Read with Me
Revelation 1:4-5a (HCSB)
John:
To the seven churches in Asia.
Grace and peace to you from the One who is, who was, and who is coming; from the seven spirits before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
Listen with Me
This introduction to John’s circular letter to the seven Churches in what is now western Turkey is theologically dense, so we are going to look at it in two parts. John wrote this introduction after he had seen the vision, so it contains many truths that were revealed to him during that vision.
John was well-known to the seven Churches to whom this letter is addressed. He was their over-shepherd, helping them, supporting them, and praying for them from his home base in Ephesus. Some of these Churches were already experiencing active persecution (2:3, 13), for some of them persecution is near (2:10), and others which would not necessarily experience the heat of persecution needed to be restored to true principles before they experienced God’s wrath (2:20-25; 3:3, 15-16).
In the rest of verses 4 and 5, John sends his greetings and a prayer for God’s grace and shalom, wholeness and holiness in every area of their lives. In it he uses a trinitarian formula that is informed by the vision he has seen:
- He describes God the Father with the phrase “who is, who was, and who is coming”. This is lifted directly from the angelic choir in 4:8, and points to God’s eternal nature and the fact that He exists outside of space and time, so that He is not only eternal, but unchanging.
- He describes God the Son, Jesus, as “the faithful witness” and “the first born from the dead”. During Jesus’ earthly ministry he faithfully revealed the Father in His every action and His every word, never stepping outside of God’s will even once (John 5:17). And when He rose from the dead in His resurrection body, He provided the model, the illustration, the template of what would happen for all who trust in Him. John also describes him as the Ruler of the kings of the earth, which is based on the title he saw written on Jesus, the victorious Warrior King: King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).
- He describes God the Holy Spirit as “the seven Spirits” or “the seven-fold Spirit” before God’s throne. This description comes from the vision he was given of God’s throne room, where he saw the Holy Spirit as seven lamps burning before God’s throne (4:5).
All these provide not only the standard trinitarian greeting and blessing that was common in letters among Christians, but they also provide a preview of some of the truths that will follow in the vision itself.
Pray with Me
Father, I would imagine that when the Churches received this letter, and when it was publicly read to the Christians who belonged to those Churches, many were scratching their heads at these descriptions. But John didn’t provide deep theological analysis of what he had written. He simply recorded the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth as it was revealed to him. He then depended on each hearer to sit with You quietly as You provided more light and as You applied those truths to each soul. John realized that mere human intellect could never plumb the depths of who You are in all Your trinitarian splendor. Like they were with John, these truths have to be conveyed by You to our spirits instead of to our brains. And because of that, anyone who is willing to submit themselves to the work of Your Spirit can know more of you than the most learned theologian who only approaches Your word with their human intellect. Lord, help me to always approach Your word as a child, completely open to the work of Your Holy Spirit who can reveal to me all truth (John 14:15-17, 26; 15:26; 16:13-15, so that I can know You fully as I am known by You (1 Corinthians 13:12). Amen.