Smyrna: The Church of Faith
Revelation 2:8-10, "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 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 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 at all by the second death.”
Smyrna was a very ancient and very great city, and to this day it is a city of 250,000 inhabitants. The church there was only one of two churches that Christ gave unqualified and unalloyed praise. It is interesting to note that half of the population is Christian, and Smyrna is one of the greatest centers of learning and piety in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Its claims to fame were that it was a great trade city, outstanding beautiful city, and of great importance politically to Rome.
Smyrna was a great trade city because it stood on a deep gulf thirty-five miles to the north of Ephesus. It had a magnificent harbor, rendered all the more beautiful by the fact that it could be totally enclosed in the time of war. It also stood at the end of the road which served the valley of the river Hermus and all the trade of that valley flowed into its markets and found an outlet through its harbor. Smyrna was especially rich in wines. Like Ephesus, Smyrna was a city of wealth and commercial greatness.
Smyrna was an outstanding beautiful city. It claimed to be the Glory of Asia. It was built in the fourth century B.C. and was a model of all that town planning should be. It had great straight spacious streets running from one end of the city to another. The most famous of these streets was the Golden Street. On it housed the Temple of Cybele, Apollo, Asklepios, Aprhrodite, and Zeus. On every side Christians in Smyrna were faced with the reality of choosing Christ or choosing to follow the devil.
In Smyrna there was a famous stadium, and library. It is because of the faith of the Christians in Smyrna, which was a testament to its bishop Polycarp who was martyred for his faith in Christ, but we will get to that in just a few moments that the Church there was so strong.
Politically Smyrna was an important city. During the Civil Wars Smyrna had always chosen to defend Rome, and thus Smyrna was a free city, and an assize town. It had much to be proud of. It was said that it was the home of Homer the great poet. It was this environment though that made Smyrna not such a nice place to live for a Christian. Being a Christian in Smyrna was associated with suffering, and poverty. Smyrna was also first in Casesar worship. This was the worship of the Emperor of Rome. Smyrna had beat out six other cities for the right to have a temple to the Goddess of Rome. Emperor worship had begun as a spontaneous demonstration of loyalty towards Rome, but later on during the time of this church it had becoming mandated to worship the Goddess of Rome. Citizens of Rome were required once a year to burn a pinch of incense on the altar to the godhead of Caesar, and after they did such a deed they were given a certificate saying that they had performed their religious duty. This was not a test of religious loyalty, but a test of political loyalty; however, they were required during this ceremony to say ‘Caesar is Lord’ Now naturally no born again believer would ever say ‘Caesar is Lord’ because those who are born again know that Jesus is Lord, and no other God can take that place of our Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Christian living there in Smyrna was like a man over whose head the sword of execution was constantly poised never knowing when the sword might fall. Above all to be a Christian in Smyrna was to take your own life into your hands. The Church of Smyrna was a place for heroes of the faith. They literally had to make the choice between life and death at the moment that they accepted Jesus. For that reason I have given this church the title of the Church of Faith. It was because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that made them a light in a city that was full of darkness. It is the same for us. When we choose Christ we can expect persecution, because of the state of our societies today. Our societies are sin stricken and demon possessed. We must stand up for His Righteousness if we truly want to call ourselves believers in Christ. The Blood of many martyrs of the faith for Christ has paved the way so that we might be a light in a dark place. Let us not take their blood in vain, but let us take seriously the sacrifice they gave that the Gospel might be furthered among the people of the world.
There was also another factor, which placed into the life of Christians’ in Smyrna everyday experience. That factor was the large very large Jewish population. It was the Jews that informed the local Roman authorities where Christians lived. The Jews stopped at nothing to obliterate the Christian Church. It was the Jews who were responsible for the martyrdom of Polycarp. Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp was a student of the Apostle John, and taught many of the great early church leaders. Before he was martyred he said these last words, and prayer in response to those who wanted to do him in. He said, “Eighty and six years have I served Christ, and He has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me” It is significant to note that the Jews did this all on the Sabbath day violating their own law just to kill this man of God! The Jews were the one’s that gathered the firewood for the fire. Polycarp then finished by saying, “It is well. I fear onto the fire that burns for a season, and after a while is quenched. Why do you delay? Come, do your will.” He then prayed as the flames licked at him, “I thank Thee that Thou hast graciously thought me worthy to this day and of this hour, that I may receive a portion in the number of the martyrs, in the cup of Thy Christ.” The hatred of the Jews in Smyrna knew no limits, and even extended to the pagan god’s as well just to ride the city of Christians. The Christians in Smyrna were men, and woman of heroic calibre that the word of the Risen Christ to them was as a word of Glory. They understand well that the things of this life are fleeting away, but the things of the Kingdom of God do not.
Vs.8, “First and last” These were words of comfort to Christians in Smyrna and to those who are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. He is the first and the last. He created the world, and everything in it, and in due time He will bring to a close all that which He has started from the beginning; the work of the redemption of mankind. We as followers of Christ must stand alert, and ready for His return, because He is the First and the Last.
“Who died and came to life again” Again these are words of reassurance to us who are persecution. This is a reference to the event of the Resurrection. As we already well understand the life of every Christian in Smyrna was in there own hands. But their hope was in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Therefore, their hope was not in a vain thing, but in a glorious thing. Their faith was well placed in the Savior. The double title of Christ means that in life there is with us one from whom no time and no event can ever separate us, and in death there is one who is with us; who has conquered death, and conquered the last enemy shattering his power in the process as a result of His Work on the Cross. Vs9, “I know your afflictions and your poverty-yet you are rich!”
Jesus understands well all that we have gone through in our lives. He knows every small thing, and large thing that we have every done even before we asked Him into our hearts. He has birthed every plan of our lives by His word that we would know how to live for Him. The word affliction comes from the Greek word thlipiss, which means pressure. It was used of a man who was tortured to death by being slowly crushed by a great boulder laid upon him. G.K. Cheterton put it well that the sign of a real man was that he could pass the breaking point and not break. The same is true in our Christian lives. While we may go through trials and tribulations during our Christian life here on earth; they are nothing in comparison to the gruesome death of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. He knows well all that we need to go through in order to be conformed into His image. That is why we can go to Him knowing that in His time and not our own He will meet every need that we may have.
“Poverty” The word here was used for poverty is ptocheia, which means not so much poverty, but destitution. There are two words in Greek that describe poverty. The first of which is Penia, which describes the poverty of the man who has to work for his living; it describes the poverty of the man who has nothing superfluous; but ptocheia describes the poverty of the man who has nothing at all. Certainty as we have already looked at today the Christians in Smyrna understand that in this life they had nothing, but each other as brothers and sisters as well as the Risen Christ in their lives.
“I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan,” The Jews in Smyrna were only Jews physically not spiritually. (Romans 2:28) Synagogue of Satan means that with the rejection of the Messiah the Jews and Judaism had become a tool of Satan. Vs.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, and I will give you the crown of life.”
In this verse we see the honesty of Christ. He knows everything we are going through. He knows if we are about to suffer, or whether we are going to prosper. He knows all things according to His purpose yet sometimes He wills that we suffer not for our own sakes, but for His sake in order that we might be conformed into His Image.
Vs.11, “He, who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”
The second death is a reference to our spiritual death not our second death. Jewish rabbis as, “The total extinction of the utterly wicked” used this phrase. While the things of this life may be pleasing to some in the end it will result of those who find them pleasing in there ultimate demise and eternal separation from God forever. That is a price that we must seriously examine for each one. If you do not have Christ in your life now is the time to decide. The Christians in Smyrna understood well the principle of losing one’s life in order that they may have the next. May we never get so comfortable that we forget the prince that many have paid for the cause of Christ.
In Henry C. Sheldon’s Greetings History of the Christian Church describes for us well the martyrdom of Christians at Smyrna. “Some were thrown to wild beats, some burned at the stake. But according to the memorial of the church, the grace given to the martyrs was equal to their sufferings. ‘Not one of them let a sigh or groan and escape them.” May we remember well our brothers and sisters who are imprisoned, beaten, and killed for the cause of Christ in our prayers.
God bless,
Pastor David
