Him who is, and who was, and who is coming is God the eternal Father. This title refers to the Old Testament title of Jehovah. Jehovah is the great I Am; He is the One who is, who was, and who shall be. In Exodus 3 the great I Am tells Moses that He is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (vv. 14-15). Jehovah is the God of the grandfather, the God of the father, and the God of the grandson— the Triune God. The One who is, and who was, and who is coming is the Father, yet this One also denotes the great I Am, Jehovah, the Triune God. Some may ask, “How could the Father be the Triune God since the Triune God is the entire God and the Father is only one-third?” The thought of today’s theology is that the entire God is divided into three parts—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Many of us subconsciously hold this concept. The description of the title given to the first of the divine Trinity in Revelation, however, is Him who is, and who was, and who is coming. The three-fold predicate used for the first of the divine Trinity implies and even indicates the divine Trinity. This definitely refers to the great I Am, Jehovah, in Exodus 3. The great I Am in Exodus 3 is the Triune God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Jehovah is the Triune God, the entire God. How could the entire God in Revelation be the first of the Triune God? This shows us the mystery of the Triune God, and it also shows us that it is not easy to study the holy Word nor to study our infinite, eternal God. Our finite minds are incapable of fully understanding Him.
The seven Spirits who are before God’s throne are the operating Spirit of God, God the Spirit. Now we must ask whether the Spirit of God is one or seven. He is the sevenfold intensified Spirit. For what purpose, though, is He intensified? Many Christians try to avoid studying the last book of the Bible. They say that it is too hard to understand and that we should not try to understand it. The complete Bible has been in the hands of the Lord’s children since A.D. 397. As Christians we all should love this book and attempt to study it. If we are to understand the Bible, we surely have to understand the conclusion of this Bible, the conclusion of the entire divine revelation. We cannot take Revelation 1:4-7 for granted. Why is the sequence of the divine Trinity in these verses changed and become so complicated as compared to Matthew 28:19? Even though this is hard to understand, we must find out the significance. It is not logical for us to skip over these verses by using the excuse that we are too limited to understand them.
The seven Spirits are undoubtedly the Spirit of God, because they are ranked among the Triune God in verses 4 and 5. As seven is the number for completion in God’s operation, so the seven Spirits must be for God’s move on the earth. In substance and existence God’s Spirit is one; in the intensified function and work of God’s operation God’s Spirit is sevenfold. It is like the lampstand in Zechariah 4:2. In existence it is one lampstand, but in function it is seven lamps. At the time this book was written, the church had become degraded; the age was dark. Therefore, the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God was needed for God’s move and work on the earth.
The seven Spirits of God are listed in the second place instead of the third. This reveals the importance of the intensified function of the sevenfold Spirit of God. This point is confirmed by the repeated emphasis on the Spirit’s speaking in 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 14:13; 22:17. At the opening of the other Epistles, only the Father and the Son are mentioned, from whom grace and peace are given to the receivers. Here, however, the Spirit is also included, from whom grace and peace are imparted to the churches. This also signifies the crucial need for the Spirit for God’s move to counteract the degradation of the church. Verse 4 tells us that the seven Spirits are before the throne of God. This modifier, “before the throne of God,” indicates why God the Spirit becomes seven and it tells you who these seven Spirits are.
Thus far, we have seen that in these verses the Father is designated as Him who is, who was, and who is coming, and the Spirit is used in plural as the seven Spirits. Furthermore, the third of the Trinity is not designated as the Son but as Jesus Christ. The two names Jesus and Christ as a compound name bear a tremendous amount of significance. Who is Jesus and who is Christ? Actually, a ten day conference would not be adequate to describe who Jesus and Christ are. To God He is the faithful Witness and to the church He is the Firstborn of the dead because it was through Him as the Firstborn from the dead that we all were resurrected and reborn to produce the church. To the world He is the Ruler of the kings of the earth. In addition, this One loves us and has accomplished redemption for us by shedding His blood which washes us and cleanses us from all our sins. He also made us a kingdom and this kingdom is the priesthood. The kingdom is for God’s dominion, and the priesthood is for God’s expression which fulfills the purpose of God’s creation of man in Genesis 1:26. Eventually He comes with the clouds!