4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail[a] on account of him. Even so. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
John begins the Revelation with a prologue in 1:1-3 that helps the reader to understand the mode and purpose of the letter. In 1:4-8 he also includes a more traditional greeting similar to those found in other NT epistles (2 Cor. 2:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:1-2) which serves to identify both the author (John) and his audience (the seven churches in Asia). The common greeting of “grace” and “peace” is offered to them by John from the Triune God (1:4-5). While not named, “the one who is and who was and who is to come” is to be identified with God the Father Almighty, especially in light of 1:8. The “seven spirits” are not individual angelic beings but is instead a reference to the Holy Spirit who is active throughout the events of Revelation. Jesus Christ is then mentioned, being described as the “faithful witness.” John himself is acting as a witness and calling his readers to do the same. In this they are to emulate Christ Himself. He is the one who came to fulfill the Word of God and to bear witness to the truth. Although He went to the cross, He has been raised to the position of all rule and authority.
John then offers a doxology which recalls the work of Christ for us and in us. He has “freed” us from our sins by the shedding of His blood. We are no longer slaves, but as ransomed individuals we have been brought together to form a corporate body. Christians have become a kingdom of priests because of the work of Christ. While we anticipate ruling with Him during His earthly reign (Rev. 20:1-6), we can be assured that we are already His people and we have a priestly mission (1 Pet. 2:9) to mediate His presence to the world as His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20). We are to worship Him as the one and only Sovereign who alone is worthy of glory and praise.
John recognizes the implication of this doxology in 1:7 and states very clearly the overall focus of the book: the soon return of Christ and its subsequent results. In order to convey this, John inserts the Greek word idou as a marker which serves to draw attention to what follows. He then proceeds to describe the soon coming of Christ with a combination of Dan. 7:13 and Zech. 12:10, both OT prophecies which anticipate the coming of the Messiah to receive His Kingdom as well as the response of people to His return. Of interest is the Zech. 12:10 reference which in its OT context refers to Israel’s response to the pouring out of God’s grace upon them, however in John’s usage also anticipates the repentance (the mourning/wailing is repentant sorrow) of gentiles.
John’s response to the certain reality of Christ’s return is that of a faithful witness and is therefore the response of all of the churches: “amen” or “let it be.” This section concludes, however, with the words of God Almighty in 1:8 who serves as a second witness to the truth of what has been said regarding the return of Christ. Just as John the Baptist bore witness to Christ in His first coming (Luke 3:1-20) and that testimony was confirmed by God the Father (Luke 3:21-22) , so John the apostle bears witness here and the testimony is confirmed by the Father who identifies Himself as the Alpha and the Omega. The words of John are certain because they are confirmed by God Himself.
Join us this Sunday as we come together to be encouraged by Christ’s eminent return. Although believers face times of persecution and difficulty in this life, we must be reminded that Christ possesses all dominion and authority, the truth of which will be confirmed upon His return!
Soli Deo Gloria.
-Thomas