Smyrna: The Church Of Impending Martyrdom
Revelation 2:8-11
One of the apostle John’s disciples when he was elderly, was a young man by the name of Polycarp. Polycarp would go on to become the bishop of Smyrna. The year was 155 AD. A warrant had been issued for Polycarp’s arrest. His congregation pleaded with him to flee the city of Smyrna for his own protection, and eventually Polycarp agreed. However, eventually one of the young servants in his household betrayed him when faced with torture. The armed police found Polycarp in the upper room of a farmhouse. He made no attempt to flee. Instead, he kindly offered food and drink to his captors and then said, “The will of God be done.” He asked permission to retire to pray. Permission was granted, and he prayed for two hours. Polycarp was resigned to his death because some time previous he had experienced a dream in which his pillow was on fire. When he awoke, he told his friends that he must be burnt alive.
He was placed on a donkey and taken back into the city. On the way the police officer in charge urged him to recant on account of his great age. He said, “What harm can it be to say ‘Caesar is Lord” and to offer him a pinch of incense and be saved?” But he refused.
When he entered the arena, there came a voice from heaven saying: ‘Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man.’ He was placed before the Proconsul who gave him an ultimatum either to curse the name of Christ and make sacrifice to Caesar or die. Polycarp replied, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”
The Proconsul threatened him, “I have wild beasts. If you will not change your mind I will throw you to them.” Polycarp replied, “Call them. For repentance from the better to the worse is not permitted us, but it is noble to change from what is evil to what is righteous.”
The Proconsul threatened again, “Since you make light of the beasts, I will have you destroyed by fire unless you change your mind.” Polycarp replied, ‘You threaten me with the fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, but you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment. Why are you waiting? Come, do what you will.’
The Proconsul seeing that he would not recant, then gave word to his herald who proclaimed three times, “He has confessed himself to be a Christian.” The mob was made up in large part of Jews who were very antagonistic towards Christians. They shouted back “This one is the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods, who teaches many not to offer sacrifices nor to worship.” They began to shout that he should be burned alive.
When the Proconsul announced his death by burning, it was the Jews, who with extraordinary zeal gathered wood for the fire, even though it was a Sabbath day. Polycarp stood by the stake, asking not to be fastened to it. “He who grants me to endure the fire will enable me to remain on the pyre unmoved without the security you desire from the nails.”
The fire was lit but the flames arched up like the sails on a windy day. Rather than kill him, the flames just prolonged his sufferings. Finally, when it was seen that the fire was not going to kill him, the executioner was commanded to run him through with a spear. And so there he died, having bled to death.
The Christians asked for his body to show it their respects, but the request was denied at the vehement request of the Jews. His burnt body was laid on the ground and lit on fire until all that remained was his charred bones.
The scene of his martyrdom? A city about 40 miles up the road from Ephesus. A place called Smyrna.
This morning, we are going to study the letter from Jesus Christ to the church in this very city.
The letter to the church at Smyrna is unique in that it is the shortest of all the letters, only four verses long. It is also unique in that there is no rebuke, no word of correction, and no call to repentance. All Jesus has for them is His commendation of them.
Let’s take a close look at the contents of this letter from Christ. Remember that each of these letters has the Recipients – Author – Commendation – Correction – Promise.
1. The Recipients
The Church in Smyrna.
Location. If a postal carrier were to deliver these seven letters to seven churches, he could start in Ephesus and go in a horseshoe pattern, delivering them in the exact sequence that we have in these seven churches in Revelation 2-3.
Characteristics. Smyrna was the most culturally sophisticated city in Asia. If Ephesus is San Francisco, Smyrna is Monterrey. It was a coastal town. It was well known for the Arts and Literature. Homer, the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey was born in Smyrna. It was famous for its athletic games. It was a city of beauty and wealth.
Running through the whole city was a famous street called The Street of Gold. At either end were temples dedicated to Roman gods. At the midpoint of the city, this street encircled Mt. Pagos which rose 500 feet above the rest of the city. It is said that from a distance this street encircling the mountain was designed to look like a necklace on a goddess. On top of the mountain were beautifully designed buildings that were referred to as The Crown of Smyrna.
The city is first built around 1,000 B.C. It was destroyed about 300 years later, and it lay in ruins for almost another 400 years, until the successors of Alexander the Great rebuilt the city. So, what had once died, was again raised to life. It was said the people of the ancient world identified Smyrna with the Phoenix – that mythological creature associated with resurrection.
2. The Author
Jesus applies a description of himself that we find in 1:17-18.
The first and the last. Jehovah God repeatedly uses this title to apply to Himself. Is. 41:4; 44:6. So if Jesus applies a title for Jehovah to Himself, what does that tell you? Jesus is Jehovah! He is the only One who had no beginning and will have no end. He is the One who has life in Himself. He is the Source of life for everything else in the universe that has life.
Who was dead and has come to life. Of course, Jesus is speaking about His death and resurrection. But why would Jesus use that description of Himself in a letter to this church? Two reasons.
First, remember that Smyrna died and came to life again several hundred years later. In that respect, Jesus identifies with the city they live in.
But second, Jesus would choose this description of Himself, because it would greatly encourage these suffering saints. He is our example. He was willing to die in order to bear faithful testimony to God’s truth. But God raised Him from the dead, and highly exalted Him, and gave Him a name above every name. The same is true about the church in Smyrna. If they are faithful until death, He will raise them, exalt them, and give them a crown of life.
3. The Commendation
As in all the letters, Jesus says “I know…” What is it about this church that Jesus knows?
Your tribulation. The word refers to a great pressure, something that brings distress or affliction. Smyrna was going through great suffering for their faith in Christ. And the wonderful thing is that Jesus knew all about it! Their suffering was not lost on Him. He was intimately acquainted with their suffering, and is present with them through it. My friend, when you are going through tribulation you can bet that Jesus knows about your suffering, and Has compassion for you. At the right time, He will deliver you from it.
And your poverty (but you are rich). There are two Greek words for “poor.” One is “penes”. It describes someone that has nothing extra. He works in order to survive. He has food and covering. But this word is different. It is “ptocheia.” This word means you have nothing. You don’t work to survive. You are a beggar. It is the word for someone who is destitute, extreme poverty.
I love the fact that the Lord says they are rich! Interestingly, this is the exact opposite of what Jesus said about the church in Laodicea. They said they were rich, but the truth was that they were poor. Well this church was actually poor, but they were spiritually rich. They were rich in all the things that really mattered, like faith, grace, the power of the Spirit, love, hope, and purity.
Why was the church in Smyrna poor? Probably because they were being persecuted. Their property may have been confiscated. We know that was the case with the believers in the book of Hebrews 10:34, “You showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.” This was a church that was dirt poor, but rich in grace and power and love.
And the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. In the book of Acts, the persecution the early Christians faced was almost always instigated by the Jews. The Jews were losing members to the Christian church. The early Christians would explain to them how Jesus was their Messiah, and had come into the world to seek and save the lost and give His life a ransom for many. And many became obedient to the faith. Well this brought about great anger from the Jewish leaders, who instigated persecution against them.
Notice that these people say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. No doubt they had Jewish blood in their veins, but they were not true Jews. Paul defines a true Jew as someone who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men but from God (Rom.2:29). If a Jewish person rejected Christ, God no longer sees him as a Jew. He has apostatized from the true faith. God sees him as being part of a synagogue of Satan, not a synagogue of God! When the Jews rejected Christ, their religion became as Satanic as Emperor worship!
The Jews slander the Christians for many things. They slandered them by saying they are cannibals, eating flesh and drinking blood. They slandered them for sexual immorality because they greet one another with a holy kiss, and hold love feasts. They slandered them for rebellion and political disloyalty, because the Christians would not burn a pinch of incense to Caesar and say “Caesar is Lord.”
When Jesus says, “I know the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews”, the word “blasphemy” could have the meaning of “slander.” Often it refers to saying something against God, but it could also be used of slandering the early Christians. That’s what I think it refers to in this place.
4. The Exhortation
Usually, the word of commendation is followed by a word of correction. Usually the Lord has some good and positive things to say to a church, but then follows up by giving that same church a word of correction and telling it to repent. He doesn’t do that here. The Lord has no word of correction to give to the church of Smyrna. He never tells them to repent. But He does have a word of exhortation for them.
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Wait a minute. We already know that they were going through tribulation, were dirt poor, and were suffering blasphemy from the unbelieving Jews. Now, we are told things are going to get a lot worse! I thought being a Christian meant health and wealth and success in life! Only false teachers will tell you that. Being a Christian in Smyrna late in the first century AD did not mean health, wealth, and success. It meant suffering, and potential martyrdom.
The devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested and you will have tribulation for ten days. Evidently, God was giving the devil a long leash here. He was permitted to cast some of these Christians in Smyrna into prison. Why? Is it because God loves to see his children squirm under suffering? No! It was because this was going to be a test. The Christian and the devil were going to find out if he really was an overcomer, a true believer in Christ.
But what does the ten days signify? Perhaps this is a literal ten days. They would be spending ten actual days in prison, and at the end of that time, some would be executed. Or, the number ten may be a symbolic number, simply representing a temporary, somewhat brief, but unspecified period of time. Numbers in the book of Revelation often have a symbolic meaning and are not intended to be taken as literal.
Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Now, don’t picture this as a literal crown that he puts on his head and the crown has the words LIFE on it. No, the reward is everlasting life. This is why they didn’t need to fear what they would suffer. It might be painful temporarily, but it will usher you into the very presence of God forever! Did you know that in China, it is looked on as a very special honor to die as a martyr. When were there in 2008, our guide told us that she wanted to go to North Korea as a missionary and end up dying for Christ.
Jesus said in Luke 12:4, “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear; fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!”
He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Jesus is not talking about physical ears. He’s talking about spiritual ears. He’s talking about those who are born again and are able to hear the Word of God and act on it. When Jesus was ministering to the crowds, his family came to take him away. They thought that He had gone crazy because He didn’t have time even to eat any longer. Some from the crowds told Jesus that His mother and brothers were there to get Him. How does Jesus respond? “But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
Jesus says that the Spirit was speaking through this letter. Didn’t Jesus dictate it to John? Then why does He say the Spirit is speaking when these churches read it? The answer is because whenever Christ speaks, He does so through the Holy Spirit.
5. The Promise
He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death. So, what does Jesus mean by “the second death”? Well, let’s find out from Rev. 20:14, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.” The second death is eternal hell. The first death is our physical death. The second death is our spiritual and eternal death. Those that experience this second death will never ever find relief. But the one who overcomes will not be hurt by it! Who is the one who will overcome? 1 John 5:4-5 tell us it is the one who is born of God and believes that Jesus is the Son of God. It is simply talking about born again Christians.
Aren’t you glad about this promise?! If you are a true child of God you will never experience the fires of eternal hell.
Conclusion
Folks, we might read this letter and think that it is just not relevant to you. I mean, you live in the US! We are not being put to death because of our faith in Christ. Very true, but if you speak up for God’s truth, you will face persecution.
Remember, that for Rome, it was all about getting everyone in the empire on board. All they wanted was a little pinch of incense and a short statement that “Caesar is Lord.” What they wanted was for Christians to give their allegiance to Rome. However, that’s the real issue. The devil wants your allegiance. And he will try to get it through getting you to compromise your convictions.
He’ll whisper that committing that sin is really no big deal. It’s OK. Just go ahead and enjoy it. It’s OK to go along with the new sexual revolution in the U.S. and around the world. Don’t make waves. Just use the preferred pronouns. Just don’t say anything about the LGBTQ agenda. Don’t say anything about the hundreds of thousands of innocent babies being murdered in our nation every year. Don’t speak up when entire Christian denominations deny Biblical truth and ordain gays into the ministry and officiate at gay weddings. Don’t speak up about the sinfulness of people living together apart from marriage. Don’t speak of the harm to people who go through sex change operations because they “identify” as the opposite sex.
Just go along with it! Don’t make waves! Don’t speak God’s truth when it intersects with popular culture!
The devil is saying, “Bow down to the opinions of the world. Pinch your incense to me.” Jesus is saying, “Be separate, speak My truth, do not compromise with sin, rescue the perishing!”
Know this – if you do obey God and speak His truth, even if you do it with all the love and compassion in the world, you will be slandered and persecuted. It comes with the territory. It is the price we have to pay to be faithful to Christ. Now the ball is in our court. How shall we then live? Will you stand against the whispering temptations of the devil, or will you compromise your convictions so that you don’t have to face any backlash? The choice is yours.
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