Smyrna from Revelation:

  • is on the banks of the Agean Sea. It sat about 35 miles North of Ephesus.

  • It was a beautiful city - advanced for its time-period with wide paved streets, that went from one end of the city to another. They had a famous stadium, an impressive library and the largest theater in ALL of Asia Minor.

  • Homer was born there.  The author of The Iliad and The Odyssey.

  • It was ideal for shipping and a hub for trade. And Wherever there’s trade, there’s money, so Smyrna became a wealthy city. 

  • It became a melting pot of culture & religion & art.

  • Most people participated in idol worship and worship of the Roman emperor.  Actually, Worship-of-the-emperor was the law-of-the-land.  Around 90 A.D. That’s what happened - The emperor made a law that says:  “He was God.”

Revelation 2:8-11

In this letter to Smyrna we’ll see: 

  1. The Picture of Jesus '- “I know what you’re going through.”

    1. Romans 6:9: We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.

  2. The Persecution of the Church - “I see what you’re going through.”

    1. James 1:2: Count it all joy, when you meet trials of various kinds.

  3. The Promise for Believers - “But I also know what’s coming.”

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