Verses 4-8
4. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
5. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
7. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Grace and Peace
God knows the trials and persecutions that His Bride will go through. He sends grace and peace to sustain His faithful believers throughout the ages. The assurance of salvation, the strength imparted by God's grace, is what we need in this great conflict and what enables us to obey God's Word.
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
8. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
9. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
God's grace is accompanied by the sweet, tender influence of the Holy Spirit. Peace is necessary, especially in the context of the Great Controversy.
27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Next, John mentions the three persons of the Godhead who send grace and peace to the people of God on earth:
Him which is, and which was, and which is to come.
Here John is referring to God the Father, Who is eternal.
2. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
The seven Spirits which are before His throne
The number 7 indicates completeness, fullness. Compare the following Hebrew words:
- Seven (שִׁבְעָה - shibah or sheba - Strong's 7655)
- To take an oath (שָׁבַע - shaba - Strong's 7650)
- To be satisfied, to be filled, to have enough (שָׂבָע - saba - Strong's 7647)
The Holy Spirit is before the throne of God. This is described more in detail later in the book (See notes on Revelation 4), and it was also shown in the Old Testament by the arrangement of the furniture in sanctuary (Exodus 40:24-25).
5. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Jesus Christ
1. The Faithful Witness
- And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
- And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
14. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
11. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
2. The First Begotten of the Dead
See also the Feast of Firstfruits.
20. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
18. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
3. The prince of the kings of the earth.
16. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
4. He who loved us, washed us from our sins in His own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God and His Father.
9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
5. Behold, He cometh with clouds
7. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Clouds = angels
a) The clouds are God's chariot.
3. Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
b) God's chariots are His angels.
17. The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
c) Jesus ascended in a cloud (a chariot of angels); He will come in the same manner.
9. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11. Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
In accordance with the Bible, Ellen White identifies the cloud as a chariot of angels:
A cloud of glory hid Him from their sight; and the words came back to them as the cloudy chariot of angels received Him, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” DA 830.3
And every eye shall see Him
His coming will not be in secret.
27. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
30. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
And they also that pierced Him
The Bible talks about three resurrections. (Read about the Three Resurrections)
- A special resurrection of both good and bad people who will behold Christ's coming.
- A general resurrection of all the saints from all ages, when Christ will call them from the grave.
- A general resurrection of all the wicked from all ages, after the 1000 years have passed.
Revelation 1:7 is about the special resurrection. Those who pierced Jesus (the Jewish leaders and the Roman officials) will be resurrected and will behold Christ coming in the clouds.
61. But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62. And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
63. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?
2. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
6. Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.
8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
He is the beginning and the end. This means:
- That He is the Creator of all things.
- That the ultimate end (purpose) of creation is found only in Him.
15. Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
28. For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
For a study on the word "firstborn" and "begotten", see Sonship of Christ in Hebrews 1, Sonship of Christ in Psalm 2, and Sonship of Christ in Proverbs 8.
He is also the beginning and finisher of our faith:
2. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; (...)
7. The Lord who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
These same words are used to describe the Father in verse 4. By applying the same words to Jesus, it emphasizes the Eternity of Christ, the Deity of Christ, as well as His unchanging character.
8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
58. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.