When does myrrh release its fragrance?
Myrrh does not exude its fragrance until it is crushed. This principle is drawn from the meaning of Smyrna, which is like myrrh. The crushing releases the aroma. In the same way, persecution crushed the believers at Smyrna, and they exuded their testimony.
Les explains that Smyrna actually meant just like myrrh, and myrrh does not exude its fragrance until it's crushed. This illustrates the church at Smyrna: the more persecution crushed those believers, the more they exuded their testimony. Satan had to give up persecuting the early church because he couldn't get ahead of it; the more he persecuted, the more it thrived. So he took the office attack, which was to join them, and then Christianity began to slide. In Revelation chapter 2, the letter to Smyrna in verse 9 speaks of tribulation.