"As is true of NT epistles in general, the address of Revelation contains three elements: the writer, the addressees, and the greeting."18
1:4 John sent this letter to the seven churches mentioned in chapters 2 and 3, which were in the Roman province of Asia.19The province of Asia lay in Asia Minor (modern western Turkey).
Since this book deals mainly with future events, John described the divine Author as God (the Father) who is, was, and is to come. This title occurs nowhere else in the Bible except in Revelation (4:8; cf. 11:17; 16:5; Exod. 3:14-15). This description stresses the continuity of God's dealings with humankind.
The phrase "seven Spirits"probably refers to seven principle angelic messengers (cf. v. 20; 8:2, 6; 15:1; 1 Kings 22:19-21; Heb. 1:14).20Another view is that the phrase refers to the Holy Spirit (cf. Isa. 11:2-3).21If so, this title fills out a reference to the Trinity in this sentence (cf. 3:1, 4:5; and 5:6).
1:5 John described Jesus Christ as the "faithful witness (cf. 3:14; Ps. 89:37)."22
"Jesus Christ is of the seed of David and will sit on the Davidic throne that will endure forever as the sun (Ps. 89:16)."23
"Faithful witness"is Jesus Christ's present ministry of revealing what follows. John also called Him the "first-born from the dead"(cf. Ps. 89:27; Acts 2:29-32; 4:2; 26:23; Rom. 1:4; 1 Cor. 15:23). This title looks at the culmination of His past ministry when God raised Him to new life at His resurrection. He also referred to Him as the "ruler of the kings of the earth"(Ps. 89:27) That is His future ministry following His second coming (Matt. 2:6). The New Testament speaks much of believers entering into their rights as first-born sons of God and ruling with Jesus Christ in His millennial kingdom. This will be the privilege of faithful, obedient Christians (cf. 2 Tim. 2:12).24
". . . the origination of all three expressions from Psalm 89 reflects a major authorial intent to direct attention to the fulfillment of the promises made to David regarding an eternal kingdom in 2 Samuel 7."25
John ascribed eternal glory and dominion to Jesus Christ who is the subject and object of this revelation. He described Him as the One who always loves us and who loosed us from the bondage of our sins by His death.26
1:6 Jesus Christ also has made us a kingdom (corporately) and priests (individually; cf. 5:10; 20:6; Exod. 19:6; Isa. 61:6; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9) to His God and Father, another evidence of His present love for us.27We are such now, but in the future faithful Christians, His bond-servants, will also reign with Jesus Christ on the earth (cf. 5:10).
"Amen"means "So be it!"Here it signifies the writer's assent to the truthfulness of these affirmations about Jesus Christ (cf. 1:7; 5:14; 7:12 [twice]; 19:4; 22:20)
It is interesting that John, the apostle of love, would emphasize God's love in this first doxology as the dominating divine emotion (cf. Deut. 4:37).
