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.
Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Σμύρνῃ ἐκκλησίας γράψον·Τάδε λέγει ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος, ὃς ἐγένετο νεκρὸς καὶ ἔζησεν·
The second letter is addressed to the believers in the city of Smyrna. Jesus writes to the angel because the angel is the messenger of the words of Jesus. The angel stands in their midst. The angel does not replace the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, angels represent the very presence of God. Jesus is called again the First and Last. He existed before all things and stands outside of time. But he is also present with people now. He will have the last word as the judge. The simple gospel is that Jesus died and rose again. This has been the central creed of Christians since Jesus ascended and the church was born on Pentecost. Jesus’ victory over death as one of us and one with us qualifies him as the perfect sacrifice and remedy for sin. John will explain this idea more in chapters 4-5. This verse introduces two significant ideas about Jesus: his eternity as the First and Last, and his earthly immanence as the one who died and rose again.
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