Jesus is the first and the last, the one who died and came to life again. He is the alpha and the omega and everything in between. He lives in the power of endless life.
Smyrna is İzmir. The letter speaks to a church under pressure and praises faithfulness. Polycarp, remembered as a hearer of John, was bishop here and was killed in the second century. The church that bears his name is the usual stop in the modern city.
The ancient agora is still in the city. Smyrna is not a fenced archaeological park on a hill. It is a working port, and the letter is read against that noise.