5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood;
The faithful witness – the fulfillment of the prophecies in this Book prove that Jesus Christ is the Faithful Witness. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
The firstborn from the dead – the first spiritual being of the kingdom of heaven, Acts 13:33-44; Col 1:18; and 1 Cor 15:20. Christ became the “male child” in Rev 12:5 when resurrected. This fulfilled Ps 2:7-9, as explained in Acts 13:33-34. The expression “firstborn from the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth” comes from Ps 89:27 : “I will make him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.”
The ruler of the kings of the earth – Christ became the ruler of the kings of the earth when the beast was overthrown, see Rev 17:14.