A Call to Persevere - Letter to Smyrna
- Tiara J
- 10 hours ago
- 6 min read
To the Church in Smyrna- Revelation 2:8-11
To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life.
I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact 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 to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even 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 one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.
Devotional Reflection on the Letter to the Church in Smyrna
This letter to Smyrna feels a little heavier than the first letter to Ephesus. What first jumps out to me is what’s missing. Unlike the first letter, this letter has no rebuke. Jesus isn’t instructing them about what they need to do differently, he’s encouraging them for what they’ve done and preparing them to endure what is ahead. It’s what’s not in this short letter that invited me to lean in and examine it closer.
To better understand this letter, we need to understand the context and the church to whom it was written. The city of Smyrna, which is modern day Izmir, Turkey was strategically located about 40 miles away from Ephesus. The city featured an advantageous port and good inland connections. It had gone through its own “resurrection” of sorts after enduring destruction around 600 B.C. and reemerging as a great city again in 290 B.C.
Smyrna was fiercely loyal to Rome and became the site for the second Asian temple to the deity of Rome and the seat of the sinister Caesar-cult which caused much suffering in the church [1].
The city was often referred to as the “Crown of Asia” symbolizing the city's beauty, wealth, and prominence, a clear juxtaposition to the “Crown of Life” offered to the church in the letter.
While the city of Smyrna was materially wealthy; the church was not. Followers of Christ were often excluded from trade guilds because participation required acts of emperor worship. Loyalty to Christ meant economic loss, social isolation, and constant accusation.
So, it’s notable that Jesus acknowledges their material poverty and yet calls them rich!
Here Jesus was confirming what James says in chapter 2,—that God sees what the world often overlooks, and that those who are poor in worldly terms can be rich in faith (James 2:5). The church of Smyrna’s lack was not a sign of failure. It was evidence of their faithfulness.
Jesus goes on to address the persecution this church was facing not just by those loyal to Cesar, but by those he calls the Synagogue of Satan, here Jesus echoes his message to the Pharisees in John chapter 3, where he rebukes them and tells them they belong to their father, the devil, because they were rejecting God by trying to kill him [2]. He knew this same anti-christ spirit was the underbelly for the persecution the Church of Smyrna was facing.
Jesus warns them about the uptick of persecution that was coming, but he offers hope as he reminds them of the sovereignty of God.
He tells them “the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev 2:10)
There is a lot to unpack in those two sentences.
First, we hear the devil is about to test you; I’m instantly reminded of Job and how God allowed Satan to test him, and Peter when Jesus told him Satan had asked to sift them like wheat. Jesus providing a preemptive warning to the Church of Smyrna of what the devil had planned serves as confirmation and timely reminder of what we learn in Ephesians 1, that God is sovereign and has ultimate power over all authorities, powers, and dominions in the present age and the one to come (Eph 1:21). The letter also says how long the tribulation will last. This offers hope that their suffering has a limit.
It is defined, measured, and held within God’s authority. Just as Job’s testing was permitted—but not without boundaries (Job 1:6–12), just as Daniel endured a ten‑day testing that revealed God’s sustaining power (Daniel 1:12–15), Smyrna’s trial would not stretch endlessly. God allows testing, but He sustains His people within it.
And then Jesus gives them the call to action:
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)
I think this is the heart of the letter.
Faithfulness. He calls them to suffer well. He reiterates his message conveyed in the sermon on the mount.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven (Matt 5:11-12). Jesus called Smyrna and all believers not to cower and shrink back, but to endure with faithfulness. His promise for the crown of life reiterates the promise in James 1:12, that the one who perseveres under trial will receive the crown of life God has promised.
He was empowered to make this promise because he had already overcome what they were facing. Hebrews reminds us that son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
So when he closes the letter with “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death"(Rev 2:11).
We know he is talking not only to the Church of Smyrna, but to us as well.
And we're reminded of his message, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” (Matt 16:24)
We know that God’s words rang true for the Church of Smyrna, sometime after this letter was penned, Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna and disciple of John the Apostle, was arrested by the Roman proconsul and burned to death when he refused to renounce Christianity [3].
The first death came for Polycarp, and today it’s come for many of our brothers and sisters in Christ in persecuted nations like Nigeria, China, Sudan, and so many more [4]. But the second death—eternal separation from God—has no claim over those who belong to Christ. Resurrection stands beyond suffering. Life waits on the other side of faithfulness.
So,
To believers who have lost ease for conviction.
To those quietly paying a price no one applauds.
To anyone tempted to believe suffering means God is distant.
I pray this letter brings encouragement, hope, and peace in knowing that the One who holds the beginning and the end still speaks life over those who endure faithfully.
Do you trust Jesus enough to remain faithful under pressure, knowing that what He promises is greater than what you might lose?
Let us pray,
Heavenly Father, Lord, I thank you that you are faithful from everlasting to everlasting. I thank you that no matter what we face on this side of eternity, that you walk with us and that we can trust that you are in control. I thank you for pouring out your Holy Spirit on us so that we can stand boldly against the schemes of the enemy. Lord, I pray that you would strengthen us and help us grow in wisdom and understanding of who you have called us to be. Increase our hunger and thirst for righteousness and grant us favor as we live as witnesses for your glory.
In Jesus name, Amen!
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