Structure of Smyrna, Revelation 2:8-11

Study:

"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 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. 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. 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."   Revelation 2:8-11

Partial Structure (obvious indicators of structure):

A

B

C

D

D'

C'

B'

A'

 

dead ... alive

tribulation

Satan

the devil

tribulation

death ... life

 

Layer 4:

"...I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried;..." vss. 9,10

This verse seems to recall the following...

"But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake." Luke 21:12

Judgment by the ecclesiastical authority to punishment by the civil authority? Or perhaps it is just fellow brothers and sisters being snitches and turning you over to the civil authority.

"And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death." Luke 21:16

Layer 2:

Your life is hid in Christ. He is your example. Though you may suffer death now, just as Christ died and rose again, so you will gain a crown of victory... life eternal.

Layer 1:

This layer carries the same general message as the rest... that of persecution, suffering, and death... but  it tempers that with a positive message much like that of the second layer. First there is verse 11 and what it seems to imply but does not say explicitly... "You will suffer and be killed but,..." "...He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." Verse 8 says "the church in Smyrna" or "the church in Myrrh", for that is what Smyrna means, myrrh. And what is myrrh? It is a perfume.

"All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad." Psalm 45:8

"I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon." Proverbs 7:17

"Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?" Song of Solomon 3:6

"I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock." Song of Solomon 5:5

But myrrh, Heb. מוֺר - môwr, comes from Heb. מָרַר - mârar, "bitter," for though a perfume, its beginnings are bitter originating in suffering and even death. And how can suffering and death be perfume? The death of the saints is a beautiful perfume for God, not because they suffer and die cruel deaths but because they are Jobs proving not only to a watching universe, but also to Christ's arch-foe, their accuser, Satan, their great love for God, His Son, His truth, and His Law.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Psalm 116:15

Structure:

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write;

These things saith the first and the last,
which was dead, and is alive;

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.

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.

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.

To be continued...