Smyrna: The Church Facing Persecution

The words of Christ to the church of Smyrna pose the same question for us today: will we deny Christ in the face of persecution?

Smyrna: The Church Facing Tribulation The 7 Churches of Revelation: Times of Fire The letter written to the church of Smyrna reveals the promise that when Christians face trials, God offers an eternal reward to those who remain faithful, even unto death itself. It is about believing when there is no hope.  In the revelation penned by John to the churches of Asia Minor, the letter to Smyrna followed the letter to Ephesus. Jesus's words for this church were striking. These were not words of chastisement, but of comfort for a church that would face an uncertain and potentially deadly future.   The letter to the church at Smyrna says that it will experience a 10-day tribulation, which is believed to be a literary device, rather than a literal reference to 10 days of tribulation. It is a way of saying that they will experience very serious persecution. The church in Smyrna faced persecution. Christians all over the world still experience persecution today. And they did. Not only were they persecuted for not worshipping the emperor, but they were also unfairly targeted after Emperor Nero allegedly burned Rome and blamed the Christians.   The victory referred to in the letter to Smyrna is not about avoiding trials, but about facing them with faithfulness and courage. WATCH THE 7 CHURCHES OF REVELATION SNEAK PEEK Today, Smyrna has become the great Aegean metropolis of Izmir, which is the third largest Turkish city after Istanbul and Ankara. It is about 50 miles away from Ephesus. In ancient times under Roman occupation, it was very powerful both economically and politically.   A port city founded after Alexander the Great, Smyrna was located at the end of the road that stretched through Asia Minor. The road brought various commercial goods to the port of Smyrna, which sent and distributed them throughout the Roman Empire. Image of the waterfront of Turkey today from The 7 Churches of Revelation film.  The Roman Empire was relatively tolerant of other belief systems, provided that the conquered peoples added to their pantheon the emperor, the cult of the emperor, and the goddess Roma. Jewish people had been given a special exemption under their rule, provided that they offered sacrifices for the health of the emperor.   However, Christians were no longer seen as a branch of Judaism by the authorities, so they were under obligation to worship the emperor. They found themselves in a tenuous situation: would they deny the emperor, or would they deny Christ?   Ruins of the ancient city of Smyrna from The 7 Churches of Revelation film. The words of Christ to the church of Smyrna pose the same question for us today: will we deny Christ in the face of persecution? Will we exchange the riches of our faith in the "the first and the last, who died and came to life," for spiritual poverty (Rev. 2:8)? The crown of eternal life is set before us just as it was set before the church of Smyrna. We are only asked to be faithful through tribulation.  The words of Christ to the church of Smyrna pose the same question for us today: will we deny Christ in the face of persecution?  WATCH THE 7 CHURCHES OF REVELATION SNEAK PEEK Image of Saint Polycarp Church, named after Polycarp, a disciple of the apostles and Christian martyr. Learn more about Smyrna and the other six churches of Asia Minor that appear in John's book in the new documentary, The 7 Churches of Revelation: Times of Fire. Today, we are excited to give you a sneak peek of this critically acclaimed film looks at John's vision on the island of Patmos and the letters he was instructed to write to each church. You will be inspired as you experience the historic significance, archeology, and timely message through the eyes of the filmmaker.   You will witness the Bible come to life and ultimately ask the question: are we ready for Christ's second coming? Journey with us now and see history unfold in The 7 Churches of Revelation: Times of Fire. This sneak peek is brought to you exclusively by RevelationMedia and Thinking Man Films and is only available for a limited time. Register to watch now for FREE and learn how you can reserve your DVD of the entire film and a full color illustrated gift book featuring each of the 7 churches of Revelation. Click the link below to watch the sneak peek of The 7 Churches of Revelation: Times of Fire now. WATCH THE 7 CHURCHES OF REVELATION SNEAK PEEK Please feel free to share this online movie event with your friends, family, and even your entire church. Copyright © 2021 RevelationMedia, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: RevelationMedia PO Box 850005 Richardson, Texas 75085 Add us to your address book

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