From Him.—Our glorified Lord and Head.—Rev. 1:8.
Which is.—Now self-existent, like the Father.—John 5:26.
And which was.—The Logos, the Father's Agent in the creation of all things (John 1:3), and subsequently, as man's Redeemer, “made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.”—Heb. 2:9.
And which is to come.—In glory and great power at His Second Advent, “until He shall have set judgment in the earth.”—Isa. 42:4.
And from the seven spirits.—Lamps of fire, or eyes. (Rev. 4:5; 5:6.) “In this symbolical picture the eye of the Lord is represented as seven or complete, all-seeing, everywhere, all-knowing. This is our confidence, this is our rejoicing.”—Z. '05-318; Zech. 3:9, 4:10.
Which are before His Throne.—Which are “sent forth into all the earth.”—Rev. 4:5.
1:5. And.—Kai, even. For a similar use of the word see the expression, “God Himself and our Father” (1 Thes. 3:11), which, in the Diaglott, is rendered, “God Himself, even our Father.”
From Jesus Christ the faithful Witness.—“Who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession.” (1 Tim. 6:13.) Our Lord's admission to Pilate, “I am a King; to this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world” (John 18:37), was the direct cause of His death. The accusation set up over His head was, “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.” (John 19:19; Matt. 27:37.) Similarly faithful admissions may end the earthly careers of the feet-members of His Body.
The First Begotten of the dead.—“The First-Born of the dead ones.” (Diaglott.) (1 Cor. 15:20; Col. 1:18; Acts 26:23.) “This verse clearly teaches what the creeds of Christendom ignore; namely, that our Lord was the first to experience a resurrection to perfection and eternal life in the full sense of the word.”—Z. '16-343; Acts 13:33, 34.
And.—Even.