Smyrna, a persecuted church, was facing poverty and affliction. Yet, they were rich in what mattered to God. The lesson for us is about the true 'wealth' in self-sacrifice, service, and the pursuit of justice and righteousness. It challenges us to redefine success and prosperity in God's terms.
graph TD
B[Barley, glory of Israel] -->|Rev 2:8 - Smyrna| Smyrna
B -->|Scientific Name| HordeumVulgare[Hordeum vulgare]
Scientific name: Hordeum vulgare.
The Barley and the Glory of Israel
Smyrna, the second of seven communities mentioned in Rev 2-3 whose guardian angel Telios (also known as Gabriel) stood against the spirit and man of lawlessness embodying the deaconic hand gift in the NT ecclesia representing the deaconic genius of artisanal excellence in the execution of the will of God. This is love perfected within the City of faith that implements with precision and declares the “Thus says the Lord” to interpret exactly which way to proceed either to the left or to the right or not at all.