The city of Smyrna is actually the only one of the cities of the Seven Churches of Revelation still around. It is modern-day Izmir, Turkey.
Traveling from Ephesus, the first of the seven cities of Revelation, you would go about 35 miles north, next to the Aegean Sea. Smyrna had an important harbor and was a major location for exporting as well. It was like a modern city in many ways. It was sophisticated, made of marble, with a population that was well educated. Smyrna was a grand city with a large population, larger than most American cities. At Smyrna were temples on both ends, one to Cybele and the other to Zeus. Smyrna had a lot of the usual things in major cities such as libraries, markets, and a theater as well.
There was a long street curving around the mountain. The Acropolis, the circle of buildings which formed the upper part of the city at the top of the mountain, was called “the crown of Smyrna.” Speaking of crowns, Smyrna was famous for games, and a crown wreath was something to be achieved as part of the games. Thus, it is unsurprising that the image of the crown was strongly associated with the city because of both the games and the Acropolis. Almost a fifth of all inscriptions related to Smyrna (for example coins) contain an image of a crown.
The Religious Landscape of Smyrna
Smyrna was the first city in the ancient world to build a temple to the goddess Roma. Smyrna also won a competition over ten other cities in Asia Minor to build a temple to Tiberius, the Emperor during the time of Jesus’ ministry. Smyrna also had a large Jewish population.
Some of the earliest examples of persecution of Christians we know of were in Smyrna, something that appears to have been taking shape during the time of John’s writing.
Nero’s persecution (which I believe to be the backdrop to the book) wasn’t an attempt to eradicate Christianity but was a reaction to appease Rome. Moreover, it was an irrational act of evil to satiate the appetite of his cruelty. Earlier persecutions had been local depending on circumstances and the feelings toward the church of each city. Right now in John’s time, all the churches were facing general levels of scorn and varying elements of persecution, with especially serious levels of persecution flaring up at various times and locations for various reasons.
“Some of the earliest examples of persecution of Christians we know of were in Smyrna, something that appears to have been taking shape during the time of John’s writing.”
Something that was becoming common, and would soon become the standard across the board, is that Christians often could expect to lose jobs. They could expect to lose homes. Christians were often victims of mob violence and would have their homes looted. This is well established as Christianity grew in numbers, and hence more writings about Christians appeared. These persecutions, which we can assume had been emerging even before we have writings about them, were likely beginning to grow in the time of Revelation.
At the same time, some of the churches we see in Revelation were experiencing very little persecution. Their issue instead was selling out to the same system that was brutally and publicly persecuting their brothers and sisters elsewhere, such as in Smyrna, where it had already reached a point where Christians could expect to be turned in for their faith.
The Letter to the Church in Smyrna
We find the letter from Jesus to the Church in Smyrna in Revelation 2:8-11:
And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: “The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. ‘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. 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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The conqueror will not be hurt by the second death.’” (Revelation 2:8-11, Author’s Translation)
The Jewishness of the Early Church
We see here one of many clues that the churches being written to in Revelation were largely Jewish and that Christianity was seen as a Jewish revival movement with a strict, major, Jewish identity. The mindset was not that these were converts to Christianity as we think of yet. The audience’s mindset was that they were Jews with a Jewish identity—the Jewish people—in a Holy Spirit-filled movement that was the arrival of the Kingdom of God following the Davidic King Yeshua (Jesus’ name in Hebrew).
So, as the group dynamic is the Jewish community, we could say a strong parallel to “the synagogue of Satan” for most of us today would be like Christ saying of a church that, “They call themselves Christians but are of the church of Satan.” It’s harsh.
Similarly, we also face persecution from our own today. You will be tested by other “Christians” attacking faithful ones who refuse to deny Christ and His words, who refuse to sin or tolerate sin. And you’ll see many churches tragically turn from their good origins.
This was the case with the Old Testament figure Balaam. Balaam will have a big role in the next letter in Revelation (to the church in Pergamum) and later in the book of Revelation. Balaam was the prophet who was summoned by one of the kings of Canaan to curse Israel, but an angel stood before his donkey while traveling. The donkey was given the ability to speak and warn Balaam. Balaam listened to God and refused to curse Israel, instead giving a great prophecy of and blessing to Israel.
“You’ll see many churches tragically turn from their good origins.”
But sadly, even though for a moment he did great things for God, Balaam fell back into evil ways. Balaam eventually aligned himself with the Canaanite kings and helped them learn how to destroy the Israelites.
One of the most important issues being addressed by Revelation is other Jews rebelling against God and His Anointed. This is a major theme as it seemingly goes against the prophecies of the restoration of Israel so important to the Church. The majority of Israel seemed to do the opposite of repent.
Not only was there a major rejection of the Christ, but the lack of repentance as a whole was more obvious than ever in the Jewish Wars against Rome, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. This you will find if you read even a little about the absolutely horrific Jewish Wars and the insanity of evil erupting in the chaos. Instead of choosing the Good Shepherd, the flock which rejected Him chose leaders which rose up and would lead them to orgiastic hedonism and to massacre each other. This all led to the siege of Jerusalem, a situation worse than your worst nightmare. These leaders led many to an ending in cannibalism as they starved in the siege. By contrast, the myriads of Jews following Yeshua in Judea fled to the diaspora according to His command on the Mount of Olives. Many of those who did not follow Yeshua, but stayed, ended up following a shepherd who quite literally ate the flock.
“Instead of choosing the Good Shepherd, the flock which rejected Him chose leaders which rose up and would lead them to orgiastic hedonism and to massacre each other.”
There was the complete desolation of Israel/Judea from the war with Rome. The whole land was made waste. So there very much would be a feeling of doubt as seemingly the opposite of the words of the prophets came true promising Israel’s restoration.
Yet this was actually very much in line with what the prophets say about the series of events which must occur to bring about Israel’s restoration in the Messianic Age. It is especially blatantly laid out in Zechariah 9-14 as part of the events leading to Israel’s restoration.
After the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple, there was a major crisis among the sons of Israel in terms of their future. In this crisis, we see how bad the tension between Jewish followers of the Messiah and those who rejected Him had become. Here in Revelation, we see that the believers in Smyrna had been cast out of the community of Jews. To be cast out of the synagogue was to be cast out of the Jewish community. The synagogue at this time was a community center for the Jews; it was and is much more than just a religious place. The synagogue would have been the heart of the Jewish community in the city.
“The synagogue would have been the heart of the Jewish community in the city.”
For this audience, being put out of the synagogue would have been incredibly heartbreaking. For Jews were not merely of common religious identity but were literally their family. Faithful Jews (who made up a large number of the Church) had avoided intermingling with non-Jews for the sake of staying a strictly Jewish identity in these non-Jewish, depraved cities across the nations. Jews were an ethnicity, the nation of Israel. More than any other group, these Jewish communities in the cities were extremely tight-knit due to the threat of assimilation if they didn’t stay a group. It would have been extremely shocking, unprecedented, scary, and utterly devastating for these faithful followers of Jesus to be banished from the synagogue. It was very much to be cast out and excommunicated by your family for following Him.
Imprisoned and Impoverished
“The devil is about to throw some of you into prison.” Prison was for serious things back then, as most did not want to waste resources on prisoners and so usually just gave beatings, tortures, or fines and then released them. Yet we see in this letter something we know a good bit about elsewhere—that when their fellow citizens grew in hostility toward the Christians, they denounced them to the Roman authorities. If the Christians refused to deny Christ, they could be put to death.
We know this was not just the Gentiles of the city, but sometimes upset Jewish family members would turn them in. John’s Gospel includes a specific teaching of Jesus that implies it had special relevance to John’s audience:
“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.” (John 16:1-3, ESV)
The churches had varying social dynamics. Smyrna appears to have been made up of poorer Christians. As Christ says, “I know your poverty.” Poverty was much more extreme and a much more dangerous situation in their world. These often went unnoticed, but not by God. God notices poverty and afflictions. Christ notices. He notices slander, and anyone who denounces the faithful will be denounced by Him.
“God notices poverty and afflictions.”
Tested for Ten Days
“That you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation.” This is a reference to Daniel 1:12-14, a passage at the beginning of Daniel’s ministry, at the beginning of his exile from Judea. Daniel and his friends were tested for ten days to keep their identity through eating Kosher, but at the end of the testing they were vindicated greatly and proved by God to be greater than the nations persecuting them.
“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way….Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ‘Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.’ So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food…At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.” (Daniel 1:8, 11-15, 18-20, NIV)
Don’t be afraid of what you’re about to suffer.
“Please test your servants for ten days.”
We can expect more instances of suffering and trials. But we really don’t need to be afraid because they are normal and positive when Christ is in us. It’s our time to prove ourselves, our faith, our God.
Christianity is growing faster today than in the past two thousand years combined. The growth isn’t seen yet in the West, and most in the West don’t pay attention to the rest of the world. And it’s significant that Christianity’s unprecedented explosive growth today is in the areas of the world with the most persecution. The most unlikely places. Christ encourages us, He knows what we need, and He gives it to us and affirms us.
Crown of Life
Earlier, we looked at how incredibly prevalent the image of the crown was to the city of Smyrna. Indeed, Jesus’ message to Smyrna ends with, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the Crown of Life.” This mention of the crown illustrates how, even though we still are meant to get a lot out of Revelation regardless of prior knowledge, we can’t really do justice to Revelation if we ignore history and their real historical world. For part of the true character of Revelation is to bear witness in their specific circumstances in which they lived and give an interpretation of the very real world in which John and his readers lived.
Revelation interprets their present world with all of its specific features in the light of God’s big-picture plan. We too can bring our world into the light of God’s truth, as it all is intertwined with God’s plan.
God had great plans for the Christians of Smyrna, to glorify them with the crown of the city through their conquering of the city—as Christ conquered. Be faithful unto death, as Christ the One we follow was faithful unto death and came to life.
“Be faithful unto 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. The conqueror will not be hurt by the second death.”
Excerpted from The Song of the Lamb: The Beautiful and Powerful Art and Message of Revelation by Jonathan Young. Used by permission.
