The Church at Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11)

Review Andy: The seven churches are seven real, historic churches in Asia Minor (Turkey). Real letters to real churches giving encouragement – correction – hope. Also, seven types of situations we as Christians could be faced with. Review Tamara: Each letter is written in the same format/outline and reads like a performance review. What you’re doing well, what needs work, how to get to the next level, and consequences/reward (good and bad). She described the letters as a performance review. One commentator described the letters as: These letters to the seven churches echo the good, the bad, and the ugly in all churches.

I would encourage you to go to the website (sundrychurch.com) – you can listen to the sermons there. Also, sermon notes are available on the Sundry App. Ephesus is the only one of the seven that is mentioned elsewhere in scripture and Tamara did a great job of tying what we know about Ephesus from the letter Paul wrote to them to John’s letter. It was the Roman capital of Asia Minor. Some scholars think John may have planted the church.Tradition says that he was active in Asia and was the Bishop over these seven churches prior to being exiled to Patmos. He returned to Ephesus and died there. John’s follower Polycarp was Bishop of Smyrna. We know from Acts 18 that Paul visited Ephesus near the end of his second missionary journey. He entered the synagogue and ‘reasoned’ with the Jews. During this time, he traveled all through the region and much of the new testament is made up of letters to churches he founded or strengthened on this and his third missionary journey. Places like Galatia, Phillipi, Thessalonica, and Corinth. Whether Paul ‘founded’ the church at Ephesus is not known but he certainly was involved, and it would not be a stretch to infer that his influence, both during his missionary journeys and his letters, could have played a part in the establishment/development of the other six churches in the area. We know that the Ephesus church was strong and was likely the main church in the area. John’s connection and residence there would have contributed to the likelihood of him being considered their Father in the Faith. So, just as Paul wrote letters to the churches he visited, John is a natural choice for the assignment that Jesus gives him in Revelation 2 and 3. Smyrna: Similar to Ephesus, which was only 40 miles to the south, Smyrna had many visitors. Boasting an excellent harbor and the beginning of a well-traveled road to the interior, Smyrna regularly had travelers passing through it. This great trading city, founded by Alexander the Great, continues to this day as the modern Turkish city of Izmir with a population of approximately 2.8 million. The Greek word Smyrna means “myrrh.” This spice is mentioned in the Bible and is usually associated with death. I will come back to this later. I was so impressed with the chart that Tamara put together that explains both the format or outline of the seven letters and the highlights that I asked her if I could use it. She wanted me to pay her copyright royalties, but I explained that since I wasn’t being paid to teach, there was no financial gain on my part nor loss on her part. She consented. Review letter outline: Each letter reveals Jesus in a way that the church needs to understand. In the letter to the church at Ephesus, Jesus reveals Himself as the one who holds the churches and who walks among them. He reminds them of their ‘first love’ and calls them to return to Him. So, it is comforting that He reveals Himself as walking among them. This makes the return trip a short one. He reveals Himself to the church at Smyrna as the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. As we look at the rest of the letter, the significance of this will become clear. The next part of the performance review is Encouragement: I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! In times of suffering, we may think that Christ is absent, but He is not. He knows what we are going through. He is with us! Of the seven churches, Smyrna and Philadelphia do not receive criticism or correction – this is the only departure from the format that the letters follow. Another similarity between these two churches is the mention of their mistreatment by some Jews. There were Jews all over Asia Minor and Paul usually went to the local synagogue when he came to a new place. He preached the Gospel within the context of the Jewish tradition. He met with some success but also always preached to Gentiles. Churches were therefore a mix of what today are called Messianic Jews and Gentiles. When John’s disciple Polycarp was martyred, the Jews of Smyrna were among the most bitter of the enemies of Christians, and among the most violent in demanding the death of Polycarp. Eusebius (Eccl. Hist. 4:15) says, that when Polycarp was apprehended, and brought before the proconsul at Smyrna, the Jews were the most furious of all in demanding his condemnation” (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, Revelation 2:9). The letter makes clear that they are not true Jews, but pretenders and they caused problems for the Christians at Smyrna and Philadelphia. Rev 3:8,9 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.  9  I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Although they received no correction, the Christians were given a warning: v. 10 I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. 10 literal days? IDK! In his introduction to Revelation, Andy explained that there where many different views concerning how this book should be interpreted and he also said that we would present different views and encourage you to study the whole Bible and draw your own conclusions. I would recommend forming what might be called hypothesis and be willing to alter your views. Commenting on this verse, Adam Clarke states: “As the days in this book are what is commonly called prophetic days, each answering to a year, the ten years of tribulation may denote ten years of persecution; and this was precisely the duration of the persecution under Diocletian, during which all the Asiatic Churches were grievously afflicted. Others understand the expression as implying frequency and abundance, as it does in other parts of Scripture” (Adam Clarke

Commentary, Revelation 2:10). Regardless of the exact meaning of “ten days” in Revelation 2:10, history shows that the Church of God faced great persecution in its earliest centuries. As shown, this is implied in the message to Smyrna and is also included in the third message (to Pergamos), in which God refers to “Antipas … My faithful martyr” (Revelation 2:13).

It could refer to future waves of persecution that the Christian church experienced over the following two centuries. Nevertheless, I think the letter is to a real church and at a real time in history and I believe they suffered persecution authored by the Devil at that time. But, as Andy explained, the situations that these seven churches experienced are situations that we all might experience and so the challenges and promises given to them also apply to us. Instead of correction, the letter contains a warning about the persecution that is coming and some advice:

10  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. The advice (Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer) flows into their challenge; Be faithful, even to the point of death. According to Human Rights Watch, “Mexico is…one of the most dangerous countries in the world for human rights defenders. In 2019, the Mexico Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported 20 human rights defenders killed in Mexico. As with journalists, violence against human rights defenders is rarely investigated or prosecuted.” [2] These human rights abuses have overshadowed the ongoing religious persecution of Christians. Mexico is once again on the 2021 Open Doors World Watch List, ranking 37th of the worst 50 countries in regards to persecution.  This ranking is attributed to organized crime and corruption as well as local community compulsory religious practices. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has also placed Mexico on its “monitoring list” for “moderate to severe” persecution in the southern region. Persecution has a variety of sources and forms in Mexico. Drug cartels may target Christians because they do not approve of drug use nor participate in illegal activities and are averse to bribes. Persecution is most prevalent in the mountainous regions of the southern states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Yucatan. The indigenous people who populate these rural areas practice a syncretic religion that mixes Catholicism with pre-Hispanic Mayan beliefs. Communal life is centered around various religious holidays which promote drunkenness.  All community members are expected to contribute to these events both with money and service. However, Evangelical Protestants who cannot afford to contribute or do not wish to participate in community religious holidays are intensely pressured to do so, first with fines or jail time. If they still refuse, they are denied basic services such as water and education that are guaranteed in Article 4 of the Constitution. Their churches and homes are burned, their belongings are confiscated, and they are forced to leave the community. [5] For example, in April 2019, a Mexican publication Somoselmedio reported “that over 700 people from 115 indigenous families had been expelled from nine different communities for failing to participate in local Catholic festivals.” Persecution takes milder forms: being passed over for promotion for not being in the right clique because you choose not to participate in dishonest practices – being ridiculed at school or in some extra-curricular activity – prosecuted by the government for refusing to do something that violates your deeply-held convictions. My choir teacher in high school always said that you will perform how you practice. He said this whenever we were getting ready for a concert. He encouraged us to sing out so that any errors could be detected and corrected during practice, instead of during the concert. For some reason he was always looking at the tenors when he said this . . . The believers at Smyrna were advised to remain faithful and not to let fear of the coming persecution alter their actions. As Americans, we have it pretty easy. We feel persecuted if we can’t find a parking space near the entrance at the mall! 2Ti 3:12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, Will. Be. Persecuted Persecution has a variety of sources and forms in Mexico. Drug cartels may target Christians because they do not approve of drug use nor participate in illegal activities and are averse to bribes. Persecution is most prevalent in the mountainous regions of the southern states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Yucatan. The indigenous people who populate these rural areas practice a syncretic religion that mixes Catholicism with pre-Hispanic Mayan beliefs. Communal life is centered around various religious holidays which promote drunkenness.  All community members are expected to contribute to these events both with money and service. However, Evangelical Protestants who cannot afford to contribute or do not wish to participate in community religious holidays are intensely pressured to do so, first with fines or jail time. If they still refuse, they are denied basic services such as water and education that are guaranteed in Article 4 of the Constitution. Their churches and homes are burned, their belongings are confiscated, and they are forced to leave the community. [5] For example, in April 2019, a Mexican publication Somoselmedio reported “that over 700 people from 115 indigenous families had been expelled from nine different communities fo failing to participate in local Catholic festivals.” The church at Smyrna was suffering for doing the right thing. We often think that there must be some sin that is causing whatever is going wrong in our lives but there is no indication of any failing on the part of these believers. Sometimes God allows us to suffer in order to build our faith or to remind us that He is able to deliver us from our trials. I said we would return to the spice myrrh. Credit for the following goes to Ashley – she was originally scheduled to teach on this letter. She asked me to take her place. She sent me her notes, which were excellent and which I relied on as I prepared my message. In our text conversation I told her that I was just going to read her notes and take credit for them. To say that is what I have done would be an exaggeration, but this idea was too good to pass on: Myrrh, like many spices, gives off a fragrance when it is crushed. When we are ‘crushed’ by persecution and suffering, if we are faithful, the fragrance of Jesus will be the result. What a lovely concept! The ultimate challenge for any Christian would be to die for our faith. Jesus encourages them to remain faithful even to the point of death. Here is where the significance of how He reveals Himself to the church at Smyrna is shown. Jesus reveals Himself as the First and the Last. In the Old Testament, God identifies Himself with these words on several occasions. It is a clear reference to His authority as the only God. In the New Testament, this phrase is only found in Revelation. In Chapter 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. Also in Rev 22:12: Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. Rev 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Jesus begins this letter by reminding them who He is. Who it is they serve and are suffering for. This should encourage them in their faith. He also reminds them that He died and came to life again. They need not falter because they serve the Highest King and One who has conquered death. If they remain faithful, He will give them ‘life as your victor’s crown.’ Every letter ends the same: Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. This letter contains a promise to the believers at Smyrna that The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.