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"To the angel of the assembly in Smyrna write: "The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life says these things:
Verse Takeaways
1
A Title for the Persecuted
Commentators unanimously agree that Jesus's self-description as 'the first and the last, who was dead, and is alive' was specifically chosen to comfort the church in Smyrna. For believers facing intense persecution and the threat of martyrdom, this title served as a powerful reminder that their Savior had already conquered death and held ultimate authority over history.
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Book Overview
Revelation
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6
18th Century
Presbyterian
And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write. On the meaning of the word angel, see Barnes on Revelation 1:20.
These…
In Smyrna (εν Σμυρνη). North of Ephesus, on a gulf of the Aegean, one of the great cities of Asia (province), a seat of emperor-wo…
19th Century
Anglican
Smyrna, the modern Izmir, now has a population of about 150,000. Its mercantile prosperity may be measured by its trade. In 1852 the expor…
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The speaker identifies himself as “him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again” (cf. comments on 1:17–18). The “First and La…
17th Century
Reformed Baptist
And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write Of the city of Smyrna, (See Gill on Revelation 1:11).
Our Lord Jesus is the First, for by him all things were made; he was before all things, with God, and is God himself. He is the Last, for he will b…
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