Big Idea: John’s greeting from the Father, Spirit, and Son results in praise to God and anticipation of Christ’s return, and is a powerful reminder of God’s sovereign control over the universe.

Understanding the Text

The prologue (1:1–8) continues with a greeting and doxology (1:4–6) followed by a prophetic confession (1:7–8). John’s greeting of grace and peace to the seven churches compares to the kind of greeting we find in Paul’s letters, but John includes a fuller description of the source of the greeting: the Triune God. One reason this section packs such rhetorical punch is the repetition of threes throughout (e.g., threefold description of both the Father and the Son). The number three, which represents sufficiency and completeness, reinforces the importance of what is being com…