Revelation 1, verses 4 and 5, the faithful witness

 

Revelation 1:4  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;

John is speaking to seven literal churches in the Roman province of Asia, which we know as Asia Minor or the country of Turkey, existing at the same time which are types of all churches throughout history. It is difficult to say that each church represents an historic age of the church, but they could typify the dominant church forms of each age.

God is Him which is, and which was, and which is to come. He is the great I AM.

Exodus 3:13  And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

The seven Spirits, uppercase S, which are before God’s throne are linked to the seven churches, and the angels of the Seven Churches, as angels are spirits. Also, notice this verse at the end of chapter one.

Revelation 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Psalm 104:4  Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

Hebrews 1:7  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

Seven, by the way, is the number of perfection or completeness in the Bible.

They have spread the gospel over the entire earth and for all of the warnings that Christ is about to give them He has used them for His purpose.

Revelation 4:5  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Revelation 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Revelation 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of 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 Jesus Christ, who was shown to be the visible image of God and the Word by which all things were created is the faithful witness reporting what is about to be told in the form of an angel. He rose from the dead never to die again so that we can rise from the dead, showing us by example what would happen to us. Enoch and Elijah did not die when they were translated but were taken out of the world bodily and alive and anyone else before Christ who died and was revived had to die again. He is also God as the first verses of John’s gospel tells us and constant, eternal as Paul said in Hebrews.

John 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

John 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him…9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Hebrews 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

He is the first begotten of the dead as He is the beginning of creation and holds it together.

Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by

him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

 

He is above the kings of the earth as the prince to whom they have not but will be forced to submit.

 

Psalm 89:27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

 

Christ washed us from our sins against God in His own blood.

 

Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

 

As even usually unites two things that are the same, the forgiveness of sins is found through the redemption of Christ’s blood shed for us.

 

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

 

Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

 

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

 

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.