Revelations 1:5-8 forms part of the Introductory section (Rev. 1:1-3:22) of the Revelations of John of which the following is an outline
- Rev 1:1-3 Title and Prologue
- Rev 1:4-20 Cover letter for the Seven Churches of Asia
- 4-8 Opening Words
- 9-20 The Circumstances that gave rise to the Book
- Rev 2:1-3:22 Letters to each of the Seven Churches of Asia
- 2:1-7 To Ephesus
- 2:8-11 To Smyrna
- 2:12-17 To Pergamum
- 2:18-29 To Thyatira
- 3:1-6 To Sardis
- 3:7-13 To Philadelphia
- 3:14-22 To Laodicea
The Introduction (Rev. 1:1-3:22)
This whole section begins with the Title of the book -- "the revelation of Jesus Christ ... made known to his servant, John" (1:1-2). The opening macharism underlines the liturgical nature of the book: that it should be read aloud in the assembly so that others may listen to it (1:3). What follows immediately is the cover letter to the book for presentation to the seven churches presumably under the guidance of the author. The first part of this cover letter is general in nature; the second half is addressed to each of the seven churches. Before the author narrates the vision that has prompted him to write the book (1:9-20) there is an introductory section that contains an opening greeting and a series of statements that U. Vanni describes as a liturgical dialogue. Below is the dialogue as traced by Vanni
Reader: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
Assembly: To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever (and ever). Amen.
Reader: Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Assembly: Yes. Amen.
Reader: "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty." 1
The blessing of grace and peace is said to proceed from: "Him who is and who was and who is to come" before whose throne are "the seven spirits" and from "Jesus Christ" who is further identified as "the faithful witness", "the firstborn of the dead", and "ruler of the kings of the earth". To these designations, the assembly adds "(H)e who loves us", "Who has freed us from our sins by his blood", and "who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father." To the Trinitarian blessing, the assembly responds with a Soteriological confession. To this confession, the reader adds a description of Christ as the one who comes on the clouds, and who will be manifested to all (not one who appears privately only) -- even to those "who pierced him". Once seen, people will lament because judgment has arrived. To this, the assembly responds positively knowing that the judgment of the peoples will also mean the assembly's vindication. Finally, the dialogue ends with the declaration of God's dominion over history: the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end of all.
The Selected Passage (Rev. 1:5-8)
The liturgical selection for Christ the King (Year B) bypasses a part of the salutation, beginning with the Christological titles (5b) and ending in verse 8. The emphasis of the selection is on the Lord who comes and the anticipated conclusion of history: the renewal of all things and the establishment of a new and eternal covenant (Rev. 21:5-7).
As the lectionary selection stands, the text of Rev. 1:5-8 appears as a declaration of the coming Lord, awaited and ardently prayed for (see Rev. 22:7.20). While his coming is lamented by all others (1:7), the community that awaits Him recognizes him under the following descriptions: the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth, the one who loves those who await him, who has given his life for them, and who has made them a kingdom and priests for God.
"Faithful witness" in OT language refers to a reliable witness (see Prov 14,5.25;Is. 8:2;Jer. 42,5). Seen within the Christology of the books associated with John, this expression can be understood in the light of the idea that Jesus Christ, being the Word of God is the most reliable expression of God's will. In him and through him, one understands the intentions of God Himself. The expression "firstborn of the dead" echoes Col. 1:18
And he is the head of the body, the church,
who is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he may hold the primacy
By his death and resurrection, Jesus has become enthroned as the head of all those who are destined for eternal life. In the letters to the Churches, those destined for eternal life are designated as "those who will conquer" (2:7b. 11b. 17b. 28b; 3:5. 12. 21)
"The ruler of the kings of the earth" may as well be an allussion to Psalm 89:27
And I will make him the firstborn
the highest of the kings of the earth
We note, however, that in John's Revelation, the phrase "kings of the earth" appears seven other times outside our verse: 6:15; 17:2.18; 18:3.9; 19:19 and 21:24. Of these recurrences, only 21:24 puts the expression under a positive light. In all the other recurrences, the kings of the earth are presented as those which make the life of the rest of humanity in difficulty. In 17:2.18 and 18:3.9, the kings of the earth are associated with the Whore of Babylon; in 19:19, they are ranged with the Beast. Both the Whore of Babylon and the Beast are symbols of kingdoms that oppress people and are against God. In 6:15, the kings of the earth are with those who hide themselves from the coming judgment signalled by the breaking of the sixth seal. It is only in 21:24 -- after the Lamb and his armies have won -- that the kings of the earth show themselves to be under the reign of God and the Lamb. Thus, the phrase "ruler of the kings of the earth" already anticipates the outcome of history when Christ reigns over all.
To these designations, the assembly adds: "Him who loves us", "Who freed us from our sins by his blood" and "Who made us a kingdom and priests for God." All three designations are linked to the self-immolation of Christ on the cross. That these are the content of the assembly's liturgical response is intended as a contrast to the following declaration of him who comes to judge. The assembly, in contrast to the peoples of the earth who lament the Coming of Christ (1:7), has the assurance that they have nothing fear from him, since he is the one who has shown and continues to show his love for them by giving his own life for them and by making them stand before God as a kingdom -- the place where He reigns -- and as priests, i.e. those who have access to His Holiness.
The Christ announced in the liturgy is also the One Who Comes. Verse 7 is composed of texts that echo those of Daniel 7:13 and Zech. 12:10. The reference to him to comes on the clouds (cf. Daniel 7:13) is used in Mark 14:62 as a reference to the judgment that will fall upon those who are condemning him to death. In Mark 13:26, the phrase is used positively; the Son of Man comes not to judge but to gather in the elect. Both these meanings of Daniel 7:13 -- one connoting judgment and the other consolation for the elect -- is reflected in Matthew 24:30-31:
Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man
and all the tribes of the earth will mourn
and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call
and they will gather the elect from the four winds
from one end of heaven to the other
Note the similarity of Matthew 24:30a to Rev. 1:7; Matthew 24:30b-31 is similar to Mark 13:62. In these verses from Matthew, judgment is for the "tribes of the earth" while for the elect, it is time to be gathered in like the wheat that the laborers gather into barns (cf. Matthew 13:30).
On the other hand, Zech 12:10 forms part of an oracle about the restoration of Judah where the people in an act of conversion mourns "him whom they have pierced". This same verse is used also by John in his account of the piercing of Jesus' side in John 19:37. In the context of this latter, there is a further allussion to that of Moses raising the serpent in the desert (Num. 21:8). Consistent with the theme of the raising of the Son of Man, the allussion to Zech 12:10 in John is about the "healing" that occurs upon those who will contemplate Him on the cross. Within the context of Revelation, however, instead of "mourning" John changes the word used to one that designates "wailing" thereby changing the anticipated reaction for those who will see Christ coming on the clouds. Those who pierced him and the "tribes of the earth" will wail, not mourn, because they will be judged.
For the assembly who awaits His coming, this is assurance that whatever injustice they have experienced and continue to experience will be vindicated. They respond "Yes, Amen!" in anticipation of the fulfillment of their hope in Him who is judge of all. The Greeks called their "gods", "the first". It is the mentality of one formed in Hebrew culture to designate God as "Alpha and Omega", the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. This is a reference to God's sovereignty and absolute dominion over history. We find the expression first mentioned as the Hebrew God's self-designation in Isaiah's Book of Consolations (Is. 41:4; 44:6). The expression is equivalent to "the first and the last", which Christ uses for himself in Rev. 1:17-18 and 2:8. To the designation "Alpha and Omega" is added "The One Who Is, Who Was and is to Come". He who "comes on the clouds" is also the One who has dominion over the history of men and is about to come, just as he said He would:
I will come again, and will take you to myself; that where I am, you also may be. (John 14:1)
- 1. Ugo Vanni. Apocalisse in Leggere Oggi La Bibbia by Luigi Della Torre, Masini, Bonoro (eds.) (Queriniana 1979, 1994), pp. 29-30, 63-64.
I find Vanni's liturgical dialogue attractive because otherwise, one cannot explain those two Amens. Amen is not an exclamation; it is a response expressing assent to a declaration of faith made.
