Revelation 1:5 (ASV)

Passage

and from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;

Nearby Context

Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein: for the time is at hand.

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

Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;

Revelation 1:6 and he made us [to be] a kingdom, [to be] priests unto his God and Father; to him [be] the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "jesus", "christ", "faithful", "witness", "firstborn", "dead", and "ruler". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "jesus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "John to the seven churches that are..." into verse 6's "and he made us to be a...", so "faith" and "jesus" belong inside that flow. In Revelation context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "jesus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.