Revelation 2:8 and the Alleged “Dual Nature” of Christ

Revelation 2:8 -To the angel of the assembly in Smyrna write: “The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life says these things: ” — World English Bible translation

According to the trinitarian, the phrase “the first and the last” offers proof that Jesus is Yahweh, since the same phrase is used of Yahweh. It is claimed that there can only be one first and last, and thus this phrase shows that the one who is speaking here is Yahweh, the Most High. In speaking of this phrase as applied to Jesus, one trinitarian site states: “To the ancient Christian culture this would understand this to refer to Jesus’ eternity.” This, of course, is an assertion, and we have no reason to accept this assertion as fact. However, the point is that most trinitarians would seem to read into the phrase “the first and the last” some meaning of eternity, which, to the trinitarian, would mean that Jesus either exists outside of all time, or that he has always existed for all eternity past.  And this is where the paradox of Revelation 2:8 comes in as the trinitarian seeks to apply such a thought to this verse.

The trinitarian or anyone who believes in the alleged “dual natures” of Christ, in order to apply this Revelation 2:8 so as read into this that Jesus is God, has to split the sentence stated by Jesus up into two parts so as to apply the phrase “the first and the last” to the idea of Jesus as God to that phrase, and then the latter part of the sentence, “who was dead”, they would claim applies only to the human “nature” of Jesus, and not “the first and the last.” The title “the frst and the last”, they claim, applies only to God, and most of the trinitarians will tell you that they do not believe the that God “nature” or “being” of Jesus died, but rather that only his human “nature” or “being” died. Thus, this idea, applied to this scripture, would have it that “the first and the last” did not die, but rather that the human body into which “the first and the last”  was “incarnated” died.

I am sure that most trinitarians do not consciously reckon with this scripture as we have presented, but, in effect, this is what they have to do in order to get the sentence to appear to support their trinitarian dogma, and their “hypostatic union” theories. However, it is also true that, in effect, such an application to Revelation 2:8 actually denies that it was “the first and the last” who died. In actuality, what Jesus said was: “The first and the last, who was dead.”  He declares that “the first and the last” was dead. He did not say, as the trinitarian would seem to have it say: “I am the first and the last who did not die, but who as a human being, was dead.” In other words, the trinitarian, as well as any others who would see the dualistic view into this verse, actually end up denying what Jesus said, that the “first and the last” “was dead”.

Jesus, of course, was the first and the last to be brought forth from death, directly by his God and Father, by means of his holy spirit, never to die again. (Acts 2:24,32,26; 3:15; 4:10; 10:40; 13:30,33,37; 17:31; Romans 4:24; 8:11; 10:9; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:15; Galatians 1:1; Colossians 2:11,12; 1 Thessalonians 1:9,10; 1 Peter 1:21; 3:18) All the rest who are brought forth to life in the last day will be brought forth through Jesus as the Agent of Yahweh. — John 5:21,22,25,27,28,29;  6:39,40,44,54; 11:24; 12:47,48; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Romans 2:16.

There is nothing in any of this, however, to support the ideas that Jesus is Yahweh, dual “natures” of Jesus, hypostatic union, trinity doctrine, oneness doctrine, etc. Like all of the scriptures presented to allegedly support the added-on doctrines, the dogma has to be assumed, added to, and read into what Jesus said.

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