Revelation Verse-by-Verse 2:8-11

8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Having already revealed His concern about the assembly at Ephesus having left its ‘first love,’ it appears that what we have before us in this second epistle is the Glorified Lord’s commendation of an assembly that has NOT left its ‘first love,’ even under very severe persecution.

His words to the assembly at Smyrna are very brief and pointed.[1] He begins by introducing Himself as ‘the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive.’ This is quite relevant to the words He has for them as He continues. Twice in His next two sentences He uses the word ‘tribulation.’ He also speaks to them of ‘prison’ and ‘death.’ Clearly, the Glorified Lord is identifying what the churches may expect when they refuse to leave their ‘first love,’ regardless of the persecution it brings upon them.

This certainly brings to mind His words to His disciples during the days of His humiliation.

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.[2]

And these words forever inscripturated in 2 Timothy 3:12:

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

And, this is really no surprise in view of His statement regarding those that ‘say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.’ This is a very strong indictment. It calls to mind the malevolent hatefulness of the Jews as they clamored for Christ’s death and for Paul’s arrest, imprisonment and martyrdom. This is the true perspective the Lord had regarding the reprobate Jews during the days of His ministry and the early days of the great ‘missionary’ movement that began through Paul and others: They had become the synagogue of Satan.

He tells them that He knows their ‘poverty,’ but adds these amazing words: ‘but thou art rich.’ Very quickly after saying those words, the Glorified Lord promises to ‘give [them] a crown of life’ and that, if they continued on in their full dedication to Him, they would ‘not be hurt of the second death.’ His blessings upon His loved ones far exceed anything they may be called upon to face in a world under the curse of sin, even when they come under the direct attention and hatefulness of ‘the devil.’[3]

In terms of our present discussion, the contrast between the Glorified Lord’s words to Smyrna and to Ephesus could hardly be more absolute. It is easy to leave one’s ‘first love’[4] when severe persecution falls upon those that continue to hold to it. Whatever circumstances may have contributed to those at Ephesus leaving their ‘first love,’ those at Smyrna did not follow in their footsteps, even when persecuted unto death.

[1] As will our words be as well. [2] John 15:18. [3] In verse 10 we encounter one of very few specific instances in the New Testament in which believers are told that their persecution comes directly at the hands of the devil. This certainly calls to mind the Conflict of the Seeds identified in Genesis 3:15, and serves to put everything here in perspective. [4] Recall my previously expressed personal sense of the meaning of the phrase ‘left thy first love:’ This first personal encounter with the God of all the earth laid the foundation for Moses’ entire life and work in serving the LORD. His consciousness of the transcendence of God drew him as a light draws a moth. He never ‘got over it.’ This is what comes to my mind when I hear the phrase, ‘first love’ in relation to God.