The Book of Revelation
God's Message to Two Churches
Rick Joyner
The Church at Smyrna—“Myrrh”
(Approximately A.D. 100 – 325)
“And to the angel of the church
in Smyrna write, ‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and
came to life:
“I know your works, tribulation,
and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they
are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
“Do not fear any of those things
which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you
into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be
faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
“He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the
second death”’ (Revelation 2:8-11 NKJV).
The
Lord begins addressing each church by noting a different characteristic of
Himself. This is not arbitrary, as each church will experience some aspects of
the Lord more than others. The church at Smyrna represents the period in which
Christians will suffer almost continuous and widespread persecution—as did the
Lord when He walked the earth.
When
we read the Gospels, it is hard to find a single thing the Lord said or did
that did not stir up criticism and threats. We often think that if our critics
would just witness a miracle, they would repent and become supporters. That did
not work for Jesus and it rarely works for anyone. The more Power the Lord
demonstrated in His ministry, the more the opposition rose up against Him. The
Lord performed some miracles so that people would believe Him, but most were
simply out of compassion for hurting people.
If He
had wanted to use power to convince people that He was sent from God, He could
have done more dramatic, spectacular things, like stopping the sun as Joshua
did. His miracles were not for that purpose. Rather His nature is to heal,
deliver, and restore the afflicted and oppressed. Pursuing healing, miracles,
and deliverance is good, but not if we do it to alleviate persecution. “The
whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (see I John 5:19) John wrote,
meaning most people are under the devil’s influence rather than God’s. The devil
does not like seeing people he has afflicted healed and delivered. We need to
pursue the power gifts for the sake of doing the work of the Lord, but
understand that the more we grow in this power, the greater the opposition.
The
Lord also begins by reminding this church that He overcame death. He promised
this for all who faithfully follow Him. This church needed to keep this in mind
because of what they were facing. This church period would face the most brutal
persecution that the most powerful empire in the world could mobilize against
the church.
Smyrna means “myrrh,” a primary ingredient in incense. In Scripture,
incense typifies prayer and worship. Christians living through this period no
doubt lived on prayer as much as on oxygen. The willingness of so many to lay
down their lives for the sake of His Gospel was also a “sweet smelling
fragrance” to the Lord. Those who do not know the Lord view death as the
greatest catastrophe, but to those who live by faith in Him, it is the beginning
of a far greater life to be embraced, not feared.
Christians at this time were not just killed in great numbers; they
could not hold significant positions or jobs. In many places could not even be
merchants. For this reason, to embrace Christ during this time meant almost
certain poverty and deprivation. The Lord let them know He was aware of their
plight and that they are not poor, but rich. How is that?
Peter
wrote that the testing of our faith was more precious than gold. Have you
considered that any trial you face in life is like finding a big pot of gold?
Those with true faith accept the trials, and even death, as treasure and for
the sake of the Lord.
Where
is our treasure? As the Lord declared, where we put our treasure indicates
where our heart truly lies (see Matthew 6:21). If we place our faith in the
eternal purposes of God and we know we have eternal life, we will not be
consumed by temporary things and our hearts will be toward the things that last
forever. This life is “training for reigning.” The Fruit of the Spirit we grow
in now will be a factor determining our eternal position and capacity in basic
ways in the Kingdom. So the church of Smyrna was far wealthier than those
flushed with the world’s treasures.
The
phrase in Revelation 2:8-11 about the blasphemy of those claiming to be Jews
but instead were of the synagogue of Satan is obviously not about literal Jews.
In those times, every Jew could prove their Jewish heritage through their
genealogies. However, under the New Covenant, the Gentile followers of Christ
were born again into the family of Abraham, “grafted in” as “spiritual Jews.”
During this time of such persecution, some false teachers and ministries sought
to take advantage of believers, pretending to have been sent by the Lord. In
reality they were sent by the devil, and the Lord recognized that here.
The
“tribulation for ten days” likely referred to the Diocletian persecution—the
most severe attempt yet to wipe out the church. It lasted ten years from 303 to
313 A.D. After the persecution, this church period ended more abruptly than the
others as the Roman Emperor embraced and promoted the faith.
The
promise to the overcomers of this church assured that they would not be hurt by
the second death—affirming their eternal reward in Christ.
Even
though this speaks of a period in history, churches all over the world right
now live in this place spiritually, threatened every day with death for their
faith. Some of the greatest spiritual treasures are also found in these
churches—those rich in faith are truly rich.