Lesson Two

1. Background of Smyrna

a. Only city that has continued to the present day, having the modern name Izmir

b. Another harbor city with a thriving export trade thirty-five miles of Ephesus

c. It was known for its beauty and civic pride, calling itself “the first in Asia” as well as the birth place of Homer

d. Excellent relationship with Rome and one of the four cities (Ephesus, Pergamum and Sardis) to host provincial assembly

e. First city to erect a temple to goddess of Rome (195 BC and 26 AD) because of its loyalty to Rome.

f. The ancient city was destroyed (600 BC) but later rebuilt (290 BC) closer to the harbor with temples of Zeus and Cybele

g. It had a large Jewish population that virtually oppressed Christians. Christians became a double threat religiously to the Jews and politically to Romans. The edict under Domitian, demanding emperor worship, made it east to persecute Christians. The Jews denounced Christians to authorities to deflect attention fro themselves. Rome had given Jews the right to practice their religion and they did not want this precious privilege threatened.

h. 80's AD Judaism had excommunicated the Christian heretics from their synagogues, wanting nothing to do with them

i. In 155 AD famous bishop of Smyrna (Polycarp) was burned alive for refusing to call Caesar Lord during an extensive persecution instigated by the Jews.

2. Textual Matters

a. Verse 9: No weakness

i. It is more important to be faithful than powerful

ii. There are three things the exalted Christ knows about them: tribulation, poverty, slander. These are tragedies. They are participating in the suffering of Christ (Phil 3:10). This was favoured by God.

iii. Tribulations here highlights more the current sufferings of the Smyrna believers, rather than the eschatological element

iv. Poverty and Slander are the result of the persecution. Poverty caused by mobs of both Jews and pagan destroyed their property and by the loss of jobs in a pagan atmosphere. Jewish oppression meant that Christians would no longer enjoy the protection and tolerance the Roman often granted Jewish people. The Romans stopped given the Christians the right to worship their God. Poverty is contrasted with Rich, speaking of their spiritual riches (Mark 10:29-30 shows how God will give his people a hundred fold in this life and eternal life in the next world, but would not remove animosity and persecution against them

v. Slander was the second result of their persecution. Slander in the most basic sense is blasphemy against God (13:1, 5, 6; 17:3). Slandering the people of God is one form of blasphemy against God. The Jews denounced Polycarp and the church before the Roman authorities for defaming the emperor and the Roman religion by refusing to worship the emperor. Then they helped gather wood to burn Polycarp, even though it was on the Sabbath. This slander by the “synagogue of Satan” refers specifically to a group of Jews who instigated legal action in the Roman courts against the Smyrna Christians.

vi. Poverty = Afflictions for the Smyrna church. It was difficult for Christians to make a living. The Jewish zealots became informants for Rome to persecute Christians and keep them poor, robbing them of their possessions and limiting their careers and education.

vii. Suffering Church is the soul winning church. While they were suffering, it was not diluting their impact and influence in the city. The suffering made them flourish more. The key was not suffering itself, but how Christians’ attitudes were during their suffering. It was empower by the fruit of the Spirit. Their weapons were not “carnal but might in God pulling down strongholds.” The greatest weapon against the enemy is humility. This is the antithesis to sin. This is what Jesus used on the cross to defeat Satan.

b. Verse 10: Word of Prophecy

i. Stop being afraid. In the midst of terrible tribulation, God’s people are called to fearless witness accompanied by perseverance and faith in God. Promise of divine comfort is there in the midst of suffering.

ii. Some will encounter imprisonment. Three purposes for imprisonment: coercion, detention pending trial, or detention awaiting execution.

iii. Purpose in the testing.

iv. Will only last 10 days (1 Cor. 10:13).

v. The promise reward is the divine gift… crown of life. This signifies honour and authority. This doesn’t mean royalty but victory. An athletic and military metaphor linked with the idea of overcoming in verse 11 i.e. a garland wreath.

c. Verse 11: The Call and Challenge

i. Christians are called to listen.

ii. Christians are challenged to overcome.

iii. The second death = the lace of fire.

d. What does having "an ear, let him hear" mean.

i. Jesus speaks about this in Mark 4 in the parable of the soil.

ii. Hearing is the act of perceiving sound and listening requires concentration in that you can process meaning and sentences.

iii. Without listening and only hearing sound is like you're there but at the same time you're not there.

iv. Many people hear but are not good listeners. Read James 1:19.

v. Jesus challenges the believers in the City of Smyrna to not only hear what the spirit is saying to them, but to give careful attention to it. Because it is in this message from Christ that is the key to their success in overcoming and receiving a crown of victory.

vi. This is a message to all Christians today. They key to overcoming especially through trial and suffering is not in our strength but in God's strength. And we get God's strength through the voice of God. Jesus said that man shall not life by bread alone (food of physical strength) but by the voice of God (food of spiritual strength).

e. Importance of Spiritual Disciplines.

i. Spiritual disciplines are the acts that make it possible to hear God's voice and receive spiritual strength from God.

ii. But many Christians do not know how to do it properly. It is not done by efforts. Doing spiritual discipline is as natural like breathing. To breathe you need to exhale and inhale. If we don't do both we will not be able to breath. When doing spiritual disciplines people make the mistake of only doing one of the two elements required to breathe. And any time you do that we will burn out because it is like we are holding our breath.

iii. To inhale more of God, doing spiritual disciplines such as: prayer, bible studies, going to church are good. But to make these disciplines work properly in our lives we have to exhale. That is we have to find ways to detach ourselves from the ways of the world's habits. Such exhaling disciplines include: fasting, solitude, and abstinence, Sabbath etc.

iv. We need to make space for God to speak or we will miss God when he speaks. We will have an ear but no hearing or focusing on what he is saying.