The Letter to the church of Smyrna
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Text: Revelation 2:8-11
Intro: We know very little Biblically about the church of Smyrna. Unlike the letter written to the church of Ephesus where we could go to the book of Acts, the church of Smyrna is found only here in the book of Revelation. To help us understand a little bit about the city we will briefly look back at the record of history.
Outside of the Scriptures we may know Smyrna best for the man Polycarp who died there around 168 A.D. Polycarp was the pastor of the church in Smyrna, who had been saved and who grew under the ministry of the Apostle John, and he was one known for his faithful walk with the Lord Jesus Christ! He is known as the twelfth martyr of Smyrna who says he dreamed of having his head on his pillow which suddenly was consumed with fire. Upon awaking he concluded and told those in his church that he believed he would be burnt by fire for the name of Christ. When those men who sought to apprehend him came, he was concealed by those in the church and taken out of town. When they couldn’t find Polycarp they seized two young men that were known associates of his and the scourged them and compelled them to say where he was. When authorities finally broke these young men they moved with haste to capture Polycarp. Polycarp could have easily escaped into another near by house, but he would not allow anymore to suffer for his name. He said “The will of the Lord be done.” He descended the stairs, to meet his persecutors to which he recieved with great kindness. Those men which came to arrest him said “What need had we to make so great haste, to apprehend such an old man.” He had prepared a meal before them and asked for one hour in which he wanted to pray while they ate, which they granted. After the hour of prayer he went peacefully with the men, knowing certainly he would die.
They were met by Nicetes and his son Herod, and put him in their carriage, seeking to induce him to apostatize from Christ, saying “What matters it for you to say, Lord Emperor, and to offer sacrifice or incense before him, to save your life.” At first he answered not a word, but through their persistence he finally responded. “I shall never do what you request and counsel me to do.” After seeing that he was immovable in his faith, they commenced to revile him, and thrust him out of the carriage, which in falling he sustained a sever injury to his leg. He spoke nothing of his injury however and submitted himself to the will of his bailiffs. Many say that as he entered the place of execution they heard “Be strong, O Polycarp! and valiant in thy confession, and in the suffering which awaits thee.” No person saw the one from whom this voice proceeded, but many gave account to hearing it clearly.
The Stadtholder admonished him to have compassion for his great age, and, by swearing by the Emperor’s fortune, to deny Christ. Polycarp gave the following reply “I have now served my Lord Christ Jesus eighty-six years, and He has never done me any harm. How can I deny my King, who hath hitherto preserved me from all evil and so faithfully redeemed me?” They threatened him with beasts to which Polycarp replied “Let them come, for my purpose is unchangeable. WE cannot be converted or perverted from good to evil by affliction; but it would be better, if they who persist in their wickedness would become converted to that which is good.” He was threatened with fire and responded as such “Thou threatenest me with a fire, which will perhaps burn for an hour, and then soon go out; but thou knowest not the first of the future judgment of God, which is prepared and reserved for the everlasting punishment and torment of the ungodly. But why delayest thou? Bring on the beasts, or the fire, or whatever thou mayest choose: thou shall not, by either of them, move me to deny Christ, my Lord and Saviour.”
Finally, when the people demanded his death he was delivered to be burned. When the wood had been brought in Polycarp undressed to lay himself willingly on the fire. The executioners were about to lay hold on him and nail him to the wood when he said “Let it be so; He that hath given me strength to endure the pain of the fire, will also strengthen me to remain still in the fire, though you nail me not to the firewood.” He then began to pray ”O Father of Thy beloved and blessed Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have recieved the saving knowledge of Thy holy name; God of angels and powers, and of all creatures, but especially of all the righteous who live in Thy sight, I thank Thee that Thou didst call me to this day and hour, and hast counted me worthy, that I may have my part and place among the number of the holy martyrs, and in the cup of the suffering of Christ, so I suffer with Him, and thus partake of his pains. I pray Thee, O Lord, that Thou wouldst this day receive me, as a fat offering among the number of Thy holy martyrs, even as Thou alone, O God of truth, who canst not lie, didst prepare me thereto, and didst make it known unto me, yea, hast now ultimately fulfilled it. Therefore I thank and praise Thee, above other men, and honour Thy holy name, through Jesus Christ, Thy well-beloved Son, the eternal High Priest, unto whom, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, be the glory, now and forever Amen. “ When his prayer was concluded they ignited the wood but to their amazement they saw that as the fire burned all around him consuming the wood, that the flames injured him very little, if not at all. The executioner was therefore commanded to pierce him with a sword, which was instantly done, so that the blood, either through the heat of the fire, or from some other reason, issued so copiously from the wound that the fire was almost extinguished thereby; and thus this faithful witness of Jesus Christ, having died both by fire and the sword entered into the rest with the saints.
Commission: Rev. 2:8
“And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write...”
This church represents a church period from around __________________ to _____________________ A.D. (Around the time of the infamous council of Nicea.)
The name “Smyrna” means, ______________________. Matt. 2:11, John 19:39
Myrrh is a ______________ substance that came from a certain tree in this part of the world. It was extremely _________________ to the taste, but very ________________ in its aroma.
Myrrh was used sometimes as a __________________, but was extremely costly so this limited its use to the process of __________________.
Myrrh Biblically is associated most often with ______________. (Therefore representing the bitterness of death.)
It is not a coincidence that this church would receive this name…
(Remember: The significance of the name of the church gives us God’s summary of what is taking place in that period of history from His vantage point.)
This church’s name speaks of the bitterness in which they would face through the persecution of Rome.
Character: Rev. 2:8 “These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive.” (As a reminder, this is the portion of our outline in which Jesus doesn’t declare Himself as Saviour of the world, but He gives them something about His own character which we find is a help to the specific church that it is written to because of what they are going through. Each of these character aspects bring us back to Revelation chapter 1, where the Lord is revealing Himself to the Apostle John.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
This church needed to hear this! Christ was preparing this church because they were on the cusp of surrendering many of their members to martyrdom… A time which I could only imagine brought about great questions to the minds of those Christians in Smyrna about who was in control. After watching loved ones carried off and put to death, you could see in the midst of adversity how one could begin to waiver… There had to be times when they were overcome with fear… Christ’s character truth is reminding them that no matter how they feel right now through their circumstances, He was still running the show! A truth that in a time where it would be easy to waiver, one wouldn’t dare waiver once being reminded of… What strength they must have recieved to think of John falling down in fear before the Lord and His throne, only to have Him reach down from His throne to touch John’s shoulder to encourage him…
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Seeing God in the midst of this great persecution this church was faced with the reality that whether by imprisonment or death, the only real change was their audience. Because of the word of God, we can face anything the world is going to throw at us! What’s the worst thing they can do? Kill us! If we believe on Christ, death is not the end, but the event which brings us into to presence of the Lord!
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Christ brought them a character truth that would help them stand in persecution. Remembering who He is, and having that fear of God, will not only help us stand but it will help us stand holy, giving much honour and glory to Him!