It should be evident from even the most superficial reading of the book of Revelation that it was written originally to a persecuted and downtrodden community. The spirit of those early believers is reflected in two passages that are selected from many similar expressions of suffering and persecution that run throughout the book.
“I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ” (ch.1:9).
“I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? (ch:9,10).
Now against this background of tribulation and adversity we should like to consider the introduction to the book (ch.1:4,5):
“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; 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.”
Every title is drawn from the pages of the Old Testament; and they are not used, as we might utter them, as an aid to oratory or to give beauty and power of expression to the words, snatched, as it were, out of the air; but each one has a particular relevance to those who received the message. They are all drawn from backgrounds that were specially appropriate to the circumstances of the receipt of the book. Let us examine each in turn.
I. “From him which is, and which was, and which is to come”
The words, although not exactly similar in form, recall the Memorial Name of God, and certainly convey the essential ideas associated with that Name “I will be who I will be”, “This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all Generations” (Ex.3:15). Does this last phrase recall the promises to Abraham in whom all families of the earth should be blessed? Certainly it would remind them that the God of the Exodus was their God, and although in their sufferings they might sometimes think that God had forgotten them, they would be encouraged by the knowledge that when “Israel sighed by reason of their bondage, and they cried”, then their “cry came up unto God” and He heard their groaning, and remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, for He was the Faithful God (Ex.2:23& 24). In Scripture, whenever God remembers, He acts – and so the events of the Exodus were a token of the fidelity of God; and it was of these events, particularly the establishment of the nation of Israel at Sinai, that these believers of Asia Minor, the representatives of the true Israel of God, who had assumed all the privileges and responsibilities of God’s people of old, were reminded for their comfort and consolation. Notice the verbal links:
Revelation I
- “..and hath made us kings and priests unto God” (v.6)
- “Behold, he cometh with clouds” (v.7)
- “..a great voice, as of a trumpet” (v.10)
- “One like unto the Son of Man” (v.13-16)
Exodus 19
- “Ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests (v.6)
- “..thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud…because the LORD descended upon it” (v.16,18)
- “…the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud (v.16,19)
- The Angel of God’s Presence (see Acts 7:38)
2.”From the seven Spirits which are before his throne”
There are two interesting comparisons in the book of Revelation itself: ch.4:5-, “seven lamps of fire…which are the seven Spirits of God”, and ch.5:6 – “having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” From these passages we might form a kind of equation:
Seven Spirits of God = Seven lamps of fire = Seven horns and seven eyes
Each phrase takes us unerringly to the prophecy of Zechariah with its background, so similar to the Exodus, of Israel delivered from her captivity in fulfillment of the word of God through the prophet Jeremiah. Once again they were reminded of the faithfulness of God.
“Upon one stone shall be seven eyes” (Zech.3:9)
A golden canclestick with seven lamps (Zech.4:1-6)
“The eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth” (Zech.4:10).
The underlying thought is the omniscience and omnipresence of God Who was ever watching over His people and was active on their behalf. (See Ezra 5:5 – “the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews.”)
This title also, in its background and associations, would be a source of strength and encouragement to the faithful disciples in their distress.
3.”Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the firstborn of the dead (R.S.V.) and the prince of the kings of the earth”
Here we have three titles of the Lord Jesus, and, significantly, they are all taken from the same source – Psalm 89.
“..as a faithful witness in heaven” (v.37)
“..him my firstborn” (v.27)
“..higher than the kings of the earth” (v.27)
The theme of the psalm is God’s covenant with David. It is an emphatic assertion of the faithfulness of God. He would fulfill His word. His fidelity could not be called in question.
“I will make known thy faithfulness to all generations” (v.1)
“Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens” (v.2)
“Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints” (v.5)
“Thy faithfulness round about thee” (v.8)
“..but my faithfulness and my ‘mercy shall be with him” (v.24)
“My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him” (v.28)
“My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips” (v.34).
The Psalm, however, is divided into two parts, and whereas the first part speaks so convincingly of God’s faithfulness, the second expresses the doubt, the confusion and despair that had overtaken God’s servants as a consequence of the calamities that had befallen them, and of God’s apparent lack of concern over their dilemma. This second part of the Psalm reflects a spirit with which these first century believers might well, in moments of despondency, have identified themselves. Verse 38 marks the change of emphasis:
“But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed. Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant.”
Thus the cry goes forth so reminiscent of Rev.6:10:
“How long, LORD? Wilt thou hide thyself forever?” (v.46).
Against this background surely we can appreciate the force and the pertinence of the titles ascribed to the Lord Jesus, for although these believers, in their moments of despair, might have felt the temptation to associate themselves with the spirit of the latter part of that Psalm, in the Lord Jesus they had the assurance that God would do for them all that He had promised, for He was the faithful God. In His Son He had provided “the faithful witness” in whom all His promises were yea and amen.
Although circumstances might require them to be faithful unto death (ch.2:10) they had the assurance that God could deliver them from the power of the grave, for Jesus was the firstborn from the dead, and his resurrection was the evident token that God would bring many sons unto glory. Exalted to his Father’s right hand until his foes should be made his footstool, he was in very truth “the prince of the kings of the earth”, and, to those who overcame, the promise was sure:
“To him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron…even as I received of my Father.” (ch.2:26,27).
To these persecuted disciples the faithful God gave comfort and assurance from His word. That same source of strength is available to us today. The fidelity of God to His promises cannot be doubted, and, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.” May we each one have the faith, that, denying worldly care and gain, we might with true hearts respond “Even so, come, Lord Jesus”.
The Solution