Revelation 2:8-11; Under the direction of Jesus Christ, the Apostle John continued to record messages to the Seven Churches in Asia. Similar to Ephesus, Smyrna was a costal port town with a long history with the Roman empire. Smyrna was given the honor of building a temple for emperor worship, which put Christianity between pagan religious hostility and harsh treatment by a strong Jewish community in the city. Therefore, Jesus urged the church to persevere in the face of hostility, imprisonment, persecution and even to the point of death. Their promised reward would be the “victor’s crown” and complete protection from “the second death“.