DIE BRIEF AAN DIE GEMEENTE VAN SMIRNA
In hierdie lesing neem ek jou na die ruïnes van antieke Smirna. Ek het baie groot ontdekkings hier gemaak. Ontdekkings wat my geestelike baie aangehelp het.
Maar voordat ons die brief aan die gemeente van Smirna lees, kyk ons eers na baie belangrike agtergrond.
“At the first the experience of the church at Ephesus was marked with childlike simplicity and fervour. The believers
sought earnestly to obey every word of God, and their lives revealed an earnest, sincere love for Christ.
They rejoiced to do the will of God because the Saviour was in their hearts as an abiding presence. Filled with love for their Redeemer, their highest aim was to win souls to Him. They did not think of hoarding the precious treasure of the grace of Christ.
They felt the importance of their calling; and, weighted with the message, “On earth peace, good will toward men,” they burned with desire to carry the glad tidings of salvation to earth’s remotest bounds. And the world took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Sinful men, repentant, pardoned, cleansed, and sanctified, were brought into partnership with God through His Son.
The members of the church were united in sentiment and action. Love for Christ was the golden chain that bound them together. They followed on to know the Lord more and still more perfectly, and in their lives were revealed the joy and peace of Christ. They visited the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and kept themselves unspotted from the world, realizing that a failure to do this would be a contradiction of their profession and a denial of their Redeemer. In every city the work was carried forward.
Souls were converted, who in their turn felt that they must tell of the inestimable treasure they had received. They could not rest till the light which had illumined their minds was shining upon others.
Multitudes of unbelievers were made acquainted with the
reasons of the Christian’s hope. Warm, inspired personal appeals were made to the erring, to the outcast, and to those who, while professing to know the truth, were lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
But after a time the zeal of the believers began to wane, and their love for God and for one another grew less. Coldness crept into the church. Some forgot the wonderful manner in which they had received the truth. One by one the old standard-bearers fell at their post.
Some of the younger workers, who might have shared the burdens of these pioneers, and thus have been prepared for wise leadership, had become weary of oft-repeated truths. In their desire for something novel and startling they attempted to introduce new phases of doctrine, more pleasing to many minds, but not in harmony with the fundamental principles of the gospel.
In their self-confidence and spiritual blindness they failed to discern that these sophistries would cause many to question the experiences of the past, and would thus lead to confusion and unbelief.
As these false doctrines were urged, differences sprang up, and the eyes of many were turned from beholding Jesus as the Author and Finisher of their faith. The discussion of unimportant points of doctrine, and the contemplation of pleasing fables of man’s invention, occupied time that should have been spent in proclaiming the gospel.
The masses that might have been convicted and converted by a faithful presentation of the truth were left unwarned. Piety was rapidly waning, and Satan seemed about to gain the ascen-
dency over those who claimed to be followers of Christ.
It was at this critical time in the history of the church that John was sentenced to banishment. Never had his voice been needed by the church as now. Nearly all his former associates in the ministry had suffered martyrdom. The remnant of believers was facing fierce opposition. To all outward appearance the day was not far distant when the enemies of the church of Christ would triumph.
But the Lord’s hand was moving unseen in the darkness. In the providence of God, John was placed where Christ could give him a wonderful revelation of Himself and of divine truth for the enlightenment of the churches. AA 581
Die boodskappe wat destyds aan 7 historiese gemeentes gestuur is, word opnuut na jou en my se sondige stukkende harte gestuur. Kom ons leer.
Vanaf Efese reis ons noordwaarts na die gemeente van Smirna. Behalwe vir ‘n spesifieke boodskap aan die mense wat destyds daar gewoon het, praat dit ook met die kerk vanaf 100 tot 313 n.C.
Maar daar is ook ‘n boodskap vir jou en my wat vandag leef. Sedert Bybeltye het Smirna van naam verander en vandag word hy Izmir genoem.
Kom ons luister na die boodskap wat ongeveer 2000 jaar gelede na die mense van Smirna gekom het:
Openbaring 2:8 11 “En skryf aan die engel van die gemeente in Smirna: Dit sê die eerste en die laaste, wat dood was en lewend geword het: Ek ken jou werke en verdrukking en armoede maar jy is ryk en die lastering van die wat sê dat hulle Jode is en dit nie is nie, maar ‘n sinagoge van die Satan. Vrees vir niks wat jy sal ly nie.
Kyk, die duiwel gaan sommige van julle in die gevangenis werp, sodat julle op die proef gestel kan word; en julle sal tien dae lank verdrukking hê. Wees getrou tot die dood toe, en Ek sal jou die kroon van die lewe gee. Wie ‘n oor het, laat hom hoor wat die Gees aan die gemeentes sê. Die wat oorwin, sal deur die tweede dood geen skade ly nie.”
Behalwe vir die vervolging wat die historiese gemeente van Smirna gely het vind ons dat daar ook vanaf 100 tot 313 n.C. ‘n wrede vervolging teen die Christelike kerk losgebreek het.
Wanneer ons die lesing oor die sewe seëls doen, sal ons ontdek dat die tweede perd, die tweede seël van Openbaring 6:4 kronologies ooreenstem met die tweede gemeente, die van Smirna. Die perd is rooi. Dit ondersteun die gedagte dat baie bloed in daardie tyd gevloei het.
Terwyl ek die ruïnes van antieke Smirna besoek het, het ek
aan die merkwaardige vervulling van Openbaring 2:10 gedink:
“Julle sal tien dae lank verdrukking hê.” Kom ek vertel u vlugtig wat gebeur het.
Die wrede keiser Diocletianus het sy oostelike hoofstad in Nicomedië gevestig. Tans word dit Izmit genoem. In 303 n.C. verwoes hy die stad, en net soos Nero voor hom gedoen het, plaas hy ook die blaam op die Christene.
En soos wat hierdie pilare van antieke Smirna verstrooid lê, so het hy die Christene vir die volgende tien jaar, vanaf 303 tot 313 n.C. met die wreedste vervolging neergevel. Sy doel was om die Christelike geloof met wortel en tak uit te roei.
Hoe lank sou die vervolging duur? Tien dae. En hoe lank is tien dae in ‘n profetiese konteks? Tien jaar. Dit was in die jaar 313 n.C., presies tien jaar later, dat Keiser Konstantyn die dekreet van verdraagsaamheid uitgevaardig het. Dit het die vervolging beëindig.
Dieselfde belofte wat destyds na hierdie Christelike gemeente gekom het, kom ook na ons:
Die woord wat Johannes vir kroon gebruik, is nie die koninklike “diadema” nie,
Openbaring 2:10 “Wees getrou tot die dood toe, en Ek sal jou die kroon van die lewe gee.” Dis die stafanoi”, ’n lourierkrans wat aan wenners gegee is.
Baie atlete oor die hele Asië het aan die Smirnaspele kom deelneem. Dit was met groot applous wat die lourierkrans, die “stefanos” dan op sy kop geplaas was. Kan jy jouself voorstel watter hemelse applous daar sal wees wanneer Jesus binnekort met die wederkoms die kroon van oorwinning op ons koppe sal plaas?
2 Timoteus 4:8 Verder is vir my weggelê die kroon van geregtigheid wat die Here, die regverdige Regter, my in die dag sal gee; en nie aan my alleen nie, maar ook aan almal wat Sy verskyning liefgehad het.
Mag ek en jy deur die genade van die Here daardie kroon van geregtigheid ontvang. Mag die Here vir jou en my ook so getrou hou.
Openbaring 2:10 “Wie ‘n oor het, laat hom hoor wat die Gees aan die gemeentes sê: Die wat oorwin, sal deur die tweede dood geen skade ly nie.”
Kom ons seil vinnig terug na die pragtige eiland van Patmos. Daar is iets wat ek baie graag vir u wil wys.
Antonio Pantelios het op 31 jarige leeftyd gesterf. As Jesus nie binnekort kom nie, sal ek en jy ook die eerste dood moet sterf.
Maar wanneer ons die oorwinning aanvaar wat daar vir ons in Jesus is, sal ons die tweede dood, die ewige dood, vryspring. Mag die Here vir jou en my meer as oorwinnaars maak.
Dink net aan vreugde wanneer Jesus op die wolke kom, en ek en jy is gereed om Hom in die lug te ontmoet. Dink net aan daardie opwindende oomblik wanneer die aarde sy swaartekrag op ons gaan verloor en ons deur die ruimtes na die nuwe Jerusalem sal reis.