Whereas Genesis is a book of beginnings, Revelation is a book of consummation. The word Revelation means “unveiling or disclosure.” This book discloses that the Divine program of God’s redemption will be brought to fruition, and the Holy name of God will be vindicated before all creation. Revelation depicts Christ in His power and glory, One who will rule majestically over the earth. During His first coming, Christ was depicted as a lowly, humble, and meek servant who came primarily to give His life as a ransom for many; however, the book of Revelation depicts Him coming to rule in judgment, for all unrighteousness will be dealt with. Christ will not come to die on a cross of shame and ignominy, but to rule in majesty as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16).
The book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John during his exile on the island of Patmos in A. D. 95 or 96. John’s effective testimony for Christ led the Roman authorities under Emperor Domitian (81-96 A.D.) to exile him to the small, desolate island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. On this remote island, John is bearing witness to “things which must shortly come to pass.” This book promises that there is a special blessing for one who reads, hears, and keeps the things which are written therein (v. 3). In verse 4, God the Father, who communicated this revelation to the Son through an angel to John, is described as: “from Him Which Is, Which Was, and Which Is to come.” John went on to describe the Holy Spirit in His Perfect fullness (Isaiah 11:2) as the “Seven Spirits.”
In verse 5, John begins to describe the Exalted Lord as “One, who Is the Faithful Witness.” This expression summarizes His life on earth. During His first coming, He bore witness of His Father, for Christ came to reveal the Father more perfectly to mankind. John 1:18 says: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.”
He came to reveal that He is of the same essence as God the Father, as He instructs Philip in John 14:8-9: “Philip saith unto Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?”
The Exalted Lord is also described as “the first begotten of the dead” (v. 5). He is the first to rise with an immortal (glorified) body. His resurrection is surety that a great multitude would rise again (I Corinthians 15:20, 23). Furthermore, Christ will be Ruler of the kings of the earth, which speaks of His ultimate position during the Millennium.
After describing the Exalted Lord in the first part of verse 5, the word “unto” in verse 5 begins John’s doxology of the Exalted Lord. In the doxology, John declares that the Lord exhibited His love for us, for His love led Him to shed His blood so that we would be cleansed from our sins. Then John says that Jesus will make His return, which is a reference to His Second Coming. Lastly, John says that the Exalted Lord is “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.”
May God Bless!
Dr. Johnny Calvin Smith
