NT Text: Revelation 1:4
OT Source(s):
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme + Analogy
Significance: John's tripartite formula "who is and was and is to come" (ho ōn kai ho ēn kai ho erchomenos) is a paraphrase of the divine name revealed at the burning bush. In Exodus 3:14, God identifies Himself as 'ehyeh 'asher 'ehyeh ("I AM WHO I AM"), grounding His covenant faithfulness in His eternal, self-existent being. John expands this into a threefold temporal expression — present, past, and future — to emphasize that the God of the Exodus covenant is the same God who governs the apocalyptic events about to unfold. The phrase also carries eschatological weight: "is to come" (ho erchomenos) shifts from mere future existence to active intervention, signaling that YHWH is not only eternally self-existent but is arriving in judgment and salvation. This formulation anchors the entire book of Revelation in the covenant identity of Israel's God.