The presecuted Church didn't have the
same miraculous faith that the Church of
the apostles had.

They suffered the persecution, and died
true to their faith. Jesus only had praise
for the Church of Smyrna.

It was a holy, godly, faithful church that
continued in the faith during the greatest
of trials and tribulations.

The Church of the apostles, in its day, had
a very dynamic miracle-working faith. When
they were thrown into prison, angels of God
released them and sent on to preach again to
the confusion of their enemies. (Acts 5:17-26)

When Paul persecuted the Church (he was
Saul of Tarsus then) who was a mortal enemy.
The church's faith and prayers brought about
his conversion,

When Peter was put in prison and condemned
to death, the prayers of God's people resulted
in the angel of God setting him free.
(Acts 12:3-10)

And when Paul and Silas were cast into prison,
they prayed and sang praises unto God, and
the prison doors were opened by and earthquake.

The Church of the apostles, because it had
left its first love, had lost their full miracle-
working ministry and had ended up martyrs..

So it couldn't leave that ministry to the next
church, Smyrna, the persecuted Church.

So the Smyrna Church didn't have the faith
for deliverance like the apostles once had.

One would think with such awful persecu-
tion, that took place during the 2nd and
3rd centuries, that Christianity would have
been wiped out.

But it was just the opposite. Despite the
violent persecution under several emperors,
the Smyrna church stayed strong. And
more important it kept its dedication so that
the Lord, in his letter to them, found no
fault with it.

The Smyrna Era was a

terrible time of suffer-
ing for the Christians.

To quote one author,

"The Christians were in
all parts of the Empire

driven from habitations,
and tormented in their

bodies; racks and prisons, axes and halters,

fire and wild beasts, scalding pitch and melting

wax, sharp stakes and burning pincers, were

but some of the methods of their treatment."

Jesus comforted this martyred church by remind-
ing them that He had suffered death, but was
alive forevermore.

Jesus said, "Ye shall have tribulation ten
days". It could mean that the Early Church
had suffered ten major persecutions under
ten different rulers.

Or it could mean that the Church experienced
severe persecution from 303-313 A.D. (A day
is sometimes considered a year in prophecy.)
Numbers 14:33-34 In 303 the emperor issued
destruction of the churches, burning the the
scriptures and death to the Christians. It ended
when Constantine came to rule. He accepted
Christianity in the year 312 A.D. and became
emperor the next year.

The Jews argued that their traditions were
the only truth on earth and all others were
false.

But the fact was that they were Jews accord-
ing to the flesh, not Jews according to faith.
So Jesus said they were children of the devil
and that they were of the "synagogue of Satan".

They blasphemed the Christians (Acts 18:6),
and claimed their miracles were of the devil
(Matthew 12:24). They were stubborn and
hung on to their traditions, making it hard to
reach them with the truth of the gospel.

The Jews claimed that they were the seed
of Abraham, as proof , when they spoke to
Jesus. "We be Abraham's seed", they said.
John 8:33.

Jesus agreed that they were Abraham's seed
according to the flesh (vs 37), but denied
that they were Abraham's seed by faith.

Jesus said they were of their father, the devil!
John 8:39, 44

While the Bible admits that salvation was
of the Jews, they were careful to explain
that this was to the Jews of faith, not to Jews
after the flesh.

Paul said, "They are not all Israel, which are
of Israel." Romans 9:6 And "for he is not a
Jew that is one outwardly. . . .but he is a Jew
who is one inwardly". Romans 2:28-29

The term "Jew", at that time meant the
religion of Jehovah to the world.

The Jews prided themselves on the idea
that just their being Jews meant they had
salvation. Those who walked in the faith
of their fathers, in a sense was true, for
Jesus, Himself, said,
"Salvation is of the Jews". John 4:22

The term "Jews", or, "not Jews" doesn't have
the meaning that it had before. The church
in the days of the apostles didn't have a part-
icular denomination to identify with.

It wasn't until a long time after Pentecost that
the disciples were even called Christians, Acts
11:26.

The name, Smyrna, means "myrrh". Myrrh
was used in Jesus' burial. It was a spice,
which was broken into fine pieces to give off
a fragrance.

It stands for the Christians who were perse-
cuted. The more they were persecuted, the
more fragrance they gave out by their testi-
monies.

The Church of Smyrna symoblized the Church
of the Persecution.

Jesus gave encouragement to the martyrs of
Smyrna by speaking of Himself as the "first
and last, which was dead and is alive". It was
very fitting to those who were going to martyr-
dom.

Jesus' letter to the Church at Smyrna speaks
of tribulation, poverty, sufferings, imprison-
ments and death; the very things that the
church suffered during the 2nd and 3rd Cen-
turies.

During this time an unknown number of
martyrs gave their lives for Him.

At the beginning of the 2nd Century, a
new era in Church History began. The
last apostle, John had died. With his
death a period of two centuries of per-
secution took place.

Caesar-worship was a way of uniting the
Empire and had become law. Christians
had refused to worship the emperor, and
were given severe penalties, their goods
were taken from them, they were tortured,
imprisoned and killed.

The church at Smyrna represents the time
of the persecution 98-312 A.D.

Although John's death was A.D. 98, there
was no distinct time when the apostles
ministry ended. The gifts of the Spirit also
gradually stopped being manifested in the
church.

Jesus told the church at Smyrna to "fear
none of the things which thou shalt suffer.
. . .ye shall have tribulation ten days: be
thou faithful unto death and I will give thee
a crown of life." Revelation 2:10

This prophecy was symbolic. Smyrna has
suffered many thing, and even appeared to
die, but it is one of the most prosperous
cities
of the
land
today.






click picture to view city in background

Polycarp was a martyr of the typical terrible
persecution of the Christians of Smyrna. He
was a noted Christian there. The Jew led the
persecution.

On a festival day he was ceased and given the
choice to sacrifice to Caesar or be burned.
His words, "Eighty and six years have I
served Christ, and He has never done me
wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who
saved me?"

As he was being burned alive, he prayed,
"I thank thee that thou has graciously
thought me worthy of this day and this hour,
that I may receive a portion in the number
of the martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ."

It was on the Sabbath Day and the Jews who
were involved broke their own Sabbath Day.

It was at the time that John was on Patmos,
that Caesar-worship was demanded. 96-98
A.D. not only marked the end of the era of
the apostles, but it marked the beginning
of emperor worship.

Roman citizens were to burn a bit of incense
on the altar of Caesar, and was given a
certificate that they had done so. Then they
were free to worship their own god.

Christians refused to burn the incense and
that made them outlaws.

Dictators and rulers who were able to make
themselves as gods usually had the power to
elevate themselves and their office over the
people.

That is what the Antichrist will do when he
takes control of the nations at the end of this
age.

To understand Christian life when the Book
of Revelation was written, we have to under-
stand how Caesar-worship came to be and
how it worked.

Rome's greatest problem was to how to put
together its huge empire. It was a mixture
of cities, states, and nations of every religion
and race. Something had to be done to bring
them altogether.

The church at Smyrna was the second of the
seven churches to be addressed by Jesus in
His letters.

Smyrna has always been from ancient times.
It was near Ephesus. It was outstandingly
beautiful and a number of pagan temples were
there. The Christians who lived in Smyrna saw
heathen worship everywhere they looked.

It was politically important. The people were
pro-Roman and it was one of the great centers
of emperor-worship.

The Church of John's day didn't listen to
the warning of the Lord, its power was
fading fast.

Something happened that worked for good.
It was the terrible persecution by pagan Rome
that lasted over two centuries.

There was no place for lukewarm believers
in the Church during this time which marked
the deaths of millions of martyrs. Christians
who had lost their first love wouldn't remain
in it for very long.

"Nevertheless I have somewhat against
thee, because thou has left thy first love.
Remember therefore from whence thou
are fallen, and repent, and do the first
works; or else I will come unto thee quickly,
and will remove thy candlestick out of this
place, except thou repent." Revelation 2:4-5

Jesus' warning to the Ephesians should
give all of us a reality check.

At the time Paul left the church at Ephesus
they were at the height of their spirituality.
It showed Paul's consecration, sincerity, and
devotion.

Now thirty-six years had passed and a new
generation was there. The children that were
there with Paul were now the leaders. Only a
few of the older members were left.

The wolves that Paul warned about had not
yet gained a foothold. But something had
been lost that could be disastrous to their
future.

Paul seemed to have a dreading that the
Ephesian church would lose its first love.
His last instructions were against spiritual
decline, and to be looking out for false
shepherds, wolves in sheep's clothing, that
would try to weaken or change them.

"For I know this, that after my departing
shall grievous wolves enter in among you,
not sparing the flock. Also of your own
selves shall men arise, speaking perverse
things, to draw away disciples after them.
Therefore watch, and remember, that by
the space of three years I ceased not to
warn every one night and day with tears."
Acts 20:29-31

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