Revelation 2:8-11 Church in Smyrna

Rev. 2:8   “And to the angel of the church in  Smyrna write:

  The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:

Rev. 2:9   ‘I know your  tribulation and your  poverty (but you are  rich), and the blasphemy by those who  say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of  Satan. 10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, 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.  Be  faithful until death, and I will give you  the crown of life. 11 ‘ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  He who overcomes will not be hurt by the  second death.’

Seven Churches of Revelation - Map created in Accordance Bible Atlas 2.2

1.  To whom are verses 8-11 addressed? 

     “to the angel of the church in Smyrna write” (1).

•     Smyrna was a prosperous port city 35 miles north of Ephesus on the west coast of the Roman province of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), the second city of the seven-church book tour of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

2.  How is Jesus described? (2:8)

     “The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life”

•    "The first and the last” denotes the utmost Lord of all ages.
•    “who was dead, and has come to life” refers to the death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.

3.  Of what does Jesus know concerning the church in Smyrna? (2:9)

     “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are  rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of  Satan” (2:9).

o      The reference to “those who say they are Jews and are not” may indicate tension between non-Christian Jews and Christian Jews. Christian Jews would have become ostracized from the local Jewish community, resulting in loss of income and homes.

4.  Does Jesus have anything against the church in Smyrna? Who are the blasphemers? (2:9)

•       Jesus does not bring a charge against the church in Smyrna.
•       The blasphemers are “those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (2:9).

o   The charge infers that Christians were experiencing inordinate persecution in the city of Smyrna from a group who identified as Jews.

5.  What does Jesus tell the church in Smyrna to do? (2:10)

•       “Do not fear what you are about to suffer . . .” (2:10).
•        “. . . Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (2:10b).

o      The crown of life is also promised to the persecuted Jewish readers of the book of James, whom the letter addresses as “the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad” (James 1:1).

6.  How does Jesus encourage/warn the church in Smyrna? What does He promise? (2:10-11)

o   “. . . Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (2:10).

o   “. ..  He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death” (2:11).

§  John will later define the “second death” in Revelation 21:8, “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

7.  How may the message to the church of Smyrna apply to the church today?

Suffering should not cause fear, but inspire intentional faithfulness.

God of comfort and Father of all compassion, may You strengthen suffering servants and inspire them to remain faithful, even unto death. Especially in places where it is dangerous to be a Christian, may You encourage believers to take full advantage of every trial to make Your glory known and to proclaim the grace, love, and truth of Jesus in word and deed. May Christians who are persecuted and who are living in poverty have full assurance of eternal life while boldly proclaiming the only way to escape the second death — faith in Yeshua our Lord. In Yeshua’s Name, Amen.