LETTERS OF THE SEVEN CHURCHES
Revelation 1:4-8
King James Version (KJV)
4 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;
5 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,
6 And
hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold,
he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced
him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
8 I am
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and
which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
background
and Date. Evidence
within Revelation indicates that it was written during a period of extreme
persecution of Christians, which possibly was that begun by Nero after the
great fire that nearly destroyed Rome in July of A.D. 64 and continued until
his suicide in June of A.D. 68. In this
view, the book thus was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in
September of A.D. 70, and is an authentic prophecy concerning the continuing
suffering and persecution of Christians, which would become even more intense
and severe in the years ahead. On the
basis of isolated statements by the early church fathers, some interpreters
date the book near the end of the reign of Domitian (A.D. 81-96), after John had fled to
Ephesus.
v 1.5 Witness. One who testifies
to the truth he has experienced a witness, one who has knowledge of a fact and
can give information concerning it. The
word in itself does not imply death, but many of the first-century witnesses
did give their lives, with the result that the word came to denote a martyr,
one who witnesses for Christ by his death (Acts 22:20, Rev. 2:13, 17:6).
Jesus is presented in terms of His redeeming sacrifice, His resurrection, and
His eternal reign. Jesus as Messiah-King
is a major theme in Revelation.
v 1.6 The sacrifice of Jesus has given to all
believers the privileges that had belonged to ancient Israel (see Ex. 19:6,
29:1-9; 1 Pet. 2:9, 10). Hath made us kings and priests is clearly a present tense reference to the believer’s function now, in
witness and in worship.
v 1.7
The Lord’s return will be actual, personal, and
visible (see Acts 1:9-11), Clouds (Dan. 7:13) symbolize God’s presence protection, and
leadership. However, the emphasis here
is on the Lord’s coming in judgment (see Zach. 12:10; Matt. 24:30).
v 1.8 God seals the prophecy with the authority of
His name Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, declare that God is
everything from A to Z, thus in control of all history(see Is.44:6). As the Almighty One God’s power is
absolute.
v The Seven Churches of the Apocalypse. The churches of seven cities were recipients of an apocalyptic letter from the Lord through
John. By commendation, rebuke, and warning, the people of God were exhorted to
remain faithful in adversity. These
churches held significant roles in the Christian experience of Asia Minor as a
result of their location within a transportation network linking different
parts of the region.
Revelation 1: 5,6 –
Worship and Praise. WORSHIP AND THE
KINGDOM.
In the opening of Rev., John
introduces himself as a brother and companion in the struggle we all face
(v.9). His words "in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ" point
to the dual facts of Christ’s present kingdom triumph and the ongoing presence
of evil and warfare that exact the patience of the church in the kingdom
advances among and through us. In
prefacing the broad arenas of prophecy about to be unfolded, John addresses two
very important present truths.
1.
We, Christ’s redeemed are loved and are washed from our
sins- a present sate (v.6).
2.
We through His glorious dominion, have been designated
"kings and priests" to God-also a present calling. Thus, these dual offices give perspective on
our authority and duty and how we most effectively may advance the kingdom of
God.
First, we are said to be kings in
the sense that under the King of kings we are the new breed – the reborn, to
whom God has delegated authority to extend and administrate the powers of His
rule. Of course, this involves faithful
witness to the gospel in the power of the Spirit and loving service to humanity
in the love of God. But it also involves
confrontation with dark powers of hell, assertive prayer warfare, and an
expectation of the miraculous works of God (2 Cor. 10:3-5; Eph. 6:10-20; 1 Cor. 2:4).
How ever, this authority is only fully accomplished in
the spirit of praiseful worship as we exercise the office of "priests". Some translations read, "a kingdom of priest," which
emphasizes that the rule is only effective when the priestly mission is
faithfully attended. Worship is foundational
to kingdom advance. The power of the
believer before God’s throne, worshipping the Lamb and exalting in the Holy
Spirit of praise, is mightily confounding to the Adversary.
v 1:5,6 Blood Royal.
THE BLOOD. As John greets his
intended audience he extends salutations from the resurrected Lord to the
saints whom Jesus loved and forgave by pouring out His life (v.5). The consequence of this sacrificial death is
the gracious elevation of bloodwashed believers to the status of royal priests
(v.6). Such a designation identifies
these believers as the true Israel of God.
After Israel’s arrival at Mt. Sinai.
God called Moses into the mountain as a prelude to giving him the Law
(Ex. 20). Moses was told that if the
Israelites would live in faithfulness to covenant stipulations they would be
God’s unique possession as well as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex.
20: 5, 6). These kingly priests
undoubtedly are intended to be a corporate body of ministers who witness to
God’s saving and succoring power. They
are to manifest praise to God continually for His gracious elevation of them (1 Peter 2:9).
Christ’s blood made this possible for all....…. to be cont’d.
Janet Irene Thomas
Director, Playwright, Gospel Lyricist, Screenwriter
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of Fine & Performing Arts
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