We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who art and who wast and who art to come: because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and thou hast reigned.
λεγοντες ευχαριστουμεν σοι κυριε ο θεος ο παντοκρατωρ ο ων και ο ην οτι ειληφας την δυναμιν σου την μεγαλην και εβασιλευσας
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Verses 15-18a. The holy angels and those who lived in an angelic manner give thanks to God. For our sake, as Man, He deigned to receive the Kingdom that He possessed as God from the beginning. After long-suffering patience, He finally sent punishment upon the unbelieving nations, who were angered by this new and strange teaching. Therefore he also says further:
It is said that when the voice was heard, the elders worshiped God, offering their thanksgiving, and said: “We thank Thee, O Lord God Almighty, Who art and Who wast.” “Who art and Who wast” should be referred to the Holy Trinity. Yet “Who art” most fittingly corresponds to the notion of the Father, and “Who wast” to the Son, since “Thou art” is true of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We do well when we say, “Who art,” meaning the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore the thanksgiving of the elders is offered to the Holy Trinity.
When the earthly kingdom was destroyed, the nations naturally raged, because they were deprived of their dominion. By nations are meant the legions of demons and unbelieving men. It is said: “And Thy wrath came, and the time to judge the nations and to give reward to Thy servants, the prophets and the saints.”
Though Thou didst endure them from of old and for a long time, they gained nothing from Thy goodness. Now, that is, on the day of judgment, Thou hast turned Thy wrath upon them. What was due and appointed for the nations has come and is already here.
What is it? Judgment and vengeance for the saints who suffered evil from them, and the destruction, by recompensing punishment, of the destroyers of the earth and of those who defile it by their sins.
In truth, though the impious rose up, You ruled from the beginning of time. Now You, the Judge, have suppressed their malice, and it has vanished. "The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble" (Ps 98:1). "The time to judge the dead and to give reward," and so forth. This accords with the order of the Gospel narrative. First all men are gathered before the Judge. Then those found on the right are placed in the many mansions in the Kingdom of the Father. The impious are cast out from the borders of the Kingdom and handed over to the fire of condemnation.
Having conquered Hades and death, our Lord Jesus Christ laid a firm foundation for His kingdom on earth. But the subjects of the Heavenly King met frenzied opponents in the Jews and Gentiles stirred up by Satan. They armed themselves against them as the most vicious enemies.
The warfare of Christ’s soldiers against their opponents continues to this day. For many centuries the enemies of God have shed innocent Christian blood.
The holy martyrs, passing from earth to heaven, cried out to God: “How long, O Holy and True Master, until Thou dost judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev 6:10).
Therefore the heavens are filled with expectation. But when the trumpet of the seventh Angel sounded, announcing the end of the enemy’s dominion, loud voices of the heavenly inhabitants rang out in heaven. And the heavenly elders fell down before God with thanksgiving, because He had begun to reign.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 22 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS