The Alpha and the Omega
Revelation 1:4-8
July 30, 2006 

      In A.D. 69, the eighteen year old son of the Roman General Vespasian became titular head of the Roman Empire until his father made it back from Palestine to claim the throne at the news of Nero's death. Official documents carried the name of the young emperor as he tasted of the power that would one day belong only to him. Vespasian's oldest son, Titus, followed him as emperor, and then, in A.D. 81, the young man Domitian became the sole emperor of the vast Roman Empire. He immediately began to move power away from the Roman senate so that he might have absolute authority over the empire. Domitian, though not a great military leader as his father and older brother, proved to be a keen administrator in improving the empire's infrastructure.

      With Domitian's absolutism came his indulgence in a notable variety of immorality, though in public life he instituted legislation against the very conduct that he practiced in private. To improve his own status, he led the empire in the deification of his deceased father and brother in order to attribute more status to his Flavian house. This set the stage for his own claim to deity, as well as to the titles, "Lord and God," by which he expected others to address him. In the last few years of his reign, Domitian's suspicion of others and cruelty toward any that he perceived as threats, began to exacerbate. His personal deification as well as his intense loyalty to worship the ancient Italian goddess Minerva turned his wrath against those considered treasonous or disloyal [Michael Grant, The Twelve Caesars, 240-255].

      Ancient Asia (Asia Minor or modern Turkey) was far from Rome yet recognized the benefit of currying the emperor's favor. Their zealousness toward emperor worship schmoozed Domitian's giant ego while making life difficult for those unwilling to offer the annual sacrifice before the emperor's image as a god. Since most in that region were polytheists, offering sacrifice to another god proved to be no big deal. But if one believed that only Jesus Christ is "Lord and God," then to confess Domitian as Lord and God while offering sacrifice was unconscionable [cf. G.E. Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 26]. Persecution ensued when Christians refused to make an oath of divine loyalty to the emperor. Eusebius, the ancient historian, said that Domitian "at length established himself as the successor of Nero, in his hatred and hostility to God. He was the second that raised a persecution against us" [Ecclesiastical History, chapter XVII]. Additionally, the Roman way of life with its polytheism, emperor loyalty, immoral behavior, and general worldliness was placarded all over the empire. To be a Roman spoke of a particularly worldly life that stood in antithesis to devotion to Jesus Christ. In this setting, John wrote to the churches in Asia to encourage them to be steadfast as Christians. Richard Bauckham adds, "John sees that the nature of Roman power is such that, if Christians are faithful witnesses to God, then they must suffer the inevitable clash between Rome's divine pretensions and their witness to the true God" [The Theology of the Book of Revelation, 38].

      But does that date John's Revelation as of no use in our day? Consider the world's attitude toward the God of the Bible and particularly toward Jesus Christ and His gospel. The way to stir the ire of the world against you is to live and speak in a way that the world hates-the way of the cross. While open persecution is more subtle in our country, it abounds elsewhere simply because Christians seek to live like they belong to Christ. A little over a week ago in the Hubei province of China, south of Beijing, 80 Christians were arrested as they met for Bible study and worship. Over 800 arrests of Christians in incidents of persecution have marked that same region in the past year. As an Indian pastor led his church in worship in Daksinwara village, police officers arrested him and then mercilessly beat him under accusations that he "taught Bible studies to the village children" [Compass Direct News 2006, July 28th and July 20th respectively). These kinds of stories can be multiplied. Yet here is the point that must be made. John's message to the churches of Asia Minor is still needed today. John seeks to strengthen the churches by elevating their thinking upon the glory of Christ. They would find courage to stand as Christians when looking away from the enticements of the world and focusing their devotion on the triumphant Lamb of God. The danger that we face is that of being swept into spiritual dullness and uselessness as we get caught up in the pull of the world. John's Revelation is just the tonic to awaken our generation to the centrality of living to the glory of Jesus Christ every day. How does John communicate this message? 

I. Special delivery to the church

      After identifying himself and his intention in this apocalyptic prophetic epistle, John then identifies his readers and the blessing that is theirs through relationship to the Triune God. 

      1. Seven representing the whole

      As the greeting opens, we see the first of 49 uses of the number "seven" in the book of Revelation. In this case John identifies his audience: "John to the seven churches that are in Asia." A little later in this chapter the names of the seven churches are spelled out. "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea" (1:11). If you locate these in a Bible atlas, you will find that beginning with Ephesus, the path of the Revelation takes a slightly northeastern movement until reaching Pergamum, then moving southeasterly until arriving in Laodicea which was one hundred miles due east of Ephesus. None of the churches were much more than 100 miles apart. Curiously, we must admit, these were not the only cities of Asia Minor with churches. Colossae and Miletus were in the same area, as well as probably a number of other churches. Yet only seven were identified. Not far from this area were the churches planted by Paul and Barnabas in Antioch, Iconium, and Derbe. Yet just these seven, identifiable churches were named.

      Three notes are important for us to consider. First, these seven churches were actual congregations, not time periods, as some have interpreted. The Lord of the Church examines each one, identifies particular issues that can be traced historically to those settings, and even names individuals in the churches. We will find that the background material concerning the churches will shed much light on the proper interpretation of Revelation as we work through the book. Second, though only seven churches were identified among the numerous in Asia Minor, it seems that consistent with the entire letter, the seven represented the whole church. The issues facing these churches could also be true of churches in Judea, Pisidia, and Macedonia. In the same way, the issues facing those churches bear resemblance to issues facing the church in the 21st century. Though written to 1st century churches, Revelation has important application for our day.

      Third, Christ identified seven churches with seven sets of issues and seven sets of exhortations by Christ. Here's the point: Jesus cares for all of His churches. The Scottish Covenanter, James Durham observed, "That our Lord Jesus Christ taketh notice of the particular estate of His Churches: not only how it goeth with the Church, in general; but how it goeth with this or that particular Church; how it goeth with Edinburgh, Glasgow, etc. which shows a reason why he distinguisheth them in the inscription" [Commentary Upon the Book of the Revelation, 27]. 

      2. Grace and peace

      Can two words more aptly sum up the work of God in His people than these two terms? "Grace to you and peace." While it is true that most ancient letters offered greetings, the declaration of grace and peace became the special mark of Christian correspondence. We find the Apostle Paul doing the same. "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 1:7). He did the same to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:3), Galatians (1:3), Ephesians (1:2), Philippians (1:2), Colossians (1:2), and Thessalonians (1:1; 2 Thes. 1:2). It was not Christian slang but an intentional description of what God in Christ has done for us. Both Paul and John had the same idea.

      Grace points to the favor of God shown to undeserving sinners. It's God's benevolent action toward us to accomplish His kind purposes in our lives. Grace flows out of His love in particular demonstrations of His generosity toward the elect. Grace reaches its consummate demonstration in the redemptive death of Jesus Christ. "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:11-14). There is grace full and free in Christ!

      Peace always follows grace. It is the peace that comes through the justifying death of Christ. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). This peace implies right relationship to God through Christ. No longer are we at enmity with Him; no longer are we under His judgment. But having satisfied His eternal justice through Christ's death, God declares the wholeness of peace to the redeemed. "Peace," writes William Hendriksen, "the reflection of the smile of God in the heart of the believer who has been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, is the result of grace" [More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation, 53].  

      3. Triumphant Trinity

      John's letter to the churches weaves many doctrines through his apocalyptic language so that Christians might muse upon them throughout the day. He greets the churches in the name of the Triune God, identifying the three persons of the Godhead as a means of instructing and encouraging these believers to see the magnificence of our God. "The spurious attraction of the Roman ideology is one of the purposes of John's prophecy to expose," wrote Bauckham [Theology, 37]. One of the dominant ways of doing this was by setting forth the nature of the living God in contrast to the transience of Rome. "Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the rule of the kings of the earth."

      John's identification of God the Father takes us back to God's revelation of Himself to Moses at Mt. Horeb (Ex. 3:14). There, in response to Moses' question asking God His name, the Lord declared, "I AM WHO I AM." Or "I AM WHAT I AM or I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE" [RSV marginal rendering]. It is a name that speaks of God's action in every age. No timeframe, no setting, and no generation will be without Him who is, who was, and who is to come. He is eternally present; therefore whatever situation believers face, our God is actively present.

      "From the seven Spirits who are before His throne," identifies in apocalyptic language, the Holy Spirit. Some suggest that this refers to seven angelic spirits but that would seem demeaning to Jesus Christ the Lord by giving precedence to angels above Him. And it would be contradictory to the message of Revelation that turns us away from worshiping or depending upon angels (19:10; 22:8-9) instead of honoring Christ alone. Bruce Metzger points out that the use of "seven Spirits" symbolizes "the plenitude and power of the Holy Spirit." He further identifies the quotation in Isaiah 11:2 in the Greek translation of the Old Testament that has "seven designations of the spirit of the Lord": "the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and godliness, the spirit of the fear of God" [Breaking the Code, 23-24].

      While he has much more to say about Jesus Christ, John begins with a three-fold testimony of the Lord, "and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." If the troubled Christians in Asia Minor are going to trust in the Lord, then they need to think more clearly about Him. Jesus is "the faithful witness," as "the one who has borne a faithful witness to God's redemptive purpose and work" [George Eldon Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 25]. As "the firstborn of the dead," John speaks of Christ's resurrection from the dead as "the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29) but even more, he uses this phrase to "bear the idea of sovereignty more than chronology," since Psalm 89:27 prophesies of David's latter son, "I also shall make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth" [Ladd 25]. Paul uses the same term, calling Christ "the firstborn of all creation," as a way of identifying His supremacy over all creation (Col. 1:15). To further this declaration of divine sovereignty, Christ is called, "the ruler of the kings of the earth." Rather than being mesmerized by the regal pageantry of Roman emperors, these believers were called to turn their attention to Him before whom all rulers bow, Jesus Christ. Moving to our day, rather than being mesmerized by the powerful and rich and famous of our generation, recognize that all will one day bow before Christ, acknowledging Him as "ruler of the kings of the earth."

      We can become so entranced by the splashy ways that the world comes at us. John's opening greeting stops us in our tracks. "The supremacy of the triune God will be prominent in all that John will see and write thereafter," commented Dennis Johnson [Triumph of the Lamb, 27]. So shouldn't we realize how puny the powerful people of our day are in the face of the Triune God we worship? 

II. Doxology unto Jesus Christ

      Since most of Revelation focuses on the triumph of the Lamb of God, John breaks out into a spontaneous doxology of praise to Him. In doing so, John sets forth the gospel and the status of the redeemed. 

      1. Redemptive love

      When the Lord spoke of the new covenant with Jeremiah, He declared, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness" (Jer. 31:3). Here is that love displayed in Jesus Christ: "To Him who loves us." The language expresses a constant, ongoing love; one that is not abated by time or hardships or even failures on our part. For believers under duress, knowing the constancy of Christ's love brings great comfort. "Who will separate us from the love of Christ?" asked the Apostle Paul. "Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, 'For your sake we are being put to death all day long, we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, not powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:35-39).

      Such love is not divine well-wishes or mere feelings of empathy with those facing a difficult lot. It is redemptive love manifested when Jesus Christ "released us from our sins by His blood." This release or loosing or liberation refers back to the bondage of sin that held each of us in cold, hard fetters. "Slaves of sin" is what Paul called us (Rom. 6:17). But Christ freed us "from our sins," with all of its present enslavement and eternal consequences, "by His blood." Surely John had in mind the OT scene of the fearful Day of Atonement when the people of Israel waited silently for the high priest-their mediator-to take the blood of a goat into the holy of holies and sprinkle it over the mercy seat containing the Law that exposed and condemned them for sin. Through the bloody death of the substitute, as the blood covered the cry of condemnation from the Law, God accepted the sacrifice and granted forgiveness. Or maybe he had in mind the Passover lamb, slaughtered with its blood on the doorposts, covering their guilt so that the Angel of Death might pass them by in his judgment on Egypt. John foreshadows the Lamb of God that he will speak of throughout Revelation by this reference to Christ's redemptive act. God accepts the bloody death of Christ as our substitute before His judgment that justly condemns us.  

      2. Redemptive application

      What was Christ up to in redeeming sinners through His death and resurrection? John explained, "And He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father." The word "made" points to a completed action with reference to the work of Christ. It is because of what Jesus has done in His God-satisfying death for sinners, that He constitutes us as a "kingdom, priests to His God and Father." Some of the older translations, most notably the Authorized Version, translate basilean as "kings," plural.  But the word is singular and better translated as "kingdom." The phrase echoes God's declaration to the covenant people at Mt. Sinai. "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6). What the people failed to do under the old covenant, God, by His grace in the new covenant in Christ, has accomplished! William Hendriksen observes that kingdom and priests, "which was formerly applied to Israel (Ex. 19:6), is now applicable to believers collectively, that is, to the Church. In the Church Israel lives on" [More Than Conquerors, 53].

      As "a kingdom," John has in mind something other than spatial language. It means that we are set apart unto the Lord, "a people for His own possession" (Titus 2:14). Peter used similar language of the Church. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9). As God's people we confess together the common rule of our King, Jesus Christ. As "a kingdom" we are distinguished by kingdom living explained by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), and the particular character of kingdom citizens marked by the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). We represent our King so that the love we have for one another, the unity we possess as the Redeemed, and the willingness to lay down our lives for the sake of Christ marks Christians as different from the world.

      John also explains that the redemptive work of Christ not only unites us under His rule as a kingdom, but we have also been made "priests to His God and Father." Again, Peter used similar language borrowed from the Old Testament picture of Israel under the old covenant. "You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5). Priests belong to the Lord. The priestly tribe of Levi uniquely belonged to the Lord. They had access to God in the Tabernacle and Temple. They were to lead the people in worshiping the living God and in proclaiming His excellence to them. Now that responsibility belongs to the Church. We are the priests, set apart to the Lord, belonging uniquely to Him. We have access to God "since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19). Christ redeemed us to make us a God-worshiping people. If you have no desire to worship then that bears evidence that you've not been redeemed. "He has made us [through His redemptive act] to be... priests to His God and Father." Priests worship, offering the sacrifices of praise to God. Priests bear witness to the excellence of our God. Both our worship and witness are wrapped up in that title of "priests."  

      3. Redemptive praise

      John sounds the note that will redound throughout Revelation, and should echo through the kingdom of priests: "to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." So be it, John adds to this doxology. All of the glory or the weightiness of God's honor belongs to the Lord. All of the authority over every molecule in the universe belongs to Him. John broke forth in spontaneous praise as he considered the majesty and glory of our God. Perhaps our own lack of spontaneous doxology is due to so little consideration of the wonder and greatness of our God. John aims through this long letter to stretch our thinking about the Triune God. The best antidote to the seeping despondency of the world among God's people is for us to think long and clearly upon Him. Then we shall always have reason to praise! 
 

III. Declaration to the world
John ties together for his audience and any onlookers, the triumph of Jesus Christ. 

      1. The Day is coming

      What could put a jump in the step of the despairing Christians in Asia Minor? It was to recognize that their Lord will return and set all things right by His might. "Behold, 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 over Him. So it is to be. Amen." This declaration "constitutes a real source of comfort for afflicted believers. It is the hope of believers and the consternation of the enemies of the Church" [Hendriksen, 54]. We have both the theme of victory for Christians and judgment for God's enemies. Ladd adds, "What the passage means to say is that the lordship which is his now, but recognized only by believers and confessed only by faith, will become inescapably evident to the whole world" [28].

      The Bible does not speak of a secret coming of Jesus Christ, in spite of all the attempts by some to popularize this idea. Christ comes "with the clouds," that is, "He compels all the clouds into His retinue," as one writer put it [quoted in Cleon Rogers, The Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament, 612]. "Every eye will see Him." The One who hung the heavens in space will be declared before everyone! Even "those who pierced Him," which I believe is a reference to all that are hostile toward Christ and His gospel, will see Him. The use of the demonstrative pronoun "those," "indicating those belonging to a class or group," lumps together the mass of humanity opposed to Jesus Christ [LEKGT, 612]. Judgment falls upon them, expressed by "all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him," as the word for mourning implies deep sorrow. God's people may be oppressed and persecuted for a season but the day of reckoning will come! 

      2. Meet the King

      "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Need believers fear that the world will eventually conquer Christ and eliminate His gospel of grace? Everything owes its existence to "the Alpha and the Omega." The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet expresses the perfection and completeness of His divine power.  
 

Conclusion

      About 17 or 18 years after assuming the throne of the Roman Empire, Domitian died at the hand of assassins instigated by his own wife and his generals. So much for Domitian "lord and god"! His opposition to the gospel was like a vapor that passed quickly off the scene. Take heart, Christian friend! Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth, the Alpha and the Omega, the One who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty! Set your eyes on Him and the triumph of the Lamb!

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