Triadic declaration

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The Triadic Declaration appears five times in the book of Revelation in the Textus Receptus and King James Version.

Verses with the Triadic declaration

English

Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Revelation 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

Revelation 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.

Greek

(From Beza's 1598 Greek New Testament)

Revelation 1:4 Ἰωάννης ταῖς ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαις ταῖς ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ· χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὁ ὢν καὶ Ὁ ἦν καὶ Ὁ ἐρχόμενος· καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἑπτὰ πνευμάτων ἃ ἐστιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ·

Revelation 1:8 Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ Α καὶ τὸ Ω, ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος, λέγει ὁ Κύριος, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ παντοκράτωρ.

Revelation 4:8 Καὶ τέσσαρα ζῶα, ἓν καθ’ ἑαυτὸ εἴχον ἀνὰ πτέρυγας ἕξ κυκλόθεν, καὶ ἔσωθεν γέμοντα ὀφθαλμῶν· καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς, λέγοντα, Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ, Ὁ ἦν καὶ Ὁ ὢν καὶ Ὁ ἐρχόμενος.

Revelation 11:17 Λέγοντες, Εὐχαριστοῦμέν σοι, Κύριε ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ, Ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ Ὁ ἐρχόμενος· ὅτι εἴληφας τὴν δύναμίν σου τὴν μεγάλην, καὶ ἐβασίλευσας.

Revelation 16:5 Καὶ ἤκουσα τοῦ ἀγγέλου τῶν ὑδάτων λέγοντος, Δίκαιος, Κύριε, εἶ Ὁ ὢν, καὶ Ὁ ἦν, καὶ ὁ ἐσόμενος, ὅτι ταῦτα ἔκρινας.

The Triadic declaration

English

Revelation 1:4...which is, and which was, and which is to come...
Revelation 1:8...which is, and which was, and which is to come...
Revelation 4:8...which was, and is, and is to come...
Revelation 11:17.which art, and wast, and art to come...
Revelation 16:5..which art, and wast, and shalt be...

Greek

Revelation 1:4 Ὁ ὢν καὶ Ὁ ἦν καὶ Ὁ ἐρχόμενος·
Revelation 1:8 ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος,
Revelation 4:8 Ὁ ἦν καὶ Ὁ ὢν καὶ Ὁ ἐρχόμενος.
Revelation 11:17 Ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ Ὁ ἐρχόμενος·
Revelation 16:5 Ὁ ὢν, καὶ Ὁ ἦν, καὶ ὁ ἐσόμενος,

Chiastic structure

The pattern is also a Chiastic structure:

A.....ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος...Revelation 1:4

B.....ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος...Revelation 1:8

C.....ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος...Revelation 4:8

B.....ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος·..Revelation 11:17

A.....ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν, καὶ ὁ ἐσόμενος....Revelation 16:5

In English:

A.....which is, and which was, and which is to come Revelation 1:4

B.....which is, and which was, and which is to come Revelation 1:8

C.....which was, and is, and is to come Revelation 4:8

B.....which art, and wast, and art to come Revelation 11:17

A.....which art, and wast, and shalt be Revelation 16:5

Showing the tenses:

A.....present tense, past tense, future tense Revelation 1:4

B.....present tense, past tense, future tense Revelation 1:8

C.....past tense, present tense, future tense Revelation 4:8

B.....present tense, past tense, future tense Revelation 11:17

A.....present tense, past tense, future tense Revelation 16:5

This pattern forms a chiastic structure (A-B-C-B-A), reinforcing thematic and theological significance.

Observations on the Chiasm:

A & A' (Rev 1:4 & Rev 16:5)

These frame the chiasm and both begin with ὁ ὢν (the One who is) → God's immediate presence is central.
Key difference: In Rev 16:5, ὁ ἐρχόμενος ("the Coming One") is replaced with ὁ ἐσόμενος ("who shall be")—reflecting that His coming is now being realized.

B & B' (Rev 1:8 & Rev 11:17)

Both maintain the present-past-future pattern, emphasizing God’s timeless nature and certain return.

C (Rev 4:8) - The Central Focus

The order shifts to past-present-future:

"Who was" (ὁ ἦν) appears first, showing that God's past actions (creation, covenants) are the foundation of His present and future reign.
This verse is in the throne room of heaven, where the eternal nature of God is fully revealed.

This chiastic center highlights God's throne as the turning point of history—all events in Revelation revolve around His sovereignty and worship.

Theological Meaning of the Chiasm

The repetition of "ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν" anchors the text in God’s unchanging nature.
The transition from "ὁ ἐρχόμενος" to "ὁ ἐσόμενος" in the final verse marks the shift from expectation to realization—God’s judgment has begun.
The central placement of Revelation 4:8 emphasizes the worship of God as the Almighty, around whom the entire book of Revelation revolves.
This chiastic structure strengthens the divine name as a literary and theological pattern, mirroring the past, present, and future work of God in history.

Comparison

Revelation 1:4	Revelation 1:8	Revelation 4:8	Revelation 11:17	Revelation 16:5
which	which	which	which	which
is	is	was	art	art
and	and	and	and	and
which	which
was	was	is	wast	wast
and	and	and	and	and
which	which
is	is	is	art	shalt
to come	to come	to come	to come	be

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