He Who Is, Was and Is To Come - Part 1

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Many Bible Students believe that "him who is and who was and who is to come" in Revelation 1:4 is Jesus Christ, evidently mostly based on Brother Russell's statements concerning Revelation 1:8, which Brother Russell applied to Jesus.

Please be assured that what I am stating is in the spirit of love, and not to be contentious, but in a sincere desire to compare spiritual revealing with spiritual revealing in order to reach a conclusion in harmony with what God actually has revealed.

One has claimed that my presentations make no sense; I believe that the presentations I have given on my website make perfect sense if one actually considers the evidence, but it may take some time to complete such a study. I did not arrive at the conclusions presented overnight -- it took me several weeks of diligent and prayerful study to see that those brothers who have taken the position that Jesus is not the Alpha and Omega are correct.

Since it is vague to me as to how what I presented makes no sense, I will address why it makes sense to me, and why to think that Jesus is he who is, was and is to come, does not make sense. At present, I will address Revelation 1:4 and its context, to show why it does not make sense to claim that Jesus is he who is, was and is to come.

Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is , and which was , and which is to come ; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
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, -- King James Version.

The World English adds the word "God" into verse 4:

Revelation 1:4 John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne;
Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood;

I know that some, like Brother Anton Frey, contend that "and from Jesus Christ" in Revelation 1:5 is added only for emphasis, so as to have it that "him which is" in verse 4 to be applied to Jesus. This overlooks that between "him which is" and "and from Jesus Christ" is "and from the seven spirits". Brother Frey, however, separates this phrase and states the seven spirits is "a symbolism, no doubt, of the one holy Spirit of God." This would make the verses mean the following:

Revleation 1:4 John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Jesus, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the [Holy Spirit] before his throne;
Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood.

Therefore, if one views the word "and" as "even" in verse 5, as Brother Frey suggests, this would mean that Jesus is the Holy Spirit, not that he is the one "who is and who was and who is to come." In other words, the meaning would be "and from the [Holy Spirit] before his throne, even from Jesus Christ". I do not find such a contradictory mixture of application to be very likely. It should be obvious that "and from" in both cases, adds to the the original one who is described as "who is and who was and who is to come", and is not "even from" in either case.

At any rate, after making a thorough examine of the scriptures, it is the claim that Jesus is the one "who is and who was and who is to come", the Alpha and Omega, the Lord God and the Almighty, that, to me, makes no sense.

In addition to my studies on this, if you have the Bible Students DVD Library, you can see that some have reached the same or similar conclusions. For instance, see the studies presented by the Southern Wisconsin Bible Students, in their book, "Revelation Notes"; study the scriptural presentations especially related to he who is, was and is to come, and that study in the Appendix, entitled "The Alpha and Omega".

If you do not have this book or the DVD, I have placed it online temporarily at:
www.rlbible.com/binfo/revWisc.pdf

See also Brother Richard Evans:

www.heraldmag.org/1998/98nd_7.htm

(I do not necessarily agree with all conclusions given by others.)

Again, my own studies may be found at:

Revelation 1:4 - Who Is, Was, To Come - Jesus?
www.rlbible.com/jesus/?p=1097

Revelation 1:1,8 and the Unipersonal God
www.rlbible.com/jesus/?p=1393

Revelation 1:17,18; 2:8 – The First and the Last
www.rlbible.com/jesus/?p=911

Revelation 1:4 – Who Is, Was, To Come – Jesus?
www.rlbible.com/jesus/?p=1097

Revelation 1:8 – Is Yahweh or Jesus Being Quoted?
www.rlbible.com/jesus/?p=66

Revelation 1:8 – The Lord God, Who Was, Is, and Is to Come (Video Script)
www.rlbible.com/jesus/?p=3331

Revelation 1:8 – The God of Jesus Speaks
sonofyah.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/ao-01/

Revelation 21:6 – God Who Sits on the Throne
sonofyah.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/ao-2/

Revelation 22:13 – I am Alpha and Omega
sonofyah.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/ao-03/


Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 * Part 4 * Part 5 * Part 6