Evidently, a number of those associated with the Smyrna congregation were poor materially. But at one time, they were commended for being spiritually rich. How encouraging it must have been to Christians in Smyrna to hear Jesus’ words recorded by the apostle John! Said Christ to the “angel,” or anointed overseers, at Smyrna: “I know your tribulation and poverty​—but you are rich—​and the blasphemy by those who say they themselves are Jews, and yet they are not but are a synagogue of Satan.

Revelation 2:8-10.

Any spiritual richness that may have continued among professing Christians at Smyrna was no doubt directly related to the fine oversight of congregation elders. That era was one of tumultuous religious struggling, and members of the congregation served amid conflicting creeds and cults. Their witnessing territory was rife with demonic practices, including sorcery and astrology, and thus the climate was one of godlessness.