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Greetings to the Seven Churches
Revelation 1.4-8
Good News Translation (GNT)
4 From John to the seven churches in the
province of Asia:
Grace and peace be yours from God, who is,
who was, and who is to come, and from the
seven spirits in front of his throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,
the first to be raised from death and who is
also the ruler of the kings of the world.
He loves us, and by his sacrificial death he
has freed us from our sins
6 and made us a kingdom of priests to serve
his God and Father.
To Jesus Christ be the glory and power
forever and ever! Amen.
7 Look, he is coming on the clouds!
Everyone will see him, including those who
pierced him.
All peoples on earth will mourn over him.
So shall it be!
8 "I am the first and the last," says the
Lord God Almighty, who is,
who was, and who is to come.
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Commentary taken from
'The Applied New Testament Commentary' (Kingsway)
'Greetings to the Seven Churches'
Revelation 1.4-8
John wrote this book of Revelation for seven churches in particular, which were located in the Roman province of Asia, now modern Turkey.
These churches were in the major cities of that province.
In this way, John's book could easily be passed on to all the other churches in the province.
But we must remember that this book was written not just for the churches of Asia; it was written for every church in every generation - including ours.
Grace and peace to you from him (God), who is, and who was, and who is to come (verse 4).
God has no beginning or ending.
And indeed, He is to come again.
Therefore, when the final tribulations come at the end of the world, let Christians remember that all events are ultimately under the control of God.
God is the Lord of every circumstance and situation.
Grace and peace also come from the seven spirits.
Who these seven spirits are is not certain, but many believe that they represent seven aspects or virtues of the Holy Spirit.
Grace and peace also come from Jesus Christ (verse 5), who is the faithful witness.
One of Jesus' works was to be God's witness (see John 3:31-34; 18:37).
Jesus here is also called the firstborn from the dead.
(see Psalm 89:27; 1 Corinthians 15:20; Colossians 1:18).
There will be a resurrection of the bodies of all believers in heaven, but Jesus' resurrection has come before all the others; therefore, He is the "firstborn"
(1 Corinthians 15:23).
Jesus is also the ruler of the kings of the earth. He is the King of kings (Revelation 17:14).
He is the supreme Lord of the universe
(Philip-pians 2:9-11).
Satan had offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour (Matthew 4:8-10).
But now, through His obedience and death, Jesus has obtained not only all these kingdoms but also final victory over Satan.
Jesus is our Saviour.
He has freed us from our sins by his blood
(see Hebrews 9:14; 10:10).
He has made us to be a kingdom and priests (verse 6).
The Jewish nation was called a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6).
Now the church of Christ has been called to be a kingdom of priests (see 1 Peter 2:5,9).
Christ will come with the clouds (Daniel 7:13; Mark 13:26; 14:62).
All men, both believers and unbelievers, will see Him and know that He is the Son of God.
Even those Roman soldiers who pierced Jesus while He was hanging on the cross will see Him (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37).
Not only that, those who today have given up their faith - who have betrayed Jesus and in effect put Him on the cross again - they too will see Jesus when they come before Him to receive judgment (Hebrews 6:4-6).
On that day all the (unbelieving) peoples of the earth will mourn because of the judgment that Jesus will bring upon them (see Matthew 24:30).
I am the alpha and omega.
"Alpha" is the first word of the Greek alphabet, and "omega" is the last word.
God is saying here that He is both the beginning and the end, that He lasts from beginning to end.
God is the beginning of everything and the end of everything.
But God Himself has no beginning and no end; He always was, and always will be (verse 4).
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