Revelation 1:4–8 (ESV)
Greeting to the Seven Churches
4 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 who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold,
he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
John
praises the one true God—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—while simultaneously clarifying the identity of God’s people: they are the “kingdom” and “priests” for whom He will soon come. Given our continual failure to
live up to such a high calling, we need to hear again and again the truth of our identity in Christ. When the Gospel of God’s grace is preached, the Church may speak a hearty “Amen” in its conviction that Jesus will return and then perfect
our redemption.
I pray: Lord, You promise to return soon and transform us perfectly into Your image. Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran
Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 2201.