Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Revelation 1:5
And from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
5. who is ] These words are probably inserted in the A. V. and R. V. by way of marking the fact that “the faithful Witness” is in the nominative, not in apposition to the name “Jesus Christ.” But whether this has the same object as the anacoluthon of the previous verse a sort of reverence that forbids the divine Name to be “governed” by any other word is more doubtful: the general usage of the book appears to ignore the classical rule of apposition.
the faithful witness ] See 1Ti 6:13: Jesus Christ was in His Death much more than a martyr, but He was also the perfect type and example of martyrdom. Observe His own words in Joh 18:37 to which perhaps St Paul l. c. is referring. Here as in the next clause, see below, the language recalls Psa 89:37, perhaps too Isa 55:4.
first begotten of the dead ] Explained by St Paul in Col 1:18, where He is called “the First-born” (the word is the same) “ from the dead.” The sense of “first-born” or “first-begotten” is “first to enter life,” without any fanciful image of death as the womb of earth. The thought in Rom 1:4 is similar.
prince of the kings of the earth ] A reminiscence (hardly to be called a quotation) of Psa 89:27, “I will make Him My First-born, higher than the kings of the earth.”
that loved ] Read, that loveth. “It is His ever-abiding character, that He loveth His own, Joh 13:1 ” (Alford).
washed us ] The balance of evidence is in favour of the reading “loosed us:” the preposition “ in ” might easily, in a Hebraistic book like this, be used of an instrument, where we should say “by,” or “with.” So we should probably render “redeemed us from our sins by His own Blood” the Blood of Christ being conceived as the price of our redemption, as in 1Pe 1:18-19 not, as in Rev 7:14, Rev 22:14 (according to the preferable reading), and perhaps in St John’s 1Jn 1:7, as the cleansing fountain foretold in Zec 13:1. If therefore we ask “ when Christ thus freed us,” the answer must be, at His Passion, not at our conversion or baptism.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness – See the notes on Rev 1:2. He is faithful in the sense that he is one on whose testimony there may be entire reliance, or who is entirely worthy to be believed. From him grace and peace are appropriately sought, as one who hears such a testimony, and as the first-begotten from the dead, and as reigning over the kings of the earth. Thus, grace and peace are invoked from the infinite God in all his relations and operations: as the Father, the Source of all existence; as the Sacred Spirit, going forth in manifold operations upon the hearts of people; and as the Son of God, the one appointed to bear faithful testimony to the truth respecting God and future events.
And the first-begotten of the dead – The same Greek expression – prototokos – occurs in Col 1:18. See it explained in the notes on that passage. Compare the notes at 1Co 15:20.
And the prince of the kings of the earth – Who has over all the kings of the earth the pre-eminence which kings have over their subjects. He is the Ruler of rulers; King of kings. In Rev 17:14; Rev 19:16, the same thought is expressed by saying that he is the King of kings. No language could more sublimely denote his exalted character, or his supremacy. Kings and princes sway a scepter over the million of the earth, and the exaltation of the Saviour is here expressed by supposing that all those kings and princes constitute a community over which he is the head. The exaltation of the Redeemer is elsewhere expressed in different language, but the idea is one that everywhere prevails in regard to him in the Scriptures. Compare Mat 28:18; Mat 11:27; Joh 17:2; Eph 1:20-22; Phi 2:9-11; Col 1:15-18. The word prince – ho archon – means properly, ruler, leader, the first in rank. We often apply the word prince to an heir to a throne who is not invested with absolute sovereignty. The word here, however, denotes that he actually exercises dominion over the rulers of the earth. As this is an authority which is claimed by God (compare Isa 10:5 ff; Isa 45:1 ff; Psa 47:2; Psa 99:1; Psa 103:9; Dan 4:34), and which can only pertain to God, it is clear that in ascribing this to the Lord Jesus it is implied that he is possessed of divine attributes. As much of the revelations of this book pertained to the assertion of power over the princes and rulers of this world, there was a propriety that, in the commencement, it should be asserted that he who was to exert that power was invested with the prerogative of a ruler of the nations, and that he had this right of control.
Unto him that loved us – This refers undoubtedly to the Lord Jesus, whose love for people was so strong that nothing more was necessary to characterize him than to speak of him as the one who loved us. It is manifest that the division in the verses should have been made here, for this commences a new subject, not having any special connection with what precedes. In Rev 1:4, and the first part of this verse, the writer had invoked grace from the Father, the Spirit, and the Saviour. In the latter clause of the verse there commences an ascription of praise to the Redeemer; an ascription to him particularly, because the whole book is regarded as a revelation from him Rev 1:1; because he was the one who especially appeared to John in the visions of Patmos; and because he was to be the great agent in carrying into execution the purposes revealed in this book.
And washed us from our sins in his own blood – He has removed the pollution of sin from our souls by his blood; that is, his blood has been applied to cleanse us from sin. Blood can be represented as having a cleansing power only as it makes an expiation for sin, for considered literally its effect would be the reverse. The language is such as would be used only on the supposition that he had made an atonement, and that it was by the atonement that we are cleansed; for in what sense could it be said of a martyr that he had washed us from our sins in his blood? How could this language be used of Paul or Polycarp; of Ridley or Cranmer? The doctrine that the blood of Christ cleanses us from sin, or purifies us, is one that is common in the Scriptures. Compare 1Jo 1:7; Heb 9:14. The specific idea of washing, however – representing that blood as washing sin away – is one which does not elsewhere occur. It is evidently used in the sense of cleansing or purifying, as we do this by washing, and as the blood of Christ accomplishes in respect to our souls, what washing with water does in respect to the body.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. The faithful witness] The true teacher, whose testimony is infallible, and whose sayings must all come to pass.
The first-begotten of the dead] See Clarke on Col 1:18.
The prince of the kings] , The chief or head, of all earthly potentates; who has them all under his dominion and control, and can dispose of them as he will.
Unto him that loved us] This should begin a new verse, as it is the commencement of a new subject. Our salvation is attributed to the love of God, who gave his Son; and to the love of Christ, who died for us. See Joh 3:16.
Washed us from our sins] The redemption of the soul, with the remission of sins, and purification from unrighteousness, is here, as in all the New Testament, attributed to the blood of Christ shed on the cross for man.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness: here is an express mention of Jesus Christ, because he was the procurer of our redemption, and our Mediator, to whom the Father committed all power as to the church. He is called the faithful and true witness; 1Ti 6:13, he witnessed a good confession before Pontius Plate; he bare record of himself, Joh 8:13,14; see also Isa 43:10; 55:4; Joh 18:37.
And the first begotten of the dead; that is, who first rose from the dead, viz. by his own power, Joh 10:18, and to die no more: see Act 13:34; 1Co 15:20.
And the prince of the kings of the earth: the King of kings, Rev 17:14; 19:16; 1Ti 6:15. The first name here given to Christ speaketh his prophetical office, the second his priestly office, this last his kingly office.
Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood: here begins a doxology, or giving glory to Christ, (such forms are frequent in the Epistles), first, as he that washed us from our sins, both from the guilt and from the power and dominion of our sins, with his blood, paying a price, and satisfying Gods justice for, and meriting our sanctification: see Heb 9:14; 1Jo 1:7.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. the faithful witnessof thetruth concerning Himself and His mission as Prophet, Priest, and KingSaviour. “He was the faithful witness, because all thingsthat He heard of the Father He faithfully made known to Hisdisciples. Also, because He taught the way of God in truth, and carednot for man, nor regarded the persons of men. Also, because the truthwhich He taught in words He confirmed by miracles. Also, because thetestimony to Himself on the part of the Father He denied not even indeath. Lastly, because He will give true testimony of the works ofgood and bad at the day of judgment” [RICHARDOF ST. VICTORin TRENCH]. The nominativein Greek standing in apposition to the genitive, “JesusChrist,” gives majestic prominence to “the faithfulwitness.”
the first-begotten of thedead (Col 1:18). Lazarusrose, to die again. Christ rose to die no more. The image is not asif the grave was the womb of His resurrection-birth [ALFORD];but as Act 13:33; Rom 1:4,treat Christ’s resurrection as the epoch and event whichfulfilled the Scripture, Ps 2:7,”This day (at the resurrection) have I begotten Thee.”It was then that His divine Sonship as the God-man was manifested andopenly attested by the Father. So our resurrection and our manifestedsonship, or generation, are connected. Hence “regeneration”is used of the resurrection-state at the restitution of allthings (Mt 19:28).
the princeor Ruler.The kingship of the world which the tempter offered to Jesus oncondition of doing homage to him, and so shunning the cross, He hasobtained by the cross. “The kings of the earth” conspiredagainst the Lord’s Anointed (Ps2:2): these He shall break in pieces (Ps2:9). Those who are wise in time and kiss the Son shall bringtheir glory unto Him at His manifestation as King of kings, afterHe has destroyed His foes.
Unto him that loved usTheoldest manuscripts read the present, “. . . loveth us.”It is His ever-continuing character, He loveth us, and evershall love us. His love rests evermore on His people.
washed usThe twooldest manuscripts read, “freed (loosed as from a bond)us”: so ANDREAS andPRIMASIUS. One very oldmanuscript, Vulgate, and Coptic read as EnglishVersion, perhaps drawn from Re7:4. “Loosed us in (virtue of) His blood,” being theharder reading to understand, is less likely to have come fromthe transcribers. The reference is thus to Greek, “lutron,“the ransom paid for our release (Mt20:28). In favor of English Version reading is the usagewhereby the priests, before putting on the holy garments andministering, washed themselves: so spiritually believers, aspriests unto God, must first be washed in Christ’sblood from every stain before they can serve God aright now, orhereafter minister as dispensers of blessing to the subject nationsin the millennial kingdom, or minister before God in heaven.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And from Jesus Christ,…. Who, though the second Person in the Trinity, is mentioned last, because many things were to be said of him; and who is described in all his offices: in his prophetic office,
the faithful witness; as he is of his Father, of his mind and will, with respect to doctrine and worship; of his truth and faithfulness in his promises; and of his love, grace, and mercy, to his chosen; and of himself, of his true deity, proper sonship, and perfect equality with the Father; of his Messiahship, and of salvation through his obedience, sufferings, and death; and of all truth in general, to which he has bore a faithful testimony several ways, in his ministry, by his miracles, at his death, and by the shedding of his blood to seal it; by his Spirit since, and by the ministers of his word: he is described in his priestly office by
the first begotten of the dead: being the first that rose from the dead by his own power, and to an immortal life; for though some few were raised before him, yet not by themselves, nor to live for ever, but to die again. Moreover, he is the firstfruits of the resurrection, the pledge and earnest of it, as well as the efficient cause and exemplar of it. This character supposes that he died, as he did, for the sins of his people; and that he rose again from the dead, as he did, for their justification; and that he rose first as their head and representative, and opened the way of life for them. And he is described in his kingly office, for it follows,
and the Prince of the kings of the earth: which is not to be understood figuratively of the saints, who have power over sin, Satan, and the world, through the efficacious grace of Christ, and of whom he is Prince or King; but literally of the kings and princes of this world, over whom Christ is King and Lord, who receive their crowns and kingdoms from him, and rule by him, and are accountable to him, as they one day must be. Next follows a doxology, or an ascription of glory to him,
unto him that hath loved us; his own, his people, his church, his chosen, and who are given him by his Father; these he has loved with an everlasting and unchangeable love, with a love of complacency and delight, which passes knowledge, and will never end: and which he has shown in espousing their persons, undertaking their cause, assuming their nature, and in nothing more than in giving himself for them as a propitiatory sacrifice, or in dying and shedding his precious blood for them, as is next expressed:
and washed us from our sins in his own blood; which shows that these persons were loved before washed; they were not first washed, and then loved, but first loved, and then washed. Love was the cause of washing, and not washing the cause of love; hence it appears that they were in themselves filthy, and unclean through sin; and that they could not cleanse themselves by anything they could do; and that such was the love of Christ to them, that he shed his precious blood for them, which is a fountain opened, to wash in for sin, and which cleanses from all sin. This is to be understood, not of the sanctification of their natures, which is the work of the Spirit, but of atonement for their sins, and justification from them by the blood of Christ, whereby they are so removed, that they are all fair, and without spot. It is afterwards said, that these same persons are made priests; and it may be observed, that the priests were always washed, before they performed their service, as such n. The Alexandrian copy and the Syriac and Arabic versions read, “and hath loosed us from our sins in”, or “by his blood”; that is, from the guilt of them, which was bound upon them.
n Misn. Yoma, c. 3. sect. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Who is the faithful witness ( ). “The witness the faithful,” nominative in apposition like and with the preceding ablative with , a habit of John in this book (apparently on purpose) as in Rev 2:13; Rev 2:20; Rev 3:12, etc. See this same phrase in Rev 2:13; Rev 3:14. The use of of Jesus here is probably to the witness (1:1) in this book (22:16f.), not to the witness of Jesus before Pilate (1Ti 6:13).
The first-born of the dead ( ). A Jewish Messianic title (Ps 88:28) and as in Col 1:18 refers to priority in the resurrection to be followed by others. See Lu 2:7 for the word.
The ruler of the kings of the earth ( ). Jesus by his resurrection won lordship over the kings of earth (Rev 17:14; Rev 19:16), what the devil offered him by surrender (Mt 4:8f.).
Unto him that loveth us ( ). Dative of the articular present (not aorist ) active participle of in a doxology to Christ, the first of many others to God and to Christ (Rev 1:6; Rev 4:11; Rev 5:9; Rev 5:12; Rev 7:10; Rev 7:12, etc.). For the thought see Joh 3:16.
Loosed (). First aorist active participle of (Aleph A C), though some MSS. (P Q) read (washed), a manifest correction. Note the change of tense. Christ loosed us once for all, but loves us always.
By his blood ( ). As in 5:9. John here as in the Gospel and Epistles states plainly and repeatedly the place of the blood of Christ in the work of redemption.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Jesus Christ. The Son. Placed after the Spirit because what is to follow in verses 5 – 8 relates to Him. This is according to John’s manner of arranging his thoughts so that a new sentence shall spring out of the final thought of the preceding sentence. Compare the Prologue of the Gospel, and verses 1, 2, of this chapter.
The faithful witness [ ] . For the phraseology see on 1Jo 4:9. For witness, see on Joh 1:7; 1Pe 5:1. As applied to the Messiah, see Psa 89:37; Isa 55:4. The construction again departs from the grammatical rule. The words witness, first – born, ruler, are in the nominative case, instead of being in the genitive, in apposition with Jesus Christ. This construction, though irregular, nevertheless gives dignity and emphasis to these titles of the Lord. See on verse 4. The word pistov, faithful is used (1), of one who shows Himself faithful in the discharge of a duty or the administration of a trust (Mt 24:45; Luk 12:42). Hence, trustworthy (1Co 7:25; 2Ti 2:2). Of things that can be relied upon (1Ti 3:1; 2Ti 2:11). (2), Confiding; trusting; a believer (Gal 3:9; Act 16:1; 2Co 6:15; 1Ti 5:16). See on 1Jo 1:9. The word is combined with ajlhqinov, true, genuine in chapter Rev 3:14; Rev 19:11; 215; 22 6. Richard of St. Victor (cited by Trench) says : “A faithful witness, because He gave faithful testimony concerning all things which were to be testified to by Him in the world. A faithful witness, because whatever He heard from the Father, He faithfully made known to His disciples. A faithful witness, because He taught the way of God in truth, neither did He care for any one nor regard the person of men. A faithful witness, because He announced condemnation to the reprobate and salvation to the elect. A faithful witness, because He confirmed by miracles the truth which He taught in words. A faithful witness, because He denied not, even in death, the Father ‘s testimony to Himself. A faithful witness, because He will give testimony in the day of judgment concerning the works of the good and of the evil.”
The first – begotten of the dead [ ] . Rev., the first – born. The best texts omit ejk from. Compare Col 1:18. The risen Christ regarded in His relation to the dead in Christ. He was not the first who rose from the dead, but the first who so rose that death was thenceforth impossible for Him (Rom 6:9); rose with that resurrection – life in which He will finally bring with Him those who sleep in Him (1Th 4:14). Some interpreters, rendering first – born, find in the phrase the metaphor of death as the womb which bare Him (see on Act 2:24). Others, holding by the rendering first – begotten, connect the passage with Psa 2:7, which by Paul is connected with the resurrection of Christ (Act 13:32, 33). Paul also says that Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom 1:4). The verb tiktw which is one of the components of prwtotokov first – begotten or born, is everywhere in the New Testament used in the sense of to bear or to bring forth, and has nowhere the meaning beget, unless Jas 1:15 be an exception, on which see note. In classical Greek the meaning beget is common.
The Ruler of the kings of the earth [ ] . Through resurrection He passes to glory and dominion (Phi 2:9). The comparison with the kings of the earth is suggested by Psa 2:2. Compare Psa 89:27; Isa 52:15; 1Ti 6:16; and see Rev 6:15; Rev 17:4; Rev 19:16.
Unto Him that loved [ ] . The true reading is ajgapwnti that loveth. So Rev. Christ ‘s love is ever present See Joh 13:1. Washed [] . Read lusanti loosed. Trench remarks on the variation of readings as having grown out of a play on the words loutron, a bathing, and lutron a ransom, both of which express the central benefits which redound to us through the sacrifice and death of Christ. He refers to this play upon words as involved in the etymology of the name Apollo as given by Plato; viz., the washer [ ] and the absolver [ ] from all impurities. Either reading falls in with a beautiful circle of imagery. If washed, compare Psa 51:2; Isa 1:16, 18; Eze 36:25; Act 22:16; Eph 5:26; Tit 3:5. If loosed, compare Mt 20:28; 1Ti 2:6; 1Pe 1:18; Heb 9:12; Gal 3:13; Gal 4:5; Rev 5:9; Rev 14:3, 4.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
Comment:
1) “And from Jesus Christ,” (Kai apo lesou Christou) “Even originating from Jesus Christ; John continued to pray that grace and peace might continually flow from God the Father, the Holy Spirit in his perfections, and Jesus Christ.
2) “Who is the faithful witness,” (ho martus ho pistos) “The one who is the faithful (trustworthy) witness; He is the “faithful witness” to the people, all men, who speaks Isa 55:3-5; Joh 5:30-39; 1Ti 6:13.
3) “And the first begotten of the dead,” (ho prototokos ton nekron) “The firstborn (the prototype) of the dead bodies or corpses,” showing what the resurrected saints shall be like, the first-begotten from among the dead, dead bodies, 1Co 15:20; 1Co 15:23; 1Jn 3:1-3.
4) “And the prince of the kings of the earth,” (kai ho archon ton Basileon tes ges) “And the high-ruler, prince, or chief of (above) the kings of the earth,” Rev 17:14; Rev 19:16. The imperial ruler of the earth, 1Co 15:25; Luk 1:32-33.
5) “Unto him that loved us,”(to agapeesanti hemas)”To the one who loved us,” and still loves us, Joh 15:13; Eph 5:25; 2Co 5:14; Joh 11:3; 1Jn 4:19. We love him because he first loved us.
6) “And washed us from our sins,” (kai lusanti hemas ek ton hamartion hemon) And absolved, loosed, or released us out of the consequence of our sins,” Rom 3:24-25; Tit 3:5.
7) “In his own blood,” (en to haimati autou) “By his own blood,” Eph 1:7; Heb 9:22; Heb 9:26; Heb 10:18; Rev 5:9-10.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(5) From Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten (or, firstborn) of the dead, and the prince (or, ruler) of the kings of the earth.The triple title applied to Christ corresponds to the three ideas of this book. Christ the Revealing Prophet, the Life-giving High Priest, and the real Ruler of mankind.
The faithful witness.There may be a reference here, it has been suggested by Prof. Plumptre, to the bow in the cloud, which is described in Psa. 89:37 as the faithful witness. The coincidence of expression is remarkable: I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth; he shall stand fast as the sun before me, and as the faithful witness in heaven. The idea of testimony and witness is a favourite one with St. John, who records its use by our Lord Himself. (Comp. Joh. 3:32; Joh. 5:36; Joh. 18:37. See also Rev. 19:10; Rev. 22:18. Comp. also the work of the Only Begotten as stated in Joh. 1:18.)
The prince (or ruler) of the kings of the earth.The message does not come from One who will be, but who is the true ruler of all earthly potentates. The disposition to dwell on the future and more visibly recognised reign of Christ hereafter has tended to obscure the truth of His present reign. It is instructive to notice that this book, which describes so vividly the manifestations of Christs kingdom (Rev. 11:15; Rev. 12:10), claims for Him at the outset the place of the real King of kings. Such was the Apostles faith. Above all emperors and kings, above all armies and multitudes, he thought of the Crucified as ruling and directing the course of history, and certain in His own due time to manifest His sovereignty (Prof. Plumptre). What are we to see in the simple Anno Domini of our dates and superscriptions, but that for some reason the great world-history has been bending itself to the lowly person of Jesus (Bushnell). A handful read the philosophers; myriads would die for Christ; they in their popularity could barely found a school; Christ from His cross rules the world (Farrar, Witness of History). Such is a real kingship.
Unto him that loved us, and washed us.Instead of washed us, some MSS. read, loosed us. There is only one letters difference in the two words in Greek. The general tone of thought would lead us to prefer washed as the true reading. On a solemn occasion, which St. John remembered clearly, our Lord had said, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me. The thought of the cleansing blood, intensified by the recollection of the water and blood which he had seen flowing from Christs pierced side, often recurred to his mind (Rev. 7:13-14; 1Jn. 1:7; 1Jn. 5:6-8).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. The faithful witness Through whom, and attested by whom, all revelation comes from God to man, especially this apocalypse, whose seals are opened by his conquering power. This witness is faithful to give us truth alone. The word witness is a favourite term both in the Apocalypse and John’s Gospel and Epistles. It implies, not merely revelation, narrative, but as in a permanent contrast with unbelief a testimony, a strong, sure, reliable attestation.
First begotten of the dead As the firstborn was the chief among his brethren, so this might mean that Christ was chief of all risen from the dead, and leader of the resurrection. So Rom 8:29, “firstborn” or chief “among many brethren.” It implies, also, priority of time; for though Lazarus was raised from the dead, yet he died again, and his rising was no part of the one great organic resurrection to immortal life. So that he was truly “the firstfruits of them that slept,” in order of time.
The conception that the grave is the earth’s womb, (as Alford,) from which the dead are born into life, is in the very dim background, as in all such expressions as used by the Hebrews. Note on Eph 2:2-3. On the difference between the phrases “from the dead,” and of the dead, see note on Luk 20:35.
Prince Leader or ruler.
Of the kings Lord of the resurrection in the world to come; Lord of all authority in the present world.
Unto him To this double Lord of both worlds, who, supremely King himself, has made us to be a kingdom.
That loved us True reading, and more expressive, that loveth us; for his love is an ever present and perpetual thing; whereas the washed was a past and transient deed. For , washed, another reading is , released, redeemed. The former is both the better supported and the more expressive term; and corresponds most strikingly with blood. The powerful image of washing the soul in blood, gives a vivid idea of the power of the atonement as working both our justification immediately, and our sanctification mediately, by the Spirit purchased for us at the price of the blood.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘To Him who loves us (present tense), and freed us from our sins by (en) His blood (aorist tense), and made us to be a Kingdom, even priests to His God and Father, to Him be the glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen.’
At the thought of what Jesus has done for us John now bursts into praise. The tenses are significant. His love is continuous, unceasing and unfailing, never ending (present tense). His work of freeing from sin was accomplished once for all (aorist tense) at the cross where He offered one sacrifice for sins for ever (Heb 10:12).
He has also ‘made us to be a kingdom’. He is the King we are His kingdom, we belong to Him in close connection. His kingdom are His people. ‘Even priests.’ Thus are we priests to His God and Father under our great High Priest (1Pe 2:5), indeed we are a royal priesthood (1Pe 2:9). Compare Rev 5:9 where the kingdom and priests are purchased from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. (We could actually translate ‘a kingdom of priests’ (compare Exo 19:6) for the author tends to combine two nouns in this way when the second is to be treated as a genitive. Compare Rev 1:9).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Rev 1:5. The faithful witness, In the original the nominative case is again used by St. John, contrary to the analogy of grammar, to signify, that, as he had intimated the immortality of the Deity, so likewise Christ was no less immutable in his kingdom and in his testimony. Christ is called the Prince of the kings of the earth, to encourage them in the profession of Christianity, notwithstandingthe opposition made by kings, whom he could easily defeat and destroy in a moment. See Joh 13:34; Joh 15:9. 1Jn 1:7.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Rev 1:5 . As from the seven spirits of God, as the Spirit of God and of the Lamb beheld in living concretion, comforting, warning, strengthening believers, but judging the world, grace and peace are wished; so also, finally (Rev 1:5-6 ), from Jesus Christ, since he is , . . . The construction with the genitive is not abandoned in order to indicate “the immutability of the testimony,” [589] neither is it aided by supplying : [590] but the importance of the ideas breaks through the limitations of regular form; the abrupt mode of speech makes prominent the intense independence of all three predicates. Compare the energetic change of construction in the sentences immediately following. All three predicates of Jesus Christ stand in pragmatic connection with the contents of the entire communicated through him, but not [591] in correspondence with the three themes of the ascription of praise, . , , and . ., . . . Inconsistent with the conception and reference of the three predicates, is also the opinion that in them Christ “is characterized according to the consecutive series of his works, and therefore according to his threefold office.” [592]
Christ exalted to his majesty is first , i.e., the trustworthy [593] witness, and not because in his earthly life he testified, in general, to the divine truth, [594] and maintained it even unto death; [595] nor because what he has threatened and promised in the flesh [596] he will execute: but also, not alone because of the attestation to apocalyptic truth, [597] which reference, of course, must not be omitted, but absolutely as the very one through whom each and every divine revelation occurs, who communicates predictions not only to the prophets in general, [598] as at present to the writer of the Apoc., [599] but also testifies to the truth [600] by reproving, admonishing, and comforting the churches. That, just on this account, Christ was the faithful witness in the flesh, is self-evident, but lies here beyond the sphere of the visions.
. This figurative expression [601] agrees, as to its essential meaning, with the figure, , 1Co 15:20 . [602] The figure is obliterated if , [603] without any thing further, be received like , the first. [604] Grot. already justly remarks, “The resurrection is a birth.” [605] Yet the view according to which the resurrection to a new life [606] appears as a birth is to be maintained in its simplicity, and not, as with Ebrard, to be further portrayed. [607] But, since Christ is the . . . , he may represent himself as in Rev 1:18 ; Rev 2:8 ; and that applies to him as returning, which Rev 1:7 represents as the fundamental thought of the book. [See Note XX., p. 123.] . This, Christ to whom, as the Messiah, and that too as one dead and risen again, the dominion over all things belongs [608] will prove himself to be, in the judgment, at his advent. [609]
[589] Grot., Stern.
[590] Er. Schmid, Schttg.
[591] According to Ebrard.
[592] Ebrard. Cf. also Coccej., Vitr., Calov.
[593] Because true. Cf. Rev 3:14 , Rev 19:11 , Rev 21:5 , Rev 22:6 .
[594] Cf. Joh 3:11 ; 1Ti 6:13 ; Andr., Areth., Par., Coccej., Vitr., Grot., Calov., Eichh., Zll.
[595] Ebrard.
[596] Ewald compares Joh 7:7 ; Hengstenb., in addition to Joh 3:11 ; also Joh 16:33 , etc.
[597] Rev 1:2 , De Wette; cf. Heinr., Ew. ii.
[598] Rev 19:10 .
[599] Rev 1:2 ; Rev 22:20 ; Rev 22:16 .
[600] Rev 3:14 .
[601] Cf. Col 1:18 , . .
[602] Where also the partitive genitive denotes the mass to which Christ belongs.
[603] Cf. also Col 1:15 , where Christ as the first- born is distinguished from that created by him.
[604] Hengstenb.
[605] Cf. also Ew.
[606] Cf. the , Rev 2:8 .
[607] That the expression , Act 2:24 , properly has not been derived by Luke from the LXX. of Psa 18:5 (cf. Rev 1:6 ), but that Peter actually spake of the “bands” of death, is inferred from the fact that it is said that Christ could not have been held by it, viz., by death. That “the birth-pangs of death” could not have held Christ, that Christ forced his way through “these birth-pangs of death,” and therefore is to be understood as the first who “opened the womb,” is the inference of Ebrard.
[608] Psa 2 ; cf. Act 13:33 ; Psa 110 , Psa 72:10 sqq., Psa 89:28 ; Isa 52:13 sqq.; Phi 2:9 ; Mat 28:18 .
[609] Cf. Rev 6:15 , Rev 17:14 , Rev 19:16 .
If the three predicates of Christ just mentioned are presented without formal opposition, because in this way the unconditional objectivity of the ideas is the more forcibly marked, the subjective references in the following expressions, . . , . . . , . ., require that they be made in the form of a doxology. The new clause, ., looks from the very beginning to the close ( ) , . . .; the restoring the original form of the sentence after it had been interrupted, after a Hebraistic manner, by the finite tense, . [610]
The present, . , is neither to be accounted for by the false reading , nor to be explained in the sense of an imperfect participle; but, on the contrary, the certainty that Christ continues to love his people is just as significant in the connection of the book as that of his being the faithful witness. [611] The bride is comforted, and rejoices in the coining of Him whom she loves. [612]
. ., . . . The loosing which Christ has accomplished [613] by means of his blood [614] [see Note XXI., p. 124] represents our sins as a power enchaining us. [615] For the thought, cf. the similar conception of , Rev 5:9 . [616] The reading [617] yields, according to another figure, [618] essentially the same idea, in both of which [619] the forgiveness of sins and liberation from their power [620] are comprised. Yet, even in an exegetical respect, the reading is preferable. As in Rev 5:9 the allied idea of the , so also here the . is followed by the declaration which, in most forcible opposition to the bondage of the sins from which we are delivered, ascribes to us a royal dominion and holy priesthood with God.
[610] De Wette, etc.
[611] Cf. Rev 3:19 .
[612] Rev 22:17 ; cf. also Rom 8:37 sqq.
[613] In regard to the meaning of the aor. and , cf. Rev 5:10 ; Heb 7:27 ; Gal 2:20 .
[614] Cf., concerning this meaning of the , Rev 6:8 ; Winer, p. 363.
[615] Rev 20:7 , where also the , Rev 9:14-15 , Rev 20:3 ; cf. Mat 16:19 ; Mat 18:18 .
[616] 1Co 6:20 ; Gal 3:13 ; Act 20:28 ; 1Pe 1:18 ; Eph 1:7 ; Mat 20:18 .
[617] Cf. Critical Notes.
[618] Psa 2:4 ; Isa 1:16 ; Isa 1:18 ; Rev 7:14 .
[619] Cf., on the other hand, De Wette.
[620] Cf. the of 1Jn 1:7 .
NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR
XX. Rev 1:5 .
Cf. Meyer on 1Co 15:20 ; Col 1:18 . Others, indeed, were raised from the dead before Christ’s resurrection, e.g., the daughter of Jairus, and Lazarus; yet they were not raised to immortal life, but their souls were re-invested with mortal bodies. See the contrast drawn by Rom 6:9 ; also, in this chapter, Rev 5:13 .
NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR
XXI. Rev 1:5 .
Beck, who, however, prefers the reading , adds on the : “For it is not the material, lifeless blood of one dead, but the spiritually quickened blood of the risen One, i.e., of one born anew by the resurrection, of the spiritually glorified Son of man. The sin-cleansing efficacy of the blood of Christ is, therefore, one that works inwardly, cleansing the heart and mind, towards God (Heb 9:14 ; cf. Heb 7:16 ; Heb 10:19-21 ). is, therefore, not merely judicial liberation from sin as a debt, nor moral liberation from the bondage of sin (as two parties of exegetes here try to maintain), but one divine act accomplished in the person, whereby the habitual, sinful nature of the human heart and mind, discontent with God, and hostility towards him, are removed, and changed into a communion of peace and love with God, into a new habit, whence, at last, the personal freedom from sin, and sanctification in God, result.” Tait: “Tell us not, then, that the death of Christ was merely that of a martyr, a spectacle before men and angels of the dignity of self-sacrifice, that it was intended to reconcile man to God by preaching to us, through a mortal, the evil of sin and the majesty of sorrow.”
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 2476
THE GROUNDS OF PRAISE TO CHRIST
Rev 1:5-6. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
WHILE men continue in a natural and unrenewed state, they feel very little gratitude for the mercies of Providence, and are altogether unmindful of the blessings of redemption. But when the grace of God has wrought effectually on their hearts, they begin to view his hand in all the comforts they enjoy, and to bless him more especially for the wonders of redeeming love. Whenever they are in a frame of mind at all suited to their character, they are ready to burst forth, like the beloved disciple, into expressions of rapture and adoration.
In the words before us we are led to consider,
I.
The grounds of our love to Christ
Doubtless he is worthy of our love for his own sake, seeing that he is fairer than ten thousand, and altogether lovely [Note: Son 5:10; Son 5:16.]: but he is also to be loved on account of what he has done for us:
He has loved us
[This he has done from all eternity: he has done it, notwithstanding there was nothing lovely in us, neither had we any love for him; yea, notwithstanding there was every thing in us that was hateful, and we were full of enmity against him [Note: Tit 3:3. Rom 8:7.]. Though he never manifested any love to the angels who fell, yet has he loved us: and love has been the one principle that actuated him in all that he has done for us [Note: Eph 5:2; Eph 5:25. Gal 2:20.].]
He has washed us from our sins in his own blood
[Rivers of tears were insufficient to wash away one sin: nor was there any fountain in the whole creation that could cleanse a guilty soul. He therefore, rather than we should perish, provided one for us; and suffered his own sacred body to be broken up, in order that we might be washed in his precious blood. This is sufficient, as thousands have experienced, to purge from sins of deepest die; and every believer, however aggravated his past iniquities may have been, may glory, in that he has been made whiter than wool or snow [Note: Isa 1:18.].
O what love was this! If he had washed us in the blood of slain beasts, or sent an angel to die for us, it were a wonderful act of mercy: but to wash us in his own blood! O the heights and depths of this incomprehensible love!]
He has made us kings and priests unto God and his Father
[Astonishing is the exultation which the believer now enjoys: even Lazarus was greater than the highest monarchs upon earth, and exercised a government to which their power could not extend. The Christians spiritual enemies are under his controul: his lusts are subjected to his dominion [Note: Gal 5:24.]; and Satan himself flees from him with trepidation, as from a victorious prince [Note: Jam 4:7].
With this dignity, he bears also that of priesthood. Time was, when God himself would avenge the insult, if even a king had dared to invade the office of the priesthood [Note: 2Ch 26:16-21.]: but now all Christs ransomed people are admitted to it [Note: 1Pe 2:9.]; they are anointed to it with an holy unction; they have access at all times within the vail; and they offer unto God continually the sacrifices of prayer and praise.]
If, on considering these things, we feel love and gratitude rising in our hearts, let us learn from the Apostle,
II.
The manner in which we should express it
We should not rest in the gift, but raise up our minds unto the Donor
1.
We should contemplate him in our minds
[The abrupt manner in which the Apostle introduces this song of praise, and the energetic way in which he directs our eyes to Christ [Note: To him, to him.], sufficiently shew, that his mind was filled with his subject; and that he had a lively sense, not only of the benefits conferred on him, but also of the excellency of that Saviour, from whom they were derived. Now thus it should be with us: Our hearts should muse, till the fire kindles, and we speak with our tongue. And is there any other subject in the world so interesting, so noble, so profound? Is there any other being to whom we are so indebted, or in the contemplation of whose glory we can rest with such delight? Let us then keep our eyes fixed on him, till we exclaim with the prophet, How great is his goodness! how great is his beauty [Note: Zec 9:17.]!]
2.
We should adore him with our lips
[Higher strains of adoration cannot be paid to God the Father, than are here offered to Jesus Christ [Note: Compare 1Ti 6:15-16 and 1Pe 5:11.]. We therefore may worship him as the supreme God, even as all the hosts of saints and angels are doing around his throne [Note: Rev 5:12-13.]. He has all those perfections that deserve glory, and all that power that is entitled to dominion. To him therefore Jet glory and dominion be ascribed. Let us never be afraid of honouring him too much; for we never more truly exalt the Father than when we honour the Son as the Father [Note: Joh 5:23.].]
3.
We should glorify him by our lives
[When the Apostle ascribed glory and dominion to Christ, he did not mean to except himself from the number of those who should honour his perfections, and submit to his government: but rather by the addition of Amen, he purposely expressed his acquiescence in that which he required from others. Thus, without claiming any exemption for ourselves, we should cordially devote to him the souls which he has purchased with his blood: we should yield to his authority in all that he commands; and seek his glory in all that we perform.]
Address
1.
To those who are unmindful of what Christ has done for them
[It scarcely seems credible that such persons should be found in a Christian land: but, alas! they abound in every place. But let them blush for their ingratitude. Let them know too, that the very blood which was shed to cleanse them from their sins, will aggravate, instead of removing, their eternal condemnation.]
2.
To those who are doubting whether they be interested in what Christ has done
[We are not to ascertain our interest in Christ first, and then to go to him for salvation; but first to go to him for salvation, and then, from the exercises and fruits of our faith, to conclude that we do indeed belong to him. If the time that is lost in doubting and questioning, were improved in fervent applications to him for mercy, we should soon be enabled to say, He has loved me, and given himself for me [Note: Gal 2:20.]. Instead of asking, Am I washed in his blood? go, and wash in it, and be clean.]
3.
To those who are glorying in Christ as their Saviour
[What a heaven upon earth do you enjoy! for, what is the state, what is the employment, of those above? They are kings seated on their thrones: they are priests offering their sacrifices before the mercy-seat: they are singing, in one universal chorus, Salvation to God and to the Lamb. Such is your state, such is your employment, at this very hour. It is not said, that you shall be washed, or shall be made kings and priests unto God, but that you already possess these inestimable privileges. Go on then, ever mindful of these mercies, and of him who procured them for you by his blood: and give him glory and dominion for ever and ever, as well in the rectitude of your lives, as in the devotion of your hearts.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Ver. 5. And from Jesus Christ ] Who is here set last of the three persons, because more is to be said of him; both as touching his threefold office, and a threefold benefit therehence redounding unto us.
That hath loved us ] See Eze 16:6-9 . Christ, that heavenly pelican, revived his dead young ones with his own heart-blood. (Pierii Hieroglyph.) He saw the wrath of God burning about them, and cast himself into the midst thereof, that he might quench it. Judah offered to be bound that Benjamin might go free. Jonathan risked his life and quitted his kingdom for love of David. Arsinoe interposed her own body between the murderer’s weapons and her children. But what was all this to this incomparable love of the Lord Jesus? When the Jews saw him weeping for Lazarus, “Behold,” they say, “how he loved him.” When we see him weeping, bleeding, dying for us, shall not we much more say so?
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Rev 1:5 . , . . ., another grammatical anomaly; as usual the writer puts the second of two nouns in apposition, in the nominative. . . Jesus not merely the reliable witness to God but the loyal martyr: an aspect of his career which naturally came to the front in “the killing times”. (a Jewish messianic title by itself, Balden-sperger, 88) . ., his resurrection is the pledge that death cannot separate the faithful from his company. The thought of this and of the following trait ( cf. Mat 4:8 f.) is taken frm Ps. 88:28, , . On the two allied functions of ruling and witnessing (Isa 55:4 ) cf. the different view of Joh 18:37 . At the inspiring thought of Christ’s lordship the prophet breaks into adoration . . . The eternal love ( cf. Rev 3:19 ) which Christ bears to his people is proved by his death, as a revelation of ( a ) what he has done for them by his sacrifice, and ( b ) what he has made of them (so Eph 5:25-26 = Rev 19:7-8 ). The negative deliverance from sins ( cf. Psa 129:8 ) at the cost of his own life ( instrumental) is a religious emancipation which issues in (6) a positive relationship of glorious religious privilege. , , a literal ( cf. Charles on Jub. xvi. 18) and inaccurate rendering of (Exo 19:6 ) to emphasise the royal standing of the Christian community in connexion with their Christ as , . . ., and also (Tit 2:3 ) their individual privilege of intimate access to God as the result of Christ’s sacrificial death. , the harsh anacolouthon breaks up the participial construction, , emphatic. “We Christians are now the chosen people. In us the Danielic prophecy of a reign of the saints is fulfilled and is to be fulfilled.” This is a characteristically anti-Jewish note. Persecution ( cf. 1Pe 2:5 ) deepened the sense of continuity in the early Christians, who felt driven back on the truth of election and divine protection; they were the true successors of all noble sufferers in Israel who had gone before ( cf. the argument of Heb 11:32 to Heb 12:2 ). In the Apocalypse the Christian church is invariably the true Israel, including all who believe in Christ, irrespective of birth and nationality. God reigns over them, and they reign, or will reign, over the world. In fact, Christians now and here are what Israel hoped to become, viz. , priest-princes of God, and this position has been won for them by a messiah whom the Jews had rejected, and whom all non-Christians will have to acknowledge as sovereign. According to rabbinic tradition, the messianic age would restore to Israel the priestly standing which it had lost by its worship of the golden calf; and by the first commandment (Mechilta on Exo 20:2 ), “slaves became kings”. There may also be an implicit anti-Roman allusion. We Christians, harried and despised, are a community with a great history and a greater hope. Our connection with Christ makes us truly imperial. The adoration of Christ, which vibrates in this doxology ( cf. Expos . ver. 302 307), is one of the most impressive features of the book. The prophet feels that the one hope for the loyalists of God in this period of trial is to be conscious that they owe everything to the redeeming love of Jesus. Faithfulness depends on faith, and faith is rallied by the grasp not of itself but of its object. Mysterious explanations of history follow, but it is passionate devotion to Jesus, and not any skill in exploring prophecy, which proves the source of moral heroism in the churches. Jesus sacrificed himself for us; . From this inward trust and wonder, which leap up at the sight of Jesus and his grace, the loyalty of Christians flows.
This enthusiasm for Jesus naturally carries the prophet’s mind forward (Rev 1:7-8 ) to the time when the Lord’s majesty will flash out on mankind. He resumes the line of thought interrupted by the doxology of 5 b 6.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Revelation
CHRIST’S PRESENT LOVE AND PAST LOOSING FROM SINS
Rev 1:5
The Revised Version rightly makes two slight but important changes in this verse, both of which are sustained by preponderating authority. For ‘ loved’ it reads ‘loveth,’ and for ‘ washed’ it reads ‘loosed’; the whole standing ‘Unto Him that loveth us, loosed us from our sins by His blood.’ Now the first of these changes obviously adds much to the force and richness of the representation, for it substitutes for a past a present and timeless love. The second of them, though it seems greater, is really smaller, for it makes no change in the meaning, but only in the figure under which the meaning is represented. If we read ‘washed,’ the metaphor would be of sin as a stain; if we read ‘loosed,’ the metaphor is of sin as a ‘chain.’ Possibly the context may somewhat favour the alteration, inasmuch as there would then be the striking contrast between the condition of captives or bondsmen, and the dignity of ‘kings and priests unto God,’ into which Jesus brings those whom He has freed from the bondage. Taking, then, these changes, and noting the fact that our text is the beginning of a doxology, we have here three points, the present love of Christ, the great past act which is its outcome and proof, and the praise which should answer that great love.
I. We have here that great thought of the present love of Christ.
The words seem to me to become especially beautiful, if we remember that they come from the lips of him whose distinction it was that he was ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ It is as if he had said, ‘I share my privilege with you all. I was no nearer Him than you may be. Every head may rest on the breast where mine rested. Having the sweet remembrance of that early love, these things write I unto you that ye also may have fellowship with me in that which was my great distinction. I, the disciple whom Jesus loved, speak to you as the disciples whom Jesus loves.’
Mark that he is speaking of One who had been dead for half a century, and that he is speaking to people, none of whom had probably ever seen Jesus in His lifetime, and most of whom had’ not been born when He died. Yet to them all he turns with that profound and mighty present tense, and says, ‘He loveth us.’ He was speaking to all generations, and telling all the tribes of men of a love which is in active operation towards each of them, not only at the moment when John spoke to Asiatic Greeks, but at the moment when we Englishmen read his words, ‘Christ that loveth us.’
Now that great thought suggests two things, one as to the permanence, and one as to the sweep of Christ’s love. With regard to the permanence, we have here the revelation of One whose relation to life and death is altogether unique. For though we must believe that the dead do still cherish the love that lighted earth for them, we cannot suppose that their love embraces those whom on earth they did not know, or that for those who are still held in its grasp it can be a potence in active operation to bless them and to do them good. But here is a Man, to the exercise of whose love, to the clearness of whose apprehension and knowledge, to the outgoing of whose warm affection, the active energy of that affection life or death make no difference. The cold which stays the flow of all other human love, like frost laid upon the running streams which it binds in fetters, has no power over the flow of Christ’s love, which rolls on, unfrozen and unaffected by it. But not only docs Christ’s present love require that He should be lifted above death as it affects the rest of us, but it also demands for its explanation that we shall see in Him true Divinity. For this ‘loveth’ is the timeless present of that Divine nature, of which we cannot properly say either that it was or that it will be, but only that it for ever is, and the outgoings of His love are like the outgoings of that Divine energy of which we cannot properly say that it did or that it will do, but only that it ever does. His love, if I might use such a phrase, is lifted above all tenses, and transcends even the bounds of grammar. He did love. He does love. He will love. All three forms of speech must be combined in setting forth the ever present, because timeless and eternal, love of the Incarnate Word.
Then let me remind you too that this present love of Christ is undiminished by the glory to which Ho is exalted. We find clear and great differences between the picture of Jesus Christ in the four gospels and the picture of Him drawn in that magnificent vision of this chapter. But the differences are surface, and the identity is deep-lying. The differences affect position much rather than nature, and as we look upon that revelation which was given to the seer in his rocky Patmos, and with him ‘in the Spirit’ behold ‘the things that are,’ we carry into all the glory the thought ‘He loveth us’; and the breast girded with the golden girdle is as loving as that upon which John’s happy head lay, and the hand that holds the seven stars is as tender as when it was laid on little children in blessing or on lepers in cleansing; or as when it held up the sinking Apostle, or lifted the sick from their couches, or as when it was stretched on the Cross and pierced with the nails; and the face,’ which is as the sun shineth in his strength,’ is as gracious as when it beamed in pity upon wanderers and sorrowful ones, and drew by its beauty and its sweetness the harlots and publicans to His pity. The exalted Christ loves as did the lowly Christ on earth.
How different this prosaic, worried present would be if we could carry with us, as we may if we will, into all its trivialities, into all its monotony, into all its commonplace routine, into all its little annoyances and great sorrows, that one lambent thought as a source of light and strength and blessing, ‘He loveth us.’ Ah! brethren, we lose tremendously of what we might all possess, because we think so of ‘He loved,’ and travel back to the Cross for its proof, and think so comparatively seldom ‘He loveth,’ and feel the touch of His hand on our hearts for its token.
But here we have not only the present and permanent love, but we have the sweep and extent of it. ‘He loveth us.’ And though John was speaking primarily about a little handful of people scattered through some of the seaboard towns of Asia Minor, the principle upon which he could make the assertion in regard to them warrants us in extending the assertion not only to men that respond to the love, and believe in it, but right away over all the generations and all the successive files of the great army of humanity, down to the very ends of time, ‘He loveth us.’
That universality, wonderful as it is, and requiring for its basis the same belief in Christ’s Divine nature which the present energy of His love requires, has to be translated by each of us into an individualizing love which is poured upon each single soul, as if it were the sole recipient of the fullness of the heart of Christ. When we extend our thoughts or our sympathies to a crowd, we lose the individual. We generalize, as logicians say, by neglecting the particular instances. That is to say, when we look at the forest we do not see the trees. But Jesus Christ sees each tree, each stem, each branch, each leaf, just as when the crowd thronged Him and pressed Him, He knew when the tremulous finger, wasted and shrunken to skin and bone, was timidly laid on the hem of His garment; as there was room for all the five thousand on the grass, and no man’s plenty was secured at the expense of another man’s penury, so each of us has a place in that heart; and my abundance will not starve you, nor your feeding full diminish the supplies for me. Christ loves all, not with the vague general philanthropy with which men love the mass, but with the individualizing knowledge and special direction of affection towards the individual which demands for its fullness a Divine nature to exercise it. And so each of us may have our own rainbow, to each of us the sunbeam may come straight from the sun and strike upon our eye in a direct line, to each of us the whole warmth of the orb may be conveyed, and each of us may say, ‘He loved me, and gave Himself for me.’ Is that your conception of your relation to Jesus Christ and of Christ’s to you?
II. Notice the great proof and outcome of this present love.
Because it is timeless love, and has nothing to do with the distinction of past, present, and future, John lays hold of a past act as the manifestation of a present love. If we would understand what that love is which is offered to each of us in the present, we must understand what is meant and what is involved in that past act to which John points: ‘He loosed us from our sins by His own blood.’ Christ is the Emancipator, and the instrument by which He makes us free is ‘His own blood.’
Now there underlies that thought the sad metaphor that sin is captivity. There may be some kind of allusion in the Apostle’s mind to the deliverance from Egyptian bondage; and that is made the more probable if we observe that the next clause, ‘hath made us kings and priests unto God,’ points back to the great charter of Israel’s national existence which was given immediately after the Exodus. But, be that as it may, the notion of bondage underlies this metaphor of loosing a fetter. If we would be honest with ourselves, in our account of our own inward experiences, that bondage we all know. There is the bondage of sin as guilt, the sense of responsibility, the feeling that we have to answer for what we have done, and to answer -as I believe and as I think men’s consciences for the most part force them to believe-not only here but hereafter, when we appear before the judgment-seat of Christ. Guilt is a chain. And there is the bondage of habit, which ties and holds us with the cords of our sins, so as that, slight as the fetter may seem at first, it has an awful power of thickening and becoming heavier and more pressing, till at last it holds a man in a grip that he cannot get away from. I know of nothing in human life more mystically awful than the possible influence of habit. And you cannot break these fetters yourselves, brethren, any more than a man in a dungeon, shackled to the wall, can file through his handcuffs and anklets with a pin or a broken penknife. You can do a great deal, but you cannot deal with the past fact of guilt, and you can only very partially deal with the present fact of tyranny which the evil habit exercises on you.
‘He loosed us from our sins by His own blood.’ This is not the place to enter upon theological speculations, but I, for my part, believe that, although I may not get to the bottom of the bottomless, nor speak about the Divine nature with full knowledge of all that it is, Scripture is pledged to the fact that the death of Jesus Christ is the Sacrifice for the world’s sin. I admit that a full theory is not within reach, but I do not admit that therefore we are to falter in declaring that Christ’s death is indispensable in order that a man’s sin may be forgiven, and the fetters broken, in so far as guilt and condemnation and Divine disapprobation are concerned.
But that is only one side of the truth. The other, and in some aspects a far more important one, is that that same blood which shed delivers them that trust in Jesus Christ from the guilt of their sin, imparted to men, delivers them from the power of their sin. ‘The blood is the life,’ according to the simple physiology of the Old and of the New Testament. When we read in Scripture that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin, as I believe we are intended to understand that word, the impartation of Christ’s life to us purifies our nature, and makes us, too, in our degree, and on condition of our own activity, and gradually and successively free from all evil. So as regards both aspects of the thralldom of sin, as guilt and as habit: ‘He has loosed us from our sins in His own blood.’
That is the great token and manifestation of His love. If we do not believe that, how else can we have any real conviction and proof of anything worth calling love as being in the heart of Jesus Christ to any of us? To me it seems that unless a man accepts that great thought, ‘He loved me, and gave Himself for me,’ and is daily working in my nature to make it and me more like Himself, he has no real proof that Jesus Christ cares a jot for him, or knows anything about him. But I, for my part, venture to say that looking on Christ and His past as this text does, we can look up to Christ in the present as the seer did, and, behold, enthroned by the side of the glory, the Man, the Incarnate Word, who loves with timeless love every single soul of man.
III. So, lastly, let me point you to the praise which should answer this present love and emancipation.
‘Unto Him,’ says John, ‘be’-or is-’glory and dominion for ever and ever.’ That present love, and that great past act which is its vindication and manifestation, are the true glory of God. For His glory lies, not in attributes, as we call them, that distinguish Him from the limitations of humanity, such as Omniscience and Omnipresence and Eternal Being and the like; all these are great, but they are not the greatest. The divinest thing in God is His love, and the true glory is the glory that rays out from Him whom we behold ‘full of grace and truth,’ full of love, and dying on the Cross. When we look at that weak man there yielding to the last infirmity of humanity, and yet in yielding to it manifesting His dominion over it, there we see God as we do not see Him anywhere besides. To Him is the glory for His love, and His ‘loosing’ manifest the glory, and from His love and His loosing accrue to Him glory beyond all other revenue of praise which comes to Him from creative and sustaining acts.
‘Unto Him be dominion,’ for His rule rests on His sacrifice and on His love. The crown of thorns prepared for the ‘many crowns’ of heaven, the sceptre of reed was the prophecy of the sceptre of the universe. The Cross was the footstool of His Throne. He is King of men because He has loved us perfectly, and given everything for us.
And so, brethren, the question of questions for each of us is, Is Jesus Christ my Emancipator? Do I see in Him He that looses me from my sins, and makes me free indeed, because the Son has made me free and a son? Do I render to Him the love which such a love requires? Do I find in Him my ever-present Lover and Friend, and is His love to me as a stimulus for all service, an amulet against every temptation, a breakwater in all storms, a light in every darkness, the pledge of a future heaven, and the beginning of a heaven even upon earth? I beseech you, recognize your fetters, and do not say ‘ we were never in bondage to any man.’ Recognize your Liberator, put your trust in Him; and then you will be able to join, even here on earth, and more perfectly hereafter, in that great storm and chorus of praise which is in heaven and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, saying, ‘Blessing and honour and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth on the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever.’
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
faithful. App-150. Compare Isa 55:4.
Witness. Greek. martus. See Rev 3:14 and p. 1511.
First Begotten. See Rom 8:29. Heb 1:6. Compare Psa 2:7. Act 13:33. 1Co 15:20. Col 1:18.
of the dead. App-139. The texts omit ek.
Prince = Ruler. See Joh 12:31.
kings, &c. See Rev 6:16 and Psa 89:27, Psa 89:37.
earth. App-129.
loved. The texts read “loveth”. App-135.
washed. The texts read “loosed”. App-95.:1; note 2, p 138.
from. Greek. ek. App-104.
sins. App-128. Elsewhere in Rev 18:4, Rev 18:5.
in = by. Greek. en. App-104.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Rev 1:5. , , …) In this book apposition is frequently used between an oblique case and a nominative. We have collected examples in the App. p. 778 [Edit. ii. p. 488]. In this manner the Hebrews decline a nomenclature consisting of many words by only prefixing Mem, for instance: and in like manner the French, by the use of the preposition de, etc. Moreover Luke also has, , , ch. Rev 22:20.- ) The editions read, .[8] It is only in the Apocalypse that my text shows a reading sometimes different from the printed editions. I have stated the reason at full length in the App. p. 788 [Ed. ii. p. 498 and following], and in either Defence [App. Crit. Ed. ii. P. iv. N. iv. and bx.]-[9]) This is the reading of the most ancient Alex. and of six others, not to be despised, and probably of a greater number, who have been overlooked by ancient collators. Others read , on account of the following words, and : and it is preferred by Wolf. But the present participle includes the force of the prter-imperfect also. , , , , they who hated, who esteemed, who loved, who honoured: 2Sa 19:6; Lam 1:2; Lam 1:8. Thus Mat 2:20, , they who were seeking; 2Pe 1:19, denotes a light which WAS SHINING, for it is followed by Aorist 1st, and . Thus and the imperfect, Joh 9:8; Joh 9:25, and repeatedly. And the use of the word in the present with the force of a prterite was so much easier, because two aorists follow. And so the present is used for the prterite, when the prterite follows, ch. Rev 13:12. But is strictly a present, and denotes perpetual love, as Joh 3:35, , , The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand: where the present and prterite are joined together. In the German translation of the Apocalypse I have designedly translated it, who loves us. And such passages, as I understand, displease many. But the style of John and the taste of the present day are as widely apart as the east and the west. In translating, I do not seek to gratify fastidious ears, but I scrupulously follow John, who wrote altogether in accordance with the sense of the Hebrew. This is a part of the reproach of Christ.[10]-) I have everywhere written , with a soft breathing,[11] even where it has a reflexive sense, following the example of Erasmus, who indeed, in his editions, almost indiscriminately edits , by way of concession to prejudices, as I imagine, and , even in a reflexive sense, from MSS. The reason has been mentioned once for all in the Appar. p. 453 [Ed. ii. p 93], (Buttigius agreeing with me in his preface to the New Testament); and it must be supposed to have been mentioned in each particular passage. Compare therefore on this passage also Appar. Crit. Ed. ii. p. 504. As with the Hebrews and other suffixes have both the relative and reciprocal force of the third person: so the writers of the new Testament use in either sense indiscriminately. And so in this passage, ch. Rev 1:5, altogether refers to Jesus Christ, who hath washed us in His own blood.
[8] ABCh Vulg. omit . Rec. Text has no good authority for it.-E.
[9] So ABC: but Rec. Text with Vulg. .-E.
[10] , and washed) In truth he who is not washed is unable to discharge the office of priest.-V. g.
[11] That indeed is done in Ed. maj. and min. of A. 1734, but in the Admonition prefixed to Ed. man. of A. 1753, my sainted father thus says:-In the pronunciation it is right to imitate the custom of the apostles in preference to that which is recent; but because in the reflexive use of , not only tiros, but even men of great learning, find a difficulty, I have caused to be printed in almost all those passages where the editions of the Stephens so read; and I wish the more prudent to remember that this is not to be taken as a rule of pronunciation, but rather as an aid to interpretation. You have a proof, reader, that Bengel was not one who did not know how to yield.-E. B.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
sins
Sin. (See Scofield “Rom 3:23”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
who is: Rev 3:14, Psa 89:36, Psa 89:37, Isa 55:4, Joh 3:11, Joh 3:32, Joh 8:14-16, Joh 18:37, 1Ti 6:13, 1Jo 5:7-10
and the first: Act 26:23, 1Co 15:20-23, Col 1:18
and the prince: Rev 11:15, Rev 17:14, Rev 19:16, Psa 72:11, Psa 89:27, Pro 8:15, Pro 8:16, Dan 2:2, Dan 7:14, Mat 28:18, Eph 1:20-22, 1Ti 6:15
him: Deu 7:8, Deu 23:5, Joh 13:1, Joh 13:34, Joh 15:9, Rom 8:37, Gal 2:20, Eph 2:4, Eph 5:2, Eph 5:25-27, 1Jo 4:10
washed: Rev 7:14, Zec 13:1, Joh 13:8-10, Act 20:28, 1Co 6:11, Heb 9:14, 1Pe 1:19, 1Jo 1:7
Reciprocal: Exo 29:4 – wash them Exo 29:44 – sanctify also Exo 30:19 – General Exo 38:8 – the laver Exo 40:7 – General Lev 4:20 – an atonement Lev 4:35 – and the priest shall make Lev 8:6 – washed Lev 8:22 – the ram of consecration Lev 13:58 – be washed Lev 14:6 – dip them Lev 14:8 – wash himself Lev 14:14 – General Lev 15:13 – wash Lev 16:4 – therefore Lev 16:24 – wash Lev 17:11 – I have Num 6:24 – The Lord Num 19:2 – a red heifer Num 19:19 – shall sprinkle Deu 18:2 – the Lord Deu 23:11 – wash himself Deu 26:19 – high above 2Sa 12:13 – The Lord 2Ch 4:6 – but the sea Job 25:4 – how can Psa 51:2 – Wash Psa 51:7 – and Psa 65:3 – transgressions Psa 68:13 – the wings Psa 72:15 – daily Pro 30:12 – not Son 3:10 – the midst Isa 6:5 – mine eyes Isa 43:10 – and my servant Isa 63:9 – in his Jer 17:26 – sacrifices of Jer 29:23 – even I Jer 33:8 – General Jer 42:5 – The Lord be Eze 16:9 – washed Eze 36:25 – filthiness Dan 2:37 – a king Dan 2:47 – a Lord Dan 9:25 – the Prince Dan 12:1 – the great Mal 3:2 – like fullers’ Mat 1:21 – for Mat 20:28 – and to Luk 10:37 – He that Joh 1:29 – which Joh 11:36 – Behold Joh 13:5 – to wash Joh 14:2 – if Joh 14:6 – the truth Joh 19:34 – came Act 3:13 – hath Act 5:31 – a Prince Act 10:36 – he is Rom 1:7 – Grace Rom 4:25 – Who was Rom 8:29 – that he might Rom 8:35 – shall separate Rom 11:36 – to whom Rom 13:1 – there Rom 16:27 – God 1Co 15:3 – Christ 2Co 13:14 – The grace Gal 1:1 – raised Gal 1:4 – gave Gal 3:13 – redeemed Phi 2:9 – God Col 1:14 – whom 2Th 2:16 – which 1Ti 2:6 – gave Tit 2:14 – gave Heb 1:6 – And again Heb 2:8 – hast Heb 8:12 – General Heb 9:12 – by his Heb 10:22 – our bodies 1Pe 4:11 – to whom 1Jo 3:5 – to 1Jo 3:16 – perceive 1Jo 5:6 – blood Rev 3:7 – he that is true Rev 19:11 – Faithful
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Rev 1:5. The faithful witness does not imply there are no other witnesses who tell the truth since we know there are many. We therefore must take this to mean that Jesus was the bearer of testimony for God in a preeminent degree. First begotten of the dead to die no more (Rom 6:9). Prince of the kings of the earth. All power in heaven and in earth was given to Christ (Mat 28:18) thus making Him a Prince above all. Jesus showed his love for men by giving his blood for their cleansing.
Comments by Foy E. Wallace
Verse 5
Rev 1:5
3. “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness” –Rev 1:5.
It was Jesus Christ who had borne witness to the truth of his Sonship before Pontius Pilate, as mentioned in 1Ti 6:13. And he was associated with God in the salutatations to his servants who were on the brink of that hour of trial, which would bring death to them, for the same confession before men that Jesus had made before Pilate.
4. “The first begotten of the dead”–Rev 1:5.
The language here does not affirm that Jesus was the first person to be raised from the dead, for several names can be mentioned who were miraculously raised up out of their graves, by the prophets of the Old Testament, and by Jesus and Peter in the New Testament, all of which were for the purposes of divine demonstration. They were not resurrected to die no more, but returned to corruption -therefore they were not begotten of the dead. To him alone, who conquered death by a resurrection to die no more, belongs the title, the first begotten of the dead.
5. “The prince of the kings of the earth”–Rev 1:5.
The four appellations together accentuate first, who he was, and second, what he was, from whom this message came.
6. “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood”–Rev 1:5.
The release from sins as the result of the shedding of his own blood, represented here as the element in which the sins of man are washed away, is the heart of the remedial plan.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
In the former verse our Saviour was considered in the excellency of his person, and with respect to what he is in himself; in this verse he is considered in the execution of his office, or with respect to what he is unto his church.
And here observe, 1. His affection in general towards us, he hath loved us; our blessed Redeemer hath given ample and full demonstration of his great and wonderful love unto his church and people, and none doth so properly and passionately love the church as Christ himself; before conversion he loves his people with a love of commiseration and compassion; after conversion, he loves them with a love of complacency and delight.
Observe, 2. The discovery and manifestation which Christ has made of this his love particularly towards us, He hath washed us from our sins in his own blood; that is, he hath given himself a sacrifice for our sins, and by the merit of his blood freed us from the guilt of sin in our justification, and also by the efficacy of that blood cleansed us from the filth of sin in our sanctification: the blood of Christ hath both a pacifying and a purifying influence; it pacifies God’s wrath, and purges the sinner’s conscience; the blood of Christ merited the Spirit of God for our sanctification, and so reconciled us to God, as well as obtained pardon for us, in a way of meritorious satisfaction, and so reconciled God to us: He washed us from our sins in his own blood.
Where note, A great emphasis in the double word of property.
1. Our sins; that is, every one of our own sins, without any imitation or exception whatsoever, as to the number or heinous nature of them: the sin against the Holy Ghost is indeed excepted; and this proceeds from the incapacity of the sinner, not from the inefficacy or insufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice for sin.
2. There is also an emphasis in the word of property with respect to Christ, when it is called his own blood: the Levitical priests sprinkled the people with blood, but it was not their own blood, but the blood of bulls and goats; but Christ spared not his own blood, and he did not barely sprinkle us with it, but washed us with it: it was not the blood of his finger, but the blood of his heart: his very life went with it; He washed us from our sins in his own blood.
Observe, 3. The consequent effect and happy result of all this love of Christ towards us, and undertaken for us, He hath made us kings and priests unto God.
1. Kings, not in a temporal but a spiritual sense; they reign as kings over their unruly lusts and corruptions, over Satan, over the world, over death the king of terrors; they begin their reign upon earth, without which it were impossible to perfect and complete it in heaven.
2. Priests, consecrating themselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, and offering up, not expiatory, but gratulatory sacrifices unto him, namely, prayer and praise, supplication and thanksgiving. Ye are an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 1Pe 2:5
Observe, 4. After this description of Christ, follows an ascription of all that glory and honour, dominion and power, which is his due, and our duty to ascribe unto him: To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Where note, That the same honour and glory, dominion and power, being here attributed and given to Christ, which Christ teaches us to ascribe and render unto God, Mat 6:1 it is a sure testimony that Christ is God, and as such to be acknowledged and adored by us: To whom be glory, &c.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Identifying Jesus
Christ is likewise the ruler over all who are in authority on the earth ( Rom 13:1 ; Eph 1:20-21 ). It might have seemed that no one could control Rome, but the Lord was in authority and would judge them for their misdeeds ( Joh 19:10-11 ). Certainly, no one has ever loved any of us more than Jesus did and does ( Joh 5:13 ; Rom 5:6-8 ). Because of that love, He gave His blood that our sins might be washed away ( Heb 9:14 ; Heb 9:28 ; Eph 5:25-26 ).
We are kings in that we are a part of the body of the King and shall rule over all ( Rev 1:6 ; Eph 1:22-23 ; Php 2:9-11 ; 1Co 6:1-3 ). We are, furthermore, made a priesthood that we might offer up sacrifices of praise to God’s name ( 1Pe 2:5-9 ; Heb 13:15 ). At the mention of God the Father, John breaks forth in praise to His name ( Eph 3:20-21 ).
John was there when the men in white apparel promised that Jesus would return in a manner like He left ( Act 1:9-11 ). Now, he further reveals that every eye shall see Him come again. Lest there be any doubt whether the wicked are included with the righteous in that sighting, John tells us that they who pierced him will see along with all the families of the earth, who will wail because He is coming back and they are unprepared. Jesus is eternal and his saints need not fear temporary powers like Rome because He is also Almighty ( Rev 1:7-8 ).
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Verse 5
The first-begotten of the dead. Those persons who had been raised from the dead before the resurrection of the Savior, were only restored to mortal life; they were to die again, Jesus was the first who rose to immortality. Hence such expressions as this, and others similar to it, as in 1 Corinthians 15:20, are applied to him.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
1:5 And from Jesus Christ, {5} [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
(5) A most ample and honourable commendation of Christ, first from his offices of the priesthood and kingdom: secondly from his benefits, as his love toward us, and washing us with his blood, in this verse, and communication of his kingdom and priesthood with us: thirdly, from his eternal glory and power, which is always to be celebrated by us; Rev 1:6 Finally, from the accomplishment of all things once to be effected by him, at his second coming, at which time he shall openly destroy the wicked, and comfort the godly in the truth; Rev 1:7 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
John described Jesus Christ as the "faithful witness" (cf. Rev 3:14; Psa 89:37; Isa 43:10-13). This is the third and last time in the book that the double name "Jesus Christ" appears.
"Jesus Christ is of the seed of David and will sit on the Davidic throne that will endure forever as the sun (Psa 89:36)." [Note: Thomas, Revelation 1-7, p. 69.]
"Faithful witness" is Jesus Christ’s present ministry of revealing what follows. John also called Him the "first-born from the dead" (cf. Psa 89:27; Act 2:29-32; Act 4:2; Act 26:23; Rom 1:4; 1Co 15:23). This title looks at the culmination of His past ministry when God raised Him to new life at His resurrection.
"The Resurrection carried with it a potential lordship over all humanity (Rom. xiv. 9), not only over the Church (Col. l.c. [i.e., Rev 1:18])." [Note: Swete, p. 7.]
John also referred to Jesus as the "ruler of the kings of the earth" (Psa 89:27). That is His future ministry following His second coming (Mat 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. 2Ti 2:12).
". . . the origination of all three expressions from Psalms 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." [Note: Thomas, Revelation 1-7, p. 70.]
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. Some ancient Greek manuscripts have, He washed us from the stain of our sins.
In these notes I will use the term "Christian" in its strict technical sense to refer only to believers who come to faith between Pentecost and the Rapture. There will be believers who are saved during the Tribulation, but these will be Tribulation saints, not "Christians," as I am using the term.