Today we will be looking at the church in Smyrna. In Christ’s message to this church, He gave only commendation. What were they doing well, and what can we learn from that? The answers may come as a surprise to many who are accustomed to the popular perception of a church member in the West.
The Exalted Christ began His message to Smyrna by introducing Himself as the God-man: “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life” (Rev. 2:8). Christ is described as “the first and the last,” which clearly refers to His deity as God. Notice that this description describes Him as timeless and eternal: always existing and never dying or perishing, being pre-eminent to all. By contrast, He describes Himself as the one “who died and came back to life.” How can these two be reconciled? The church holds to a doctrine called the Hypostatic Union, which holds Christ as fully God and fully man, with no mixture: two natures in one person (the Son). This is taught all over the Bible, and this verse is only one of many. So, Christ is both the eternal God—who can never suffer or die—and a finite human being—who was able to suffer and die, but afterwards became immortal through the resurrection. God Himself took on human flesh (an additional nature to His divinity) and died in our place, so that we too can be resurrected. So, Christ’s resurrection is a foretaste of what we will experience. This is fitting, since it holds Christ as the hope that those in Smyrna are holding faithfully to.
Notice the contrasts that Christ makes in verse 9, “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” The Exalted Christ is intimately familiar with the suffering of His faithful followers, and He is familiar with our material needs. Yet, despite their poverty and suffering, Christ declared them to be rich. How can Christ say this? The truth is that putting our hope into worldly wealth is what makes us blind, naked, and destitute. Likewise, putting our hope in politics, being liked, and in becoming like those around us to avoid suffering shows us to be blind, naked and destitute. The reason why Christ gave the church in Smyrna a glowing commendation is because they hold the desires and purposes of God over their desires for comfort and wealth. They were not willing to compromise—compromise which would demonstrate that they view those other things as greater than God. So, since they chose to follow God—even when it meant living in poverty and in tribulation—they therefore are said to possess great riches: true riches in Christ that are eternal and of infinitely greater value than what they gave up. They chose to give up worldly pleasures—pleasures that only last for a season—to gain true riches in Christ. These riches are inherently rooted in one being faithful to God above all, even when that faithfulness leads to poverty and suffering. They did not lose sight of their first love.
In the second contrast, Jesus said, “I know . . . the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” Early on, certain ethnic Jews sought to destroy the Church, and this through many evil means. Note that these Jews would not care if believers were unfaithful to their beliefs. However, they would care a great deal more about destroying and persecuting those who were faithful. This is because the faithful are a threat to their false way of life. The flourishing of Christ’s Church is a testament to the falsehood that now defines their false religion: a religion that rejects Christ and the truth of His Word. Why would Christ say that they were not “Jews,” even though they may have been ethnically so? Well, this is because only believers in Christ can be regarded as true Jews: God’s holy people. Romans 2:28-29 says, “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God” (see also John 8:31-47). All true Jews (i.e., true Christians) are those who believe in Christ, and therefore have new hearts for serving God above all, as the believers in Smyrna have done. Those who claim to be among God’s people, but who refuse to keep Christ above all, are counterfeits and are “of Satan.” Such do not have Christ as their first love, and in the case of these particular ethnic Jews, they hate Christ, showing their allegiance to not be to God, but that they belong to “a synagogue of Satan.” These Jews hated and slandered those who proved themselves to be the true Jews (true Christians). Like the persecuted church in Smyrna, we too have blessing given to us whenever we are slandered, and impoverished, and hated for our faithfulness to Christ.
Is suffering optional? Will all believers face persecution, slander, and hatred? Jesus’ answer is a definitive “yes.” He said,
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me (John 15:18-21).
We are absolutely assured by Christ that all true believers will be persecuted. He goes as far as to say that one would have to be greater than Christ Himself to avoid persecution, but then says that “A servant is not greater than his master.” So, it is absolutely impossible to avoid persecution as a Christian in this life. Persecution happens regardless of the time, place, and circumstances that a person lives. Faithfulness to God arouses the hatred of those who worship other gods, since our faithfulness and life proves that such are but false gods. In this, the very way of life, beliefs, and being of the wicked feel threatened and angered. Our lives become a signet or banner of Christ, showing their defeat, and the futility of their ways. Everything that we stand for is everything that they hate and despise, especially when the true essence of God and His people are understood.
Jesus continues, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (verse 10). Why shouldn’t we fear suffering? We shouldn’t fear it because we are suffering for Christ. This was the attitude of the Apostles, after they were beaten and commanded by religious leaders to stop proclaiming Christ’s name: “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” We, too, must count it all joy when we suffer for Christ’s Name—not in the suffering of itself, but that we were counted worthy of such suffering. Indeed, the presence of this suffering and the joy that it produces is evident in every true believer in Christ. Far from producing shame, this suffering and persecution should be worn by us as a badge of honour, granted that what we are suffering for is truly Christ’s Name and not some insipid sin in ourselves. What of the “testing”? God sends persecution our way to test our resolve—to see if we will remain faithful. He often uses the devil for this purpose. Even now, we may be undergoing one of these tests. Yet, as Christ said, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Even if persecution costs us our lives, be faithful. Thus, there is no possible thing that we can use as an excuse to avoid persecution. That is not to say that we ought to actively seek persecution (remember that the goal is not persecution of itself), but that we, above all, remain faithful to the Name of Christ—regardless of the consequences. Those who endure are thus promised “the crown of life,” whereby we reign with Christ on the new earth forever.
Verse 11 concludes Jesus’ words to Smyrna, saying, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death” (verse 11). Remember that those who have “ears to hear” are only those who have been given new hearts so that they can hear and respond to God (Matt. 13:10-17). No unsaved person can “hear” and therefore heed the warning. Only the saved can and will hear. All the saved will conquer, avoiding the second death (hell). By contrast, not even one who lacks ears to hear will be able to avoid the second death.
What, then, does Christ’s message say to all of us who profess to be believers? It teaches us that all who are genuinely saved will suffer and be persecuted for Christ’s Name sake (it cannot be avoided); that such persecution is a great honour; and that such persecution reflects our genuine faithfulness to Christ, where we shine as a beacon in a crooked and perverse world. It teaches that earthly riches and esteem are not true riches. Rather, true riches are found only in faithfulness to Christ, without which we are only blind, naked, and destitute. Finally, it teaches that all who are genuinely saved are those who hold Christ above all—even above the prospect of persecution, slander, and every other thing that we can suffer. Yet, as believers, we are not without the proper resources to endure. In fact, we are amply supplied in the grace of Christ. So, we ought to, taking hold of the grace of God, persevere and strive unto the end—holding Christ’s Name as the only name that matters, even over our own names or our family name. If we are genuinely saved, then we have all that we need to persevere. Show your hearts to be set on Christ in all things, and rely on His grace for your strength. If you are among the elect, then you will persevere!
Next time, we will be looking at Christ’s message to the church in Pergamum.