March 14: A LIVING HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
John, to the seven churches which 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 from the dead . . . Revelation 1:4-5a
The identity of the source of a message is crucial. This is true across all cultures. John considered his identification as a servant of Jesus (v.1) enough as far as he was involved. He immediately turns to the recipients, seven churches, signifying all of the churches scattered throughout Asia in John’s day and carrying forward to all of God’s people until the return of Jesus.
John’s identification of the true Source of the message goes into fantastic detail for an unmistakable verification of Elohim, the ‘divine Us’, the blessed trinity:
He who is and who was and who is to come is our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:9) whose eternal nature is expressed thusly: Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. (Psalm 90:2c)
. . . and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne . . . is an explicit reference to the fullness and completeness—again signified by the number seven—of the Holy Spirit’s work for the life of the church. There are numerous facets to this work, as suggested in Isaiah 11:2 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. The Holy Spirit’s work within the church is not necessarily limited to the items specifically listed. But an important distinction to make is that all of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) should be evident to the eyes of the world in the life of a Christian. Those who yield to Him in a personal, individual, daily surrender will be supplied with this fruit.
. . . and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead . . . The aspects of God’s Son, sent into the world to reveal His character, could be explored indefinitely without being exhausted. In His conversation with Pilate, Jesus stated, “I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth…” (John 18:37). His faithfulness reaches to the skies (Psalm 36:5).
As the firstborn from the dead, He is preeminent. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18) Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20) Because of His sinlessness, death had no legal hold upon Him, for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a). He offers that sinless record to those who will, by faith, accept it. Christ is the Preeminent One of all who have died because His death and resurrection form the foundation for salvation itself. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)
The Greek charis (grace) and the Hebrew shalom (peace) were combined to create a unique greeting widely used among the early Christians. Grace to you and peace was a ‘now and forever’ greeting highlighting grace—the gift of God now—leading to true peace for all eternity.
Grace to you and peace, beloved!