To the Church at Smyrna
History
The name Smyrna means “myrrh or death”. Myrrh is a resin, which was extracted from trees in Africa, India, and Arabia and used as an incense like frankincense, and in ancient times myrrh was so valuable that it was worth as much as gold. Myrrh was also used in the purification of women (Esther 2:12), as a perfume (Psalm 45:8), as a gift for Jesus when he was born (Matthew 2:11), and they mixed it with wine that they offered to Jesus on the Cross (Mark 15:23). Myrrh was also commonly used in burial because it could dry up moisture thus preventing the growth of worms. As an embalming spice, myrrh released its odor when crushed so the crushing of the Saints at Smyrna in the name of Jesus was a pleasant aroma to the Lord.
The city of Smyrna was approximately 35 miles NE of Ephesus, and it was a port city as well as a commercial center with a population of around 100,000. It was called the most beautiful of the seven cities, and it is still around today except it is now called Izmir Turkey. Smyrna dates back to 3,000 BC and it became known as the “Glory of Asia” because of its beautiful temples, harbor, and planned development. The temple of Tiberius was built in 26 AD, and it became the center of worship for the Evil Kings of Rome. The word “Catholic” was first used by Ignatius in a letter he wrote to the Church at Smyrna, however the most famous pastor of Smyrna was Polycarp (69-155AD) who when he refused to abandon his faith was burned at the stake. Christians were extremely persecuted in Smyrna, and many lost everything they owned because there was a group known as the 10%’ers who got 10% of the property seized from Christians that they turned over to the Romans. These people were non-Christians and often Jews who profited off the death of Christians so hunting Christians was commonly practiced. In 178 AD the city was destroyed by an earthquake, but it was rebuilt by Marcus Aurelius who ruled from 161-180 AD. It is said that from 100-313 A.D that 5,000,000 Christians were martyred, which was the greatest persecution of the Church ever known. During this time, Satan did everything he could to wipe the Church at Smyrna off the planet. Also, the Christians at Smyrna were persecuted by ten different Roman Emperors and the last ten years being a living nightmare for the Smyrna Church. However, the gospel spread faster during this period than any other period in history, and the more Satan persecuted this Church the more God’s Word spread!
To the Church at Smyrna Write:
8) And 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.
Chapter 2 Verse 8
In this verse, Jesus is described as the “first and the last”, and that “which was dead and is alive”. The Greek word for first and last here are “protos” and “eschatos”. The word “protos” is where we get our modern word “prototype” from, and the definition of prototype means “a first, typical or preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied”. In other words, a prototype is what all products of the same line are patterned after, so Jesus is the prototype for all Christians which why we should never pattern ourselves after each other. (Philippians 2:3-8, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 1 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 4:32, and 1 John 2:6). If we try and pattern ourselves even after the most righteous person we know (pastor or youth minister), we will always fail. After working in manufacturing for so many years I have seen this happen many times. When you begin to make a pattern of the prototype, and then begin to make patterns of that pattern you will eventually be so far off from the original prototype that the part you are trying to manufacture will not fit or work. So to avoid this, Christ made sure that we understand that He is the only should be who we pattern ourselves after for he will make us into who he wants us to be. Another danger here is spiritual “inbreeding”. This happens when a Church is primarily dominated by a few families, and those families are the main people who show up. This is dangerous because this can turn into nepotism, which can lead to an uneven and large amount of power in a few Believers hands. For a Church to grow there needs to be a balance in the power structure of that particular Body. Next, the word “eschatos” carries the