To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! 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."
One like a Son of Man
9I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."
1:5b-6 - John breaks into a chorus of praise to Jesus Christ in these verses. Christ has done more than just release and redeem us from slavery; He has made us a Kingdom and priests. The Kingdom has begun, it is not a future event. Christians are to be ruling with Christ in this Kingdom now. We are to be a victorious priesthood that is striving to bring all areas of life under His dominion and rule.
1:7 - John announces one of the primary themes of the book of Revelation. It is not the Second Coming of Christ which will include the final resurrection, it is the coming of Christ in judgment upon Israel. The Old Covenant will be done away with as Christ establishes the Church as His new Kingdom. John uses one of the most familiar biblical images for judgment by saying that Jesus is coming with the clouds (Gen. 15:17; Ex. 13:21-22; 14:19-20, 24; 19:9, 16-19; Ps. 18:8-14; 104:3; Isa. 19:1; Ezek. 32:7-8; Nahum 1:2-8; Matt. 24:30; Mark 14:62; Acts 2:19). Coming with the clouds speaks of judgment and in no way necessitates that John is referring to the end of the physical world. Just as He had promised, Christ is coming in wrath and judgment against apostate Israel (Matt. 23-25). John says that the peoples of the earth will mourn. Jesus also says that all the tribes of the land would mourn when He came (Matt. 24:30; 24:51). Thus, Israel has gone past the point of no return. The judgment upon them is coming and will not be reversed.
1:8 - This verse alone should end any pretense at arguments that the early church did not claim Jesus to be God. Jesus refers to Himself here in terms reserved only for God. The Greek word pantokrator, translated here as Almighty, means "the One has all power and rules over everything." It is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament expression "Lord of Hosts." Christ was about to demonstrate to the whole world, including those who had pierced Him, that he had ascended to the throne and was the Supreme Ruler of the world.
1:9 - This verse is a concise picture of John’s worldview. It strikes a blow against those who would interpret Revelation as teaching that there will be no tribulation for the church due to the Rapture, that Christ’s Kingdom is to come after His Second Coming, and that perseverance is not required or expected. John teaches that these things are necessary for the Christian life. As Christians expand the dominion of the Kingdom, though, tribulation will lessen. It is silly, however, for Christians to assume that we are or will be immune from suffering. John would not know that version of the Christian life. John not only has in view the general suffering of being a Christian, but also the specific Great Tribulation that is about to befall the church. The Christian life is not just about suffering, however; it is also about Kingdom. Christ has conquered His enemies and put all things under His feet (Eph. 1:21-22; Mark 1:14-15; Acts 2:29-36; Col. 1:13). All things are subject to Christ now, but the rulers and authorities of the world have to be put down. This is much of the message of the Revelation. The dominion of Christ and His church is something to be exercised now; we do not need to wait until some future Coming of Christ. The time is now.
1:10 - When John says he was in the Spirit, he is using technical prophetic language (Matt. 22:43; Numb. 11:25; 2 Sam. 23:2; Ezek. 2:2; 3:24; 2 Pet. 1:21). He is indicating to his readers that he is an inspired apostle, receiving heavenly revelation. John sees the vision on the Lord’s Day which brings forth connotations of the Sabbath or rest. The term "rest" in Scripture often refers to God being seated on His throne as judge, receiving worship from His creation (1 Chron. 28:2; Ps. 132:7-8, 13:14; Isa. 11:10; 66:1). John, then, was caught up into the glory cloud of God’s presence to receive special revelation.
1:11 - Verses 10 and 11 demonstrate a pattern that will be seen throughout the Revelation. John hears first, and then he sees (5:5-6; 22:8, etc.). The Revelation is destined for seven churches. Seven is a major symbolic theme in the Revelation. It stands for fullness and completeness. Although John is probably writing this to the seven specific churches, it also stands symbolically for all of the Church.
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