Address

Christ addresses "the angel of the church in Smyrna" (verse 8). Only Smyrna and Philadelphia received no rebuke from the Lord Jesus.

The City of Smyrna

Smyrna was a large, prosperous city with a pleasant climate 35 - 40 miles north of Ephesus on a long gulf. Having an excellent harbor that could be closed and defended in time of war and being the terminus of a major road to the East, this city was second only to Ephesus in trade. Smyrna was noted for beauty, being surrounded by rolling hills and groves and containing well-paved streets and beautiful buildings. Its acropolis (citadel) on Mt. Pagas looked like a crown and became the symbol of the city. Smyrna allied itself to Rome very early in that time when Roman power was spreading into the East and thus enjoyed continuous prosperity. The city erected a shrine to Roma, goddess of Rome, in 195 B.C. and was selected by Rome as the site for a temple to Emperor Tiberius as a god in A.D. 26. Smyrna proudly claimed to be first city of Asia in beauty, literature, and loyalty to Rome.

Self-Identification of Christ

The Lord identifies Himself as “the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life” (verse 8).

Smyrna claimed to be the first city of Asia, but Christ, who will allow no rival, is both the first and the last. Three times in Isaiah the Lord God declared, “I am the First and I am the Last” (44:6; cf. 41:4; 48:12). This was a declaration of His uniqueness as deity in contrast with the many idol gods of pagans. He is the only true and living God. Three times in Revelation Jesus Christ identifies His own deity and oneness with the Father by claiming He is “the First and the Last” (1:17; 2:8; 22:13). As such He is our fullness (Colossians 1:19; 2:8-10; 3:9-11). He is the completeness of the divine plan for our salvation, and in Him all the spiritual blessings that come from God are found (Ephesians 1:3).

He “was dead, and came to life.” His resurrection is the ultimate proof He is the Son of God (1:18; Romans 1:4). Because He lives, we know we shall as well (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). The Christians in Smyrna faced tribulation, even to the point of martyrdom, but the resurrection of Christ gave them the hope to face such trials. The hope of the resurrection to eternal life should give us the strength to face the trials through which we must go.

Commendation

The Lord Jesus declared, “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)...” (Verse 9). The all seeing Son recognized they were a working church.

They also were undergoing tribulation. “Tribulation” is the translation of a Greek word that literally means “pressure, compression” but is used metaphorically of “distressing circumstances, trial, affliction” (Mounce, 1170). Their suffering was of the kind that piled pressure upon them, making life difficult to bear.

This suffering was connected with “poverty.” There were two common Greek words for poverty: “penia” and “ptocheia.” “A far deeper depth of destitution is implied in” “ptocheia” than in “penia” (Trench. 129). The one who is “penes” “earns his bread by daily labour,” whereas he who is “ptochos” “is so poor that he only obtains his living by begging” (Ibid). The “penia” person has nothing to spare, but the one who is “ptocheia” has “nothing at all” (ibid). The word for “poverty” in verse 9 is “ptocheia,” abject, penniless poverty.

The Christians in Smyrna experienced the tribulation, the pressure, not just of having barely enough but of having nothing at all. They experienced a poverty that very few in America have ever known but that Christians in Uganda and Zimbabwe know only too well - not knowing how they will get their next meal. The galling irony was that the disciples in Smyrna lived in a prosperous city. Such tribulation in those of little faith leads to mind numbing despair and turning away from the Lord (Matthew13:21).

But these impoverished disciples were rich. They had no worldly goods at all, but they possessed “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). They were rich in faith (James 2:5), good works (1 Timothy 6:18), and in blessings from the Lord. Compared to heavenly riches in Christ, the wealth of the world is rubbish (Philippians 3:8).

The Lord warns His disciples we must face tribulation but gives us the comfort we need to overcome it. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Remember, we serve Him “who was dead, and came to life.”

Added to this, or perhaps the cause of it was “the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews” (verse 9). Blasphemy, when directed against God, is “to speak of God or divine things in terms of impious irreverence” (Mounce. 1108). When directed against men, it is “slander, railing, reproach” (ibid). The context doesn’t reveal whether the blasphemy of these selfproclaimed Jews was against God or Christians. Likely it was both, for the unbelieving Jews blasphemed Christ (Acts 13:45; 18:5-6) and brought slanderous charges against Christians to civil authorities (Acts 14:2; 17:5-7; 21:27-28; 24:5-6). Imagine how easy it would be to inflame authorities against Christians in a city that prided itself on Caesar worship.

Enduring slander by those who hate the Lord has always been the lot of the people of God in this evil world (cf. Matthew 10:24-25). We should rejoice in such calumny, for we are sharing with the prophets in their affliction and with our Lord in His suffering for us (Matthew 5:10-12; 1 Peter 4:12-16).

These blasphemers claimed to be Jews but in reality were “a synagogue of Satan” (verse 9). The “synagogue” was and is the place of Jewish worship. The Jews were God’s chosen people (Exodus 19:5-6), but when they killed the Son of God, God cast them off as His people (Matthew 21:33-45). Because they lied about and killed the Son of God, they became “a synagogue of Satan,” the author of murder and lies (John 8:44). God’s Jews, His chosen people, are not Jews of fleshly descent, but all, whether Jew or Gentile, who obey Him by faith (Romans 2:28-29; Galatians 6:15-16; Philippians 3:2-3; 1 Peter 2:4-5,9-10). All churches which teach human doctrines rather than the doctrine of Christ are in reality a church of Satan, since they teach lies that lead to spiritual death (Matthew 15:1-14; 2 John 9-11).

Exhortation

Whatever the source of the previous tribulation the saints in Smyrna endured, the coming suffering would be from civil authorities, for “prison,” a punishment meted out by the government, represented all their future sufferings (verse 10). But in reality, Satan was the source of this and all persecution.

The real enemy, the devil, accuses the brethren (12:9-10), sifts them as wheat (Luke 22:31), oppresses by physical suffering (Acts 10:38), and as a roaring lion seeks whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8) (Hailey. 127).

Call to Hear

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (verse 11).

Promise

“He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death” (verse 11). The first death is the common lot of mankind (Hebrews 9:27). The second death is eternal punishment away from the presence of God in hell (Revelation 20:14; 21:8). “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). “The unbeliever dies and finds another ‘death’ awaiting him; the believer dies and finds eternal life” (Summers. 113).

Works Cited

Barclay, William, Letters to the Seven Churches.
Hailey, Homer, Revelation.
Mounce, William, Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.
Short, H.F., Notes on Revelation.
Trench, R.C., Synonyms of the New Testament.