Tag Archives: martyrdom

The Sword-Bearing Prince of Peace

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Since I’ve discussed Romans 13 at length in the past, I don’t really see the need to go back over that passage. So let’s turn our attention to the Book of Revelation. When seeking to refute pacifistic ideas, many look to Revelation 19. There we see Jesus in a robe dipped in blood, killing His enemies with a sword.

The word “dipped” can throw us off here, for, in Revelation, the martyrs have previously washed their robes in blood, but it wasn’t the blood of their enemies. It was the blood of the Lamb, the blood that won the victory over Satan. However, in Chapter 19, Jesus is “trampling the grapes of wrath.” In Chapter 14, when these grapes were harvested, it was said that the blood flowed as deep as the horses’ bridles. Whose blood? Probably a reference to God’s enemies, though that’s never made clear.

But no matter where the blood on His robe came from, Jesus’ intentions are clear. He is there to “strike down the nations.” This is a time for vengeance.

So there we have it. Christians are called to exact vengeance on God’s enemies. Or are they?

Let’s back up. Revelation is written to a group of Christians who are about to undergo persecution. The message to them is that they are to patiently endure, overcoming by being faithful witnesses. There’s a reason why the Greek word for “witness” became the English word “martyr,” for Jesus is held up as the example of what a faithful witness is. The mighty Lion of Judah turns out to be a lamb that was slain. He conquered on the cross, by dying for His faith. Now He calls His followers to be unafraid to risk the same.

The promise is that God will exact vengeance on their tormenters. Just as Second Thessalonians promises that those who persecute the Christians will be punished by God, so Revelation emphasizes that Christians are not to seek to bring about “justice” by their own hand, but they are to leave vengeance to God.

(By the way, did you notice what sword Jesus is using to strike down the nations? The sword which proceeds from His mouth. It doesn’t take much knowledge of apocalyptic symbolism to see that the judgment against the nations will be exacted by the Word of God. The scene is that of ultimate judgment, the final defeat of evil. The weapons are spiritual ones, just as the armies are heavenly armies and not earthly ones.)

So how did early Christians read Revelation? Did they see in it a call to arms, a summons to exact justice on the Romans via the sword? No. They saw it as a reminder that they were to submit to the authorities, honor the king, and leave vengeance to God. To get Revelation to say something else, you have to strip it from its original context.

(Do I really have to address the numbers question? Probably, because it always seems to come up. “Christians didn’t fight back because there weren’t enough of them. Had they had a chance of winning, God would have told them to fight.” Should you be clinging to that idea, might I suggest a quick perusal of the Old Testament? Stories like Gideon, Samson, David vs. Goliath, Jonathan and his armor bearer vs. the whole Philistine army… God doesn’t need numbers to win a battle. If violent resistance had been the answer, God was more than capable of enabling His people to triumph.)

I’d like to hear your thoughts, comments, questions and suggestions.

The letter to Smyrna: The death of Polycarp

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lettersSmyrna is the only city of the seven that is still a major city today. Izmir (its modern name) has a population of over 3 million. It’s been an urban city for over 3500 years, with archaeological ruins dating back 5000 years.

Smyrna competed with Ephesus and Pergamum for the right of being called the most important city in Asia. No city could claim a closer tie with Rome, however. The Roman politician Cicero called Smyrna one of Rome’s “most loyal allies.” Eleven cities in Asia competed for the right to build a temple to Tiberius, but it was Smyrna that was chosen.

An example of the persecution the church faced is the account of the martyrdom of Polycarp in the second century. Here’s how I tell the story in Letters from the Lamb:

When the soldiers arrived to arrest Polycarp, he insisted that a table be spread for them and that they enjoy a feast, while he prayed in the next room. As Polycarp was led toward the stadium, his captors encouraged him to save himself by saying “Caesar is Lord” and offering a bit of incense. He politely told them that he would not do as they advised. The stadium was packed when they arrived, for the enemies of the Christians knew that Polycarp was a leader in the church. The magistrate who tried Polycarp again urged him to save himself: “Swear the oath, and you’ll go free. Revile Christ!” Polycarp replied: “Eighty and six years have I been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” When the Roman official warned Polycarp that he would be burned at the stake, Polycarp replied: “You threaten that fire which burns for a season and after a little while is quenched: for you are ignorant of the fire of the future judgment and eternal punishment, which is reserved for the ungodly. But why do you delay? Come, do what you will.” So they burned Polycarp at the stake, with many of the Jews gathering wood for the fire, even though it was the Sabbath. Polycarp died with words of praise upon his lips. Such was life for a Christian in the province of Asia soon after the writing of the book of Revelation. Polycarp’s name was the 12th in a list of martyrs from Smyrna and Philadelphia; his story, though more dramatic than most, was not an uncommon one in the province of Asia.

(Letters From The Lamb, pp. 65-66)

Reading the story of Polycarp helps prepare us for reading the letter to the church in Smyrna.

The letter to Ephesus: To the conqueror

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letters

Each of the seven letters ends with a promise to the one who “overcomes.” What does it mean to “overcome” in the book of Revelation? We can go back to the throne room scene in Revelation 5 to get the answer to that question. When John is weeping because no one is worthy of opening the scroll, he is told: “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed (overcome). He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” The word is the same in Revelation 5 as it is in the letters to the seven churches. Christians are being called to overcome as Jesus overcame. And how was that? Through faithful witness, being faithful to the point of dying for his faith. Jesus triumphed through death; the Asian Christians are being called to be willing to do the same. The world calls to them to overcome through military strength or political action. Jesus calls to them to overcome by a willing sacrifice of love for the sake of the kingdom of God.

(Letters From The Lamb, p. 53)

To the Ephesian conquerors, Jesus promised to undo the curse of Eden. He would let them eat of the Tree of Life. Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden so that they wouldn’t be able to eat of the Tree of Life. Jesus promises the Ephesians that those willing to face martyrdom will come to have what Adam and Even once had. They will eat of the Tree of Life and live forever.

The faithful witness

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lettersI want to take some time to share some thoughts on the first few chapters of Revelation. With our book hot off the press (I’m hoping to see a copy in the next few days), I decided it was a good time to explore some of the topics we looked at there.

One key theme in Revelation is that of the faithful witness. In Revelation 1:5 we read: “from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.” (Revelation 1:5) In looking at this verse in our book, I wrote:

In verse 5, John speaks of “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” These three elements are important as we come to understand the Jesus that we see here in Revelation chapter 1. He is the faithful witness. The Greek word for witness is martus, the word from which we get our word martyr. We see in the book of Revelation that witnesses are often martyred for their faith, so much so that dying for one’s faith is the sign of a “faithful witness.” The Lord who calls his followers to be willing to maintain their faith in the face of death has already done the same himself. He asks nothing of them that he was not willing to ask of himself.

(Letters From The Lamb, p. 30)

The word “testimony” (which comes from the same root) also occurs throughout Revelation. (Rev 1:2, 9; 6:9; 11:7; 12:11, 17; 15:5; 17:6; 19:10; 20:4; 22:16) A key passage is this one in chapter 12: “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (Revelation 12:10-11)

The victory lies in being a faithful witness, in steadfastly holding on to the testimony of Jesus in the face of all opposition. The Christians will conquer Rome not through military might nor political power, but faithful testimony.