John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
(Rev 1:4a)
This is where we are introduced to the seven churches in the province of Asia. This area occupies what is now known as Turkey. The churches will be specified by John in verse eleven. There were more than seven churches located in Asia Minor.
Most of these churches were smaller churches that met in homes or businesses. People would travel for commerce. Perhaps they met the Apostle Paul and listened to his teaching. After that they would return home and share what they heard and learned. These larger, perhaps more formal churches, were a base of operations for its members to get equipped, encouraged, and sent to carry out the Great Commission.
Home Bible studies are a good idea today. Many non-believers will not come into a formal church building. They are more likely to go to a less formal setting, such as a friend’s house. Over a meal they might listen to what you have to say and ask questions. I believe most people come to know the Lord through small, personal contacts. There are examples of people seeking answers to spiritual questions who enter a church service, fall under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, then confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Everyone of us can be a missionary in our homes.
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,...
(Rev 1:4b)
Most of the book of Revelation is filled with doom. The four horsemen of the apocalypse: Conquest, War, Famine and Death. Great earthquakes; not just localized earthquakes from a fault line shifting, but an earthquake that shakes the entire planet. Other cataclysmic events will occur and nearly half the world’s population will disappear or die over the course of seven years. Yet God greets His church with these words. “Grace and peace to you.”
The rest of that verse would be very familiar to Hebrew listeners. The one who is, who was, and who is to come was known to the Hebrews as the great I AM, the Ancient of Days, Yahweh by His formal name. For Christians we know Him as God the Father.
…and from the seven spirits before his throne,...
(Rev 1:4c)
There is a lot of debate about these seven spirits before the throne of God. The short answer is they represent the Holy Spirit. In the third chapter of Revelation, when John writes the letter to the church in Ephesus, he starts with, “These are the words of the One who holds the seven spirits of God.” The One who holds the seven spirits is God. The trinity is an impossible doctrine for the human mind to fully comprehend. It is a mystery. With study, discernment and faith it might begin to make sense to us as individuals but when we try to explain it we will always come up short.
Imagine the most amazing thing you have ever seen. When hikers ascend to the top of a hill and look out over a valley, or see snow capped mountains on the horizon, perhaps looking at the Alps or the Rocky Mountains, the view is awesome. When asked to describe it people are often forced to say, “It is hard to describe. You have to see it for yourself.” When trying to explain some of the mysteries of God we are at the same loss of words, no matter how many languages one might speak fluently.
…and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,...
(Rev 1:5a)
John’s greeting and his proclamation of peace are from the triune God; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are presented in a different order here but are still one God in three distinct persons. This is more than just God’s signature block. These are God’s authoritative words. When He speaks, we should listen. When He commands, we should obey. When He admonishes, we should repent. When He speaks words of encouragement, we should continue to stay on that course and never grow weary of advancing His kingdom and glorifying His name.
God is looking for obedience. He is not forcing it. He has given each and everyone of us the ability to disobey but not without consequences. He does not need me; He does not need any of us. He chooses to use us in His work. He allows us to be part of something amazing. Why would you not want to join Him? He has blessed everyone one of us in great measure. Obedience will bring even greater blessings although those blessings may not be in our lifetime.
…the firstborn from the dead,...
(Rev 1:5b)
Jesus being firstborn from the dead draws on Psalm, chapter eighty-nine, verse twenty-seven. “I will also make Him my firstborn, greatest of the kings of the earth.” This psalm is a Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. A Maskil can be defined as, “a poem, a song, or a poem of contemplation.”
The psalmist writes that God spoke in a vision saying, “And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.” (Psalm 89:27). The psalmist cannot mean that King David is the firstborn. That title belongs to Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve. The reference here is to one of David’s descendants who will sit on the throne forever. That is a clear reference to Jesus as a descendant of David, making Jesus the Messiah, and since He died and was resurrected He is the firstborn among the dead. All of David’s other descendants died and remain dead. I am sure there are Jews alive today who are descendants of David but they will also die. There were those who died and Jesus brought back from the dead but they died again. Jesus died and resurrected to die no more. That is the distinction.
…and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
(Rev 1:5c)
I don’t think this verse needs much explanation. Jesus is sovereign over all the Earth. There is not a leader anywhere in the world who is not serving God’s purpose; even the bad, incompetent or evil leaders. Whether they are elected, appointed, whether presidents, prime ministers, kings, or people who took the leadership role by force, they serve God’s purpose.
There seem to be a lot of bad leaders scattered across the globe. Why is that? Perhaps part of the problem is because God’s people are not giving serious prayer to the leaders that God has appointed over us. In the United States, even people of faith spend considerably more time complaining about our elected leaders than we do praying for them. I think people pray a brief prayer of thanks when their candidates win elections but when it is the other candidate, we grumble.
...and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—the
glory and dominion are His forever and ever. Amen.
(Rev 1:6)
During the Exodus God told the Israelites, "...and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation." (Ex 19:6). God did not call them because they were naturally righteous and holy. He even said of them that, "Understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people." (Dt 9:6). Before we laugh at the Israelites because they were chastised by God, we need to understand we are no better. Indeed, all of us are a stiff necked people, not wanting to obey God unconditionally but constantly testing the limits of His patience as we seek to do our own thing.
God did not chose the Israelites because they were the best. He is not a sporting scout looking for the best players. He is a sovereign God that looks to redeem the lost to Himself and use them not because He needs them but because He loves them. We are saved to serve. Serving the Lord is not a burden or a chore. It is an undeserved privilege. We are kingdom of priests, chosen by Him to offer worship and sacrifices; not the sacrifice of animals as delineated in the Law, but sacrificing all that He has entrusted to us to use for His glory, not four our comfort and selfish enjoyment.
