Thy Kingdom Come – the Book of Revelation
Class 4 - February 2026
The Church at Smyrna
The city of Smyrna, whose name means myrrh, is forever remembered as a city in which its citizens constantly faced the sweetness of life and the bitterness of death every day of their life. For the church, their poverty and persecution often led to a longing for comfort in their world. In this letter, Jesus Christ offers them and us, three aspects of comfort when under trial that would bring the ultimate reward to all true believers. This letter reminds us uniquely of the Lord as The King Who loves His future bride as we see Psalm 45 speaks of His garments smell of myrrh.
0:00 Introduction - Psalm 45
9:17 The 1st Aspect of Comfort
17:12 The 2nd Aspect of Comfort
22:09 The 3rd Aspect of Comfort
26:34 The Lord's Promise to His Future Bride
City Name
In order to understand the meaning of the name Smyrna, it would be helpful to briefly consider Psalm 45, entitled in Scripture, “A song of love.” Historically it is held that it speaks of a royal wedding of “THE King” (v. 1) and therefore, the marriage of Christ and the Church.
Let’s read verses 2 through 8 to see the link with the church at Smyrna.
Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. 3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. 4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible [lit: awesome] things. 5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. 6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. 7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
Verse 8 speaks of the very fragrant perfume of myrrh, which is the meaning of the city’s Greek name, Smyrna. An alternate name for myrrh is “balm of Gilead.”
Smyrna is the Greek word for the stout thorny tree of Smyrna that produces the myrrh gum.
[Read the entire lesson by clicking on PDF transcript below]
