Smyrna: The Suffering Church Revelation 2:8–11

Smyrna was named for the word myrrh, an aromatic gum resin that is bitter to the taste but sweet to the smell. It was used to embalm the dead in the first century (Jn. 19:39). The church in Smyrna faced bitter persecution and death, yet it emitted a fragrant testimony of faithful commitment to Christ in the midst of an idolatrous society. The city of Smyrna was 35 miles from Ephesus. It was loc