1 John 3:2:
Beloved, now we are children of God;
and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be,
but we know that when He is revealed,
we shall be like Him,
for we shall see Him as He is.
And, here, in Colossians 3:2-4:
Set your mind on the things above,
not on the things that are on earth.
For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, is revealed,
then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Continuing in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, in chapter one, verse four:
John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace,
from Him who is and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
and from Jesus Christ,
the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead,p
and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
John, the bishop of the churches in Asia, addresses this book to his flock.
The greeting is from the Apostle, but the message is from the Lord.
The seven spirits found before the throne of God are described in Isaiah 11:
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
We have been encouraged to approach this throne by the author of Hebrews 4:16:
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Revelation 1:5b-6
To Him who loves us
and released us from our sins by His blood—
and He has made us to be a kingdom,
priests to His God and Father—
to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.
Amen.
In this brief introduction, we begin to find much of what is important for us to understand about our King.
- Jesus Christ is the faithful witness. Jesus came to earth to more fully reveal the character and ways of the Father. The miracles He performed validated His claim to be the Son of God.
- Jesus Christ is the first-born from the dead. The Savior bore our sins and died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day. His resurrection proved that eternal life is possible for us, too.
- Jesus Christ is the ruler of the kings of the earth. It is the Lord who raises men to power, just as it is He who removes them. Meanwhile, believers have access to a higher authority. In God’s throne room, we can beseech Him on behalf of our nations and lay claim to His promises.
- Jesus Christ loves us and released us from our sins by His blood. Note the change of tense in John’s writing. The Lord’s love is ever-present, but He has freed believers from their past. Both the penalty and power of sin have been broken.
The Revelation turns to the future:
Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see Him,
even those who pierced Him;
and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.
So it is to be.
Amen.
Here, two prophesies are reviewed—one from the prophet Daniel…
I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
…and one from the prophet Zechariah:
“I will pour out on the house of David
and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
the Spirit of grace and of supplication,
so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced;
and they will mourn for Him,
as one mourns for an only son,
and they will weep bitterly over Him
like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”
This portion of the message is specifically directed to Jewish people who have not previously recognized Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah. The prophecy is for widespread repentance, including mourning and weeping.
Jesus Himself declares His Deity in Revelation 1:8:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”
says the Lord God,
“who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Christ repeats His message made to the prophet Isaiah:
“Who has performed and accomplished it,
Calling forth the generations from the beginning?
‘I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’”
He also reiterates His Own declaration made earlier, stating plainly what was written in Hebrews 13:8:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.