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2. The Greeting to the Greek Church Members in the Churches of Asia Minor (Revelation 1:4-6)
REVELATION 1:4-6
4 John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood; 6 and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
At the very beginning of the second introduction to his book, and in the manner of the apostolic letters of the New Testament, John introduces himself as the author of this revelation to the Gentile church members of Hellenistic thought. To the Greeks, he became a Greek and adopted the arrangement of their letter headings accordingly.
John had been banned by the district council of Ephesus, the capital city of the Roman province of Asia, to the barren and uninhabited island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. He longed for his new churches in Asia Minor, over which he served as shepherd and patriarch.
After the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D., the center, growth, and vitality of Jesus’ Church had moved to Ephesus by way of Antioch. Many Jews and Jewish converts to Christianity, who had fallen into discredit with the Romans, now lived scattered in this area, permeated by Hellenistic culture. Near to Ephesus, several satellite churches had formed in the mountains and hills of Anatolia. As far as known, there were more than seven churches existing at that time. They had, however, grouped themselves around the seven provincial towns.
John addressed all Christians in the province of Asia as “the seven churches”, because at that time, the number seven meant “fullness and perfection”*. Nevertheless, the later mentioning by name of the seven churches did not refer to fictitious sites. These churches really existed, and came to serve as examples of the condition and situation of the other surrounding churches.
The banned shepherd longed for his orphaned flock. He suffered with it in the difficulties and persecutions emerging on the continent. He wrestled with God and Christ concerning their salvation, sanctification, and protection in the end-times that were overtaking them.
After the rule of the anti-Christian Caesar Nero (AD 54-68) and Domitian (AD 81-96), John saw the growing deification of these Caesars as a demonic temptation and grave danger to the young Christian community. He himself had been dismissed as patriarch by the Romans and deported to Patmos, so that his congregations might quickly dissolve and disintegrate. Being removed and therefore unable to intervene and offer advice, he worried about the abandoned pastors and congregants. He implored God and Jesus in prayer to save, sanctify, and protect his threatened churches.
His Lord answered and showed him His presence among the lonely and isolated congregations. He showed John the unfolding of His salvation amid the woes of the end times, woes that are inexorably necessary to bring forth a new world, much like the birth of a child. The gracious revelation and assurance of the completion of salvation in the triumph of Jesus Christ were to grace the lonesome seer with tranquility, strength, and peace.
Grace Be With You: The most important word that the banned apostle of Jesus Christ could share with his churches in their depression and persecution is the apostolic greeting that other apostles also used to begin their New Testament letters: grace to you!
Neither the fear of persecution nor of the coming Judgment, not even the pressure to try harder to keep the Law that no one can ever fully keep, is central here. Instead, the pardoning of guilty lawbreakers and their receiving the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit remain the predominant themes - a spiritual birthright and source of strength for Jesus’ Church in all times. We no longer live under law, as do Jews and Muslims, but rather, under grace. The old legal requirements were fulfilled and conquered through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ once and for all! Something wholly new and unheard of had begun: each and every person can receive the complete grace of God without cost. This stands opposed to what Islam, with its self-justification, and the Sharia law of Muhammad, teach. In Islam and the teachings of Muhammad, there is no hope for salvation through grace, but only the requirement to fulfill the law that can never be fulfilled.
Peace Be With You: The goal of our pardoning by God, the holy Judge, is peace. The wrath of God has been satisfied by the unique, vicarious sin-offering of Christ. Whoever believes in Him will not be judged. Christ is our peace. He sends us His own peace in the power of the Holy Spirit. He makes us peace-bearers and peacemakers in a world full of hate, conflict, and war. Christ enables His saved ones to love their peace. Peace resides in their hearts, as long as they remain in Him. The Lord has overcome the world in His disciples. They love everyone and do whatever they can to promote peace.
This is opposite to what Islam teaches, for the peace of Muhammad is based on submission, the fear of Allah, and obedience to political rule. Islam does not know of a peace in the heart that is higher than all human understanding.
Who Was and Is and Is to Come: Grace and peace are not only promised the churches in a formal way, they are granted in a very real way through the Holy Spirit. Unearned grace and everlasting peace proceed from each of the divine Persons of the Holy Trinity and become anchored in the threatened and persecuted Believers.
John then bore witness concerning Yahweh, the covenant-making God of the Old Testament, who never changes. He is Who He is. His faithfulness and promises never cease, even in times of distress. He was before all time, before His glorious creation, and He will return personally at the end of time to judge the godless world.
According to Franz Buhl, it was the message of God, who will come to judge, that was the foundation of Muhammad’s life and what lead to the rise of Islam. Through the compiling and fulfilling of the Sharia – Islamic law – Muhammad attempted to escape the coming judgment of God. But such a human attempt at justification through works is a great error and self-deception.
The true God has always been a God who comes (Advent), one who is already “on His way,” searching for and saving that which is lost. He does not want to come to judge and destroy the world, but to save it. The new creation will spring forth from His love. His plan of salvation is geared toward a new heaven and earth, in which justice dwells.
Perhaps because of his missions-minded orientation toward Jewish refugees and the many Jewish Christians in his congregations, John didn’t want to speak of the Father in Heaven at the beginning of his book; rather, he spoke of the Eternal One who is, and the unchanging Yahweh. Perhaps the seer also saw how the Father had veiled His face in light of the coming judgment and how He had revealed Himself as the judging, wrathful God. The following verses in the Revelation of Jesus Christ will shed light on these mysteries.
The Seven Spirits Before God’s Throne: After bearing witness of Yahweh, the unchangeable covenantal God, John mentions the Holy Spirit in the form of seven Spirits that stand before God’s throne. From them, grace and peace flow to the seven churches, just as they flow from the eternally faithful covenantal God. The description of the Holy Spirit as “the seven Spirits of God” is found four times in the prophetic revelation of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:4, 3:1, 4:5, 5:6).
The number seven is the sum of three and four and, according to several expositors, refers to the Holy Trinity above the four points of the compass. After the vicarious death of Christ, God’s Spirit was poured out upon all flesh. Since that event, His Spirit hastens throughout the whole world. He is omnipresent and seeks to take up residence within every person, house, and land. The seven Spirits are the Spirit of the Father and the Son, who was in constant contact with the seven churches in and around Ephesus. Each church was to be filled with a special portion of the Spirit of God.
The seven Spirits do not act independently, but stand before the throne of the Almighty, ever ready in His service. Their power comes from their unity with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is obedient to God, just as the Son always is subservient to the will of His Father. True love does not shy away from complete obedience, but creates harmonious agreement with the will of the Father. Jesus confessed, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34). Pride sets itself up against the Almighty, but humility is one with Him. The seven Spirits of God are His own Spirit.
Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness: The greeting of grace and peace reaches the seven churches not only from God the Father, but also from the Holy Spirit, who revealed Himself as “seven Spirits” for their sake. In the end, a merciful pardoning is also pronounced by Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with His Father and the Holy Spirit from everlasting to everlasting.
In this letter’s introduction, Jesus Christ is given three significant names and attributes that describe both Him and His revelation accurately. He is called the faithful witness. Jesus never denied being the Son of God and eternal King. His referring to His heavenly Father and His assertion of His authority, even as He stood in chains before His accusers, were the reasons behind His being sentenced to death on a cross. He did not flee before His arrest, although He knew in detail what awaited Him. He remained faithful to His calling and His Gospel until His ultimate victory.
The Firstborn from the Dead: The second name of the gracious Christ is the Firstborn from the Dead. Jesus was born of the Father in eternity, before time began, and became man in order to save us. He really died on the Cross, even though the Qur’an denies this historical fact. Jesus was wrapped in grave clothes and anointed for burial. But death, the slave of Satan, could not keep the holy and sinless Jesus in its grasp. His eternal life is alive always. Jesus overcame death, escaped its grasp, and emerged with a spiritual body into a new phase of His life.
Christ’s eternal existence became visible. John described Him as the Firstborn from the Dead. He, who had always been the Son of God, ripped a gaping hole in Death, so that all who are born again of the Holy Spirit can follow Him in His glory. We in our nature are dead in sins and shame; but Jesus has justified and sanctified us, so that we can receive His life and glorify Him as “those who live in His life.” His death is our life, and His resurrection heralds our own glorification. He is the first among the living and the dead. He affords us the right and the power to live eternally.
The Almighty Ruler: The third name of Jesus in the Greek introduction of the Revelation is The Ruler over the Kings of the Earth. Jesus is Lord. This is the short form of the Church’s confession of faith throughout time. In Jesus, the covenantal God – Yahweh – became man, just as the angels declared above the open fields of Bethlehem: “…for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). His power and glory are not human, but spiritual, divine, and veiled. Just as the rays of the sun warm the earth quietly and continuously, so too, the world lives by the love and patience of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Trinity were to withdraw, Satan would be the unrestricted potentate of the earth. But the Son and Lord of Lords still extends His justice and salvation to the dwellers of earth. Whoever listens to Him, receives power from on high. Whoever refuses to listen to Him must suffer the fruits of his own godlessness. Christ will give over to unrighteousness those who continually snuff out the truth through unrighteousness, so that they will destroy themselves through the lusts of their hearts. Blessed are the people who have a Christian ruler who seeks to reign with the fear of God in his heart. But woe to those who choose for themselves a permissive, godless, or anti-Christian ruler, for such a one will be controlled, inspired, and directed by Satan. Even so, today’s godless rulers live only by the patience of the Son of God, just as they did during the days of John. However, limits are placed upon their godlessness. Christ overcomes the powerful of this world, just as the water in a river slowly and steadily flows around the rocks in its bed, making them smaller and eroding them to sand. It is not the mortal powers of our earth who are the true holders of power, but rather the Firstborn from the Dead. His reign has no end.
He Loves Us: After honoring Christ as one of the three sources of grace and as the reigning Lord, John begins an exaltation and a Spirit-inspired song of praise. He calls out to the churches around Ephesus: “The most powerful Lord, the King of kings loves us, knows us, and cares about us. He is with us. He never slumbers. He is near. He will act on your behalf. He is with you in your trials and suffering. He even looks after me in my poverty and state of abandonment. We are not alone, for He Himself lives inside us. His power knows no end.” He assures all the oppressed: “… Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
He Washed Us from Our Sins with His Blood: The love of Jesus Christ was manifested in saving us from all our sins with His precious and holy blood, as well as His innocent suffering and death. He paid for our ransom with the anguish of His tortured body and His suffering soul. Now we have been released. The penalty was placed upon Him so that we could be free. Through His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:3). Our justification is perfect; it didn’t remain simply a desirable ideal. With one sacrifice, Christ has forever perfected those who are being sanctified (Hebrews 9:14, 10:14).
John acknowledges the love of Christ and salvation from all sins, not only for the seven churches but also for himself. He includes himself in this statement with the small word us.
He Has Made Us Kings and Priests to His God and Father: The Holy Spirit inspires John to acknowledge that the resurrected Lord has made us kings and priests before God His Father. With this confession, the deported patriarch also includes all members of the New Covenant in the promise of Moses that was made to the twelve tribes of Israel at the making of the Covenant in the desert (Exodus 19:5,6). Even Peter in his first letter was able to proclaim this Old Testament privilege to all followers of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:9-10).
This calling through Jesus Christ contains the mission, authorization, and responsibility of His believers to be “salt and light” in a godless world. But this proclaiming the kingdom of God does not point to a worldly exercising of power, as is the practice of Muslims in their subordination of others. Much more, this calling is aimed at the true followers of Jesus - the faithful people of prayer who impart the full power of Christ's sacrificial death upon their nation. Therefore, just as Christ became a servant of all and was willing to become the most despised, so too should those, who are called to be kings and priests under the New Covenant, not shy away from appearing as the most unimportant in the Church. Likewise, they should be ready to work diligently and to perform the least sought after tasks. The example of Christ drives us to repentance.
John writes that Jesus did not call us to be independent kings and priests; rather, he placed us before God’s throne, just as Elijah once acknowledged that he stood before God (1 Kings 17:1). Even the seven Spirits stand before His throne (Revelation 1:4), ever ready to be of service.
This description of Christ’s servants as kings and priests before God is to assure us that we, as His followers, are brought near to Him. We are called, in our submission to the will of the Father and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, to make the salvation of Jesus Christ manifest. This is in line with the writing of the Apostle Paul, where he describes us as God’s fellow workers (1 Corinthians 3:9).
In the Qur’an, there are only few spirits and individuals who are described as those who are brought near to God (Sura 56:10-26). But John had more knowledge: all who have been reconciled through the blood of the Lamb are brought near to God in the power of the Holy Spirit.
God Is His Father: The apex of his greeting is where John describes the Father of Jesus Christ for the first time. We can read twice in the Revelation that God is Jesus’ Father (Revelation 1:6, 14:1). Jesus calls the Almighty “My Father” three times (Revelation 2:28; 3:5,21). With deep respect and love, the apostle reveals the mystery that sheds light on the relationship God has with Jesus: in the Son, the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily (Colossians 1:19, 2:9). Nevertheless, Jesus humbled Himself before His Father in heaven completely and said that the Son can do nothing of Himself (John 5:19,30). In His farewell speech, He said, “… I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works” (John 14:10).
The unity of God the Father and the Son is accessible to all who let themselves be drawn in the humility, love, and reverence of Jesus. True love is never disrespectful. Jesus was born in the love of His Father (John 16:32; 17:26).
The rejection of the Fatherhood of God and the Sonship of Christ in the Qur’an 18 times can be understood when one realizes that Muhammad assumed that Christians believed that Allah had slept with Mary and begotten Jesus by her. But no Christian believes such blasphemous nonsense. The fathering of Christ in the Virgin Mary happened spiritually, not biologically.
To Him Be Glory and Dominion: After proclaiming the basic fundamentals of our faith, John launches out with the first praise of God in the framework of his revelation. In a figurative sense, he again laid down the crown that he had previously received as a king and priest before the Exalted One and attributes to Him all honor and power.
The seer on Patmos proclaims that all glory comes from God and is due Him, and Him alone. In the Old Testament, the glory of Yahweh is understood as the sum of all of His attributes, names, and powers, just like the glory of the sun, which is made up of innumerable rays of light. Whoever is struck by a single ray of God’s glory and love breaks out with a song of gratitude and praise. Whoever walks in the light and remains in the light also learns to love his difficult brethren, just as God loves us (1 John 1:5-7). The glory of god was manifested in Jess and in His unending love. That is why John proclaims: All glory comes from God, exists in God, and returns to God.
The Father and the Son in their unfathomable glory are also worthy of all dominion and power. In light of this, our God is no arbitrary ruler who exploits or destroys His creation. He remains always the Redeemer and Prince of Peace who preferred to die on the Cross in our stead, so that we, the unrighteous, can live for Him as justified ones. God’s power is a great saving power. Whoever closes his mind to His omnipotence resists the elemental force of the universe. John upheld and proclaimed the absolute power of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – then, now, and for all time, even in the midst of suffering and persecution.
Amen: The apostle John ends his words of adoration with a hearty Amen, thereby confirming the truth of each and every one of his words in this introduction. In verses 4-6 he acknowledges his faith and love, so that everyone can know who he is: one who has been pardoned by the peace of the triune God, and one who liberally spreads this grace and peace to all who read and keep this revelation of Jesus Christ in their hearts.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we magnify you because Your servant John delivered us in Your name by the power of the Holy Spirit, and assured us that Jesus loves us, and had washed us from our sins and empowered us for spiritual services before Your face. We worship You and Your Son, the one God, for all the glory and authority is Yours forever. Amen
QUESTION:
- How did John the Apostle prepare the Greek members of his churches?