The Church in Smyrna
壹 在士每拿的召会是受逼迫之苦的召会——启二8～11：
I. The church in Smyrna was a church under the suffering of persecution—Rev. 2:8-11:
一 “士每拿”原文意没药；没药是一种香料，在表号上表征受苦；在士每拿的召会是受苦的召会——10节：
A. In Greek Smyrna means "myrrh," a sweet spice that, in figure, signifies suffering; the church in Smyrna was a suffering church—v. 10:
1 这个遭受逼迫的召会，在基督的甘甜和馨香中受苦。
1. This persecuted church suffered in the sweetness and fragrance of Christ.
2 这召会乃是在耶稣的患难里，交通于祂的苦难——一9，腓三10。
2. This church was in the tribulation in Jesus and was in the fellowship of His sufferings—1:9; Phil. 3:10.
3 在士每拿的召会受苦，如同基督自己受苦一样，借此成了祂苦难的延续——西一24：
3. The church in Smyrna suffered as Christ Himself did and thereby became a continuation of His suffering—Col. 1:24:
a 基督的患难有两类：一类是为成功救赎，这已经由基督自己完成了；另一类是为产生并建造召会，这需要使徒和信徒将其补满。
a. The afflictions of Christ are of two categories: those for accomplishing redemption, which have been completed by Christ Himself, and those for producing and building the church, which need to be filled up by the apostles and the believers.
b “为基督的身体，就是为召会，……〔之〕基督〔的〕患难”（24）必须由所有跟随祂的人个别并集体地来补满。——引用经文
b. "The afflictions of Christ…for His Body, which is the church" (v. 24) must be completed by His followers both individually and collectively.
c 在士每拿的召会里，我们看见耶稣苦难的集体延续。
c. In the church in Smyrna we see the collective continuation of the sufferings of Jesus.
d 因为这个召会是耶稣苦难的继续，所以她真是耶稣的见证——启——2、9，十九10。
d. Because this church was a continuation of Jesus' suffering, it was truly the testimony of Jesus—Rev. 1:2, 9; 19:10.
二 在士每拿的召会所受的苦是由于“那自称是犹太人，却不是犹太人，乃是撒但会堂的人，所说毁谤的话”——二9:
B. The church in Smyrna suffered "the slander from those who call themselves Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan"—2:9:
1 热中犹太教者对受苦召会的毁谤，就是对她恶意的批评；他们固执地坚持遵守犹太教的制度，包括利未祭司体系、献祭的仪式和物质的圣殿；这些都是预表，如今已被基督应验并顶替。
1. The Judaizers slandered the suffering church by evilly criticizing her; they stubbornly insisted on keeping their Judaistic system, consisting of the Levitical priesthood, the sacrificial rituals, and the material temple, which were all types that had been fulfilled and replaced by Christ.
2 因着在新约之下的召会，在神的经纶里，与热中犹太教者宗教的作法无分，他们便谗毁地批评召会。
2. Since the church under the new covenant in God's economy had no part in their religious practice, the Judaizers slanderously criticized her.
3 原则上，今天也是一样；主恢复中的召会，因着在灵里并在生命中寻求主、跟随主，不在意宗教的制度，热心宗教者就毁谤召会。
3. In principle, it is the same today, in that religious people slander the churches in the Lord's recovery, which seek the Lord and follow Him in spirit and in life and do not care for the religious system.
4 根据主在约翰十五章一节、四至五节及十八至二十四节的话，葡萄树与枝子为宗教世界（犹太教）所反对；今天，基督教就是宗教世界，这宗教系统不仅反对基督这真葡萄树，也反对作为葡萄树枝子的召会——参加一4。
4. According to the Lord's word in John 15:1, 4-5, and 18-24, the vine and the branches are opposed by the religious world (Judaism); today Christianity is the religious world, the religious system that opposes not only Christ, the true vine, but also the church, the branches of the vine—cf. Gal. 1:4.
三 召会所受的逼迫，开始于神的对头撒但所煽动的犹太教会堂，完成于那毁谤者魔鬼所利用的罗马帝国；受苦的召会所受的逼迫，是属撒但的宗教和属魔鬼的政治合作而有的——启二9～10。
C. The persecution suffered by the church began from the religious synagogue of the Jews instigated by Satan, the adversary, and it was consummated by the Roman Empire used by the devil, the slanderer; the persecution of the suffering church was a cooperation of satanic religion and devilish politics—Rev. 2:9-10.
四 主耶稣对受苦的召会说，“我知道你的患难”——9节：
D. To the suffering church the Lord Jesus said, "I know your tribulation"—v. 9:
1 患难对召会是宝贵的，能试验其生命。
1. Tribulation is precious to the church because it tests the life of the church.
2 主许可召会遭患难，不仅要见证祂复活的生命如何胜过死亡，也要使召会能享受祂生命的丰富——约十一25，启一18，弗三8。
2. The Lord's purpose in allowing the church to suffer tribulation is not only to testify that His resurrection life overcomes death but also to enable the church to enjoy the riches of His life—John 11:25; Rev. 1:18; Eph. 3:8.
贰 主对在士每拿的召会说话时，说祂是“那首先的、末后的、死过又活的”——启二8:
II. In speaking to the church in Smyrna, the Lord said that He is "the First and the Last, who became dead and lived again"—Rev. 2:8:
一 基督是首先的也是末后的，意指祂永不改变：
A. The fact that Christ is the First and the Last means that He never changes:
1 召会遭受苦难时，必须认识主是那首先的、末后的，是永远存在、永不改变的一位。
1. In suffering, the church must know that the Lord is the First and the Last, the ever-existing, unchanging One.
2 无论逼迫的环境如何，主仍是一样；没有一事能在祂以先，也没有一事能在祂以后；凡事都在祂管制的界限之内。
2. Whatever the persecuting environment may be, the Lord remains the same; nothing can precede Him, nor can anything exist after Him; all things are within the limits of His control.
二 主在八节的宣告含示创造——那首先的，和完成——那末后的，也含示基督的成为肉体、人性生活、钉死十架和复活：
B. The Lord's declaration in verse 8 implies the creation—the First—and the completion—the Last—and it also implies Christ's incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection:
1 这个宣告是要加强在士每拿受苦的召会，就是那经历并遭受殉道之苦的召会。
1. This is a declaration to strengthen the suffering church in Smyrna, which was experiencing and suffering martyrdom.
2 唯一能扶持殉道圣徒的，就是看见这样一位创造并要完成整个宇宙的，祂成为肉体，在地上生活，钉十字架，并且复活了；这样一个异象维持殉道者在苦难中站住——10节。
2. The only thing that can support the saints in their martyrdom is seeing the One who created and will complete the entire universe and who was incarnated, lived on earth, was crucified, and resurrected; such a vision sustains the martyrs to stand in their sufferings—v. 10.
3 所有地方召会都必须相信，主耶稣是首先的和末后的，是初又是终；祂在恢复里所开始的事，祂必定完成——二二13。
3. All the local churches need to believe that the Lord Jesus is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End; He will accomplish what He has begun in His recovery—22:13.
三 基督是那活着的；祂曾死过，现在又活了——二8，一18:
C. As the One who became dead and lived again, Christ is the living One—2:8; 1:18:
1 主耶稣受过死的苦，但祂又活了；祂曾进入死亡，但死亡不能拘禁祂，因为祂是复活——徒二24，约十一25。
1. The Lord Jesus suffered death and lived again; He entered into death, but death could not hold Him, because He is the resurrection—Acts 2:24; John 11:25.
2 “我曾死过，看哪，现在又活了，直活到永永远远”——启一18：
2. "I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever"—Rev. 1:18:
a 复活的生命，就是经过死而能存在的。
a. Resurrection is a life that passes through death and still remains living.
b 基督的复活就是祂的延长年日；祂在复活里要存到永永远远。
b. Christ's resurrection is the lengthening of His days; He will exist forever and ever in His resurrection.
3 复活的基督——那活着的——活在我们里面，也活在我们中间；因此所有的召会应该像祂一样活着，满了生命并胜过死亡——提前三15。
3. The resurrected Christ, the living One, is living in us and among us; therefore, all the churches should be living as He is, full of life and overcoming death—1 Tim. 3:15.
4 主活到永永远远，这就是祂的见证；我们越活，就越是活的耶稣的见证——启一2、9，十九10。
4. The Lord's living forever is His testimony; the more living we are, the more we are the testimony of the living Jesus—Rev. 1:2, 9; 19:10.
5 我们要活，不仅必须有生命，也必须有生命的供应；这位活着的基督照顾众召会，乃是借着将自己不仅作为生命，也作为生命的供应，赐给我们——约四10、14，六48、51，启二7、17，三20。
5. For us to be living, we must have not only life but the life supply; as the living One, Christ cares for the churches by giving us Himself not only as life but also as the life supply—John 4:10, 14; 6:48, 51; Rev. 2:7, 17; 3:20.
四 曾经死过现在又活了的基督，拿着死亡和阴间的钥匙——一18:
D. As the One who became dead and lived again, Christ has the keys of death and of Hades—1:18:
1 主耶稣胜过了死，并且废除了撒但，死亡和阴间的钥匙现今在祂手里，祂也胜过了坟墓——来二14，启一18。
1. The Lord Jesus overcame death and destroyed the devil, the keys of death and of Hades are now in His hand, and He is victorious over the grave—Heb. 2:14; Rev. 1:18.
2 主耶稣在祂的复活里取去死亡和阴间的权势；死亡在祂的权下，阴间也在祂的掌管中——18节。
2. In His resurrection the Lord Jesus took away the authority of death and of Hades; death is subject to Him, and Hades is under His control—v. 18.
3 今天在召会生活中，我们不再服在死亡和阴间之下，因为基督已经废除了死，又在复活里胜过了阴府——来二14。
3. In the church life today, we are no longer subject to death and Hades, for Christ abolished death and overcame Hades in His resurrection—Heb. 2:14.
4 基督不仅胜过死，更将死废去；提后一章十节启示基督借着祂废除魔鬼的死，并祂吞灭死的复活，已经把死废掉，使其失效——来二14，林前十五52～54。
4. Christ not only defeated death—He nullified it; 2 Timothy 1:10 reveals that Christ nullified death, making it of none effect, through His devil-destroying death and death-swallowing resurrection—Heb. 2:14; 1 Cor. 15:52-54.
叁 “你务要至死忠信，我就赐给你那生命的冠冕”——启二10：
III. "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life"—Rev. 2:10:
一 “至死忠信”：
A. "Be faithful unto death":
1 主要求事奉祂的人的生命是属于祂的，所以我们必须忠信以至于死。
1. The Lord insists that the life of all those who serve Him belongs to Him; this is why we must be faithful even unto death.
2 至死忠信是态度，也是时间：
2. Being faithful unto death is a matter both of attitude and of time:
a 按着态度说，我们要忠信以至于死——十二11。
a. As to our attitude, we must be faithful even unto death—12:11.
b 按着时间说，我们要忠信一直到死。
b. As to time, we must be faithful until death.
二 “我就赐给你那生命的冠冕”：
B. "I will give you the crown of life":
1 生命的冠冕是给那些胜过逼迫，至死忠信之人的奖赏，这是指得胜的力量，也就是复活生命的大能（腓三10）；也是指这些得胜者已经达到“那从死人中杰出的复活”（11），就是特殊的复活。——引用经文
1. The crown of life, as a prize to those who are faithful unto death in overcoming persecution, denotes the overcoming strength that is the power of the resurrection life (Phil. 3:10); it also denotes that these overcomers have attained to the out-resurrection from the dead (v. 11), the outstanding resurrection.
2 受苦召会的赏赐不仅是生命树，更是生命的冠冕——启二7、10：
2. Not only the tree of life but the crown of life will be a reward to the suffering church—Rev. 2:7, 10:
a 吃生命树是为着里面的供应，而生命的冠冕是为着外面的荣耀。
a. The eating of the tree of life is inward for supply, and the crown of life is outward for glory.
b 论到生命树和生命的冠冕的应许都与神圣的生命密切相关（约一4，十10，十一25，约壹五11～13）；这生命首先必须是我们的食物，然后将是我们的彰显和我们的得荣耀，就是生命的冠冕。——引用经文
b. The promises concerning the tree of life and the crown of life are wrapped up with the divine life (John 1:4; 10:10; 11:25; 1 John 5:11-13); this life must be our food, and then it will be our expression and our glorification as the crown of life.