Lesson 3 of 6 · about 18 min

Grace and peace from the eternal God

The triune greeting, three titles of Jesus, and the first song of praise

Revelation 1:4–8

Let’s set the scene

Verses 4–5 look a lot like the opening of one of Paul’s letters: sender, recipients, “grace and peace.” But look at where the grace comes from: the Father, the Spirit and the Son. This three-part greeting is one of the clearest early glimpses of the Trinity in the New Testament.

Now put yourself in Asia in the first century. Caesar was called “lord,” “savior” and “son of god” on coins and temple inscriptions. So when John calls Jesus “the ruler of the kings of the earth,” that’s not just nice theology. It’s saying the emperor answers to Jesus.

Read it aloud

Revelation promises a blessing to “the one who reads aloud” and to those who hear (1:3). If you’re in a group, let one person read while everyone listens.

Revelation 1:4–8 BSB

⁴John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits before His throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood, ⁶who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen. ⁷Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes 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 was and is to come—the Almighty.

Read in NKJV

Walking through the text

Now let’s walk through it together, a few verses at a time.

1:4

Who is, who was, and who is to come

This is an expansion of God’s name to Moses, “I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Notice the third phrase: not “who will be” but “who is to come.” God’s future isn’t just existing; it’s arriving.
Here’s a fun detail for Greek students: John keeps “the One who is” in its basic form even after a preposition that should change it. Many scholars think he bends the grammar on purpose: God’s name doesn’t change.
“The seven spirits before his throne” draws on Zechariah 4 (seven lamps, “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit”) and Isaiah 11:2. It’s a picture of the Holy Spirit in his fullness, at work in all the churches.

Nugget: God’s name has a future tense, and it’s “coming.”

1:5a

Three titles of Jesus

All three titles come from Psalm 89, a psalm about God’s promise to David: “I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth” (89:27), and “a faithful witness in the skies” (89:37). John is saying Jesus is the promised King.
Faithful witness — his life and death. He told the truth before Pilate and went to the cross.
Firstborn from the dead — his bodily resurrection, the first of a whole harvest to come (1 Corinthians 15:20).
Ruler of the kings of the earth — his reign right now. Past, present and future, just like the description of God in verse 4.

Nugget: Jesus’ cross, empty tomb and throne belong together.

1:5b–6

John breaks into praise

“To him who loves us” is present tense: he keeps on loving us. “And freed us from our sins by his blood” is past tense: it’s done. That’s the gospel in a sentence — Jesus’ sacrifice in our place has set us free.
“Made us a kingdom, priests to his God” quotes Exodus 19:6, God’s calling of Israel at Sinai. Now every believer shares that identity: we belong to his kingdom, and we represent God to the world and bring the world to God in prayer.

Nugget: You’re not just forgiven. You’re loved, freed and given a job.

1:7

Look, he’s coming!

Two prophecies are woven together: Daniel 7:13 (the Son of Man coming with the clouds) and Zechariah 12:10 (they will look on the one they pierced and mourn). Jesus combines these same two texts in Matthew 24:30.
“Every eye will see him.” His return will be personal, visible and public. No one will miss it.
The mourning cuts two ways: grief at judgment for those who rejected him, and the tears of repentance for those who turn to him (as in Zechariah 12–13).

Nugget: The return of Jesus isn’t a theory to argue about. It’s a promise to live for.

1:8

God signs his name

Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, like saying “A to Z.” God is the source and goal of all history, and he’s in charge of everything in between.
This is one of only two places in Revelation where God the Father speaks directly (the other is 21:5–6). Both times he calls himself the Alpha and Omega.

Nugget: If God holds the A and the Z, he’s got the middle of your story too.

Word nuggets from the Greek

Grace · Peacecharis · eirēnē: undeserved favor · wholeness (shalom)The Greek greeting and the Hebrew greeting joined together: God’s favor that leads to real well-being.
Witnessmartys: one who testifiesIn 2:13 a believer named Antipas is called “my faithful witness” — the same title as Jesus. He died for it.
Firstbornprōtotokos: first born, first in rankBoth ideas: first to rise from the dead, and heir of everything.
Freedlyō: to loose, releaseThe language of setting a slave free or cancelling a debt.
Almightypantokratōr: ruler over allThe Greek Old Testament’s word for “LORD of hosts.” It appears 10 times in the New Testament, and 9 of them are in Revelation.

Where this comes from

Exodus 3:14“I AM WHO I AM,” expanded into “who is, who was, and who is to come.”
Psalm 89:27, 37Firstborn, highest of kings, faithful witness: the promised son of David.
Exodus 19:6“You shall be to me a kingdom of priests.” See also 1 Peter 2:9.
Daniel 7:13 · Zechariah 12:10The Son of Man coming with the clouds; the One who was pierced.
Isaiah 44:6“I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”

Watch for it in the seven letters

LaodiceaRev 3:14

“The faithful and true witness” speaks to a church that had gone comfortable and lukewarm.

PergamumRev 2:13

Antipas is “my faithful witness”: Jesus shares his own title with a martyr.

ThyatiraRev 2:26–27

The ruler of the kings of the earth shares his authority over the nations with those who overcome.

Nuggets to keep

Our identity (loved, freed, a kingdom of priests) is given before any demand is made
Jesus, not any earthly power, rules the kings of the earth
His return will be personal and visible, so we live ready
History has a beginning, an end and a Lord

Let’s talk about it

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Compare your opening sentence with verses 5–6. What did John include that you left out?
Why does it matter that praise comes before the warnings of chapters 2–3?
What “kings of the earth” (pressures, systems, ambitions) compete for your loyalty as a student?
What could it look like to serve as a “priest” in your dorm, workplace or family this week?

Live it out this week

Pray verses 5–6 back to God, one phrase at a time, as a thank-you
Memorize verse 8 and say it whenever worry about the future creeps in
Be a “priest” for one person this week: pray for them by name, and tell them you did

Let’s pray

Jesus, faithful witness, firstborn from the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth: thank you that you love us and freed us from our sins by your blood. Help us live today as your kingdom and your priests. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.