Smyrna

“AND UNTO the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (Rev.2:8-11).

SMYRNA

Smyrna was the next city and ecclesia of importance in the province of Asia, and was the nearest to Ephesus, being about forty miles to the north. For this reason the ecclesia of Smyrna was the second of the seven to receive the Apocalypse. It was the loveliest of all the cities and was sometimes called the ornament of Asia, the crown of Asia (because Smyrna geographically was shaped in the form of a crest and looked like a crown) or sometimes the flower of Asia. Beautiful situated it stood at the end of a road that journeyed westward across the lands of Lydia and Phrygia. It had a small land locked harbour in the very heart of the city, making it one of the safest harbours. Smyrna had been a Greek colony as far back as 1000BC. It was invaded and destroyed by the Lydians and for 400 years there was no city at all. The city was rebuilt in 200BC and so it had experienced death and had literally been brought back to life. It is undoubtedly because of Smyrnas historical past, Christ refers to himself as, He who was dead and has come back to life. There was also a large population of Jews in the city who were not only numerous but influential and who did everything they could to hurt the ecclesia.

Smyrna is synonymous with myrrh, one of the principle products of the city. This was a sweet perfume the fragrance of which is released by crushing. It is very bitter to the taste but has a fragrant odour, and the more the plant is crushed and bruised the greater the fragrance. The name Smyrna may therefore, indicate suffering and persecution which lead to a blessing. Smyrna would be crushed by cruel persecutions, but as a result of her sufferings would be anointed for a death and burial that would end in resurrection and renewal of life. Life was difficult for a Christian in Smyrna because they had to live constantly between two extremes. There was within the ecclesia a rich and loving fellowship that warmed their hearts and strengthened their faith. But outside, in the city they faced continuous cruel and persistent hostility. But notice how the Lord introduces himself to them.

First and last, dead and alive

In the introduction to this epistle Christ identifies Himself as the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive. He is the Lord of beginnings, the First. With him began remission, reconciliation and Divine acceptance. He is the first to rise from the dead, the beginning of a New Creation in which the saved participate. The New Covenant owes its effectiveness to him. He is why our faith began, our love of God and desire to dwell in the kingdom were founded in Jesus. He is also the Last. What he begins is brought to culmination in Him. He is why it is said of God He who begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil.1:6).

This introduction is also well suited to an ecclesia that has passed through bitter persecution. To the ecclesia of martyrs was sent a message of good cheer from the One who had triumphed over death and the grave, and had the keys of the tomb in His keeping. By His death and resurrection, Jesus had robbed death of its sting and the grave of its victory. In identifying Himself, Jesus uses the attributes that would bring courage and support to His people during persecution and martyrdom. If they would be faithful unto death, they would be given a crown of life.

The ecclesia of Smyrna would be crushed but not permanently killed. There would come a new life more glorious than the first. The severe trials would prove a blessing in disguise. Jesus intimates that this was true in His own experience, for He too had been persecuted and slain, but now he is alive for evermore. It was persecution and suffering that made manifest the beauty of the character of Christ and made Him a worthy example of patience under tribulation (John 15:18-20; 1 Pet.2:20-23).

Tribulation and poverty

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Ps.34:19). Jesus declared that He was fully acquainted with the tribulation and poverty of His people, but He said they were rich in spiritual things. The poverty was doubtless the result of their tribulation, which often ended in death. Their earthly possessions had been confiscated. They had suffered the spoiling of their goods. Jesus assured them that He fully sympathised with them in their tribulation and poverty because of His own experience. The original word for tribulation means to be in straits. It is distress resulting from being hard pressed, or hemmed in on every side.

Persecution for the sake of righteousness has always been a blessing in disguise. The fiery trial is the purifying instrument of love and grace rather than the weapon of torture. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified” (1Pet.4: 2,14).

“Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5). Prosperity in this world is not a sure sign of the blessing of God. Like the Hebrew believers (Heb. 10:34), they had no doubt experienced the plundering of their goods. The city of Smyrna was noted for its wealth but the saints of God did not share in it. The conflict between the passing world and the eternal one was experienced in the ecclesia at Smyrna. The world heaped no praise upon this ecclesia. Its members were not held in high regard. In this fair city highly regarded by men, the saints of the Most High God suffered tribulation and became poor. For though a just man fall seven times, he riseth up again (Prov.14:14).

Jesus comforted the ecclesia with the assurance that their poverty in temporal things could not rob them of their spiritual riches. But thou art rich is His message to them. They were rich in grace and faith, and had laid up treasure in heaven (Rom.8:32,1 Tim.6:18-19, James 2:5, Matt.6:20). The ecclesia of Smyrna was characterised by material poverty but Christ saw their real possessions and they were rich in abundance, for they were rich in spiritual things. The wealth they had was recognised in heaven. There are eternal treasures that enhance the worth of those who possess them. There are heavenly riches that enhance our lives in this world, sustaining us when all else fails. Rich indeed is the ecclesia that like Christ has food to eat of which others do not know.

At this point we must ask ourselves, what are we noted for? We the ecclesia of the last days, are we noted for material wealth and spiritual weakness? Of course regarding material things this is a generalisation especially when we consider the predicament of some of our brothers and sisters in the third world. Nevertheless the question must be asked that as a body we have been richly blessed materially, but do we seek the Fathers blessing for the spiritual wealth which only will save us from temptation, trial and tribulation in these last days? Spiritual riches constitute the true wealth, which alone will endure. The Old and New Testaments show that many of the wealthiest in material things are moral paupers and spiritual bankrupts.

Smyrna was a rich-poor ecclesia and Laodicea a poor-rich ecclesia. It is far better to be poor in the estimation of the world and rich in spiritual things than to be rich in ones own esteem and the worlds, but poverty stricken in the sight of Christ. Persecution and physical suffering usually bring material poverty, but they also have a tendency to increase spiritual riches. The ecclesia at Smyrna was rich toward God having obtained and maintained heavenly resources. While they could not barter for worldly goods they were rich in heavenly commodities.

When Jesus says I know your tribulation it means infinitely more than an awareness of it. He beholds the suffering ecclesia with a mind to sustain and uphold it. He will not allow His people to be tempted above what they are able to bear. He will grant them power to stand when others are falling. He will sustain and nourish them. The ecclesia at Smyrna continued to stand in the face of tribulation because of their Lord.

I know the blasphemy

Jesus identifies some of the oppressors of his people. He charges them with blasphemy because they have dared to identify themselves with the God of heaven. They had put a holy name to an unholy thing and the Lord had seen it. Many have suffered attacks from those wearing the name of the Lord. It started with Cain killing Abel. It continued in the persecutions Moses endured from the very people he was leading. The prophets were all opposed by their own people. The Lord himself was killed by the Jews he came to save. With remarkable consistency, the people of God have experienced opposition from those claiming to be of God. Not a single abuse had gone unnoticed by God.

And so Christ had knowledge of those false disciples who claimed to be Jews, but were of the synagogue of Satan. Although we know from the scriptures that the Jews in general joined the Gentiles in hating and persecuting Christians, the term Jew is here used to depict the Disciples of Christ. The term is sometimes used in the Scriptures to represent the true people of God in contrast with the Gentiles, or unconverted (Rom.2:28,29; Rev.2:9; 3:9).

The false brethren were not really members of the ecclesia of Christ even though their names were enrolled on the ecclesial register. They were of the synagogue of Satan. Synagogue and church (ekklesia) are virtually synonymous terms, meaning congregation, assembly, or called out ones. Ancient Israel is called the church in the wilderness in Acts 7:38, and the congregation of the Lord in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Christian ecclesia is called a synagogue in the marginal reading of James 2:2. Satan, the great deceiver and imitator, has an ecclesia, or synagogue. There are but two ecclesias, and they are rivals. Between them there is no neutral ground. All who are not of the ecclesia of Christ are of the synagogue of Satan. The apostasy that had begun through the loss of love in the Ephesian ecclesia continued to develop, and false apostles and disciples multiplied. The mystery of iniquity was working in the congregation of the Lord.

Them which say they are Jews

The Lord particularly identifies those who say they are Jews. These were the people who had been given every spiritual advantage. Of them it is written who are Israelites to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants the giving of the law, the service of God and the promises. Yet In spite of these remarkable blessings, they not only rejected Christ themselves, but aggressively opposed those receiving him. To them Christ crucified became a stumbling block (1Cor.1:23). Paul vividly describes their intrusion on the early ecclesia. “For you brethren became imitators of the churches of God, which are in Judea in Jesus Christ. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, who killed both the lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us, and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as to fill up the measure of their sins, but the wrath has come upon them to the uttermost” (1Thess.2:14-16).

Now they prove obstacles to the believers at Smyrna, aggressive in their opposition to the Gospel. The synagogue of Satan is Christ’s assessment of those Jews who made life difficult for the ecclesia at Smyrna.

Persecutions

In verse 10 future trials are predicted, including imprisonment. Jesus said, “And ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” In love and mercy He foretells what is coming, and promises deliverance. Regarding the experience of Paul, Jesus said: “I will shew him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake” (Acts 9:16). Christ never entices recruits for His cause by promises of an easy task and a pleasant life.

In Smyrna the persecution of the saints is traced to the agency of the devil, the great adversary. The devil cast some into prison that they may be tried. The persecution was a temptation from the false accuser to cause them to become discouraged and give up their faith and hope. Although the Lord permits temptations to come to us from the enemy in order to test our powers of endurance and to separate the chaff from the wheat. If we take the right attitude, what the devil designs for our ruin will result in his defeat, our good, and Gods glory.

For ten prophetic days the persecution was to continue, and during this time the ecclesia would be put under pressure and given the third degree of torture. The ten days of trial (see Dan.1:12) mentioned in the Smyrnean letter represent a period that would test Gods people to the limit of their endurance both in severity and duration. But the encouraging thing is that the Lord determined the limits. The test could not endure beyond the predetermined limit. No force or power on earth could make this last eleven days. Christians were to pass through a complete baptism of suffering and martyrdom with the assurance of the fullness of Christ’s love and sympathy and the promise of a crown of life as the reward of loyalty and steadfastness.

Crown of Life

The reward offered the ecclesia of Smyrna was not only a crown of life, but the voice of the Spirit adds the promise, He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Be faithful to the end even if you have to die, and then I will give you the victors wreath of life, is one translation. The promise is not alone to those who maintain their faithfulness to the end of life in a natural sense, but especially to the persecuted when death was the price of their loyalty. The reward is for those upon whom the enemy inflicts his worst tortures, ending even in death itself. The recompense for faithfulness even unto martyrdom is a crown of life. Elsewhere, Christians are promised a crown of glory, a crown of righteousness, and a crown of rejoicing. The crown of our text is not a crown of royalty but rather a victor’s wreath. Smyrna was noted for its athletic contests, when garlands of victory were given to the successful contestants.

To the ecclesia of martyrs Jesus declared Himself to be the One who had also suffered martyrdom, but was again alive, with a life that would never end. His death was a triumph, and all who are faithful unto death will be given the crown of everlasting life. Nero lost his crown and Paul his head. But Paul died a victor, with the promise of a crown of righteousness and a part in the Paradise restored because he remained faithful even unto martyrdom, and a crown of life and glory awaits him at the resurrection of the just.

Those who maintain their loyalty unto the first death will escape the second death, which will be eternal and from which there will be no resurrection. We need not be too much concerned about the first death, which is temporary and comes to all alike, provided we have maintained that union with the Life-giver by which we can escape the second death.

The candlestick of the ecclesia of Smyrna was not removed. Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only two (witnesses) of the seven that received no reproof or condemnation. The Christians of Smyrna needed encouragement. There were things that needed to be corrected, but they had about all they could stand without reproof. The fires of persecution had purified the ecclesia, and much of the lost love and works had been regained. Tribulation may also play an important part in the purification of the ecclesia in preparation for his Second Coming. Of The faithful in Smyrna it can be said: “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev.7:13,14).

He who overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death. Again a glorious promise is given to build the confidence of the hearers. The promise assumes a vital interest in the world to come. It will have no meaning to those who are not engaged in the fight of faith. It is for those who have taken their cross daily and are running with patience the race that is set before them. It is a promise to obtain. It is spoken of suffering saints, some of whom might be called to lay down their lives because of their testimony. This is the first time the phrase second death is used. It is not defined till later, but the sense of it’s meaning is apparent. If we are born twice, we will only die once. The first death is common to all but the second death is a complete separation of the individual from God Almighty.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?

Members of the body of Christ have always suffered the reprisals of an unbelieving world. Whilst this has taken different forms, it has always revealed a contrast between those who believe in God and those who do not. It has always confirmed that those who live by faith are not of this world, and do not fit into its patterns. The ecclesia at Smyrna stands as a constant source of consolation to everyone who has suffered for righteousness sake. When the struggle becomes intense, and holding our ground is about all we can do, the Lord speaks comfortably to us. He does not lay upon us burdens we cannot bear, but exhorts us to keep the faith. We will not be asked to endure anything beyond our capacity, and in it all, the Lord Jesus will be with us. Our responsibility is to give fear no place in our hearts. We are also to look at our afflictions as short and brief only for a moment. Soon we shall be with the Lord and all adversity behind us. Until then, our afflictions will be the occasion for Divine consolation, when hope shines more brightly.

Nay, in all things we are more than conquers through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.