Revelation 2:10

Fear none of Read simply Fear not.

those things which thou shalt suffer Probably refer primarily to a persecution immediately impending; but they are no doubt meant to apply also to the subsequent persecutions of the Church there, especially to the famous one, under the Antonines, in which Polycarp the Bishop suffered martyrdom, in a.d. 155. It will depend on the date assigned to this Book, whether Polycarp can have been Bishop at the time of this message. It is to be noted that the Jews were specially active in urging his execution, though officially it was the act of the pagan magistrates.

that ye may be tried Or, tempted: it is probably rather the Devil's object in raising the persecution than God's in permitting it that is meant. Cf. Luke 22:31.

ten days Possibly a half proverbial expression for a short time, as we might say "a week or two." And no doubt the notion of a short and definite time is intended: but from the important significance in this book of definite numbers, and not least of definite measures of time, it is probable that something more is intended too whether that the persecution would last ten years, or what, it would be rash to say.

be thou Lit., become not implying that he was not perfectly faithful now, but= "prove thyself," "quit thyself as."

a crown of life i.e. eternal life as a crown; so St James 1:12. The phrase is like "the crown of glory" in 1 Peter 5:4, and probably "the crown of righteousness," 2 Timothy 4:8. As in the parallel promise, Revelation 3:21, the throne is in the fullest sense a royal throne, the crown here is probably a royalcrown (so Trench Synonyms), not a mere garland of victory. Throughout this Book the imagery is Jewish not Gentile, and all who are finally redeemed are Kings, Revelation 5:12. Both the thrones and the crowns of the elders, Revelation 4:4; Revelation 4:10, might be ensigns of dignity less than royal, but not the crown of the Rider on the White Horse, Revelation 6:3. Moreover the Crown of Thorns for which all the Evangelists use the same word as here was certainly a counterfeit of royalty. On the other hand in Revelation 19:12 the King of Kings and Lord of Lords has on His head many diadems, the unmistakeable technical name for royal crowns, and there are diadems on the heads of the Dragon, Revelation 12:3, and on the horns of the Beast, Revelation 13:1.