In lieu of the profundity of what we are about to read and study,
I can’t think of a better way to introduce this next passage other than to read
the words of John and then proceed to the 5 elements that together comprise
his incredible introduction to the seven churches in Revelation 1:4-8.
Revelation 1:4-8-“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, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—and He
has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His
God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever
and ever. Amen. Behold,
He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who
pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is
to be. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord
God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”
1. Greeting-1:4a
In Revelation 1:1-3 we witnessed the introduction of the
Book of Revelation. Here, we witness John’s introduction to the direct
recipients of this work. As is the case with most other New Testament epistles,
Revelation contains an author, recipients, and a corresponding greeting—“John
to the seven churches that are in Asia, grace to you and peace” (1:4a). In this
case, the author is the apostle John (see our notes from 1:1-3), the recipients
include (at least immediately/directly) seven churches in Asia, and the greeting
is “grace and peace.” While we’ve already spent some time discussing the
author, one might be wondering “why seven churches?” Is there something significant
about each of them? Does the number seven simply denote completeness? Is each
church representative of a coming age in church history? It is more likely that
God taps John to write to these seven historical churches because they
represented typical assemblies in their respective regions—typical, that is, regarding
their histories and spiritual state (Thomas, 64). In other words, the seven
churches adequately identify and represent the various spiritual situations
that were present in the contexts surrounding each one.
Each of these churches were in what was referred to as
“Asia” in the first century. Unlike what we know to be Asia today (China,
Mongolia, India, etc.), this designation refers to a Roman province located
across the western third of the peninsula called Asia Minor (in modern day
Turkey) on the coast of the Aegean Sea. This Roman province was one of the
richest regions of the empire and it is where John the apostle spent the last
years of his life. As best as can be put together, John left Jerusalem in the
late 60s AD while the Jewish people were in rebellion against Rome and went to
Asia where he became the recognized leader of the Asian churches. It is almost
certain that John knew these seven churches of this region well and was the
credible and respected candidate God used to speak to each one.
The initial greeting is simple and standard—“grace to you
and peace” (1:4b, see also Rom. 1:7). As this greeting is also found in many of
Paul’s letters (with the exception of 1 and 2 Timothy), when the believers in
these churches heard these words, they probably associated what followed (the contents
of Revelation) with the letters received earlier from others (Paul, Peter,
etc.) or at least viewed the present work as sharing the same authoritative
qualities as previous apostolic works.
What Revelation and these other letters offer by way of a
greeting reveals their source of encouragement—“grace and peace.” It is the
grace of God that made the Word of God known in the Scriptures (every book in
general, every letter specifically, and Revelation in particular). It is also
the grace of God through these Scriptures that reveals the source of
salvation—Jesus Christ—who saves believers by grace through faith. Those who
receive and embrace these words and the gospel therein will experience the
“peace” of God—that is the ultimate peace that a person can enjoy. These are the ideals that John introduces in the
greeting to the churches. As we will soon learn, many of these churches were in
the throws of persecution and extreme pressure. Others were tempted to replace
the gospel with false doctrine. Still others were near dead! Revelation wants
to begin its message to these congregations from a posture of grace and peace
since these two blessings are essential not only for the individual but for the churches
they belong to as they persevere on the world’s stage.
2. Greeter-1:4c-5a
Though John is responsible for writing down the greeting
offered, the greeter is identified in the latter part of verse 4 and into verse
5 by means of three prepositional phrases each beginning with “from” in the
NASB. First, the greeting is offered “from Him who is and who was and who is to
come” (1:4c). This unique phrase alludes to the LXX (Septuagint/Greek Old
Testament) reading of Exodus 3:14 (where God identifies Himself as the I AM)
and focuses on God’s eternal nature (past, present, and future). This
connection to Exodus 3:14 indicates that this first prepositional phrase
identifies God the Father. As God the Father is the sovereign Lord who controls
the future, he now uses his knowledge to inform and encourage his people about
their destiny on earth and in heaven (Wilson, ZIBBC, 252). In other words, the churches are being greeted by the
one who knows how it all pans out in the end! Who better to offer an
encouragement for the present?
However, the greeter is also identified by a second
prepositional phrase—“and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne”
(1:4d). While some believe that these seven Spirits refers to seven archangels
recognized by Judaism, a better case can be made for this to be a reference to
the Holy Spirit of God. Not only does the immediate context suggest that the
“seven Spirits” is parallel to “Him who is and who was and who is to come” and
what follows after (“and from Jesus Christ”), but later these seven Spirits are
described as the Lamb’s seven eyes sent out into the earth (Rev. 5:6). Before that these seven Spirits (or what the
NIV calls the seven-fold Spirit) are witnessed before the throne as
blazing lamps (Rev. 4:5). Not only that, but Zechariah 4:1-10 identifies seven
lights on gold lampstands and refers to these as the eyes of the Lord which
range throughout the earth. Finally, Isaiah 11:2 mentions a seventh attribute
of the Spirit—the Spirit “of the fear of the LORD”—is added to the other six. With
all of this in mind, it is appropriate to interpret the “seven Spirits” as a loaded title for the single and sole Holy Spirit of God (i.e. the third member of the
Trinity). “Since the plurals of Revelation 1—seven spirits, seven churches, and
seven angels—all become singular in chapters 2-3, John’s emphasis may also be
on the distinctive ministry of the Holy Spirit to each church” in their
respective context (Wilson, ZIBBC, 252).
God the Father and God the Spirit both greet the church. Two
members of the Trinity accounted for so far. Want to try for a third?
The opening of verse 5 rounds out the trinitarian greeting
to the churches when it identifies God the Son—“and from Jesus Christ, the
faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the
earth” (1:5a). Parallel to the two members that precede Him, Jesus is
identified by his own set of appositional (descriptive) phrases that celebrate different
episodes of his ministry. “The faithful witness” recalls Jesus’ role as God’s
greatest ever revelation to the world (Col. 1:15) and the one who best
testifies to the truth (John 18:37).
“Firstborn of the dead” (or, after taking into account the Genitive of
source, “Firstborn from among the dead”) implies that after Jesus died he was
the first to be gloriously raised to resurrected life (see 1 Cor. 15:20-28). “The
ruler of the kings of the earth” predicts his future existential reign over the
kingdom of God which has dominion over all (1 Tim. 6:14-15).
In all, the greeter identified in verses 4-5a is the
Trinity—God the Father, God the Spirit, and God the Son. This Trinity is
conspicuous throughout the entire book and reminds the church of its proper
destination of worship. The Trinity introduced creation (Gen. 1), introduced
Jesus’ earthly ministry (a ministry that was necessary to save creation) (Matt.
3:11-17), and is identified here as encouraging the saints as they anticipate a
new creation and ultimate salvation (Rev. 1:5a).
Triads figure prominently in the book of Revelation. As you
read and study the Apocalypse of John, try to identify how many groups of “threes”
you can find in its pages. Let me give you a taste of how prolific they are.
There is a triad in verse 2 (seen in the
three elements of John’s testimony), in verse 3 (“blessed is he who reads and
those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written
in it”), and there is also a triad used to identify God the Father in verse 4
(“who is and who was and who is to come”). They are literally everywhere! While
not every triad is of special theological significance, this pervasive use of 3
throughout the book is one example of its careful organization and beauty.
3.
Gratefulness-1:5b-6
After having identified the greeting and the greeter, we now
come to the presumed response of those who receive the greeting—gratefulness.
In an eruption of praise, Jesus Christ is celebrated in response to God’s
greeting to the church. First, Christ is celebrated for his love—“to Him who
loves us” (1:5b). Not only has Jesus proved his love in his first coming, he
will prove it again in his second coming. For the meantime, the love of Jesus
will carry the churches and the church through each and every epoch.
Christ is not only celebrated for his great love, he is also
praised for his ability to save—“and released us from our sins by His blood”
(1:5c). The verb means “to release from control, to set free.” Under the Old
Testament ritual law, the blood of the sacrifice of t he Day of Atonement freed
Israel from its sins temporarily. The Jewish people had also been freed from
Egypt by the blood of the Passover Lamb (Keener, IVP BBC, 728).
This is the second time the Exodus narrative has been
mentioned in connection with the book of Revelation. As you are counting triads
in your reading and study, see if you can spot this book’s many allusions to
Moses’ conflict with Pharaoh, the plagues, and the salvation of God’s people
found in the second book of the Bible.
These Old Testament images foreshadowed Christ’s redemptive
work on the cross whereupon he provided the satisfaction for sins to God once
for all in a blood offering to end all blood offerings (Heb. 10). In spilling
his own blood, he broke the chains of sin and released believers from the
penalty thereof. (By the way, the image of blood is something else that figures
prominently in the rest of the Book of Revelation. However, aside from the Lamb’s
description in chapter 5, it isn’t Christ’s blood that will one day be
spilt).
Christ is also celebrated as the King and Ordainer in verse
6—“and He has made us to be a kingdom” (1:6a). (By the way, did you happen to
see that most recent triad—“to him who loves us, and has freed us…and has made
use to be a kingdom and priests…”—I’m telling you, they are everywhere). This
final praiseworthy role that Jesus satisfies is twofold. First, John
successfully highlight’s Jesus office as the sovereign Ruler over his domain.
Though the Jews expected this upon Christ’s first advent (and then rejected him
because he didn’t look the part), this passage predicts that Jesus is the
coming King of a very real kingdom made up of kingdom citizens. Second, Jesus
also successfully ordains the saved as priests of God the Father. These two
ideas—kingdom citizens and priests—come together here and also in (I’ll give
you three guesses…) Exodus!
Exodus 19:6-“You will be for me a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation.”
The apostle Peter saw this promise fulfilled in Christ for
all believers (both Jew and Gentile).
1 Peter 2:9-“But you are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation.”
The one who loves, saves, and appoints his people is
celebrated by the recipients of this revelation. John writes “To Him be the
glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 1:6c). In other words,
this doxology asks for what is true of Christ now to be celebrated into eternity.
4. Glimpse-1:7
Following this doxology of gratitude is a glimpse into the
future. First, the reader is made aware of what will happen—“Behold, He is
coming with the clouds” (1:7a). The language of the verse is drawn from Daniel
7:13.
Daniel 7:13-“I kept looking in the night visions, and
behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came
up to the Ancient of days and was presented before Him.”
The reference in Daniel is a prediction of the emerging
Messiah who comes to save his people.
John goes on to reveal that “every eye will see Him, even
those who pierced Him and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So
it is to be. Amen,…”” (1:7b). In other words, while Daniel speaks directly to
the Jewish people in exile, Revelation universalizes the reference to include
people from every tribe on the earth—including “those who pierced Him.”
Zechariah 12:10 also talks about this latter group.
Zechariah 12:10-“I will pour out on the house of
David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of
supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced, and they
will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly
over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”
To whom does this refer? Perhaps Matthew 24:30 helps us with
an answer.
Matthew 24:30-“And then the signs of the Son of Man
will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and
great glory”
It would appear as though Matthew blends Daniel 7:13 and
Zechariah 12:10 to identify those who do not repent of their sins and embrace
the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who are not pierced in their heart upon
hearing the truth about Jesus (like those in Acts 2) prove that they are still
in their sin—the same sin that pierced Jesus’ hands, feet, and side. These
include Jews who rejected Jesus and the lost who deny Him. Even the lost will
see him, and, when he returns, they will not be celebrating, but mourning.
Four things can be gleaned from this brief glimpse into the future. 1. Jesus is coming back with the
clouds, 2. Every eye will see him, 3. His pierced body will be seen especially
by his executors (those still in their sin), and 4. Everyone left on the earth
when this happens will mourn because of him. “Since only unbelievers are
depicted as mourning in Revelation (cf. 18:9, 11, 15, 19), they are the ones
who become remorseful at Jesus’ coming when they recognize him whom they have
rejected” (Wilson, ZIBBC, 254). This would suggest that when this prophecy is
fulfilled, one better find themselves already with the Lord and not witnessing
His return from the earth’s perspective. This is one piece of evidence for a
rapture. If those on the earth are mourning and the church is celebrating, then
it would suggest that at this point (particularly during the events covered later in
Revelation) the church and the lost are in two different realms. Put more
simply, the church might already be in heaven when the events in Revelation take
place. This would indicate that some event has already transpired in which the
lost and saved are separated.
5. God-1:8
John ends the introduction to the churches with a
presentation of the God who is about to provide the revelation they will soon
receive. This he does by means of, you guessed it, another triad, this time in
the form of a threefold description. First, God –that is the trinitarian God
already introduced—is cast as the most ultimate being—“I am the Alpha and the
Omega” (Rev. 1:8a). “Some Greco-Roman
writers called the supreme deity the ‘first,’ but the Old Testament (Isa. 41:4)
and now Revelation calls the God of Israel the first and the last. This is what is meant by the first and last letters
of the Greek Alphabet” (Keener, IVP BBC, 729).
Through this expression, John sets the one true God’s transcendence over and above the
supposed transcendence of pagan gods.
Second, God is cast as the most present being—“who is and
who was and who is to come” (Rev. 1:8b). Though before and after all things,
God is also at work in human history (indicating his immanence). In fact, he is
very near and involved in the details both now and on to the end of the world.
Third, God is framed as the most powerful being
(omnipotence)—“the Almighty” (1:8c). Of the ten occurrences of this divine
description in the New Testament, nine are found in the Apocalypse of John. Historians
believe that the use of this descriptive title followed contemporary language
(that is contemporary to John) as Greek-speaking Jews often called God “the
omnipotent,” “all powerful,” or “the Almighty” (Keener, IVP BBC, 729).
So What?
Though this exciting work is directly addressed to the seven
churches of Asia Minor in the first century, applications can still be made for
the church today. After all, the greeter in this passage is the same yesterday,
today, and tomorrow and we as his church are still thankful for his great love
for us, his Son’s sacrifice on our behalf, and the opportunity we now have as
citizens of his coming kingdom and priests of the Father. At least one major
takeaway is witnessed in this important introduction that might be highlighted
by the following question—“how will you react when Jesus returns?” Will you,
having apprehended the grace of God know peace or will you mourn as one who is
still implicated in the same sins for which Jesus was pierced? It is not a
matter of IF Jesus is returning, but WHEN. Where will you be standing when
every eye beholds him? Standing with Jesus or against him? Rejoicing or
mourning?
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