The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show his servants what must happen soon. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who gives witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ by reporting what he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message and heed what is written in it, for the appointed time is near.
4 John, to the seven churches in Asia: grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever [and ever]. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. All the peoples of the earth will lament him. Yes. Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”
God reveals through Christ and Christ reveals to the world through his prophet John by means of an angel. John reveals what he saw in his visions which portend things that are to come. Those who read John’s prophecy aloud and those who listen and act on John’s prophetic message are blessed.
John sends greetings to those who will read his prophetic message in the seven churches of Asia; Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (Rev. 1:11). The number seven signifies fullness and completeness in the Bible. Grace and peace from He who exists (the Eternal), who was, and is to come. It is not clear who the seven spirits before his throne are. They may represent the Holy Spirit in its fullness. Grace and peace also from Jesus Christ who is the witness that can be trusted, the firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:18), who is triumphant over the kings of the earth like Caesar the anti-God. Christ loves us, cleansed us of our sins by his blood, and made us into a priestly kingdom (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). We have been incorporated into the living Christ and share in the privileges of Christ.
The two prophetic sayings in verses 7 and 8 are a combination of Daniel and Zechariah; “I saw coming with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man (Dan 7:13), and “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of mercy and supplication, so that when they look on him whom they have thrust through, they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and they will grieve for him as one grieves over a firstborn (Zech. 12:10). God, the beginning and the end, identifies himself as the one speaking.
Holy, holy, holy lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come, all living creatures whom you created give you glory, honor, and thanks. In your mercy, reveal everything about our lives we need to change and grant us the grace to change them. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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