Seven Letters: Smyrna Revelation 2:8-11 “The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Revelation 2:11)

“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. I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 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. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.”

Smyrna Smyrna sat 35 miles north of Ephesus, grew to about 100,000 by the time of the apostle John and was sometimes called “the First of Asia” due to its stunning beauty. The name Smyrna means “myrrh” or “perfume”. Smyrna was an ancient city, was destroyed in the 7th century B.C. and rebuilt during the 3rd century B.C.

Smyrna had become a centre for emperor worship. Once a year, each Roman citizen was compelled to burn a pinch of incense upon an altar and utter the phrase “Caesar is Lord”, for which they would receive a certificate that allowed them to do business within the Roman empire. There was a viably strong Jewish community in Smyrna, which viewed Christianity as a heretical offshoot of Judaism that needed to be crushed. The church in Smyrna was most likely founded during Paul’s third missionary journey as he spent the better part of two years ministering in and around the general area.

Polycarp was an apprentice of the Apostle John and led the church at Smyrna for approximately 60 years. In A.D. 155, when Polycarp was 86 years old, he was informed of his impeding arrest by Roman officials for failing to burn incense in worship of the Emperor. Dragged before a Roman official who demanded he renounce his faith in Christ, Polycarp refused. At his refusal, Polycarp was sentenced to be burned at the stake, a sentence that was quickly carried out. Faith in the face of persecution defines the church at Smyrna.

Christ reveals himself as “the First and the Last, who died and came to life again” (v. 8). Though Smyrna might be considered the “first of Asia”, it is only Christ who is the true First and Last. Just as Smyrna itself experienced a “death and resurrection” – recall its destruction and rebuilding – Christ too experienced a death and resurrection. Christ speaks to His churches in their own language, in a way that they truly connect with, and in a manner that conveys immense specific meaning to them.

Christ indicates that He knows, with a complete and full knowledge, the church of Smyrna. Notice the specifics … He knows their “afflictions and poverty” and the slander spoken against them. We do not face difficulty alone and our suffering does not go unnoticed – Christ sees it and acknowledges it. The Christians of Smyrna were experiencing crushing oppression by the time of this revelation.

Their refusal to offer sacrifices to Caesar prevented them from engaging in business and earning a living in Smyrna and they quickly became utterly destitute. Common slander of early Christians: They were cannibals. Incestuous relationships were the norm. They were traitors to Rome. Jesus locates the source of the persecution in the synagogue of Satan. We have an enemy who wants us to fail in faithfulness; in fact, he wants to destroy us.

There is an oppositional force or an anti-church that we face as we follow Jesus. Notice a very strange comment Christ makes; after discussing their dire situation, He says “yet you are rich”. The Principle of the Upside Down Kingdom - As followers of Jesus, we actually find blessing in those things that should communicate a curse. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven …” (Matthew 5:11-12).

Christ tells us to rejoice, be glad, and be blessed when we face persecution. When we face persecution because of our relationship with Jesus, the curses actually become blessings, both now and eternally. The schemes of our enemy to destroy us – slander, persecution, poverty, even death - backfire in an amazing way when we remain faithful through them.

“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.” (2 Corinthians 2:15-16) As followers of Jesus are “an aroma of Christ”. Smyrna means something like “perfume” in Greek. How was perfume made in the ancient world? Perfume was created by crushing the aromatic object to release the fragrance. The Smyrnan Christians were literally being crushed beneath the weight of persecution; but rather than break, the persecution only further released the aroma of Christ in their context.

Notice also that Christ indicates that the persecution or testing would be for ten days; seems like a randomly odd number, does it not? A lesson from Daniel 1 - though the testing will likely be intense, it will not last forever and through their faithfulness, God will be glorified and they will experience life beyond imagination. Christ does not rebuke the Smyrnan church, nor does He offer some corrective for their attitudes or behaviour.

Christ’s message to the church of Smyrna – “don’t be afraid, be faithful, and you’ll truly live”. This is a timely message for us in our context today. “ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-11)

Though we are increasingly hard pressed, will we remain faithful, permitting the life of Christ to be revealed though our lives to a world sorely in need of this revelation? May we fearlessly live lives of faithfulness in full view of our community, experiencing life in all its fullness – even in suffering and hardship - both now and eternally.