Revelation 2:8: And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive.

John's second and shortest letter was sent to the angel (servant)¹ of the church in Smyrna.² This city was on the coast of the Aegean Sea about 40-50 miles north of Ephesus.³ Smyrna rivaled Ephesus in commercial importance.⁴ The citizens of Smyrna also catered to their Roman overlords,⁵ and it was a center of fanatical emperor worship.⁶ It was also the acclaimed birthplace of Homer, the famous Greek author.⁷

At the time of John's letter, Polycarp was probably the bishop in Smyrna.⁸ John knew Polycarp personally and mentored him.⁹ Polycarp served faithfully in the church at Smyrna¹⁰ until he was martyred¹¹ about 155 AD.¹² The writings of Eusibius (Yoo-SEE-bee-uhs) include the graphic details of Polycarp's death.¹³ Polycarp was highly revered by the faithful saints of Smyrna in life¹⁴ and in death.¹⁵ The remnant of Christ's church in Smyrna may have metaphorically died with him.¹⁶

John's letter to his friend Polycarp¹⁷ begins with this formal salutation from the Savior: These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive.¹⁸ This salutation contains a poetic writing style called antithetical parallelism,¹⁹ which uses comparative and converse clauses to convey the message.²⁰ John writes his entire letter to the Smyrnian saints in this style.²¹ The letter illustrates the paradoxical truth that the righteous dead receive life eternal.²² The promise is certain because it comes from one who died and lived again.²³ Thus, Polycarp lived and died at Smyrna (meaning myrrh),²⁴ but his faithfulness unto death assured him of eternal life.²⁵ Christ's repeated message of life beyond death²⁶ alludes also to Smyrna's geopolitical history as a city that was destroyed many times and rose again to life.²⁷

John's letter does not condemn the saints in Smyrna,²⁸ but their church eventually died with the martyred saints at the hands of both Romans²⁹ and Jews.³⁰ The predicted and relentless attacks on Christians came at the hands of non-Christian Jews.³¹ In Smyrna, the Jews were more murderous than the Romans.³² With great consolation, John's letter promised eternal life³³ to martyred saints who were embalmed in death with the myrrh of Smyrna.³⁴

Revelation 2:9: 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.

Christ is omniscient (all-knowing)³⁵ and can, therefore, tell the saints in Smyrna that I know thy works.³⁶ He also knows they suffered tribulation from persecution³⁷ because of their devotion to Christ.³⁸ He knows they endured extreme poverty³⁹ because the Jews slandered Christians to Roman authorities⁴⁰ and accused them of wrongs against the empire.⁴¹ Christians were excluded from trade guilds on account of their faith in Christ.⁴² The Romans customarily confiscated the properties of accused saints and imprisoned them.⁴³ The loss of their earthly goods, however, caused the saints in Smyrna to be rich in spirit⁴⁴ and in heavenly things.⁴⁵

The Jews of Judea condemned Christ to die for the crime of blasphemy⁴⁶ because Christ said he was the Son of God.⁴⁷ The Jews⁴⁸ of Smyrna committed blasphemy⁴⁹ when they publicly defamed the Christians⁵⁰ and caused the Roman authorities to condemn them for their faith in the Son of God.⁵¹ Blasphemies of all kinds⁵² were carried out against Christians by them which say they are Jews, and are not.⁵³ The blasphemers were Jews by their descent from Abraham,⁵⁴ but their bloodlust belied their bloodline.⁵⁵ Satan had become their spiritual father, and they were children of the devil.⁵⁶

After Christ's death, the Jews continued to worship Jehovah in their synagogues.⁵⁷ They did so in the Mosaic tradition,⁵⁸ without recognizing that Jehovah was also Jesus Christ.⁵⁹ The synagogue was a place of religious worship and judicial authority⁶⁰ with the power to execute judgment in the form of floggings.⁶¹ Jewish leaders used both functions of the synagogue⁶² to incite the Jews to persecute Christians,⁶³ to commit blasphemy against them,⁶⁴ and to actively participate in their martyrdom, including Polycarp.⁶⁵ The religious and civil observances in the synagogue became antichrist,⁶⁶ which made each such meeting place the synagogue of Satan.⁶⁷ The synagogue became an integral part of Satan's kingdom on earth during the apostolic period.⁶⁸ The Book of Mormon calls Satan's kingdom from this era the great and abominable church.⁶⁹

Revelation 2:10: 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.

This verse answers the age-old question of why righteous people suffer.⁷⁰ Christ spoke of this paradoxically when he said: Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer.⁷¹ He meant that righteous suffering⁷² need not be feared⁷³ because the sufferer will be glorified.⁷⁴ Christ knew this because he suffered more than any other person⁷⁵ ever would or ever could,⁷⁶ and he rose to glory on the right hand of God.⁷⁷ Those that suffer and endure great tribulation⁷⁸ for Christ's sake will be glorified as he was glorified.⁷⁹ The same paradoxical promise is found in the Sermon on the Mount, where Christ pronounced a blessing upon the righteous who suffer tribulation.⁸⁰ Similarly, James, the half-brother of Christ (before he died by stoning),⁸¹ said, "count it all joy when ye fall into many afflictions."⁸²

With great empathy,⁸³ Christ warned the saints in Smyrna of their future suffering⁸⁴ that ye may be tried.⁸⁵ They were cast into prison as a trial of their faith, and the devil was their jailor because his influence caused the Jews⁸⁶ to falsely accuse (blaspheme) the saints of Smyrna.⁸⁷

Christ also warned the suffering saints of Smyrna that ye shall have tribulation ten days.⁸⁸ Scholars interpret this phrase very differently.⁸⁹ Fundamentally, ten is the symbolic world number that refers to the whole of a part.⁹⁰ Here, it identifies a period of time (long or short)⁹¹ of intense Satanic power⁹² when God will fulfill his eternal purposes to bless his faithful saints.⁹³ The saints in Smyrna were told to be faithful unto death during the tribulation,⁹⁴ which may suggest that the ten days for them lasted until Polycarp's death in 155 AD.⁹⁵

Christ's final paradoxical promise is a crown of life⁹⁶ to the faithful dead.⁹⁷ All saints that endure to the end⁹⁸ of their physical life will receive a crown of eternal life.⁹⁹ The crown of life was a well-suited symbol¹⁰⁰ for the saints in Smyrna because crowns were awarded at the Olympic games held in that city.¹⁰¹ Unlike a garland of victory from the Olympic games, however, the crown of life refers to a diadem of royalty.¹⁰² Those that receive the crown of eternal life will rule and reign forever in the celestial kingdom.¹⁰³ However, all saints must endure to the end or they will lose their crown of life.¹⁰⁴