May 21, 2010
“. . . I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the Seven Churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea” (Revelation 1:11).
The History of God’s One and Only True Church
By
Alton (Don) B. Billingsley
Continued from 4-13-2010, 4-23-2010; 4-30-2010; 5-7-2010; 5-17-2010
Regarding the establishment of His Church, Jesus Christ said to the apostle Peter and the rest of His disciples:
“. . . On this ROCK (Greek: Masculine, Petros, Feminine, Petra, meaning Jesus Christ Himself, Deuteronomy 32:3-4; I Corinthians 10:4) I will BUILD My Church, and the gates of Hades (graves, I Corinthians 15:54-55) shall NOT prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18).
T
he
Church in Smyrna - The
Persecuted Church 135
A. D. to 600 A.D.
Background of the City of Smyrna (means ‘bitter’)
It was 400 years under the rule of the Roman Empire. The meaning of the name ‘bitter’ symbolizes the hardships experienced by the true Church of God during those many years.
After that removal the baton was then passed on to the Smyrna Church Era by Jesus Christ.
Polycarp the Apostle of the Smyrna Era
Polycarp became the new apostle and shepherd of God’s true Church after the death of the apostle John. John died about 95 A.D. Polycarp, who had been trained under him, then became the chief shepherd of the Smyrna Era. He died a martyr’s death in 155 A.D.
The apostle Peter wrote of the fiery trials the people of God would have to endure during that time, and prophetically wrote of the continuing terrible times to befall the Church of God in this end-time, in particular martyrdom in the Great Tribulation (Revelation 6:9-11):
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to TRY you, as though some strange things happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified” (I Peter 4:12).
C.C. 50 “The second age of the New Testament Church is portrayed in Revelation 2. It is typified by the local congregation of the Church in Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11).
1. Was this Smyrna era of the Church to be persecuted? Rev. 2:10. Were some in that era to be martyred? Same verse.”
Those years were very hard, difficult, and trying, for the true people of God as noted in the letter by Jesus Christ to the Church of God in Smyrna.
The Letter from Jesus Christ to the Church in Smyrna
135 A.D. – 600 A.D.
Revelation 2:8 "To the angel of the Church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9) I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10) Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days (303 A.D. to 313 A.D., Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:4). Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”
Unafraid with courage and conviction, the Apostle Polycarp stood up for the doctrinal teachings of Jesus Christ by confronting Anicetus bishop of Rome and military leaders with the truth. This eventually led to his martyrdom by them.
Polycarp, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A
ccording
to Irenaeus, during the time his fellow Syrian, Anicetus,
was Bishop of Rome, in the 150s or 160, Polycarp visited Rome
to discuss the differences that existed between Asia
and Rome
"with regard to
certain things"
and especially about the time of the Easter
festivals. Irenaeus said that on certain things the two bishops
speedily came to an understanding, while as to the time of Easter,
each adhered to his own custom, without breaking off communion
with the other. Anicetus— the Roman sources offering it as a
mark of special honor— allowed Polycarp to celebrate the
Eucharist
in his own church.[15]
They might have found their customs for observing the Christian
Passover
differed, Polycarp
following the eastern practice of celebrating Passover on the 14th
of Nisan,
the day of the Jewish
Passover,
regardless of what day of the week it fell.
The Martyrdom of Polycarp. Translated by J.B. Lightfoot. Abridged and modernized by Stephen Tomkins. Edited and prepared for the web by Dan Graves. PDF version of Polycarp
“86 years have I have served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”
The early Church was hated by the society and government of the Roman Empire for various reasons, such as the refusal of Christians to sacrifice to the gods. The Empire went through many phases of demanding that the Christians sacrifice – which meant denying their faith – or be killed. The earliest attacks claimed the lives of many of the Apostles. . . .
This text is the story, from around 160 AD, of the martyrdom of Polycarp, the Bishop of the Church in Smyrna, a city in Asia Minor (modern Izmir in Turkey) devoted to Roman worship. The account is in the form of a letter from eye-witnesses to other churches in the area. It is the earliest chronicle of a martyrdom outside the New Testament.
P
olycarp
was an old man, at least 86 (see part 10), and probably the last
surviving person to have known an apostle, having been a disciple of
St John. This was one reason he was greatly revered as a teacher and
Church leader. . . .
Polycarp in the flames.
We are writing to you, brothers, with an account of the martyrs, especially the blessed Polycarp, whose death brought to the persecution to a close.
When he heard about this, the redoubtable Polycarp was not in the least upset, and was happy to stay in the city, but eventually he was persuaded to leave. He went to friends’ in the nearby country, where as usual he spent the whole time, day and night, in prayer for all people and for the churches throughout the world. Three days before he was arrested, while he was praying, he had a vision of the pillow under his head in flames. He said prophetically to those who were with him, “I will be burnt alive.”
Those who were looking for him were coming near, so he left for another house. They immediately followed him, and when they could not find him, they seized two young men from his own household and tortured them into confession. The sheriff, called Herod, was impatient to bring Polycarp to the stadium, . . .
The police and horsemen came with the young man at suppertime on the Friday with their usual weapons, as if coming out against a robber. That evening, they found him lying down in the upper room of a cottage. He could have escaped but he refused saying, “God’s will be done.” When he heard that they had come, he went down and spoke with them. They were amazed at his age and steadfastness, and some of them said. “Why did we go to so much trouble to capture a man like this?” Immediately he called for food and drink for them, and asked for an hour to pray uninterrupted. They agreed, and he stood and prayed, so full of the grace of God, that he could not stop for two hours. The men were astounded and many of them regretted coming to arrest such a godly and venerable an old man.
When he finished praying… they put him on a donkey, and took him into the city….
As Polycarp was being taken into the arena, a voice came to him from heaven: “Be strong, Polycarp and play the man!” No one saw who had spoken, but our brothers who were there heard the voice. When the crowd heard that Polycarp had been captured, there was an uproar. The Proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On hearing that he was, he tried to persuade him to apostatize, saying, “Have respect for your old age, swear by the fortune of Caesar. Repent, and say, ‘Down with the Atheists!’” Polycarp looked grimly at the wicked heathen multitude in the stadium, and gesturing towards them, he said, “Down with the Atheists!” “Swear,” urged the Proconsul, “reproach Christ, and I will set you free.” “86 years have I have served Him,” Polycarp declared, “and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”
“I have wild animals here,” the Proconsul said. “I will throw you to them if you do not repent.” “Call them,” Polycarp replied. “It is unthinkable for me to repent from what is good to turn to what is evil. I will be glad though to be changed from evil to righteousness.” “If you despise the animals, I will have you burned.” “You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and is then extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. Why are you waiting? Bring on whatever you want.”
The Fire is Prepared
It was all done in the time it takes to tell. The crowd collected wood and bundles of sticks from the shops and public baths. The Jews, as usual, were keen to help. When the pile was ready, Polycarp took off his outer clothes, undid his belt, and tried to take off his sandals – something he was not used to, as the faithful always raced to do it for him, each wanting to be the one to touch his skin – this is how good his life was. But when they went to fix him with nails, he said, “Leave me as I am, for he that gives me strength to endure the fire, will enable me not to struggle, without the help of your nails.”
So they simply bound him with his hands behind him like a distinguished ram chosen from a great flock for sacrifice. Ready to be an acceptable burnt-offering to God, he looked up to heaven, and said, “O Lord God Almighty, the Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of you, the God of angels, powers and every creature, and of all the righteous who live before you, I give you thanks that you count me worthy to be numbered among your martyrs, sharing the cup of Christ and the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and body, through the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be received this day as an acceptable sacrifice, as you, the true God, have predestined, revealed to me, and now fulfilled. I praise you for all these things, I bless you and glorify you, along with the everlasting Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. To you, with him, through the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and forever. Amen.”
Then the fire was lit, and the flame blazed furiously. We who were privileged to witness it saw a great miracle, and this is why we have been preserved, to tell the story. The fire shaped itself into the form of an arch, like the sail of a ship when filled with the wind, and formed a circle around the body of the martyr. Inside it, he looked not like flesh that is burnt, but like bread that is baked, or gold and silver glowing in a furnace. And we smelt a sweet scent, like frankincense or some such precious spices.
Eventually, when those wicked men saw that his body could not be consumed by the fire, they commanded an executioner to pierce him with a dagger. When he did this [a dove flew out and] [*this may well be a later interpolation or transcription error] such a great quantity of blood flowed that the fire was extinguished. The crowd were amazed at the difference between the unbelievers and the elect – of whom the great Polycarp was surely one . . .”
In the next writing, we will continue with ongoing history of the Smyrna Church Era and the apostle Polycrates who replaced Polycarp after his death.
To be Continued
http://bodyofchristonline.us/ http://cog-ff.com http://www.ezekielwatchman.org/
