Disciples Digital Library

After persevering through persecution, the ever-faithful church at Smyrna is promised even more tribulation, but also great rewards to overcomers .  Smyrna was a seaport renowned for its beauty, and it prospered from its seaborne commerce. Unfortunately for the church, the imperial cult was well-established in the city. The origin of the congregation is unknown, and the book of  Revelation  is the only New Testament document that mentions the city .

Upon his arrival in Babylon, Daniel was confronted with a predicament. If he consumed the food and drink of the king, it would impinge on his ritual impurity. While he might have wished to avoid eating “unclean” meats, more likely, his concern was that consuming the “ king’s delicacies ” meant participation in the idolatrous rituals of the Babylonian court and pagan religion.