You’ve Got Mail: Letters to the Seven Churches in Asia
(Part 2 of 7)
The second letter in Revelation 2-3 is to the church in Smyrna. Most of the letters had the same structure. It opened with a mention of Jesus, looking back to the vision of Him in chapter 1. Next, there would be a commendation for what they had been doing well. Then, there was an exhortation for what they were not doing or what they should be doing better. Finally, there was a warning and/or a promise. This letter is one of the two that does not have an exhortation. That doesn’t mean the church was perfect, it just shows their passion for fearing God and keeping His commandments.
The city of Smyrna (which is presently known as Izmir) heavily supported and was heavily influenced by Rome. We see the church’s struggle has many similarities with the church in Rome through parallels in this brief passage (Rev. 2:8-11) and the letter to the Romans.
In Revelation 2:9, we begin to see who these people are and what their struggle is. First, the Christians in Smyrna were persecuted (afflicted). The heading in this section of your Bible might say “The Persecuted Church,” and for good reason! From the context, we can see that these people were going through many trials and they were about to go through more. Verse 10 shows us that many would be thrown in jail. Some might even die. History shows us that many of the church in Smyrna were brutally killed in a variety of ways. These people were faithful, even under such extreme persecution. The Christians in Smyrna rejoiced in hope, they were patient in tribulation, and they were constant in prayer.
Secondly, the Christians in Smyrna were impoverished (poor). In verse 9, Jesus claims that they are poor, but immediately after says, “Though you are rich.” The Christians of Smyrna were poor financially, but they knew where their true riches were. “Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Rom. 11:33) They were rich in that they had been given salvation, a gift that goes far beyond wealth. They had a hope of Heaven that could not have a price tag.
And finally, they were suffering from the influence of false Jews. These Jews were similar to the ones Paul warns of in Romans 2:28-29. These men were simply Jews outwardly, seeking approval from men rather than from God.
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Here are two things we can take from the church in Smyrna:
1. They stayed faithful even in the strongest persecution
2. They knew where their true riches were.
Here’s a question regarding persecution we should ask ourselves. Are we persecuted? Do we feel persecuted? This may not be universally true, but if the answer is “No, I don’t feel persecuted” is it possible it’s because we have been compromising our faith and convictions for personal gain, so that we would not be persecuted? Are we willing to be hard pressed and looked down upon for being different and making a conscious effort to follow God?
And secondly, in regards to riches, are we scared of death? Are we scared of losing the things that we have, or are we willing to give them up for Christ, knowing that this life is only the beginning? Would we have the attitude of Paul in Philippians 3:8: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Is Christ what we treasure the most in life?
Let this put things into perspective: Christ gave up the surpassing riches of Heaven to die for us. We should be willing to give up the passing riches of Earth to live for Him.
–Paul Holland
