The second epistle was written to the church in Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11). In Greek Smyrna means “myrrh,” which in typology signifies the sweet suffering of Christ. Thus, the church in Smyrna was a suffering church, prefiguring the church under the persecution of the Roman Empire from the latter part of the first century to the early part of the fourth century. The persecuted church suffered in the sweetness and fragrance of Christ, that is, in the tribulation of Jesus and in the fellowship of His sufferings, and thereby became the continuation of His suffering (Col. 1:24).
During the period prefigured by the church in Smyrna, there were Jews outside the church who were persecuting the church. The Lord said that they “call themselves Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9). They were Jews only in the flesh, not Jews in spirit (Rom. 2:28-29). They joined hands with the Gentiles who persecuted the church to persecute the believers by driving them out of the synagogues, casting them into prison (Rev. 2:10), preventing a supply of material needs to them, and even killing them. Furthermore, at that time there were also Judaizers within the church such as the Nazaraeans and Ebionites, who were Judaic Christians. These Judaizers stubbornly insisted on keeping their Judaistic system, consisting of the Levitical priesthood, the sacrificial rituals, and the material temple. Under Satan’s manipulating, maneuvering hand, the Jewish synagogues opposed the Lord Jesus (Matt. 12:9-14; Luke 4:28-29; John 9:22), the apostles (Acts 13:43, 45-46, 50; 14:1-2, 19; 17:1, 5-6), and the churches (Rev. 2:9). Hence, the Lord called the Jews, in particular the Judaizers, “a synagogue of Satan.” The overcoming church must not care about the slander of the Judaizers nor for any religious systems or ways but simply pursue and follow the Lord in spirit and in life.
The Lord also prophesied that the church in Smyrna would have “tribulation for ten days” (v. 10). Ten is a number of fullness. Ten days signify a period of time that is full yet brief (Gen. 24:55; Jer. 42:7; Dan. 1:12-14). Here it signifies that the affliction of the suffering church was full yet short-lived. As a sign, ten days indicate prophetically the ten periods of persecution that the church suffered under the Roman emperors, beginning with Caesar Nero in the second half of the first century and ending with Constantine the Great in A.D. 313, when he decreed the edict at Milan that proclaimed freedom of religion. These two hundred years were a period of martyrdom of the church. Severe persecutions were continuously instigated by the devil, Satan, through the Roman Caesars, who did their utmost to destroy and eliminate the church. However, they could not subdue and terminate the church. Although the believers suffered afflictions, they were faithful unto death and were more than victorious by the resurrection life. The Lord also promised them, “Do not fear the things that you are about to suffer...Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). History demonstrates that the church of the living Christ, who became dead and lived again, withstood the persecutions victoriously and multiplied flourishingly by the indestructible resurrection life.
The third epistle was written to the church in Pergamos (vv. 12-17). The Greek word Pergamos means “marriage,” implying union, and “fortified tower.” The church in Pergamos prefigures the worldly church that entered into a marriage union with the world. It lasted from the time that Constantine the Great accepted Christianity to the latter part of the sixth century when the papal system was established.
According to church history, in the first three centuries Satan tried his best to damage the church through the persecution of the Roman Empire. Eventually, Satan’s persecution caused the church to multiply flourishingly. Therefore, Satan in his subtlety changed his strategy from persecuting the church to welcoming her. In the early part of the fourth century, Constantine the Great accepted Christianity. Initially, many of Constantine’s soldiers were Christians. Thus, when he conquered Rome and became the emperor, he accepted Christianity as the legitimate state religion. His motive was a political one, because his goal was to prevent his country from falling into confusion because of religious issues. The welcoming of the church by the Roman Empire caused the church to become worldly. Such a union of the church with the world is considered spiritual fornication in the eyes of God. Furthermore, through Constantine’s encouragement and political influence, multitudes of unbelievers were baptized into the church, and the church became monstrously great. Constantine also made use of his royal position to promote Christianity. By the end of the fourth century, Christianity was officially made the state religion of the Roman Empire, obtaining a prestigious position and becoming a fortified tower. According to the prophecies in Matthew 13:31-33, like a mustard seed that grew into a great tree and like fine flour that was leavened, the church with its changed nature has become a huge organization—Christendom.