Revelation 1:4-6

Verse 4-6 “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; 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 hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

This is the salutation. John is writing to the seven churches in Asia. We will see that the number seven is repeated in many forms throughout Revelation. Seven is the number of perfection, the number of God. It will be used over and over. The seven churches are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. They were all located in what is today the very western part of Turkey. John salutes them with grace and peace from “him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ.” First he speaks of God as the one who has always been, is, and always will be. God is eternal. He is the “I AM”. The one who has always existed and always will exist. Then he mentions the seven Spirits before the throne. Some people believe this is speaking of the seven angels which blow the trumpets, but that would seem to be out of place here. First, in Revelation, angels are always referred to as angels, not spirits. Second, this personage is inserted between the Father and the Son. That place is reserved for the Holy Spirit which is the third member of the Trinity. It would be completely out of order to introduce the Father, then a group of angels and then the Son. We can find an answer to the seven spirits in the O.T. Isaiah tells us of these seven spirits or the seven-fold character of the Holy Spirit in chapter 11:2. “And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (Christ), the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. There is a slightly different reference in Zech. 4:2-10. It refers to the seven lamps on the candlestick, followed by the statement that it is not by might, nor power, but by His spirit that things are accomplished. The seven lamps are the eyes of the Lord which see everything on the earth. Since only the Trinity is omnipresent, this must be a reference to the Holy Spirit. This is two references in which the Holy Spirit is spoken of a having a seven-fold character, so it would seem likely that this reference is to the Holy Spirit also.

Then John mentions Jesus as the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead (Christ is the first fruits of the resurrected) and the prince of the kings of the earth. He is mentioning the three important events of Christ’s life. His death, resurrection, and 2nd Coming as King. Then John praises Christ for what He did for us, loving us so much that He died and washed our sins with His own blood. Through His death and resurrection, He has made us kings and priests unto God, Christ’s Father.