Letter To The Church In Smyrna

Letter to the church in Smyrna

Rev. 2: 8-11

The Book of Revelation is an example of apocalyptic literature, a type of Jewish-Christian writing that flourished especially between 250 BC and 150 AD. The chief example in the Old Testament is Daniel 7-12. This type of literature communicates about the End Time through visions and symbolic language.

We don't have any good examples of this highly symbolic style in modern literature The best current examples of using symbols to communicate are to be found in political cartoons. Political cartoons use recognizable symbols to make a point. So does the Book of Revelation .

To understand the symbols used in the Book of Revelation however, requires a familiarity with the Old Testament.

The purpose of the Revelation is to jolt those Christians who are compromising with idolatry out of their spiritual anesthesia so that they will perceive the danger they are in and repent . It is also designed to comfort and encourage the faithful, witnessing church in its struggle against the forces of evil. Assurance is given that: God sees their tears (7:17; 21:4); their prayers rule the world! (8:3-4); death ushers them into a glorious heaven (14:13; 20:4); their final victory is assured (15:2); their Christ lives and reigns forever, who governs the world in the interest of His church (5:7-8); and that He is coming again to take his people to Himself (chapters. 21-22).

Revelation was received, written and circulated during a time when Christians across Asia Minor faced increasing persecution – hence its reliance on symbolic language that non-believers would not understand.

Smyrna lay just 35 miles north of Ephesus on the west coast of Asia on the Aegean Sea. It was the loveliest of all the cities and was sometimes called “the Ornament of Asia,” “the Crown of Asia,” or sometimes “the Flower of Asia.” It was beautifully situated and stood at the end of a road that journeyed westward across the lands of Lydia (western Asia Minor) and Phrygia (a land in the center of Asia Minor, modern Turkey) and traveled out to the east.

But there were significant facts about Smyrna. It was a free city, one that knew the meaning of loyalty and fidelity to Rome unlike most cities. Another fact of importance concerns the Jews there. There was a population of Jews in the city who were not only numerous, but influential and who did everything they could to hurt the church in Smyrna. The Lord addresses this issue in this letter (vs. 9-10).

Another interesting fact is that the city received its name from one of its principle products, a perfume called myrrh. This was a gum resin taken from a shrub-like tree. Though it had a bitter taste, the resin of the tree was used in making perfume (Ps. 45:8), was one of the ingredients used in the anointing oil of the priests (Ex. 30:23), and in the embalming of the dead (John 19:39). Smyrna is Greek for myrrh, Many believe this church represents the martyrs of all time and the sweet smelling fragrance of their devotion until death (cf. 2 Cor. 4:14-16).

By the time the Gospel arrived, Smyrna was a bustling, prosperous, polytheistic city of many magnificent temples and a fusion of cultures.

There is no record in the scriptures as to who founded the church. Paul or one of his associates may have founded the church Acts 20:1-4 but there is no direct evidence of this.

Whilst an emphasis on persecution and trial runs right through the whole Book of Revelation, the letter written to the church in Smyrna is particularly devoted to encouraging believers to stand firm in the face of a coming onslaught, during which many would have been imprisoned for their beliefs.

Religious persecution had traditionally not been a practice of the Roman Empire. On the contrary, Rome had been extremely tolerant of different faiths until the time of Nero, who ruled from 54 to 68 A.D. Nero himself did not persecute Christians until 64 A.D. when, according to the Roman senator and historian Tacitus (56-117 AD), they became the scapegoat for the Great Fire of Rome (Annals 15.44).

A significant development, however, was the practice of emperor worship. The seeds were being sown as early as the time of Julius Caesar, who after his death in 44 B.C. was declared a god. In 29 B.C., the time of Augustus, a temple for the worship of the emperor was erected at Pergamos. Caligula (37-41 A.D.) sought to have his statue erected in the temple at Jerusalem. Domitian (81-96 A.D.) openly claimed to be “lord and god” and demanded that residents of the empire worship him as such

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Smyrna had been a Greek colony as far back as 1000 B.C. Around 600 B.C. it was invaded and destroyed by the Lydeans and for 400 years there was no city there at all. Then around 200 B.C. Lysimachus had it rebuilt as a planned and unified whole. It was built with streets that were broad, straight, sweeping, and beautifully paved. The city had experienced death and had literally been brought back to life. It is undoubtedly because of Smyrna’s historical past, Christ refers to Himself as, “He who was dead and has come to life.” Rev.2: 8