¹This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John, ²who testified to God’s word, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, about everything that he saw. (Revelation 1:1–2)

The first thing to notice in the introduction to the Book of Revelation is that there are four distinct individuals involved in delivering the message:

1. 1. God
   2. Jesus Christ
   3. An angel
   4. John

   This is a simple chain of transmission of the messages that have been delivered in the Book of Revelations. These characters are all listed in the context of being personally distinct from each other in the same way. That is, according to the way this is written, John is as distinct from the angel as the angel is from Jesus Christ, who is likewise as distinct from God.

   Now notice how each of these individuals is referred to, in context, by some distinguishing characteristic:

   ⁴John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne; ⁵and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood; ⁶and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:4–6)

   John was identified in verse 1 (above) as a servant of Jesus and God. In this passage he was identified by the word “us” as one of those whose sins were washed, and made to be a priest to God.

   Jesus is identified as the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth. So there is our clue of what the titles “first and last” may mean as applied to Jesus Christ.

   Jesus is the FIRST born from the dead:

   He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)

   We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers . (Romans 8:28–29)

   He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence . (Colossians 1:18)

   And we also know that he is the last Adam:

   ³⁵But someone will say, “How are the dead raised?” and, “With what kind of body do they come?” ³⁶You foolish one, that which you yourself sow is not made alive unless it dies. ³⁷That which you sow, you don’t sow the body that will be, but a bare grain, maybe of wheat, or of some other kind… ⁴²So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption… ⁴⁵So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶However that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual. ⁴⁷The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven. (1 Corinthians 15: 35–37, 42, 45–47)

   On the other hand, God is identified as He who is and who was and who is to come. He is also, in verse 6, identified as the God and Father of Jesus Christ. So Incarnationists attempt to fit puzzle pieces together that just don’t fit.

   The first real issue of confusion comes between these two passages:

   ⁸‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’ (Revelation 1:8)

   ¹⁷…He laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last, ¹⁸and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades. (Revelation 1:17–18)

   At this point people tend to jump to the conclusion they were taught and say, “See, Jesus is called by the same title that God Almighty was called, and therefore they are one and the same person!” But that would be interpreting the way the devil interprets Psalm 91:12 without allowing for Deuteronomy 6:16, which says not to tempt the Lord.

   So rather than interpret like that, let us keep in mind what the Bible also says. For example, Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself…” (John 5:19), and again, “I can of myself do nothing” (John 5:30). Additionally, the Scripture, which Jesus says cannot be broken, states that “with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37), and again, “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). In this way we can rule out that Jesus considers himself to be God Almighty, who has no such limitations but with whom nothing is impossible.

   Further, we need to keep in mind that Jesus said, “All things whatever the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine, and will declare it to you” (John 16:15). So it does not follow biblically that just because Jesus the Anointed One and God his Father share many of the Father’s characteristic titles that they are the same personal individual. In fact, there is not one verse in the whole Bible that simply states that Jesus is the person of God.

   Keep in mind that there are no Scriptures explicitly stating or explaining that since God and Jesus share some of the same titles, that should be taken as evidence they are the same personal individual. To say they are, then, is another way of adding a new doctrine that the Bible doesn’t teach.

   Furthermore, we do know there are Scriptures stating that God is the first and the last uncreated being (Isaiah 43:10). We do have Scriptures teaching that Jesus is the only begotten son (John 3:16, 18; Hebrews 11:17; 1 John 4:9), so it is not out of line to say that Jesus was the first and last only begotten son. Adam was made of the dust of the earth, and Eve was made from the side of Adam, but neither of them is called God’s only son or daughter.

   Is John the Alpha and Omega?

   In the following verses we see just how important it is to keep the context and the descriptions in mind and use them to help us understand who and what is being referred to. Look how this passage reads without any references or punctuation (which is what the biblical koine Greek looks):

   I am the Alpha and the Omega says the Lord God who is and who was and who is to come the Almighty I John your brother and partner with you in oppression Kingdom and perseverance in Christ Jesus was on the isle that is called Patmos because of God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:8–9)

   Without the uninspired, later punctuation marks, this passage could mean that John was declaring himself to be the Lord God. And interpreting in just such a manner is how some folks come to the conclusion that Jesus is God. This means that the only way we know that this passage isn’t John saying, “I am Alpha and Omega says the Lord God I John,” is because of the qualifying descriptions. The Alpha and Omega spoken of here are God, because He tells us so. John, however, isn’t God, because he is our brother and partner with us in oppression and in the kingdom and in perseverance, as he also tells us.

   It is the same with “the first and the last” in verse 17. This isn’t the same first and last that was Almighty God, because he tells us he was dead and now lives…

   ¹⁷…I am the first and the last, ¹⁸and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. (Revelation 1:17)

   We know of no one who seriously believes that the Almighty God died. So this is someone else, but that doesn’t stop people from interpreting these verses through the traditions they have been taught. The proper way to interpret is to let the clear passages interpret unclear ones. That is why we have taken the time to show the hundreds of verses that contradict people’s conclusions about these unclear ones.

   Some people will say that this is one more passage among many “strongly implying” (without clearly saying) that Jesus is God. These people would argue that there are enough such verses to conclude this must be what they mean when taken altogether. Well, then, let’s ask it this way: if there were, say, two or three dozen Scriptures saying that believers could take up serpents and not be harmed, would those dozens of verses then be enough to override the commandment not to tempt the Lord our God? Obviously not. The point is, it doesn’t matter how many verses may be thought to imply something. One passage of Scripture that clearly refutes such a conclusion is enough to negate that conclusion.

   So then, let’s look at the rest of Revelation, and the Bible, and see if it maintains distinctions between the persons of the Father and Son (as in Onenessianism) or treats the Son as a coequal person in the godhead (as in Trinitarianism).

   Jesus Received from his Father, and Other Clear Statements

   ²⁶He who overcomes, and he who keeps my works to the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. ²⁷He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots; as I also have received of my Father… (Revelation 2:26–27)

   Jesus asserted that we receive authority from him in the same exact way that he received authority from his Father. If he were an incarnation of the Father, this promise would be impossibly ridiculous, since none of us are incarnations of Jesus. The same would hold true if he were a coequal person in the godhead. The only way this makes sense is if Jesus is the human, Anointed Son of God.

   He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will go out from there no more. I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my own new name. (Revelation 3:12)

   Jesus has a God. This verse alone should be more than enough evidence that he is not God, since there is only one God and no one is higher than He.

   ¹⁴To the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write: The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Head of God’s creation, says these things… ²¹He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:14, 21)

   Jesus is the head of God’s creation. This is reminiscent of 1 Corinthians 11, where God is the head of Christ, and Christ is the head of the man, and the man is the head of the woman. The Greek word for head, above, is arche and can mean beginning, corner, first, etc.

   If this isn’t clear enough, verse 21 concludes by promising to share his throne with those who overcome, even as he overcame. Because none of us know that we are God in the back of our minds, there is no way we could hope to overcome “even as he overcame” if such were the case. Thankfully we can overcome even as he overcame.

   One of the ways he overcame was in recognizing and renouncing the way the devil jumped to conclusions and negated parts of God’s clear word. That is what we are trying to teach people to overcome in this study.

   The passage also states that we will sit with Jesus on his throne, as he sits with his Father on His throne. So in context, according to Jesus himself, we are as personally distinct from Jesus, as Jesus is from his Father. Furthermore, sitting on the Father’s throne is obviously not meant to mean he is the Father on whose throne he sits “with.” Therefore, Revelation 3:21 is another “I am not alone” type passage refuting Onenessianism.

   ⁶I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. ⁷Then he came , and he took it out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. (Revelation 5:6–7)

   Here we clearly see that Jesus as the slain lamb is being depicted in a manner personally separate and distinct from God who sits on the throne. Of course, many would like to say this is merely symbolic of Jesus’ lifeless human nature receiving the scroll out of the hands of His deific nature. If that is the case, show us the Scripture that in any way says this is what it means.

   As for us, rather than rely on traditions based on inventions of antichristians, we will continue to use clearly stated Scriptures to state our case. Such as the following:

   I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a number, one hundred forty-four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1)

   Jesus has a Father and the Father has a son. And until someone can show that there ever was a father that was a son to himself, or fathered his own impersonal human nature and called that his son, then we will stick to what the Bible actually describes and spells out. Sticking with the Bible is not a difficult or complicated position to take:

   Son = Son
   Father = Father
   Christ = Anointed One

   All we need to do is remember John’s warning about those who deny what these words mean.

   ³Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. ⁴I rejoice greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, even as we have been commanded by the Father. (2 John 3–4)

   ⁹Whoever transgresses and doesn’t remain in the teaching of Christ, doesn’t have God. He who remains in the teaching, the same has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰If anyone comes to you, and doesn’t bring this teaching, don’t receive him into your house, and don’t welcome him, ¹¹for he who welcomes him participates in his evil works. (2 John 9–11)

   We will address Revelation 22:16 in its own chapter.

   The following verses are the places where Jesus is clearly and irrefutably held in personal distinction from God the Father in the Book of Revelation: Revelation 1:1, 2, 4–5, 6, 9; 2:7, 26–27; 3:2, 5, 12, 14, 21; 5:7, 9–10, 13; 6:16; 7:10, 17; 11:15; 12:5, 10, 12:17; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 19:6–7, 9; 20:6; 21:22, 23; 22:1, 3–4.

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