Letters to the seven churches: Smyrna

Revelation 2:8-11
The second church Jesus instructs John to write to is Smyrna. The name comes from the word ‘myrrh’ and reminds us of how myrrh is crushed to bring out its fragrance. The church at Smyrna was suffering through great persecution. Jesus describes Himself as “Him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again” (see Rev. 1:17-18). The theme of death is all through this letter. Jesus identifies with their suffering, and reminds them of the hope of resurrection.
Jesus commends this church, saying He knows what they are enduring: their suffering, their poverty, the way they were being mistreated “by those who say they are Jews and are not” (Rev. 2:9). They may have been physically destitute, but they were spiritually rich. There is no rebuke given to this church. Instead, He goes straight on to give them the exhortation: Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer; Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. This might not sound like much of an encouragement to us, but to those who are enduring persecution, the reminder that we have a much better life to come is refreshing indeed.
Again the phrase ‘He who has an ear’ etc. comes before the promise to the overcomer. To the church at Smyrna, this is to not be hurt at all by the second death. We read about the second death in Rev. 20:12-15. The first death is the separation of the soul from the physical body. But the second death is the separation of a person’s spirit from God. Believers will never endure the second death; we will always be in the presence of God. This is a beautiful promise, and it’s one we can all cling to.