_ The seven assemblies located in Asia (a
Roman province in Asia Minor) are prominent in the first chapters of the book
of Revelation. The seven represent all Christian
assemblies. Seven is the number representing earthly completeness as twelve
represents heavenly completeness. All members of the universal Assembly who do
not gather regularly in local assembly meetings are also included. There is an
eternal spiritual connection with our Lord, the Head of the Body. Like the
ancient civil assemblies of the citizens of the Greek city states, Christian
assemblies and the universal Assembly are properly composed of citizens, those
properly recorded in Heaven as citizens there. See Heb 12.23. The Christian assembly meetings include
others. Distinction is not made. Even when there is voluntary and/or
disciplinary separation. The tares and
wheat grow together until the harvest. See Matt 13.24-30,36-43.
Rev 1:4-8 NKJV
John, to the seven churches which 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 from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him
who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, (6)
and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory
and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
(7) Behold, He is coming with
clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the
tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. (8)
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,"
says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
_ It seemed best to add a fair amount of
interpretation in the translation below instead of being overly literal. Most of the additions and changes to
traditional translation make implied meanings obvious in English. Brackets are
used to designate unfamiliar or novel choices in translation and
interpretation. Comments below attempt to explain rather than prove choices,
particularly those bracketed.
Rev 1:4-8 jba
John to the seven assemblies located in Asia: Grace to you, and peace,
from [God, the King] who is, and who was, [even the One] coming, and from the
seven spirits which are before His throne;
(5) [even] from Jesus Christ the
Faithful Witness, the First-born from the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of
the earth. To [the One] [loving] us [who washes] us from our sins [by] His
blood, (6) and made us kings and priests to God, even
His Father. To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever! Amen! (7)
"Behold! He is coming with clouds!" and "Every eye will
see Him, even those who pierced" Him, and all the tribes of the earth
"will wail on account of Him." Yes! Amen! Dan. 7:13; Zech. 12:10 (8) "[I
AM] the Alpha and the Omega []," says, "the LORD God, [the One] who
is, and who was, even the One coming, the Almighty."
1:4.1 John to the seven assemblies located in Asia: Grace to you,
and peace, The names of the seven and the command to write are in Rev 1:11.
"Grace" and "peace" were common greetings among Gentiles
and Jews, respectively. The combination is common in biblical epistles. The
rest of this five verse epistle heading is uncommon. The Temple is viewed as
destroyed and now the way into the holiest place in the heavenly tabernacle is manifest.
The spiritual environment of the Assembly has become radically different. See
Heb 9:8; Rev 1:10-20- versus Rev 4.
1:4.2 from [God, the King] who is, and who was,
[even the One] coming, The Son is clearly in view here. The Byzantine form text has
"God" without the article. (See John 1:1: "the Word was
God".) The "is - was - coming" phrase is repeated in Rev 4:8
where it is applied to the One on the throne.
1:4.3 and from the seven spirits which are before
His throne;
The seven are seen before the throne in Rev 4:5. They may be viewed as a
spiritual connection between Christ and His Assembly. See also Rev 1.12-13,20;
5.6.
1:5.1 [even] from Jesus Christ the Faithful
Witness, the First-born from the dead, "Even" is a frequent translation of the
Greek word. Greene uses it here in his LITV on free E-Sword. Rev 1.2 tells us
that the book contains testimony from this "Fathful Witness". Heb
12.23 tells us that those in Christ are the Assembly of the first born ones,
who have a spiritual presence in heaven and whose names are registered there. As
first born ones, they have a double inheritance. They are part of the new
creation both here in the old one (1 Cor 5.17) and in the creation to come.
1:5.2 and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. This affirms the translation in
Rev 1.4 .2 above and is amplified in 1 Tim 6.15 and later in this book.
1:5.3 To [the One] [loving] us [who washes] us from
our sins [by] His blood, The Greek present participle is translated as an English present
participle. The Greek aorist participle is translated as a present indicative.
These seem to be good default practices. The Greek "in" with the
dative is translated in an instrumental rather than a locative sense. This
seems appropriate here. See 1 John 1.7.
1:6.1 and who made us kings and priests to God,
even His Father. We read about being
priests in 1 Peter 2.5 and elsewhere. Being kings is new, although it is
predicted in Rom 5.17 And Heb 12.28. The Father served as God to the Son during
His incarnation and to a lesser extent afterwards. The Father is also, in
different senses, Father and God to those in Christ. See John 20.17.
1:6.2 To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever!
Amen! This verse has two, and the next verse four,
exclamatory statements. They are so marked. Those placed in responsible offices
ascribe proper glory and power to the One who placed them there. The statement
is akin to "Holiness to the LORD," as inscribed on the gold plate on
the turban of the high priest in the Temple.
See Exo 28.36-38. This praise is
also the proper response to the continual love He provides and the continual
cleansing from the effects of sin by His blood. See 1:5.3 above.
1:7.1 "Behold! He is coming with clouds!" Old testament passages are
quoted in this verse. References are at the end of the verse, 1:7.4 below. "Behold!"
is an interjection that frequently, as here, has the meaning, "Look with
an inner spiritual eye and discern". The clouds that accompanied His
coming at the time of writing (and that continue to obscure His new post-apostolic
spiritual presence amongst us) are transparent to the inner spiritual eye that
is "single" or "simple". (Or perhaps mercifully translucent
when the believer's discernment is obscured by tradition.) See Luke 11.34-35; John
14.23.
1:7.2 and "Every eye will see Him, even those
who pierced" Him, This verse portion and the next seem to primarily refer to the still
future event predicted in Rev 6.15-17. All men are guilty of piercing Him. All
are sinners. All are predisposed to judge as the High Priest and Pilate did.
And to follow proper crucifixion military procedure as the soldier did. But
"eye" is singular. And there is an application of "see" to
those with a begotten again spiritual eye that pierces the clouds accompanying
His spiritual return.
1:7.3 and all the tribes of the earth "will
wail on account of Him." John uses "tribes"
instead of "nations". The latter word is often used to mean "Gentiles".
Here Israel is included.
1:7.4 Yes! Amen! Dan. 7:13; Zech. 12:10 The dual exclamations that begin and end this
verse are testimony to its importance. The quoted prophecies are modified in
this verse to give them a new application in a still future wailing of
desperation - Rev 6:15-17. As unmodified, the wailing is one of mourning and a
fulfillment is in John 19.34 with Luke 23.48. In both cases, the sincere
repentance of some seems indicated.
1:8.1 "[I AM] the Alpha and the Omega []," John is recording the testimony of Jesus, the Faithful Witness.
See Rev 1.2,5; 21.6; 22.13. Jesus is proclaiming the completeness and fullness
of his office as the Word of God. He is vouching for the accuracy of each
letter of inspired writing at the time of the completion of scripture. Jesus
speaks in terms of New Testament Greek letters here. He spoke of Old Testament
Hebrew and Aramaic letters in Matt 5.18. See also In Two Cities: [Rom 3:1-2]
Inspiration of Bible http://bit.ly/1u7yX7N "I AM" is all caps to show that our
Lord is using the sacred Name often rendered Jehovah and also represented in
scripture as: "LORD", "GOD", and "I AM THAT I
AM". See our Lord's prior use of "I AM" in Mark 14.61-65; John
14.6; 18.6. (The beginning and ending phrase is not in the Byzantine form
text.)
1:8.2 says, the LORD God, John again applies the sacred Name to Jesus in a phrase frequent
in the Old Testament. The preceding and succeeding verse portions affirm that
the Son is in view.
1:8.3 "[the One] who is, and who was, even the
One coming, The
statements in this verse portion are identical to those in the Rev 1.4 .2
portion above where the attribution to the Son is clear.
1:8.4 the Almighty."
Another common title of the God of the Old Testament is here applied to
our Lord. The Rev 1.8 Name and titles of portions .2 and .4 are joined in verses
Rev 4.8; 15.3; 16.7; 21.22. Gen 17.1 contains the Name and titles and also
"I am" ("I AM" in the Septuagint.).
I2C C 141025aa C Rev1v4to8 aa docx | I2C |
141029 1330 | C Rev1v4to8 To all assemblies
