This presentation looks at the church of Smyrna and Christ's letter to them in the book of Revelation

2. ―To the angel of
the church in
Smyrna write…‖
The persecuted church

3. The Letter to Smyrna
―And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first
and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:
‗I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are
rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews
and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ‗Do not fear
what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to
cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested,
and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until
death, and I will give you the crown of life. ‗He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He
who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.‘ ‖
(Revelation 2:8–11)

4. Interesting Fact…
Smyrna is one of two churches addressed by Christ where
there is no condemnation; no discussion of sin or
punishment coming from the Lord. Why? Perhaps it has
been purged of sin through its suffering.

5. General Background on Smyrna
• Name derived from ―myrrh‖. Myrrh
was used for perfume and also used
for dead bodies; became a symbol for
death and may be a picture of
suffering for this church
• Destroyed, but re-founded by
Alexander the Great in 334 B.C.
• Built a temple to honor the Roman
emperor in A.D. 26; became a seat
of the imperial cult
• Had about 3,000 people around the
time of Christ
• Never discussed in Scripture how
church was founded
• The city (about 300K people) and a
church is still there

6. Spiritual Condition of Smyrna
• One of the centers of
emperor worship
• Each year, a family had to
burn incense on Caesar‘s
alter and then they were
issued a certificate; being
without a certificate meant to
risk death
• Also a center of worship for
a number of false deities such
as Aphrodite, Apollo, and
Zeus – all had temples in the
city

7. The Caesar at the Time – Domitian
• Reigned from 81-96 A.D.
• Demanded to be addressed as
Dominus et Deus (Lord and God),
basing the legitimacy of his reign on
the emperor's divinity
• Under Domitian, there arose for the
first time the persecution of Christians
by the state on religious grounds. In 96
in Rome members of the imperial
household were called to account for
the charge of violating the state
religion. And in the Christian tradition
Domitian is unanimously regarded as
the first persecutor of Christians after
Nero.

8. Brief Review of Emperor Worship
Egyptian kings regarded as sons of gods
Alexander the Great encounters divine kingship; worshipped
Emperor worship begins in 29 B.C. in Ephesus with Julius Caesar
Caligula (A.D. 37) first to allow veneration of living Roman Caesar
Those coming after (e.g. Domitian) saw political value from being
deified

9. Polycarp was born in A.D. 70, was a disciple of John, and the pastor of the
Smyrna church for a while. He was put to death around 50 years after Revelation
was written for refusing to proclaim ― Kaiser kyrios‖, or ―Caesar is Lord‖. Some
have said he was the 12th martyr in Smyrna. When put forward in the stadium, he
was asked to make the statement ―away with the atheists‖ meaning the Christians,
who Rome referred to as atheists because they would not recognize the gods of
Rome or the emperor as a god. Instead, he looked to the crowd and motioned,
saying ―away with the atheists‖ meaning the Romans who worshipped false gods.
Polycarp was then, at 86 years of age, burned and then run through with a sword.

10. The Opening of the Letter
―The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life,
says this‖
• ―Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling
forth the generations from the beginning? ‗I, the
Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.‘ ‖
(Isaiah 41:4)
• ―Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his
Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‗I am the first and I am
the last, And there is no God besides Me. ‖ (Isaiah
44:6)
• ―Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I
am He, I am the first, I am also the last. ‖ (Isaiah
48:12)
• ―You are My witnesses,‖ declares the Lord, ―And
My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may
know and believe Me And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed, And there
will be none after Me. ‖ (Isaiah 43:10)

11. The Opening of the Letter
―The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life,
says this‖
• Christ‘s resurrection stands unique from
all other founders of world religions
• It was the central message of the
apostles‘ teaching
• ―who was declared the Son of God with
power by the resurrection from the dead,
according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus
Christ our Lord‖ (Romans 1:4)
• Here, it likely is included to give comfort
to the suffering church that, even if they
are martyred, they will live because Christ
conquered death

12. ―For what remains if Christ has been
swallowed up by death — if he has
become extinct — if he has been
overwhelmed by the curse of sin — if, in
fact, he has been overcome by Satan?
In short, if that fundamental article is
subverted, all that remains will be of no
moment. For the same reason he
[Paul] adds, that their faith will be vain,
for what solidity of faith will there be,
where no hope of life is to be seen?
But in the death of Christ,
considered in itself, there is seen
nothing but ground of despair, for he
cannot be the author of salvation to
others, who has been altogether
vanquished by death.‖
- John Calvin

13. Bridging the Gap Between History & Faith
How do you get from this world to the world of faith?
Resurrection of
Historical The
Jesus Christ from
Information Gospel
the Dead

14. “I know your Tribulation…”
• Smyrna is the suffering church.
Likely persecuted by those of the
Imperial / Emperor cult
• "All that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution‖ (2
Timothy 3:12)
• ―If the world hates you, you know
that it has hated Me before it hated
you. ‖ (John 15:18)
• ―Do not be surprised, brethren, if
the world hates you. ‖ (1 John 3:13)

15. “I know your Tribulation…”
• 2011 in Egypt was rung in
with the bombing of a Coptic
church in Alexandria that left
23 dead
• ―About 90 percent of the
population here believes that
slitting our throats is their way
to heaven.‖ – Maged,
anonymous blogger in Egypt

16. ―Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter
various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith
produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect
result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in
nothing. ‖
(James 1:2–4)

17. “And your Poverty (but you are rich)…”
• ―poverty‖ – ptocheia – state of being deficient in
means of support (different than the ordinary word for
poverty in the New Testament)
• Jesus reminds them to look behind the physical here
to their treasure that awaits them in His kingdom.
Contrast with the ‗rich‘ church of Laodicea

18. Blasphemy of the False Jews
―…and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and
are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ‖
(Revelation 2:9)
• Smyrna was being persecuted by the Gentiles
(Romans) on the one hand, and the Jews on the
other
• Jesus identifies the blasphemy of the Jews as
showing their true identity apart from their
national identity
• ―For ―the name of God is blasphemed among the
Gentiles because of you,‖ just as it is written. ‖
(Romans 2:24)
• "He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, he is a Jew
who is one inwardly‖ (Romans 2:28)
• ―You are of your father the devil, and you want to
do the desires of your father.‖ (John 8:44)

19. “Do Not Fear What you are about to suffer…”
• ―Do not fear‖ – most often repeated command in the
New Testament
• Notice that God knows the suffering is coming, and
yet is allowing it to happen
• ―Therefore, those also who suffer according to the
will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful
Creator in doing what is right. ‖ (1 Peter 4:19)

20. The True Source of Persecution
―Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into
prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have
tribulation for ten days. . .‖ (Revelation 2:10)
• ―Because of the surpassing greatness of the
revelations, for this reason, to keep me from
exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the
flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to
keep me from exalting myself! ‖ (2 Corinthians
12:7)
• ―For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than
once—and yet Satan hindered us. ‖ (1 Thess.
2:18)
• ―Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your
adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring
lion, seeking someone to devour. ‖ (1 Peter 5:8)

21. Word Study - Tested
Greek Meaning
peirazo ① make an effort to do something
② discover the nature of something by
testing
―Behold, the devil is about to cast ③ an attempt to entrap through inquiry
some of you into prison, so that you Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000).
will be tested, and you will have A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament
and other early Christian literature.
tribulation for ten days‖
(Revelation 2:10)
Interpretation & Application
Perhaps the reason Smyrna receives no rebuke is the church has been and continues to be
purified by testing. What do the ten days refer to? Some say the 10 reigns of the Roman
Caesars, others say it refers to the 10 horns of the beast, and various commentators say it
means just 10 literal days. No one is sure. What is sure, however, is that the statement
communicates that there are limits to the devil‘s power and the trials he puts the saints
under. The time limits for our testing are controlled by God.

22. The Goal
―Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of
life.‖ (Revelation 2:10)
How long/far into a Christian‘s life must they remain faithful to God
before they are proven worthy to obtain eternal life? Can someone
abandon their faith part way through, walk away from God, and still be
saved? According to this verse, it is those who are faithful until the
end who receive eternal life.

23. The Goal
―I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I
have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but
also to all who have loved His appearing. ‖
(2 Timothy 4:7–8)

24. Faithful under pressure
―Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for
once he has been approved, he will receive the crown
of life which the Lord has promised to those who
love Him. ‖
(James 1:12)

25. A command to Hear
―‗He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to
the churches.‖ (Revelation 2:7)
This phrase is repeated each time in Christ‘s
address to the seven churches of Revelation. In
the gospels (it is never used in John), it is
always used to highlight radical truths, great
principles, and promises.
Note that Jesus says it is the Spirit speaking
to the churches, even though He is the actual
one talking: ―All Scripture is inspired by God
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness‖
(2 Timothy 3:16)

26. A Promise to Obtain
―He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death ‖
(Revelation 2:11)
―Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that
Jesus is the Son of God? ‖
(1 John 5:5)

27. The Second Death
―Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the
second death, the lake of fire. ‖ (Revelation 20:14)
―But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers
and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their
part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the
second death.‖ (Revelation 21:8)

28. Conclusions
• Trials and testing quickly separates the wheat from the chaff.
False believers don‘t stick around for persecution, which is one
way you can know who is real and who is not.
• Trials and persecution from the world will come our way.
Suffering does happen and can actually be God‘s will for us.
However, Peter reminds us to always trust ourselves to a
faithful Creator who always does what is right.
• Those who persevere to the end show that they have saving
faith.

29. ―To the angel of
the church in
Smyrna write…‖