The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John who testifies to everything he saw-that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it because the time is near
Grace and peace to you from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits before his throne and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father- to him be glory and power for ever and ever! A men
Look he is is coming with the clouds
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the people of the earth will mourn because of him
So shall it be! A men
I am the Alpha and the Omega says the Lord God,
who is, and who was and who is to come, the Almighty
Revelations 1: 1-8
Jesus is the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation
Revelations 3:14
being the Word that was present with God in the beginning
himself being God
John 1:1
The Kingdom of God starts within us
and we are called to be priests
being living stones who are built into a
spiritual house to be a holy vessel acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ
with Jesus being the cornerstone and foundation
that so structures our existance
Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith
the Alpha and the Omega which is the first and last
letters of the Greek alphabet a symbolic way of
referring to God and His position as Lord
over all of history from beginning to end
Revelations 1:18 states
I am the Living One
I was dead and behold I am alive for ever and ever!
And I hold the keys of death and Hades
John describes Christ like a son of man
a link to the book of Daniel
(Daniel 7: 13-14/ 10:5)
as well as to the Gospels
Son of man, a title for the Messiah,
alludes here to
the glory and power
God the Father assigns to the risen, heavenly Christ
Revelations 1: 9-20
I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said:
Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me.
And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp double edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.
Then he placed his right hand on me and said:
Do not be afraid.
I am the First and the Last.
I am the living one:
I was dead and behold I am alive for ever and ever!
And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Write therefore what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.
The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this:
The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Revelations 1: 9-20
Divine truths center on the holiness, power and sovereignty of God, his victory over evil and what we need to do to share in that victory with His truths coming through loud and clear.
We need to be in the spirit to be sensitive to His leading and revelation
as revealed in Isaiah 1:18-20
Come now, let us reason together says the Lord,
Though your sins are like scarlet
they shall be as white as snow
though they are red as crimson
they shall be like wool
If you are willing and obedient
you will eat the best from the land;
but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken
God's love is boundless and he always gives us a chance to repent and be restored. Jesus sacrifice on the cross for sinners is the ultimate expression of that awesome love that John 3:16 speaks of
A vision creates an impression of God
with prophetic words carrying the power of the message
In revealing the character and nature of God
it is to influence us with God's holiness
To be in the spirit in true worship
involves honoring only God
with the
heart being influenced by the Holy Spirit
as we so
pray and connect
with the truths of
God's word
O that we would truly see and thus behold
BE STILL O MY SOUL AND SO BEHOLD THE
LAMB OF GOD
May the Word become alive and active
affecting every aspect of our being
Revelations chapter 1 is a revelation of Christ
who reaches forth to impart words of encouragement
O that we would have ears to truly hear and comprehend
that which He unfolds
We see in Chapters 2 & 3
Warnings to seven churches
and we as believers today need to take note
and determine with the guidance of the
Holy Spirit
which catagory we fall into
and take careful heed to that which the
Spirit is saying
He who has ears let him thus hear and so respond
Quicken us Lord as we pursue this study
that we would so hear and thus respond
Charlotte