Revelation 1:4
John to the seven churches which are in Asia: 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;
Study Note
Study Note
John's epistolary greeting to the seven churches comes from 'him who is, and who was, and who is to come' — a threefold divine name that elaborates the Tetragrammaton (Exodus 3:14) into past, present, and future dimensions. The addition of greetings from 'the seven spirits before his throne' and from 'Jesus Christ, the faithful witness' creates a triadic greeting that shaped later Trinitarian formulations, though its immediate reference is to the fullness of the Spirit. The title 'faithful witness' (pistos martys) for Jesus establishes the book's governing theme: faithful testimony even unto death, which the seven churches are being called to imitate. The phrase 'is, was, and is to come' recurs as a divine title in 1:8 and 4:8.
Other Translations
John to the seven churches that 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 that are before his throne;
John to the seven assemblies that <FI>are<Fi> in Asia: Grace to you, and peace, from Him who is, and who was, and who is coming, and from the Seven Spirits that are before His throne,
John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from him who is and was and is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his high seat;
Cross References
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children …
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to …
Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel …
Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and with the …
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high …
But thou, Beth–lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come …
For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will …
For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the …