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Revelation
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 firstbegotten from 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 forever and ever.
In the preamble, John had set out to bare record of these three things:
1. The word of God
2. The testimony of Jesus Christ
3. All things that he saw
And in those first three verses, he was more careful yet, to show us the progression of this vision. It was given by God to Jesus…just like the sealed book. Jesus then gave it to John, via his angel. A surge of direction…from highest to lowest…with mediation.
If your hermeneutic survived the preamble unscathed; then here in our text, the second three verses bring us right back to it. It would seem our Lord wants our theology to be clear, as we enter this vision.
In case you hadn’t noticed; that’s twice in the opening six verses of Revelation, that Jesus Christ stands in relationship to his God and Father. This, while in his resurrected and glorified state.
The seven churches in Asia, are most certainly the seven churches of the apostle’s day. Just as Mount Moriah is a real mountain; where Abraham took his only begotten son, to sacrifice him. Real churches…real mountain. These seven historical churches in Asia (modern day Turkey), were in these cities…at that time…with real pastors and saints.
Just as real as the miracle-born Isaac who disappeared in that Mount; never to be seen again in scripture, until he meets his bride at the edge of the field. Real people and places. Real saints of their time. Yet in the artist brush of the Holy Ghost, lives used to paint events yet thousands of years off.
So then we dare take license, that these seven church x-rays still apply today. For what man is there, who cannot find his own spiritual path, winding through the pages of these seven churches? These are living words…living testimonies of the Shepherd to his sheep. Back then, these seven all thrived at the same time. So has it always been, even until today. So living and fluid is the Holy Ghost, that in your own local assembly, you may find yourself in any one of these seven church-states, at any time.
That is why the Shepherd’s words still apply today. Why the seven letters to the seven churches are so important to you and I, here at the beginning of the Revelation. Because 2,000 years later, they are still letters to us. Just as Abraham and Isaac…where love is first introduced in the bible. Our first portrait of Father and Son, took some 1600 years to come to life. Or Abraham’s servant; sent to call out a bride for his son, while his son’s return tarried. The Historicist and the Futurist are both right.
These seven letters, are the very testimony of Jesus Christ, spoken of John in his preamble. From our airplane fly-over of Revelation; our theology is first checked at the gate. Then…just before the “come up hither”…a sweeping, pastoral ministering for the ages, from the Shepherd to the sheep. All of this, while John is still anchored on Patmos.
But John bare record first of the word of God. And indeed, that vision preceded the church letters. And in bearing record of the word of God, we revisit a third time our theology, before we can enter this vision.
Is this not that same apostle who introduced us to:
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.
And the equally breath-taking revelation that:
The word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
Yes, this same John, will now bear record of the word of God. The seven letters…the testimony of Jesus Christ…are cited first, that we might anchor ourselves in the arms of our ministering Shepherd…as we, with John, turn to behold the voice of him that speaketh. For with his back turned, that voice had said to John:
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.
Just prior to hearing that voice, John had waxed from scribe to prophet…from recorder to seer:
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.
And following his amen, the Amen speaks through John even brighter, saying:
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.
That being so, John is now hearing this new title a second time: “I am Alpha and Omega”. This is also the second use of that most far-reaching of terms:
“him which is, and which was, and which is to come”.
And so, now John turns to behold the Alpha and Omega. He fully turns…perhaps to brace himself…to fully see this voice behind him.
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Linear Mode
