We saw in the last message the letter of our glorified Lord Jesus to the believers in Ephesus.

It was a church that was biblically sound, but they've lost their first love for Jesus.

They were doing things and even believing the truth, but all of what they were doing is not coming out of

their love for Jesus, and Jesus was warning them that he removed the lamp stand.

Now here, the believers in Smyrna, they kept the love for Jesus, which caused them persecution.

Now, beloved, listen to me, it is most often the case when your love for Jesus is real.

Let me repeat this. When your love for Jesus is real, it will cause you suffering. It will cause you suffering. The city of Smyrna is now

modern Izmir in Turkey, about 35 miles north of Ephesus. Smyr was a great trading city.

Smyrna still, even though those many years later, it's still a beautiful city.

In fact, it was called the ornament of Asia. It was called the crown of Asia. It was called the flower of Asia.

And it was founded in the year 1000,000 BC as a Greek colony.

But about 600 BC, it was totally demolished.

It was totally destroyed by the Lydians.

And it remained desolate for 400 years until the Romans rebuilt it in the year 195 BC. Just remember that date.

And because Rome rebuilt it, the citizens of Shmana were so beholding to Rome, felt so indebted to Rome, felt so thankful to Rome,

so the first temple they built was to the goddess Roma.

You know Rome was named after the goddess Roma?

And that is why it was the first city in Asia Minor to build

the temple to the goddess, Roma. In fact, there was a joke at that time. People would say,

these Smyrna's folks, there are more Romans than the Romans. But that's not all. They built temples for every God

they heard about, whether it'll be Zeus or Sybil or Apollo or Nemesis or Aphrodites. Just build a temple

for them. Please all the gods. To mention just a few. These people who bow down to every miserable God that they heard about,

...