Revelation Letters: Smyrna

Revelation Letters: Smyrna

Bible Blast: Read Revelation 2:8-11

I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich!

Revelation 2:9

Smyrna was about twenty-five miles north of Ephesus, the church we learned about yesterday. If you read Revelation 2:8-11, which is the letter to the believers at Smyrna, you may have thought, Wow! Those people must have had a rough life! And you’d have been right. The church of Smyrna truly suffered for their faith.

There were two groups of people in Smyrna that made it really hard to live for Christ. One group was the Jews who were very much against Christianity. They didn’t believe that Jesus was God or the Savior. They thought Jesus was wrong to say that he was God. The other group that made it hard for Christians in Smyrna included a group of people who wanted to worship their ruler (the emperor). According to today’s Bible Blast, some of the Christians in this city were being thrown into prison and even killed for their faith in Jesus.

And yet, our key verse today says that they were rich! Now, why do you think they were considered rich? I wouldn’t say the word rich is usually defined as “in prison and murdered.” It must be that God was talking about a different kind of wealth. When he said that if the church of Smyrna remained “faithful even when facing death” he would give them the crown of life, he was talking about eternity in heaven. He was reminding them that nothing could take away their eternal reward as followers of Christ, and that made them rich!

It was very meaningful that the kind of “riches” God talked of in heaven included a crown. You see, Smyrna was well known for its sports, and a crown made of leaves was often given to the winners of athletic events. So the people of Smyrna understood that the “crown of life” Jesus promised meant their real victory was heaven forever.

Matthew 6:21 says that where our treasure is, there our hearts will also be. In other words, if we build up treasures in heaven, we will yearn for heaven. I think God wants us to yearn for heaven, just like the believers in Smyrna did.

Girl Gab: Mom, explain what it means when a person is a martyr for faith in Christ. Daughter, did you know that Christians are still being martyred all over the world even today? Spend some time talking about how wealthy you are in Jesus Christ. What about eternal life excites you? Is there anything about it that kind of scares you? Pray that you will be able to stand strong in your commitment to God no matter what.