Revelation 1:5
5. Jesus Christ. See on v. 1. The other members of the Godhead have already been mentioned in v. 4
Jesus Christ. See on v. 1. The other members of the Godhead have already been mentioned in v. 4.
Christ is the “faithful witness” in that He is the perfect representative of God’s character, mind, and will to mankind (see on John 1:1, 14). His sinless life among men and His sacrificial death testify of the Father’s holiness and love
First begotten. Gr. prōtotokos, “firstborn” (see on Matt. 1:25; Rom. 8:29; cf. on John 1:14). Though Jesus was not the first to rise from the dead in point of time, He may be regarded as first in the sense that all others resurrected before and after Him gained their freedom from the bonds of death only by virtue of His triumph over the grave. His power to lay down His life and to take it again (John 10:18) sets Him apart from all other men ever to come forth from the grave, and characterizes Him as the source of all life
Washed. Textual evidence favors (cf. p. 10) the reading “loosed.” This difference doubtless arose from the similarity between the Greek words louō, “to wash,” and luō, “to loose.” To be “loosed” from sins is to be set free from the penalty and power of sin
The first element in the title assigned to Jesus indicates that he is “the faithful witness.” This designation applies in the first place to his role in mediating the revelation he received from God (Rev 1:1; the “testimony for the churches” referred to in 22:16). But it also refers to the larger purpose of his life as the one who bore witness to the truth from God (John 3:32–33; 18:37) with special emphasis on his death that followed as a result. The Greek word for witness (martys) has come over into English as “martyr,” one who suffers death for allegiance to a cause. Throughout Revelation the word is associated with the penalty of death that results from a firm and constant witness (cf. 2:13; 11:3; 17:6). To the Asian Christians about to enter into a time of persecution, Jesus is presented as the faithful witness. He is the model of how to stand firm and never compromise the truth of God (cf. 1 Tim 6:13).
Jesus is “the firstborn from the dead.” This title is also found in Col 1:18, where Christ is declared sovereign over the church by virtue of his resurrection from the dead. Lightfoot points out that the two main ideas in the designation are priority and sovereignty and that in messianic contexts the latter predominates. The messianic interpretation stems from Ps 89:27, which says of David (and extends to his descendants culminating in Jesus the Messiah), “I will also appoint him my firstborn.”
even as Israel is the “firstborn” of the Lord (Exod 4:22; cf. Jer 31:9; Rev 1:5).
Ps 89:27 is the source of the third element in the title as well. As firstborn from the dead, Jesus becomes “the most exalted of the kings of the earth.” The expression looks forward to his open manifestation as King of kings (Rev 17:14; 19:16). What the devil offered in return for worship (“all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor,” Matt 4:8) Jesus achieved through faithful obedience that led to death. Vindicated by the resurrection, he is, at the consummation, to be universally acknowledged as supreme ruler (cf. Phil 2:10–11). The threefold title is intended to encourage and sustain believers about to enter a time of severe persecution for their faith in Jesus. It reminds them that Christ has gone before and opened the way through death to victory.
Under the earth. The series, “in heaven,” “in earth”, and “under the earth,” is based on a Hebrew idiom denoting the entire creation (see on Ex. 20:4). “Under the earth” may refer to the figurative realm of the dead (see on Isa. 14:9, 10, 15, 16).
those “under the earth” probably refer to “the dead,” who also shall be raised to acknowledge his lordship over all.