The Lord is the First and the Last — to the church in Smyrna in Revelation 2
Revelation 2:8 And to the messenger of the church in Smyrna write: These things says the First and the Last, who became dead and lived again:
Footnote 2 In suffering, the church must know that the Lord is the First and the Last, the ever-exiting, unchanging One. Whatever the persecuting environment may be, the Lord remains the same; nothing can precede Him, nor can anything exist after Him. All things are within the limits of His control.
The natural end to all things is death - death is the end of all things. But here the Lord makes a contrast that death is not the last, but He is. This shows to the suffering church in Smyrna to not worry about death but to remember the Lord has all things within His control. The Lord will fulfill and carry out all things and will leave nothing unfinished. What a promise to the church in Smyrna!