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! Amen. (Revelation 1:4b-6, NIV 1984)
My Musings – The salutation is given in the name of the Father, the Son, and perhaps the Holy Spirit.
The Father – The eternal nature of God is referenced as “Him who is, and who was, and who is to come.” This is a paraphrase of the unspeakable name of God. “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14, NIV 1984). The absolute and unchangeable IAM.
The immutability of God, “the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8, NIV 1984), is also to be expressed in this particular reference to God. “I am the Lord; I change not” (Malachi 3:6, NIV 1984). The phrase also indicates that God not only exists now but always has and always will. God stands before, above, and beyond history. He is not limited by time as we are.
The Holy Spirit – The “seven spirits before the throne” is quite possibly a symbolic representation of the Holy Spirit. There is, of course, only one Holy Spirit but with seven manifestations; “the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:2, NIV 1984). Seven is also the number of completion and stands for the fullness of the Spirit. The “seven Spirits of God are referenced three other times in the book of Revelation (Revelation 3:1; 4:5; 5. Zechariah 4:2-10 also includes a symbolic reference to the Holy Spirit as “a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps.” (Zechariah 4:2, NIV 1984).
Some commentators disagree that this is a reference to the Holy Spirit and see this as more likely a reference to the seven holy archangels recognized in Jewish apocalyptic literature of the postexilic period who are said to stand in the presence of God. They are Suruel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Gabriel, Remiel, and Uriel (Tobit 12:15; 1 Enoch 20:1–7; 9:1; 40:9). Only one archangel is specifically named in the canon, though it is possible that there are others that are not specifically named. In Jude’s letter the archangel Michael is depicted as disputing with Satan over the body of Moses (Jude 9, see also Assumption of Moses). In the tenth chapter of the book of Daniel, this same Michael is described as one of the chief princes. This may imply that other chief princes (archangels) exist. Gabriel is also named in Scripture, but he is not specifically named as an archangel.
The Son – Christ is presented in His three-fold Person as Prophet (“faithful witness”), Priest (“firstborn from the dead”), and King (“ruler of the kings of the earth”). John goes on to praise God for the three-fold work that Christ accomplished on the cross: He loved us, washed us (or freed us) from our sins, and made us a kingdom of priests. The dominion we lost in Adam we have regained in Christ.
My Advice – As we focus on the promised return of the Son, let’s not forget the roles played by the Father and the Spirit in bringing all things to a conclusion. To them “be glory and power for ever and ever!”
Sources:
Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 412). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Moore, E., Craven, E. R., & Woods, J. H. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Revelation (p. 91). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
Cabal, T., Brand, C. O., Clendenen, E. R., Copan, P., Moreland, J. P., & Powell, D. (2007). The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (p. 1887). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 795-796). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Re 1:4). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Re 1:4). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Laing, J. (2003). Archangel. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (pp. 105–106). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
The Brew Is A Musing 