and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.  To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, (6) and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen. (7) Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so.  Amen. (8) “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”  

Revelation was written by the apostle John (the last living apostle) near the end of the first century. The letter was the testimony of Christ Jesus sent by an angel to John to be sent to the 7 existing churches of Asia Minor. At the time of writing this letter persecution of Christians was escalating.  (revelation means uncovered or revealed and the Greek translation of this word is apocalypse.). Because of the real danger to the Christians of that time, this letter about Jesus Christ, the risen and glorified God, was written in symbolism and vivid imagery.  The early chapters are historical but the letter is mainly one of prophesy.

Greetings are sent from John and then from Christ Jesus.  Christ, who loved men and became a sin sacrifice that men would be saved from their sin, washed us clean in His blood and made the believers as priests so they could enter God’s presence.  (In the Jewish system access to God was only through the High Priest.)  We are told that Christ will come again into this world and on clouds of glory. In the Old Testament no one could see the light of God and live but at the second coming Christ will be visible to all – “even they who pierced Him”.   This meant the truly repentant Jews. Further, “all the tribes will mourn” meant the rest of the remaining inhabitants of the earth. They will mourn not out of faith and repentance but out of guilt and fear for their sin.

Christ Jesus is the supreme sovereign from A to Z – from Alpha to Omega. Christ, eternal and almighty has dominion over every created person, object and event. Even so.  Amen.