Revelation 2:10-11; The Crown of Life
Revelation 2:10-11 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Testings and trials of faith seek to build in the believer strength to endure and overcome. There is a promise of reward – a crown of life for the overcomer. The premise is that the believer loves his Lord and perseveres to be loyal to His cause – James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Such a man is blessed by God. The man, himself, shall receive from the Lord Himself, the crown of life. It is a personal reward and it is personally handed over to the recipient by the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things donein hisbody, according to that he hath done, whether it begood or bad.
The church in Smyrna is exhorted to be courageous in the face of severe testings and trials that may lead to their imprisonment for the faith. Our Lord assured them of the temporal nature of the trial, it will soon come to an end. The believer is exhorted to be willing to trust God to care for his very life.
The crown was among the Romans and Greeks a symbol of victory and reward. The crown or wreath worn by the victors in the Olympic games was made of leaves of the wild olive; in the Pythian games, of laurel; in the Nemean games, of parsley; and in the Isthmian games, of the pine. The Romans bestowed the “civic crown” on him who saved the life of a citizen. It was made of the leaves of the oak. In opposition to all these fading crowns, the apostles speak of the incorruptible crown, the crown of life “that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:4). [Easton]
For the believer in Smyrna, his willingness to stake all including his life will be a testimony to the veracity of his faith and the reality of eternal life with God in heaven. This shall be our crown too when we trust the Lord to walk with Him. Amen.