Revelation 1:4–6 “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him
which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which
are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of
the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and
ever. Amen.”
In this section of scripture
John addresses the message to seven churches in Asia—churches that are
representative of churches throughout history.
Seven is the number of completion in scripture, thus the choice of seven
churches; these letters are vital to the health of the whole church. Sevens will permeate the book of
Revelation—seven spirits, seven stars, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven
angels, etc. All these sevens are
indicators that God is revealing the completion of His plan of redemption
accomplished by Christ as determined before creation.
1 Peter 1:18–20 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world….”
“Him which is, and which
was, and which is to come = God the Father
“the seven Spirits which
are before His throne” = the fullness of the Holy Spirit
“and from Jesus Christ” =
The Son of God, The Messiah, The Redeemer
Notice the reference to the
three persons of the Godhead. The LORD
our God is One God in three persons.
God is declaring through John
that it is only through the shed blood of Jesus that we can be washed clean
from our sins and declared righteous before God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.”
We that have been washed
clean by the blood of Jesus are positioned as kings and priests unto God and
His Father. Notice again that Jesus is
referred to as God—again confirming the truth declared by Jesus during His
ministry.
John 10:30 “I and my
Father are one.”
John 14:9 “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with
you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the
Father….”
This is a very important
truth of scripture. There are many, even
in the professing church today, who deny and/or question the truth of God’s
word. That always puzzles me. If they
have determined that you can find fault with God’s word, how can they possibly
have faith in the truth of any part of His word. God is either trustworthy or He is not; He is
either Who He declares Himself to be or He is not. His word leaves no room for equivocation.
Isaiah 43:11 “I, even
I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
Isaiah 43:10 “Ye are
my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may
know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be
after me.”
Deuteronomy 32:3–4 “…ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and
without iniquity, just and right is
he.”
Satan’s most successful
tactic has been to get men to question God’s word based on their own limited
human reasoning as guided by the desires of their flesh. We are to reject the temptations of the enemy
and cling to the truth of God that never changes.
Deuteronomy 32:3–4 “Because I will publish the name of the LORD:
ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He
is the Rock, his work is
perfect: for all his ways are
judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
Malachi 3:6 “For I am
the LORD, I change not….”
Psalms 119:89 “LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in
heaven.”
James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning.”
(to be continued…)
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