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 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 …
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the …
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come …
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which …
Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and …
The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven …
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his …