He saw a foretaste of Jesus’s glory at His transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8 and parallels). John writes, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, ‘Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches. But, in fact, we share His dominion over all the forces of evil that seek to harm and kill us! We need to remember this as we continue reading through this book. As we read Revelation, we’ll see God’s people suffering, even being killed. We’re seated there with Him (Ephesians 2:6). Christ is seated “in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. Īs ”sharers in” Jesus’s “royal rule”, and as “priests”, Jesus has given us a completely new identity. One commentator translates this as: “he has made us sharers in his royal rule, and priests to minister to His God and Father”. Our penalty is paid and God has forgiven us! And Jesus has released us from bondage to sin we believers are no longer slaves to sin.Īnd Jesus has “made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (1:6). On the Cross, Jesus endured the penalty for our sins. In 1:5 we read that Jesus “loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood“. That’s the key message of the whole book, as we’ll see. ► Finally, Jesus is “the ruler of kings on earth” (1:5). Jesus’s resurrection guarantees that we will be resurrected from death (1 Corinthians 15:20)! Later in the book, we’ll read about God’s people suffering, even being killed. His resurrection demonstrates His complete victory over Satan and all the forces of evil, and over death. ► And Jesus is “the firstborn of the dead” (1:5): He’s the first to rise from the dead (see also Acts 26:23 and Colossians 1:18). ► Jesus is ”the faithful witness” (picking up the theme of witness, which we mentioned earlier). All that we see God doing here in the Book of Revelation―redeeming His people and restoring His creation―is through the Holy Spirit. And it seems to focus specially on what God is doing in this world (we’ll see why this is later in this series). The number ‘seven’ is a symbol of completion or perfection. This phrase “the seven spirits” can also be translated as “the sevenfold Spirit”. ► The Holy Spirit is referred to as “the seven spirits who are before” God’s throne. He governs all history, and He’ll complete His wonderful plan of redemption for us and our world―as we see in Revelation 21:1-22:5. God was before all things, and He created all things. ![]() Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet omega is the last. ► And God is “the Alpha and the Omega” (1:8). Here is the heartbeat of Revelation: God is coming! He’s bringing His plan of redemption to completion. who will be” as we might have expected, but “. He is with us, watching over us, enabling us to stand firm for Him through all the tribulation and trials we may experience in this world. We might translate this Name “I am He Who is here for you”. ‘Say this to the people of Israel: “I AM has sent me to you.”’” Through this Name “I AM” God revealed Himself as the living, personal God Who is present with His people and actively working to save and bless them. This echoes what we read in Exodus 3:14: “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’. ![]() ► God the Father is described as “him who is and who was and who is to come” (1:4 repeated in 1:8). Here in these verses we see who the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are: In 1:4-5, we read, “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 who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.”Īnd in 1:8 we read, “’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” They’ll protect us from compromise with the world around us. They’ll strengthen us to endure tribulation and trial. ![]() God wants these truths to sink deep into our minds and hearts. Accordingly, we see them right here in the first chapter of the book. We see all that God in Christ has done for us, all He’s doing for us now, and the glorious destiny He has in store for us. It especially focuses on Jesus Christ―for example, the magnificent vision of Him in 1:12-16. ![]() We’re given the most amazing depiction of the Triune God. It does so by giving us three foundational truths: In a similar way, the first chapter of Revelation equips us for our journey through this book, and for our journey through life. They need warm, weatherproof clothes, sturdy comfortable boots, adequate food and drink, and a compass. We begin our journey through the Book of Revelation.Įvery hiker who sets out on a trek must be properly equipped.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |