's persecution of the church always is concentrated in one area. Satan not only moves back and forth on the surface of the earth, as described in Job, but he is looking for those whom he can devour. He has his dwelling place, his own address. His address is where he carries out his persecution of the believers. Satan places his throne at places which are convenient for him to persecute the believers. He is setting up his throne in places where he conducts persecutions, that is, in places where he murders God's children. Satan can set up his throne in Rome, Lyon, or London, and direct his persecution from there.
The Lord tells the church in Smyrna, "Be faithful unto death" (Rev. 2:10). This shows us that the Lord wants martyrs. Whenever a believer faces persecution or threats to his life, he has to take heed to the Lord's word, be faithful unto death, and be ready to sacrifice his very life. The Lord's requirement is nothing less than our very life.
In the church in Pergamos, where Antipas was about to be killed, there was one who was "faithful unto death." The Lord praises Antipas as "My witness, My faithful one" (2:13). It is interesting that for two thousand years, no one has known of this Antipas. His name is not mentioned in any other place in the Bible nor in history. But the Lord knows him and mentions him by name. A man who completely passed the notice of the worldly church was noticed by God. Man can ignore such a one, but the Lord never forgets. He speaks of him by name and points out his faithfulness. How precious is the death of the saints in the eyes of God! How the Lord cares for the martyrs who are martyred for His name's sake. The prefix anti means "against," and the root pas means "all men." In other words, when everyone was against the Lord, Antipas set himself against everyone. A martyr is one whom the Lord reckons to be faithful. We have to tell new believers that the Lord has shown us this fact: All believers should be ready to sacrifice their life for the Lord. Every believer should not only believe in Him but also expect to sacrifice his life for Him. Matthew 10:18 says, "And you will also be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles." Verse 21 says, "And brother will deliver up brother to death, and father his child; and children will rise up against their parents and put them to death." For two thousand years church history has been intimately linked to the world's hatred. Everyone who acknowledges the Lord's name is hated by men. He will be delivered to death. Being delivered to death does not necessarily mean dying. It means being prepared to die. Martyrdom is a requirement for everyone.
The Lord said, "Do not fear those who kill the body and afterward have nothing more that they can do...fear Him who, after killing, has authority to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, fear this One" (Luke 12:4-5). Satan can only kill the body; he cannot kill our soul and spirit. Therefore, we do not have to fear him. A sister was taken before a magistrate because of her faith. When the magistrate saw the smile on her face, he hit her. The sister said, "You can destroy my body, but you cannot destroy my soul and spirit. The peace within me gives me this smile." We have to tell new ones that many people have sealed their preaching with their blood. Men like Stephen, James, Mark, Matthew, Peter, Matthias, Andrew, Paul, Judas (the Lord's brother), Bartholomew, Luke, Barnabas, Timothy, and Ananias were all martyrs. We have to show new ones that a disciple of the Lord has to be faithful unto death.
If a new one asks why there must be martyrdom, we should tell him that the world hates the Lord for no reason (John 15:25). Matthew 10:22 tells us that believers will be hated by men because of the Lord's name. Satan is the one who instigates this. He is the one who is behind men. One writer who wrote of the martyrs in the first two centuries said that every year, except for the first day of January, over five thousand believers were killed every day. At that time those who preached the gospel, preached with their own blood. There was a saying that the martyr's blood is the seed of the gospel. Some Roman soldiers observed believers at the time of their martyrdom and were so greatly moved that they believed in the Lord and requested that they be allowed to join the martyrs. Satan hates the name of Christ; his followers are all workers of evil. They do not want the light. This is the reason they try to kill believers of Christ. On the one hand, a believer suffers death because he is faithful and would not betray the Lord. On the other hand, this is how he confesses the Lord's name according to the teaching of the Scripture. Matthew 10:32 says, "Every one therefore who will confess in Me before men, I also will confess in him before My Father who is in the heavens."
Christian martyrdom is different from any other kind of martyrdom. Others are caught because they cannot run fast enough. A Christian can escape, but he would rather not run because of the Lord's name. Some were brought before the idols and were asked only to burn incense before the images in order to be released. However, they refused and were thrown to the beasts and eaten up. During the great Catholic inquisition, those who acknowledged the Catholic mass were released, and those who refused were murdered. Under all kinds of duress, believers chose to confess the Lord's name. All of God's children know that there is no need to fear him who is able only to kill the body but not the soul and spirit. Such ones can only destroy one's mortal body. The noble expression on the face of many martyrs is indeed a beautiful testimony. In Acts 20:24 Paul said, "I consider my life of no account as if precious to myself, in order that I may finish my course and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus to solemnly testify of the gospel of the grace of God." The way of the church is to finish the ministry it has received and to testify of the gospel of the grace of God. At the conference in Acts 15, James, Peter, and the elders also said in their letter of recommendation of Paul and Barnabas that they were men who had "risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 26).
Christian martyrdom comes from the persecutions of the world on the one hand and from the Roman Catholic Church on the other hand. John 16:2 says, "For every one who kills you...think[s] that he is offering service to God." The Roman Catholic Church believes in God, but it considered killing Christians as a service to God. Persecutions from these two sources make Christian martyrdom one of the most beautiful chapters in church history.
Persecutions have followed the same pattern throughout the past two thousand years. Countless numbers of people died from the Catholic persecution during and before the time of Martin Luther. During the Spanish reign, the Roman Catholic Church murdered many people. Still more died during the reign of Mussolini. From 1929 to 1940 over 1.3 million Christians died in the Soviet Union. Second Thessalonians 2:3 says that Antichrist, the son of perdition, will oppose the Lord. On the one hand, there is the persecution from the world. On the other hand, there is the persecution from the Roman Catholic Church. These persecutions will follow God's children wherever they go.
Ignatius accepted the gospel after hearing it from John in Antioch. He was put into prison for preaching it to the Roman emperor. He was severely beaten. The Roman soldiers forced him to put his hands to the fire. They forced him to dip his fingers in burning oil and to put it between his legs. They also scorched his skin with a red hot iron. In the end he was thrown to the beasts and eaten. Before he went to Rome, he knew that he was going to die, and he wrote a letter to Polycarp, saying, "Before I reach Rome, I must fight with the beasts and be bound and led to the cruel ones. The better I treat them, the more cruel they will treat me. Day by day I am beaten severely by them. How I yearn to see the mouth of the beasts and to find death coming upon me soon. Here I am learning to look beyond the seen to the unseen. I only desire to gain Christ. I am willing to see my body torn to pieces and the pain of the lion's claw and the beastly scourge come upon me, if I can only know Christ and gain Him."
Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna. When he was eighty-six years old, persecutors sought after him, but he escaped. One night in a dream, he saw his bed on fire, and he knew that he was going to be martyred for the Lord. When his captors came for him, they were amazed at the calmness and peace on his face. He asked that he be given an hour to pray. Although his captors somewhat repented of their actions, they still handed him to the governor and prepared for his burning at the stake outside the city. Realizing that he was advanced in age, they were somewhat hesitant to put him to death. They promised that they would let him go if he would only deny Jesus. But he said, "I cannot deny Him. Eighty-six years the Lord has never changed His grace; He has never done me any wrong. How can I deny Him?" The men lit the fire while he continued to praise God in its midst. The soldiers pierced his side and much blood came out. After his lower body was burnt, he could still speak, and he said, "Thank God that I can have the opportunity to testify today with my life." Twelve believers were burned alive together with him. He was indeed a person who knew the Lord.
Perpetua was twenty-six years old when she was martyred. She was well educated, and her family was very rich. When she was caught, she had a child with her. Her father loved her very much and went to prison to persuade her to give up her faith. She was strong in faith, however, and was not moved. Her father became angry and said he would no longer come to see her. When she was brought before the magistrate, she was ordered to offer a sacrifice to the idols. She refused and was sent to the cellars. Two stewards taking care of jailed believers tried their best to allow her to devote some of her rest times to nurse her child. She realized that she did not have long to live, and she committed her child to her own mother. Later her father could not stand the thought of her suffering and came to persuade her again, gently and with much pleading. She knew clearly that she had to give up everything for Christ, so she told her father, "May God's will be done." The judge asked her to seriously consider her father's tears, her child's need, and her own life's perils. She overcame all natural affection, ignored all sufferings in the mind and the flesh, and readily sacrificed all human love for Christ. For His sake, she waited quietly for her time of execution. A sister among the convicted called Felicitas was equally ready to give up her life. She gave birth to a daughter while in prison and committed the baby to another sister's care. Later the two sisters were taken to the beasts together. After almost bleeding to death, they were pierced by executioners with swords to end their lives. This happened in March of A.D. 205. Countless people were martyred about the same time.
Much persecution came from the Roman Catholic Church. The Church's persecutions were by far the most serious. There was a graduate of Cambridge University who would not subscribe to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The Church sent men for him and was about to take him to the stake. They tortured him. He meekly accepted the verdicts and gladly took his last meal. The executioners mocked him, saying, "If your God is real, you will not be burnt even if you go through the fire. Put your finger on the candle and try it." The student said, "Your fire can only burn my finger. But this fire will purify me and take me to the Lord much faster than the chariots of fire that took Elijah." When the fire spread over his body, he prayed earnestly, "Lord, do not judge Your servant. There is no one living who is righteous before You." One brother came to him, saying, "When my day comes, I want to be like you." Another priest came and shouted, "I am not the one who burns you." He turned around and comforted the priest. When he was about to give up his last breath, he shouted, "Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus," and committed his soul to the Lord.
[Translator's Note: The names of the following persons are translated from Chinese. We cannot ascertain the source from which Mr. Nee quoted the following stories.]
Brother Daniel was a Frenchman. He did not agree with the Catholic Church. One day the archbishop of the church told the jailer to send Daniel to him the following Monday. The jailer approached him and asked, "Do you know what I am going to do to you?" Daniel said, "My Lord knows what will happen to me. I believe I will die there. Thank God for being so gracious to me." He took dinner with two of his friends in the same calm way. Someone asked him, "Do you still have a heart to eat?" He answered, "For the past few years, I have learned to be a prisoner for God. Do I fear death still? I believe the Lord will give me the strength." After he was handed over to the summoner, he was sentenced to die on Saturday. When someone told him that he would be dismembered and his four limbs would be displayed on the four gates of the city, he asked, "Where are they going to put my head?" They answered, "Upon another gate." At the time of his execution, the executioner would not allow him to say a word. Yet he endured his death joyfully, gently, and patiently.
Henry was an Englishman. He was also murdered by the Roman Catholic Church. Before he died, he prayed while standing on burning charcoal, "Today I suffer not for my sin, but for upholding my faith and for inheriting the promised blessing. The One who has called me is demonstrating His life through such an act. I sacrifice my life for His sake. Flee from the lies of the priests so that you can escape the eternal fire of hell." Those who stood by him wept bitterly. After he prayed, he was put on the stake. While others were lighting the fire, he turned around and said to the crowd, "Do pray!" Soon after he died.
Brother Rogis said at the time of his trial in prison, "The apostles suffered for Christ's sake. I also took up my gallows for His sake. Since God has ordained this, He will sustain me with His life and grace, and I will praise Him. I believe that the truth, which is God's word, will eventually prevail. When your law falls to the dust, God's word will prevail." One constable asked him, "Do you want to repent for your faith?" He answered firmly, "I want to affirm my preaching with my blood." The constable did not believe him, but he said, "You will know what I mean when we arrive at the execution ground." The constable said, "I will not pray for you," to which Rogis replied, "But I will pray for you." He was led to the execution ground. While he was being burned, he lifted up his hands to pray. After he expired, his hands were still lifted high.
When this brother was brought before the judge, the judge tried to persuade him to recant his faith. But he said to the judge, "I have told you all that I wanted to say. You can do whatever pleases you." His friends tried to persuade him to change his decision, but he said, "I cannot change what I have said. May all men forgive me, and I forgive all men." While he was being burned, he stretched out his hands. The executioners tried to cut off his hands. Because there was not enough wood to burn him to death, the executioners decided to finish his life instead.
Wichill was another person persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church. A few cardinals condemned him and were ready to put him to the stake. They erected a scaffold and were ready to burn him upon it. On his way there, many soldiers surrounded him and bound his hands behind him. One beggar met him along the way and begged for something. He replied, "How I wish I could give you something with my hands. May the Lord meet your needs." Two other Catholic believers met him and said, "Pray to the holy mother." He replied, "Do not tempt me any longer." After he was tied to the stake, he knelt down and prayed, "May the Lord receive my soul." Then he turned to the sinners and said, "Do not stumble because I have suffered for my faith. You should receive salvation, which comes from the word of God. Receiving Him is untold comfort. I have received the grace today to suffer this persecution and tribulation which will not be long. If I preach man's teaching, I will receive man's approval. But I am preaching God's salvation, and for this I receive joy, peace, and comfort from the Lord Himself. I am able to face death fearlessly for Christ's sake. Do not fear those who can destroy the body but not the soul. This night I will be supping with my Lord." Then he prayed, "Father, forgive them. I forgive them from my heart. May You forgive them also." In the end he exhorted the crowd to warn their priests to depart from sin or else judgment would come upon them. One executioner came forth and knelt before him, asking for forgiveness. He replied, "Come," and he kissed him, saying, "This is the mark of one who forgives."
There has never been a break in the Christian lineage of martyrdom. For two thousand years all of God's children who have suffered this way believed that they would reign in the coming kingdom. Revelation 20:4 says, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and of those who had not worshipped the beast nor his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." Please note that it says that every throne is occupied by a person. There are four kinds of people who are on the thrones. The first are those who have overcome; judgment will be given to them. The second are those who are beheaded for the testimony of Jesus. The third are those who are killed because of the word of God. This refers to the saints in the Old Testament. The fourth are those who have not worshipped the beast nor his image. These are the martyrs during the great tribulation. These four kinds of people will reign with Christ; they will receive the crown of life and inherit the kingdom. Receiving the crown means to be kings and to reign. If we place ourselves willingly in the Lord's hand, great sufferings will await us on the one hand, but we will inherit a surpassing eternal weight of glory on the other hand. In addition to Revelation 20:4, verses 2:7 and 3:5 also speak of overcomers. Overcomers are those who confess the Lord's name before the Father and the angels. Matthew 10:32 and Luke 12:8 show us that all those who confess the Lord's name before men will be confessed before the Father and His messengers in the kingdom.
The Bible shows us that at the end of this age, brothers will kill brothers, fathers will deliver their sons to death, and children will be enemies of their parents and will kill them. Christians will face unprecedented and severe persecutions. We have to show new ones that even though the martyrs died, each one testified to the Lord's grace with his mouth. How hard is the way of the martyrs, yet how glorious is their end!
