Bible Matrix ⑦_158_REV 2:8 – Who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03MceAMhRd4
Bible Matrix ⑦: Historical & Scientific Views on Daniel and Revelation
Part 2. Revelation
Revelation 2:8~11 - To the Church in Smyrna, Tribulation/Persecution/Martyrdom, Receiving Only Praise from Jesus
Revelation 2:8 – Who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again
<Revelation> 2:8 - To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. (NIV)
○ As I already fully mentioned in <Bible Matrix ⑦_140>, “the First and the Last” means the same meaning of <Revelation> 1:17, that is, “I am the First and the Last”. This means that Jesus Christ, as the Creator of this world and the universe, is in control of (or presides over) the First and the Last, and the Beginning and the End.
○ As I already mentioned in detail in <Bible Matrix ⑦_140>, “who died and came to life again” means the same as “I am the Living One; I was dead” in <Revelation> 1:18. This means that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected on the third day, that is, the Living One. So it is the message of Jesus Christ that gives the hope of resurrection to the members of the church in Smyrna, who was (or is) facing death as martyrdom due to the suffering and persecution.
○ The resurrection is the basis for being bold even in the face of martyrdom. The members of the Church in Smyrna who believed in the resurrection were no longer afraid of martyrdom, and their lives before and after believing in the resurrection could not be the same. This is also the theme of the movie ‘Risen‘(2016).