3. Smyrna: Faithful in the Fire

Introduction: The Paradox of Suffering

Most of us instinctively equate blessing with ease and hardship with God’s disfavor. But the letter to Smyrna shatters this assumption. Here is a church that receives no rebuke from Christ; only encouragement. Yet their path is marked by affliction, poverty, and slander. To the world, they looked weak and defeated. To Christ, they were rich.

This paradox confronts us today. If faithfulness to Christ brings ridicule, exclusion, or even death, how will we respond? The letter to Smyrna reminds us that suffering is not evidence of abandonment but of identification with Christ.

Exposition

The One Who Conquered Death

Christ introduces Himself as “the first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life” (Rev. 2:8 LSB). This is vital: only the risen Lord can speak words of comfort to those facing death. He is sovereign over history and victorious over the grave. Beeke notes, “The Christ who conquered death promises life beyond death to His afflicted people.”¹

Affliction, Poverty, and Slander

Christ says, “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9 LSB). The believers in Smyrna were socially marginalized and economically oppressed, likely because of their refusal to participate in emperor worship. Yet Christ declares them rich, for they possess the treasure of the kingdom (Matt. 6:20).

The opposition they faced was not merely human; it was satanic. Persecution is the weapon of the enemy, but under God’s sovereignty, it becomes a means of proving faith.

The Call to Faithfulness

Christ does not promise deliverance from persecution but endurance through it: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10 LSB). The “ten days” of tribulation symbolize a fixed, limited period under God’s control. As Hendriksen explains, “The Lord Himself sets the limit to the suffering of His people.”²

The Promise of Life

The letter closes with assurance: “The one who overcomes will never be hurt by the second death” (Rev. 2:11 LSB). The first death may come at the hands of persecutors, but the second death, eternal separation from God, cannot touch the faithful in Christ.

Application

1. True Riches Are in Christ

In a world that equates wealth with success, Smyrna reminds us that poverty in Christ’s eyes may be spiritual wealth. Churches with little earthly influence may be rich in eternal value if they are faithful to Him.

2. Suffering Is Not Failure

Persecution is not evidence of God’s absence but of union with Christ. As Paul declared, “It has been granted to you for Christ’s sake not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29 LSB).

3. Fearlessness in the Face of Death

Christ’s command, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer” (Rev. 2:10 LSB), strikes at the heart of discipleship. The worst the world can do is kill the body. The worst God can do is cast into hell (Matt. 10:28). But in Christ, there is no fear of the second death.

4. Perseverance as the Mark of Faith

The crown of life is promised not to the half-hearted but to those who endure. As Calvin observes, “Perseverance is the proof of genuine faith; temporary zeal is of no value if it fails in the end.”³

Call to Persevere

Smyrna calls us to reframe our understanding of suffering. Tribulation is temporary. Poverty in this world is wealth in Christ. Death itself cannot rob us of eternal life. The risen Lord promises that those who endure to the end will receive the crown of life and never taste the second death.

In days of rising hostility, the church must cling to this truth: faithful unto death, alive forevermore in Christ.

Footnotes

1. Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology, Vol. 4: Church and Last Things (Wheaton: Crossway, 2023), 642.

2. William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1967), 77.

3. John Calvin, Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles, trans. John Owen (Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1855), 325.