4 John, 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;
To the seven Churches – the primary audience is the seven churches of Asia, but these seven churches are representative of the churches of God throughout the ages. In fact, some of the rewards for faithfulness promised to these seven churches are the rewards of the end time church in Rev 19:12, “a name written on him which no one knows but himself,” Rev 19:14, “clothed in fine linen,” and Rev 19:15, “he rules them with a rod of iron.”
Who is and who was and who is to come – this expression makes fun of the translation of Exodus 3:14 in the Greek Septuagint, which translated “I WILL BE” as “I am He WHO IS.”