Revelation 1:4 4John, to the seven churches which are in Asia; grace to you and peace from the one who is and was and is coming and from the seven spirits which are before his throne.
Verse 4 shifts from the informal preface to a formal introduction that follows the patter of ancient letters, although the genre of this book is different than a typical letter of the time. The author begins with the standard greeting, giving his name first as John. The recipients of the seven churches in Asia would recognize his name and the authority that went with it. By the time this book was written, the name of the Apostle John was well known and highly respected. It is possible that John may have been the last of the apostles to be alive at this time, making the words of this book even more significant as the last voice of an eyewitness to the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
This book is written specifically to the seven churches mentioned in chapters 2-3. Yet the book has a global, universal appeal and message. Every person who is open and searching can hear himself or herself addressed in this book. These churches were close to where John had been exiled and probably were where he spent the final part of his life and ministry. Interestingly, John had migrated from Judea to Asia Minor at some point. The reasons for this are unknown, but he, like other apostles and early Christians, took Jesus’ command to go into the whole world and preach the gospel seriously. John did not stop at Jerusalem, Judea, or Samaria but went north through Syria, around the edge of the Mediterranean to Asia Minor, which is now Turkey. This was an enormous journey for the fisherman from Galilee. Big things often come from small-town folk. The seven churches were strategic in the development of the church in that area. Each had challenges and opportunities, which are briefly described in chapters 2-3.
The greeting of grace and peace is typical of other New Testament documents. They are a combination of the typical Greek and Jewish greeting of the day but are filled with theological meaning for Christians. Grace (charis) represents God’s undeserved kindness, mercy, and forgiveness offered to sinful humanity. When grace is accepted in faith, it brings peace (eirēnē) objectively with God in salvation and subjectively within ourselves for meaning and purpose in life. This greeting is a statement of assurance of God’s blessing and presence upon these churches.
In verses 4 and 5, John gives three sources for this grace and peace. The first source is simply described as the one, given in the Greek original with the masculine article, followed by a participle or a verb. The context indicates that this person must be God the Father. God is not bound by time but always has been and always will be. The formulaic phrase uses in this verse occurs also in 1:8 and 4:8. In 11:17 and 16:5, God is described as “the One who is and who was.” The seven churches were assured that God was with them in that moment, no matter the challenges or struggles they faced. God was also coming in the future, which offered hope to those right with God, but this idea also could have brought a sense of foreboding to those ensnared by sin because of impending judgment.
The second source of grace and peace is the seven spirits. The identity of these spirits is difficult to determine. Seven is an important symbolic number in the book for perfection or completeness. Two options within the book emerge as possible meanings. In chapters 2-3, each of the seven churches has an angel. Since angels are spiritual beings, they could be the seven spirits interceding before God’s throne or bringing the message to each of the churches. These seven angels could be communicating God’s purposes for these seven churches and reminding them of how they should respond to John’s message. A second option is to interpret the seven spirits as a reference to the Holy Spirit. John refers to the seven spirits three more times in the Revelation (3:1; 4:5; 5:6). John could be referring to Zechariah 4:2–6, where God’s Spirit is described with seven attributes. If John meant the seven-fold Holy Spirit, then this fits a trinitarian interpretation of this opening greeting, providing the churches with the full assurance of God’s presence with them.