Letter to the Church of Smyrna
Bible Study Guide
(Verse 8) Let’s head north out of the city of Ephesus and up to the port city of Smyrna. This was the birthplace of the revered poet, Homer, who authored the “The Iliad and the Odyssey.”
Smyrna is the first of two cities whose Christian congregation is found to be faultless by Christ. The other is the church of Philadelphia. No, not the one in Pennsylvania.
Jesus addresses the church of Smyrna and introduces Himself as “Him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.” Then suddenly, Jesus makes this profound statement.
Christ recognizes the church of Smyrna for their heavy afflictions from being persecuted for their belief in Him. He notices that they even carry their suffering up to the point of poverty. We can see immediately that this is not a church that has forsaken the love that they had when they first came to believe in Christ.
The Afflictions of the Church of Smyrna
(Verse 9) In their trials and tribulations, Jesus says to them, “yet you are rich.” Upon hearing these words for the first time, some in the congregation of this church may have been scratching their heads. And they may have wondered, where is this richness as we endure this physical suffering.
Christ, of course, was not pointing to worldly riches, but rather their richness in Christ. This church was spiritually rich beyond what many people could possibly even understand. They had every reason to leave their congregation and the pressure and suffering the were under and return to the comforts and security of living as a Jew back in Israel.
But no! Jesus found them clinging to their belief in Him with all they had knowing the rewards that were ahead. There life of suffering with Him was better than the comforts of being a Jew in Israel. They accepted their Messiahs warning on the Mount of Olives and continued to forge their way forward to Him.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” (Matthew 24:9)
Knowing full well, the rewards that awaited those who believed in Christ were beyond what the human mind could fathom.
However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him”—
1 Corinthians 2:9
While Christ may have reserved these special words for His letter to the other “no fault” church of Philadelphia, these words of the rapture would also apply to this suffering congregation of believers.
“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
(Revelation 3:10)
Be Faithful Until Death
(Verse 10) Jesus reassures them not to fear death even though this might be where their suffering would lead them. This is a reflection of His teachings on death and the value of our flesh. There is no value in physical things as they all waste away over time.
“ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.” (John 6:63)
In fact, Paul reminded the Galatians that the flesh and the spirit are in opposition of each other.
“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” (Galatians 5:17)
Christ reinforces this message of not fearing physical death but fearing only spiritual death which He reveals in Revelation as the “second death” (Revelation 20:14).
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
Unseen, Unheard, Unimagined
(Verse 11) It’s evident in the congregation of the church of Smyrna through Christ’ words in His letter that they understood that they were to hold fast to their faith, no matter what. Because the rewards that awaited them were beyond even the human mind’s ability to understand them.
Paul explained this to the believers in Corinth in his first epistle as I mentioned previously.
However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
(1 Corinthians 2:9)
All of those with ears in this body of believers in the church of Smyrna listened intently and followed the Word of God. The prize for those who endure patiently and are “victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.”
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