{To the seven churches which are in Asia} (	ais hepta
ekkl(8873)iais tais en t(8869) Asi(8369)). Dative case as in a letter ( Ga
1:1 ). John is writing, but the revelation is from God and Christ
through an angel. It is the Roman province of Asia which included
the western part of Phrygia. There were churches also at Troas
( Ac 20:5ff. ) and at Colossal and Hierapolis ( Col 1:1  2:1  4:13 ) and possibly at Magnesia and Tralles. But these seven were
the best points of communication with seven districts (Ramsay)
and, besides, seven is a favorite number of completion (like the
full week) in the book ( 1:4,12,16  4:5  5:1,6  8:2  10:3  11:13  12:3  13:1  14:6f. ). {From him which is} (apo ho (936e)). This use
of the articular nominative participle of eimi after apo
instead of the ablative is not due to ignorance or a mere slip
(lapsus pennae), for in the next line we have the regular idiom
with apo t(936e) hepta pneumat(936e). It is evidently on purpose to
call attention to the eternity and unchangeableness of God. Used
of God in  Ex 3:14 . {And which was} (kai ho (886e)). Here again
there is a deliberate change from the articular participle to the
relative use of ho (used in place of hos to preserve identity
of form in the three instances like Ionic relative and since no
aorist participle of eimi existed). The oracle in Pausanias X.
12 has it: Zeus (886e), Zeus esti, Zeus essetai (Zeus was, Zeus is,
Zeus will be). {Which is to come} (ho erchomenos). "The Coming
One," futuristic use of the present participle instead of ho
esomenos. See the same idiom in verse  8  4:8  and (without ho
erchomenos) in  11:17  16:5 . {From the seven spirits} (apo t(936e)
hepta pneumat(936e)). A difficult symbolic representation of the
Holy Spirit here on a par with God and Christ, a conclusion borne
out by the symbolic use of the seven spirits in  3:1  4:5  5:6 
(from  Zec 4:2-10 ). There is the one Holy Spirit with seven
manifestations here to the seven churches (Swete, _The Holy
Spirit in the N.T._, p. 374), unity in diversity ( 1Co 12:4 ).
{Which are} (	(936e) article Aleph A, ha relative P). {Before his
throne} (en(9370)ion tou thronou autou). As in  4:5f .