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The Church at Smyrna
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nd unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things
saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I
know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the
synagogue of Satan. 10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold,
the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried;
and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a crown of life. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
(Rev 2:8-11)
It
is quite noteworthy that our Lord has only commendation for the Church at
Smyrna. I cannot help but love and admire this one church more than the other
six combined for I feel it represents, at least to me, the True Church of God
through every century. Located on a beautiful coastline of the Mediterranean at
the modern city of Izmir, Smyrna was perhaps thirty-five miles north of
Ephesus. It was above Ephesus geographically, and it was above Ephesus
spiritually, as well. There was no stain or rot in the spiritual heart of this
wonderful church.
As
in the case of the other six, this letter is addressed to the “Angel of the Church in Smyrna” which I believe
represents its spiritual leadership under Christ. Each letter to the Seven
Churches is addressed to its Angel – or under-shepherd. It seems likely that,
based on historical documents of the period, preserved in the writings of
Eusebius and others, Polycarp may have been the superintending pastor of this
church at the time of the writing of Revelation, and is suggested in the
Apostolic Constitution. Eusebius shares an epistle written by the Church at
Smyrna to the churches at Pontus describing the martyrdom of Polycarp as bishop
of Smyrna contemporaneous with the writings of John the Revelator.
The
name of the Church – SMYRNA – is suggestive of the suffering and sacrifice of
the good Christian brothers and sisters there. The name, Smyrna, is derived
from the Greek translation of the Old Testament Septuagint for the
brownish-red resin called myrrh. Myrrh is bitter symbolizing the suffering of
the Church at Smyrna, but is has a very endearing aroma that also portrays the
warm and loving spirit of the Christians of that Church. Myrrh is an ointment
used in embalming or preparing the dead for burial. It was one of the three
symbolic gifts of the Magi of GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, and MYRRH. Gold signified his
royalty as King of Kings; Frankincense to signify His Divinity; and Myrrh to
signify His sacrificial death and burial. (see John 19:39) Myrrh was used as a
perfume for the living (its sweet aroma emanated from the crushed plant) and as
a anointing substance for the dead. The Christians of Smyrna lived as if dead
to the world but alive in Christ forever. Many of the Christians of Smyrna lived
their daily lives under the threat of martyrdom, but remained faithful to our
Lord to the end. It would be interesting to know how many ministers and
laypersons would be the same in our American churches. We do have churches
abroad that fit this description, however.
I
do not believe the Church, by any means, was perfect. They presumably had the
same shortcomings as the greatest saints and missionaries of our past
possessed; yet, they were as faithful to Christ as human flesh could be in
following His Holy Spirit and rendering to Him the most abundant vessels of
love their heart chambers could muster. God knows our frailty and weakness, but
He loves us above all else for our humility and love rendered to Him and His
own. Many were poor and uneducated; yet they set an example of faithful
discipleship under austere circumstances. I have witnessed a deeper and more
fervent faith among our brothers and sisters of the deprived churches of the
Pacific Basin and Africa than I have ever witnessed in our modern churches of
the West. In view of their present suffering, our Lord declines to mention any
transgressions of such a faithful people.
The
Lord offers a meaningful, and unique, greeting to each of the Seven Churches.
There is no exception to this suffering church: “These
things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;”
Our Lord knows well, better than even we ourselves, the plights and dangers
that we face in this life. He knows them long before we saw the sunrise, or were
made joyful at the fragrance of a rose. He is ever watchful over His people,
and sees every heart-break, every hurt, and every offense done to us. So, He
reminds the people of the Church at Smyrna that He is the First, and the LAST –
and all in between; and, as such, He is also eternal so that their LAST is not
their END. He, more than them, was persecuted, martyred, and buried; but He
ROSE FROM THE DEAD, and so will they. The iron-heeled oppressor cannot hurt
them for more than a short breath, and then they join company with the Lord at
His abundant table filled with the delicacies of spiritual wine, fruits of
love, and Bread of Life.
“I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art
rich)” I see a most profound meaning in the Lord’s remark here.
Though this Church is located in a city of fishers and laborers, and are poor
and persecuted, they are truly rich in the important considerations of Eternal
Security. This is further evidence that impressive walls and spires do not a
church make. There may be more Christian heart and soul in a day of a small
wilderness or house church than a year’s worth of attendance at the Cathedral
of Notre Dame. Our Lord is not ashamed of our poverty, endured for His sake,
but He commends us for it.
“
. . . . and I know the blasphemy of
them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of
Satan.” The honorable John Gill described these people, much like
those today who profess Christ with their lips and deny Him with every other
muscle of their bodies, thusly, (those) “who asserted themselves to be the
true Israel of God, Jews that were so inwardly, regenerate persons, or truly
Christians; for the Christians, baptized persons , were by the Heathens called
Jews; but these were not, they professed Christianity in words, but in works
denied it; they were men of bad principles and practices, and both blasphemed
the ways and doctrines of Christ themselves, and caused them to be blasphemed
by others also; they were false Christians, nominal professors, and shunned
persecution for the Gospel; who were not what they would be thought to be:
these were the broachers of heresies in this period of time, in which there was
a multitude of them, and which chiefly disrespected the doctrine of the
Trinity, and the person of Christ; and they were introducers of Pagan and
Jewish rites into the church, and were men of flagitious lives and
conversations, and paved the way for the man of sin: but were the children of
the devil, imitated him, and were influenced by him, and were the forerunners
of antichrist, whose coming was after the working of Satan.”
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold,
the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and
ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a crown of life.” No, we should not fear those things
mentioned, nor anything earthly powers can work against us. We belong to the
King of Kings. Though we may be persecuted in an outlying province of life, He
is King there, too, and will exact justice and retribution. “After this I
beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the
Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands………… And one of the
elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white
robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he
said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev 7:9,14) A crown
is a royal grant that only a King can make, and the life to which He makes
reference is an Everlasting life in the Royal realm of Heaven.
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”
Not all sitting in the pews on Sunday have new ears to hear. Their ears are
those they had before they half-heartedly professed Christ as Lord. They hear
the sermon Sunday after Sunday, yet seemed un-phased by any part of it. They
may believe “Those old stories of Adam, of Cain, of David and Bathsheba, of
Job, of Ruth, or of Gideon, etc. were not intended, surely, for modern man.”
Really? Reality Check! The accounts of the Old and New Testament are intended
more for us today than for many in ages past. Have we gotten somehow better?
No! We have grown even more wicked and sophisticated in our imaginations. “And
GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
(Gen 6:5) What,
has there been a drastic alteration of the DNA of man from that time to this?
You KNOW better!
At
the return of our Lord, the small Remnant which He has preserved over the ages
will remain small compared to the world. In fact, that Remnant will be reduced
to a ‘Camp of the Saints’ against the four quarters of the earth. “And they
went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints
about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and
devoured them.” (Rev
20:9) That Camp will be small, but large enough to harbor the Church of
Smyrna, and every elect member of the Church of God. Will you be found within
its walls of defense in that day. If you examine and judge your own heart, the
answer may be found therein.
