BYM ONLINE DESK Blessing Feb 2020 English E-magazine | Page 13

11:6). Despite hard times the Smyrna church was
to press on, move forward, and keep looking up.
Listen carefully. Christ's last words to the
church at Smyrna exhort the believers to listen
carefully to what the Spirit says. It's an important
message :“He who overcomes will not be hurt at all
by the second death.”
For one who is born again (Jn 3:3,16), the only
death he will experience is physical. A Christian
overcomer (1 Jn 5:4,5) will not experience the
second death.
In Rabbinic literature, “second death” referred
to the death of the wicked in the next world. The
Bible equates the second death with the lake of fire
(Rev 20:14). Revelation 21:8 describes it further:
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the
murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice
magic arts, the idolaters and all liarstheir place will
be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the
second death.”
For the Christians who share in the first
resurrection of which Christ is the
first-
fruit (1 Cor 15:20-22), the second death has no
power (Rev 20:6). The future prospect of the
overcomer is to be a priest of God and Christ and to
reign with Christ for a thousand years.
Aftermath
Because the letter ends here and nothing
more is written about Smyrna in the Bible, we may
wonder if the leaders heeded Christ's letter. With
new waves of persecution did they surrender to
Satan?
this letter was written. It had a profound effect upon
him. For sixty years later, he died a martyr's death
as leader of the church of Smyrna. William Barclay
reports the historical tradition surrounding
Polycarp's death:
“So the crowds came flocking with faggots
from the workshops and from the baths, and the
Jews, even though they were breaking the Sabbath
law by carrying such burdens, were foremost in
bringing wood for the fire. They were going to bind
him to the stake. 'Leave me as I am,' he said, 'for he
who gives me power to endure the fire, will grant me
to remain in the flames unmoved even without the
security you will give by the nails.' So they left him
loosely bound in the flames, and Polycarp prayed
his great prayer:
“O Lord God Almighty, Father of Your beloved
and blessed Child, Jesus Christ, through whom we
have received full knowledge of You, God of angels
and powers, and of all creation, and of the whole
family of the righteous, who live before You, I bless
You that You have granted unto me this day and
hour, that I may share, among the number of the
martyrs, in the cup of Your Christ, for the
immortality of the Holy Spirit. And may I today be
received among them before You, as a rich and
acceptable sacrifice, as You, the God without
falsehood and of truth, have prepared before hand
and shown forth and fulfilled. For this reason I also
praise You for all things. I bless You, I glorify You
through the eternal and heavenly High Priest,
Jesus Christ, Your beloved Child, through whom be
glory to You with Him and the Holy Spirit, both now
and for the ages that are to come. Amen.”
Polycarp would have been a young man when
February 2020 | www.bymonline.org | Page 13