th1b.taylor
Member
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; (KJV)
In this verse we see John is addressing the seven Churches that would be found in, I believe, what we call Asia Minor today. It is popular to also apply these statements to the different time spans of the growing Church from the death of the Christ until now. That would place us, today, in the Laodicean Church Age... I agree! This makes all of what Jesus said to John relevant to us.
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, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
We notice in the (b) portion of 4 and the (a) portion of 5 that the greeting and wish for Grace is from nine individuals, Jesus, John and the seven Spirits (Angels) of the seven Churches that can also be found standing (in audience?) at the foot of the Throne of God. In the latter part of 5 we see the credentials of our LORD and King, Jesus, the Messiah. And then we see the portion of this chapter that is, perhaps, the most debated, every one of us that has taken Jesus and have accepted being cleansed by His Blood is a King and a Priest, directly responsible to our Holy Father, God the Father!
Each and every one of us has direct access to he Father, through the Son of God. That is not only an honor, it is also an Eternal responsibility!
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
In verse 7 we find the reason John and the members of the Early Church were always on alert, expecting the return of the Son at any moment and the very reason we, every one of us must also stand ready. Jesus will return with the clouds, just as He left! This could have been so at any point during the past twenty centuries and it is even more possible today as we approach the end of the sixth day.
A point worth noting is that in this verse we see that Jesus will be visible, live, to all the world when He returns. Before the recent past this has not been possible but today, with the ability to broadcast live television around the globe it is a well practiced event.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
In verse 8 we find our brother, John, quoting the Master! Not only is Jesus the beginning and the ending, He is the Almighty, (John 1:1-3) Creator of everything that is. Then in verse 9 Brother John begins to explain how he came to be locked away on Patmos. And in verse 10 he explains that he had slipped into the spirit on Sunday and these things were revealed to him.
In this verse we see John is addressing the seven Churches that would be found in, I believe, what we call Asia Minor today. It is popular to also apply these statements to the different time spans of the growing Church from the death of the Christ until now. That would place us, today, in the Laodicean Church Age... I agree! This makes all of what Jesus said to John relevant to us.
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, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
We notice in the (b) portion of 4 and the (a) portion of 5 that the greeting and wish for Grace is from nine individuals, Jesus, John and the seven Spirits (Angels) of the seven Churches that can also be found standing (in audience?) at the foot of the Throne of God. In the latter part of 5 we see the credentials of our LORD and King, Jesus, the Messiah. And then we see the portion of this chapter that is, perhaps, the most debated, every one of us that has taken Jesus and have accepted being cleansed by His Blood is a King and a Priest, directly responsible to our Holy Father, God the Father!
Each and every one of us has direct access to he Father, through the Son of God. That is not only an honor, it is also an Eternal responsibility!
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
In verse 7 we find the reason John and the members of the Early Church were always on alert, expecting the return of the Son at any moment and the very reason we, every one of us must also stand ready. Jesus will return with the clouds, just as He left! This could have been so at any point during the past twenty centuries and it is even more possible today as we approach the end of the sixth day.
A point worth noting is that in this verse we see that Jesus will be visible, live, to all the world when He returns. Before the recent past this has not been possible but today, with the ability to broadcast live television around the globe it is a well practiced event.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
In verse 8 we find our brother, John, quoting the Master! Not only is Jesus the beginning and the ending, He is the Almighty, (John 1:1-3) Creator of everything that is. Then in verse 9 Brother John begins to explain how he came to be locked away on Patmos. And in verse 10 he explains that he had slipped into the spirit on Sunday and these things were revealed to him.
that John penned also! + Eccl. 3:14. There is NO such teaching for truth as that above. Just the opposite. Eze. 8:16 'And he brought me into the inner court of [the Lords House] and, behold at the door of [the temple of the Lord] between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, [with their backs toward the temple of Lord] , and [their faces toward the east; and