Revelation: Salutation And Doxology Series

Introduction

Revelation 1:4-8

"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; 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. 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. 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."

Last week we saw that Revelation is a prophecy and an apocalypse. Our text this morning shows us that Revelation is also a letter. It begins with a salutation in 1:4 and continues through to 22:21 where it has a closing benediction: "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." Have you ever thought about Revelation as a letter? Just like the other letters that make up a large part of the NT, Revelation was written to a particular group of churches in the first century. It had meaning to them, but as a part of Scripture it has been spoken to the church for the past two millennia, and it speaks to us today.

It has some unique features because after this normal salutation it quickly highlights the roles of Christ pointing the centrality of Jesus to the message of the letter. Then there are the seven small letters to the seven churches in Asia minor. Each of the small letters and the prophetic content of Revelation is for all of us. So this morning we are going to read the mail.

1. 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 did not feel the need to include the title apostle or anything extra. He wrote Revelation simply as John. Some people are into titles. John realized as he says later that he is our brother and fellow sufferer as a witness of Jesus Christ. They knew who John was.

He writes to the seven churches in Asia. We do not know why the Lord chose these seven churches. There have been many theories. These churches were in a circular route that may have been along the mail route. They also may have been the centers around which other churches gathered. They were in the area where modern-day Turkey is. The number seven represents fullness. These churches represent the entire church at its best and its worse. Each of the churches had strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Throughout the history of the church, there have been churches like those John writes to here. Those who follow the historist approach and some futurists have attempted to interpret the churches to represent the various ways the church has looked throughout history. The problem with this is that all of these churches existed in the first century, and there have been similar churches throughout the entirety of church history.

To all of the churches and to us, he greets them with "Grace and peace." This is very similar to the greetings we find in the rest of the NT. Grace is the free gift of God's favor, unearned and undeserved. Peace (shalom; wholeness) is a result of God's grace.

This grace and peace come from One. John uses a unique name for God here. This is the same name God uses for himself in 1:8, "Him which is, and which was, and which is to come." It sounds like the name that God shared with Moses at the burning bush. Grace and peace come from the One who has always been, the Eternal One! Others may come and go, kings and kingdoms may rise and fall. The writer of Hebrew says that the universe will wear out like a garment and as a vesture, but this God is the same and His years have no end. He remains constant. The world that John was writing about was changing. The political landscape was changing. The principalities and powers in heavenly places were at war. The world we live in is shifting and changing, but John said, before we talk about any of those things, let me tell you that grace and peace are flowing towards you from the One Who is constant. He isn't going to change! You're concerned about a lot and there may be some major things ahead, but grace and peace are yours!