^2:8 “To the messenger of the church in Smyrna, write: The first and the last, who was dead and became alive, says:

“To the messenger of the church in Smyrna, write:

The first and the last, who was dead and became alive, says:

This is the everlasting God, who is the first and the last. Even as He conquered death and is alive, so, too, those who suffer persecution at Smyrna and may be killed will receive the CROWN OF Life (Revelation 2:10)

Recalling that Smyrna is derived from "myrrh" or sweet fragrance, Paul uses that expression of fragrance in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16. We as Christians are a fragrance in this world (especially among the stench of death).