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Letter to the Church of Smyrna  

Thoughts on the Passage

Revelation of Jesus – “the First and Last, Who died and came to life”.

Smyrna was a great city that was destroyed and left as a small village – later, Alexander the Great rebuilt it into a great city. It was a city that came back to life. The city was proud of this historical rebirth – and Jesus uses it to describe Himself. Jesus connects with this church and this city in a powerful way.

However, the Christians here faced another reality – intense persecution. Persecution that involved slander and violence. The people (Jews and Gentiles) slandered the Christians and the name of Jesus so that the Romans would turn against them – and the lies they told caused the Romans to attack the Christians and treat them brutally. 

Jesus calls His church in Smyrna to be faithful in the midst of this persecution. They stayed faithful. 

In this letter, there are only 6 sections instead of 7 – the warning is not here. There is nothing bad that Jesus would say about His church here. Still, the call to faithfulness resounds to these people. The troubles they face will be short-lived, so just hang in there! 

Finally, Jesus gives an amazing promise – they need not fear the second death. Normally, we understand the second death as God’s final judgment against sin (see Revelation 20), but there is likely a second meaning here as well – physical death. This city died once but all the people in this city must face a coming physical death. God’s people do not need to fear this coming physical death – a second death. Just as Jesus died and came to life, Jesus promises all His faithful followers that there is eternal life after this death.

When we face unjust accusations, slander against us, or betrayal by those who should walk with us, remember Jesus’ words to His church here – be faithful. This time will be short and Jesus has a great reward for you. Be faithful!!

The video link gives a great history of Smyrna, how it got its name and the severe persecution that God’s people faced.

Prayer

Father, we often see people facing great difficulty and wonder what You are saying to them. Is there something wrong with what they are doing? Are You warning them about sin in their lives? Here, it is the opposite! There is no warning given at all – in fact, they are one of only two churches NOT warned by Jesus. Father, help me to understand how much You love to see faithfulness in the midst of great troubles in our lives. Some of my friends are facing tremendous challenges and difficulties. They need this encouragement. They need to know that You see the people speaking evil of them, You see their troubles, and You see the poverty and shame that results. May the wonderful words of Jesus to the Church in Smyrna encourage them to stay faithful, to stay strong and never give up. May their troubles last “only 10 days” – or a short time, as well. Take them through these troubles and bring them into a blessed place. I pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.