Jesus is not "He that is, that was, and that is to come" by Brother John..
Brother John Robinson on Revelation 1:8 Find him here.
And remember Jesus is The Same forever right?!
I'm tired of people bringing up Revelation 1:8 to say Jesus is THE ALMIGHTY, so let's deal with this.
Open up your the book saints!
I will provide commentary, so only those who open up to the book of Revelation and other passages I bring up should be addressing this. Read along, as you read my words, check what is written.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,
2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
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 first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood,
6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the 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 the tribes of the earth will mourn over 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."
9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
(Rev 1:1-9 NAS)
Revelation 1:1-2 sets an order of how things are going to be given.
Confirm in the first verse GOD is giving revelation (disclosure) to Jesus Christ about what is *going to happen.
GOD (THE FATHER) gives to Jesus the revelation of these things So Jesus can show His own servants (slaves, bondmen), and Jesus sends His angel (messenger) to show these things to John the apostle.
That's verse 1
Verse 2, John the apostle bears record of the word of GOD, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all that he saw.
Verse 3 is a pretty awesome message and makes me want to read Revelation so much more.
But check out this verse in Biblegateway.com and click to see all the translations. See how powerful it is the pronouncing of blessings upon those who read aloud this prophetic message from GOD, and the blessings of YAH upon those who hear and who keep what is written in it because the time is at hand (that these things will happen).
V.4 Absolutely one of my favorite verses in this book, because it reveals THE DNA OF THE ALMIGHTY.
Before I go into this part, I need you saints of THE MOST HIGH to take note that John the apostle and the other apostles have a style by which they open up their epistles.
This is extremely important to understand.
Why?
Because when you understand how the apostles open up their letters, you'll or should get used to their style of writing, study how they open up their epistles, see WHO and Who or who they honour and address.
They open up honouring THE FATHER, HIS Son Jesus Christ, and they address the saints etc.
So let's see how John opens up here in Revelation 1 and I ask you all to take a look at John 1:1-2; 1John 1:1-3; 2John 1:1-3 before you deal with Revelation 1:4-5 (also, I stress studying the beginning of the apostle Paul's epistles to see His style of writing, it's a 5 minute thumbing through his opening epistles, and see what he says also...)
Now Revelation 1:4...
John the apostle says to the seven churches (congregations) which are in Asia (Province) Grace and Peace to you from:
HE WHICH IS, WHICH WAS, AND WHICH IS TO COME and from the seven spirits which are before
HIS THRONE ,
V.5. And from Jesus Christ Who is The Faithful Witness, and First Begotten of the dead, and The Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loves us washed us from our sins in His own blood,
V.6 And hath made us kings and priest
unto His GOD and FATHER ,
to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
Okay....
Back to v.4-6 very important.
If you studied or read through the suggested opening up of the epistles of the apostles (except for 3John) you should see the apostles constantly opening up about THE FATHER and HIS Son Jesus and greeting the saints saying peace and grace etc to them from GOD THE FATHER and The Lord Jesus Christ.
In some places the apostle Peter and the apostle Paul say THE GOD and FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ, while opening or this is their language (Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 1:17; 1Peter 1:3) this should automatically equip you with understanding not only did the apostles believe that GOD, THE FATHER, was Jesus' GOD and FATHER, but that GOD IS THE FATHER......
John the apostle continues in his writing style as he prepares to disclose to the saints what he seen and heard.
His writing proves HE WHICH IS, WHICH WAS, WHICH IS TO COME, is GOD THE FATHER.
He then mentions seven spirits before THE THRONE OF GOD, THE FATHER, and then he mentions Jesus Christ calling Him The Faithful Witness and a few other things Him being The Prince of the kings of the earth, and how Jesus loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.
So make no mistake about it, HE WHICH IS, WHICH WAS, WHICH IS TO COME, IS GOD THE FATHER!
V.6 proves that Jesus made us kings and priest unto His GOD and FATHER.
Which means again John the apostle sees it fit to write under the inspiration what he already understands continuing in this truth that even in heaven Jesus still, I said still has A GOD WHO IS His FATHER!
Mind you real quick, why is Jesus still receiving revelation if according to the trinitarian position He is GOD ALMIGHTY?
I mean the chapter opens up proving GOD, THE FATHER is still giving revelation to HIS Son Jesus.
That automatically proves Jesus is not THE ALMIGHTY GOD seeing that He doesn't know except by revelation.Part 2
But I don't want to ahead of myself, let's continue.
So, John the apostle makes the clear distinction between GOD, THE FATHER and the seven spirits before HIS THRONE (v.4) and Jesus Christ in (v.5).
I stress remembering what the apostle John said in v.1-2 remember how the disclosure was given.
And remember John the apostle in hindsight explains in v.4 that GOD THE FATHER, IS HE WHICH IS, WHICH WAS, WHICH IS TO COME .
I stress this fact!
John the apostle knew that it was revealed unto Jesus and that Jesus revealed it unto him that, HE WHICH IS, AND WHICH WAS, WAS THE ONE WHICH IS TO COME also.
Now v.7 pay attention.
Behold He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth wail because of Him. Even so Amen.
This ☝is talking about The Return of The Messiah, because every eye shall see Him, but remember in Matthew 5 The Messiah promised only the pure in heart shall see GOD.
Now, remembering v.1-2 Jesus is receiving revelation and giving it to John via His messenger.
V.7 and 8 is a prophecy of what is going to happen, and don't miss the fact that John the apostle is writing to us about what he knows, but after it was revealed to him, so a form of what is called hindsight.
Hindsight contextual to not that it already happened in the earth, but that he was in the Spirit and seen and heard and these things were revealed to him about was going to happen.
V.8 is continued prophecy or revelation of what is known to him, he's sharing it with us.
He reveals (remember v.2) the record of THE WORD OF GOD, And the testimony of Jesus Christ The Faithful Witness....
He writes:
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith THE LORD,
WHICH IS,
AND WHICH WAS,
AND WHICH IS TO COME,
THE ALMIGHTY.
Now according to John the apostle in v.4 WHO IS HE WHICH IS, WHICH WAS, AND WHICH IS TO COME?
It is GOD, THE FATHER!
The context proves it!
John the apostle's style of writing proves it!
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them,
4 and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
6 And He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
7 "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. (Rev 21:1-7 NAS)
Revelation 21:1-7 proves that GOD ALMIGHTY HIMSELF, will make HIS TABERNACLE with redeemed humanity, and this is where Jesus' prophecy about the pure in heart shall see GOD, will come to pass.
But that's not all saints...
I have precise epistle doctrine from the apostle Peter who also wrote about the coming of the day of GOD in his epistles where he talks about the elements melting with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Then it says in v.12 that this is the day of GOD, wherein the heavens shall be dissolved, and the elements melt with fervent heat.
This is 2Peter 3:9-13 about a New heaven and New earth, which is The New Jerusalem, that Jesus *prophesied comes down out of heaven from His GOD in Revelation 3:12, which is why I said earlier in Revelation 21 this is the chapter where you see GOD making HIS TABERNACLE with redeemed humanity.
Once again...
Revelation 1:8 is prophecy *testimony from Jesus Christ, which He heard of GOD and He revealed to John which is why you see saith , like thus saith
THE LORD WHICH IS, AND WHICH WAS, AND WHICH IS TO COME.
THE ALMIGHTY IS going to create a new heaven and a new earth, which is The New Jerusalem.
By the way....further studying of Revelation 19 and Revelation 20 proves that Jesus has already returned to the earth in the context and is with the saints in the camp when the camp of saints are surrounded and then fire comes down from YAH out of heaven and devours them (Revelation 20:7-9)!
Again Jesus is not THE ALMIGHTY GOD, He is HIS Son!
And if Jesus Christ is The Same Today, and Yesterday, and forever (Hebrews 13:8) if He has A GOD and FATHER in heaven, and even at the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from His GOD (His FATHER) Revelation 3:12, when does He ever stop having A GOD?