seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 1:4 John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
a. Revelation 1:4 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
There was no internet back when John was writing this. He couldn't just pop off a group email. There was no pony express. This letter would be hand delivered... actually it would be read to the others because reading was not something every believer knew how to do. Just the fact that this communication made it out to all the seven churches in the province of Asia at all is miraculous.
This letter was penned by John the disciple but, according to what I'm reading here, it's from Jesus the Messiah. Jesus is the only one who was, is, and is to come. Over in the 2 Kings 2 Bible Study, we just was Elijah taken up in a chariot of fire. Enoch just disappeared too, according to Genesis 5. Neither of those two died. Jesus, it says here, is the firstborn of the dead. He made it.... this letter is penned by John the Disciple but it's author is Jesus the Messiah.
This is from the easy English site.
The 7 churches were in Asia. It is the end of the first century. We have a description of their situation in Revelation chapters 1 to 3. It was a time of great trouble for Christians. Persecution had started 25 years earlier. It had begun in Rome. The Emperor Nero had persecuted them. The Emperor Domitian is now the ruler. The authorities in Rome hate the Christians. The rulers in Asia are also beginning to hate them. They have sent the apostle John to the little island called Patmos.
Patmos is an island. On it, there are many rocks. There is not much plant life. It is eight miles long and five miles wide. It is 40 miles away from the main land of Asia. It is about 65 miles from Ephesus. John was probably not a prisoner. One of the rulers in Asia had sent him there. John had a special relationship with the 7 churches. But he was alone. He could not visit his friends. He knew that persecution was increasing. It affected all the believers in Asia. So he writes to them. He wants to help them to be strong. God brings a message to John. The message is for the Christians in the 7 churches. The message is in the Book of Revelation.
Verse 5 Jesus has three grand titles:
1. He is the faithful witness. He witnessed to the truth (John 18:37). It was because of his witness that people killed him.
2. He was the first one that God raised from death. He rose from death and is alive for ever and ever. He has won the victory over death. He is the first person in the kingdom of God. This is an important truth for Christians who suffer persecution. They need to know this.
3. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth. Christians who are having persecution need to know this. The kings of this earth may work against us. But Christ is the King of kings. He controls the history of nations. He rules the kings of earth. His empire is larger than the Roman empire. He rules over the whole world.
2. He was the first one that God raised from death. He rose from death and is alive for ever and ever. He has won the victory over death. He is the first person in the kingdom of God. This is an important truth for Christians who suffer persecution. They need to know this.
3. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth. Christians who are having persecution need to know this. The kings of this earth may work against us. But Christ is the King of kings. He controls the history of nations. He rules the kings of earth. His empire is larger than the Roman empire. He rules over the whole world.
So.... the letter is to the seven churches, John is penning it, Jesus is the real author.
