Revelation 1:4-6: "The One Who is and Who was -- grace and peace from the Triune God"

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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Revelation 1:4-6 - "The One Who is and Who was -- Grace and Peace from the Triune God".
By Archimandrite Athanasios Mitilinaios (The Homily was given November 9, 1980)

What we have here is a wonderful reference to the Holy Triune God.

Saint Andrew of Caesarea writes on this verse, "Grace to you and peace from the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity, explaining that "the One Who Is" refers to the Father." "The One Who was" reminds us of some key verses of Saint in his Gospel where he says, "In the beginning was the Logos/Word" (John 1:1)-in the beginning of the creation that is. So, this "Who was" refers to the Son. And "the One Who is coming" refers to the Paraclete/tos or the Holy Spirit. Who came and stays in the Church and sanctifies the children of God through Holy Baptism.

"...Since God is everywhere, He fills everything. His presence covers every single point in the universe. It is not possible for Him to move. Moreover suggests the occupation of a new area of space that was not previously occupied. I moved from point A to point B. I traveled from my house to get to my job. I walk. I come. I go. But as we all understand, God is Omnipresent. He is everywhere, so He does not come and go. This come and go refers to the Incarnate Son of God, the God-man.

Therefore, the "One Who is coming," refers to the Divine Logos/Word Who assumes the human nature, God the Logos/Word becomes man. This is just like the phrase in the Gospel of John when Christ tells the disciples: "I am going and I will come back". This come and go of God in history always refers to the human nature of God. What is noteworthy here as well is that in the Greek, the original text says "the One Who is coming, O Erhomenos (ερχόμενος) meaning the One Who is always coming. That is just like the One who is, O Ων, the One Who always exists, Who was; Who always was, and is therefore, the One Who is always coming. Thus the Pre-eternal God Who is always present, always coming, has never left history. He never took a break from history...

"...Another name of God is the Alpha and the Omega (1:8) which means that anything that has a beginning or an end is in God. So, everything that has a beginning exists in God and everything that has an end exists in God. Everything begins in God and finishes in God. Therefore, in reality, if this entire phrase refers to the Father, "then peace from" God means the One Triune God with the differentiation of the Three Persons.

We see immediately after the reference to the Father, the One Who is, Who was and Who is coming reference is made to the seven spirits, in other words, the Holy Spirit and to the Lord Jesus Christ, as we will see. "From the seven spirits who are before His throne," what still echoes is the greeting, "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and from the seven spirits who are before His throne" (1:4-5).

This greeting refers to the Third Person of the Holy Trinity Who precedes the second Person. What is notable here is that the First and Third Persons are mentioned first, and the Second Person is mentioned afterward, last. The holy Evangelist gives priority to the two Persons and leaves the Incarnate Person last since this Person will serve as the center of this entire book.

So, here the Holy Spirit is called "the seven spirits before the throne of God." The throne of God obviously refers to God the Father while the number seven reveals the fullness and the perfection of the Holy Spirit. This is beautifully expressed by the Prophet Isaiah in his sevenfold declaration of the attributes or the gifts or the energies of the One Holy Spirit. The Prophet Isaiah writes: "Spirit of wisdom, spirit of understanding" (cf. Isaiah 11:2). All the attributes of the Holy Spirit are reflected in the prayers and hymns for the day of Pentecost, to honor the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit, the undivided Holy Spirit, divides the gifts. But the Spirit remains One and indivisible. So, the Holy Spirit is expressed with the term "the seven spirits" but again as we can see, it is One Holy Spirit.

At this point, I will refer to the method of interpretation used by the Church Holy Fathers. They let Holy Scripture interpret Holy Scripture. Are the words "seven spirits mentioned elsewhere in the Scripture, and how are they used? This is how we can interpret the word of God with accuracy. Now why is the Holy Spirit called the seven spirits? First and foremost, it shows readiness, because it is in front of the Father; it shows readiness for a mission; it shows readiness to be sent off for the purpose of sanctification. In other words, this spirit of God waits from one moment to the next to rush out. Pentecost: "Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from Heaven" (cf. Acts 2:1). Therefore, the Spirit is ready to rush to the world and to give the gifts from the tremendous love that He has for the world.

Now, what holds the Spirit back? He awaits the will of God, the Father, and the path that will be opened by the Son. The Three Persons of the Holy Trinity work out the salvation of the world. We mentioned this in the past, how the Spirit of God was moving above the waters, above the abyss and the face of the waters (cf. Genesis 1:2). Why is it just the Spirit of God? Just as the Spirit took the form of a dove later in history, now it gives us the image of a giant bird that incubates life out of the waters. So, the Spirit of God was embracing the waters, so to speak, to keep them warm much like a bird that sits on its eggs to incubate them; and life springs forth out of the waters. How beautiful. (Source: Homilies on the Book of The Revelation, Vol. One)

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things! - Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George