Alpha And The Omega -Revelation 1:8

Rev 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Outside of time, the beginning and the end, the Sovereign Lord in Whose word we live and have life.  Apart from me there is no God.  I Am He.

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 44:6 “This is what the Lord says—

Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:

I am the first and I am the last;

apart from me there is no God.

Isaiah 41:4 Who has done this and carried it through,

calling forth the generations from the beginning?

I, the Lord —with the first of them

and with the last —I am he.”

Rev 11:17 saying:

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,

the One who is and who was,

because you have taken your great power

and have begun to reign.

Rev 21:6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Establish The Work

Psalms 90:17 NIV
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

May your hand join ours and ours join in your work
That we would prosper in your kingdom
Established and well planted by the river of life

Coming -Revelation 1:7

Rev 1:7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”

So shall it be! Amen

It is written that Jesus will return to earth in the same way He left the earth.  A few watched Him go as He rose to heaven, but many will see His return with the clouds, a symbol of the divine.  No longer will the divine majesty be hidden from view from the earth and all those who have rejected the Lord will face the reality of that decision and the Lord which cannot be denied.

Acts 1:9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight

Revelation 14:14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand

Daniel 7:13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence

Matthew 24:30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

Matthew 26:64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

A Kingdom And Priests - Revelation 1:6

Rev 1:6 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.

The Greek word ποιεω, translated here as, “has made”, carries the idea of something accomplished and ongoing.  It is the power of God and for His glory that we are raised to serve Him.  

 

The land promised to Abraham includes and goes beyond the boundaries that lie around the physical geography of the twelve tribes.  The kingdom encompasses the heart of the believer and the presence of God.  It unites heaven and earth.  The first fruits of this union manifest in the spirit plane.  Our spirit is joined with the Holy Spirit, and we are made alive to God in that union.

What does it mean that we have entered the kingdom as priests to the Living God?  They are those set apart to serve and attend to the things of God.  Through Moses, God commanded that an order of priests be established to approach Him on behalf of the people.  They were anointed and consecrated and were to approach God in a prescribed way.  

We each have received a priestly garment of white, the righteousness of Jesus that covers our sins.  We do not rely on someone else to make ongoing sacrifices on our behalf because Jesus had done that once and for all.  Instead we have a personal relationship with our Father and our sacrifices are now constituted of praise and joy.  There is no one between us and God, for He is with us.  Each one of us stands and will stand before His throne. 

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years

1 Peter 2:5 you, too, as living stones, are building yourselves up into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, so that you may offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus, the Messiah

Exodus 19:6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. ’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites

Keep Guard

[ESVi] Num. 1:53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.”


1 Timothy 4:13 NIV
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.


2 Timothy 4:2-3 NIV
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage —with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

We are not numbered with the tribes of the earth. We have been chosen to enter and tend the house of the Lord, to hold to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, as a kingdom of priests.

Before the throne of the most high, in white robes of those cleansed by Jesus, and sit those who wear the crown of life.
These crowns are cast down at the feet of the Lord, for He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

My Soul

Leviticus 26:11-12 AMP
I will set My dwelling in and among you, and My soul shall not despise or reject or separate itself from you.
12 And I will walk in and with and among you and will be your God, and you shall be My people.

God's soul, His life and desire are in view here. This is the God that walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve. He created us to be with Him.
It is His soul that we long for and His life that calls to us. It is with Him we will be complete.

By His Blood -Revelation 1:5

Rev 1:5 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,

The word faithful includes the idea of being true and of not deviating from that truth.  Father and Son give witness and testify to the same truth and God is true.

John 8:18 I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.”

Because He became one of us, He entered the land of the dead, for we were all dead in our sins. When Adam and Eve were expelled from the presence of the Lord they had lost their heavenly garments and found themselves naked.  God clothed them in animal skins to cover their nakedness.  It is in this nakedness we find ourselves today, covered by animal skins. But His love would not leave us there.  He came among us and preached the word that would offer life, that we might return.   
  

Isaiah 55:4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,

a ruler and commander of the peoples

Hebrews 2:17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

Col 1:8-20 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

We have been freed to enter His peace and live in His house forever.

The Veil

[ESVi] Lev. 24:3 Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the LORD regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.

In Revelation reference is made to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
It was the veil of the testimony that was torn when Jesus was crucified.
It was upon the ark of testimony the mercy seat was found.
It was where God came close and met with His people.
We are told by the Old Testament there is one way to God. We are told in the New Covenant that Jesus is the way.
Without this understanding, the veil remains.

Where Are You?

The church is not where you gather, but who is gathered.
Where are you?

To And From The Seven -Revelation 1:4

Rev 1:4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

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

Now John address seven of the churches, or congregations of the true church, and conveys a letter to each one with observations and advice particular to each local body, but from which the body of Christ may learn and take instruction as well.  The number of the churches, seven, implies a completeness and wholeness of message of Christ.

John bears the greeting from God our Father, extending the offer of grace and peace from the great “I AM”.  “I AM” Is another title which contains the ever present and eternal reality of our Creator, expressed in this verse with the three fold expression of is, was, and is to come.

Psalms 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold

from those whose walk is blameless

Seven is also used to signify the spirits before His throne.  This could be a reference to the passage in Isaiah which speaks of a seven fold description of the Spirit that would rest on Jesus, and therefore available to all believers. 

Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of might,

the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord

Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them

There is one throne for there is one God.  He is pure and holy.  Only those who are cleansed by the blood of Christ can stand before Him.

A Lay Person

[ESVi] Lev. 22:10 ¶ “A lay person shall not eat of a holy thing; no foreign guest of the priest or hired servant shall eat of a holy thing,

In Jesus, we are no longer foreigners or hired servants, but children of God. We are not lay persons, but priests in the kingdom of God. Our daily bread comes from heaven, the bread of life.
There is no such thing as a lay person in the body of Christ.

Blessed -Revelation 1:3

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

No other book contains this promise of blessing for those who hear this word and live life accordingly.  This blessing is pronounced on the ones who believe and find their joy in these words that follow.  From John’s pen we read a summary of the last days of a fallen creation, followed by a new heaven and earth.  This blessing might also be said to apply to all sixty-six books.  

John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

James 1:12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock

Matthew 7:26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand

The time is near.  The kingdom of God is not far away.  In fact, we are told in several places that the kingdom of God has been realized in part.

Matthew 12:28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you

Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Colossians 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

That You Should Be Mine

[ESVi] Lev. 20:26 You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.

The Lord calls a people out of the peoples to be different and distinct. He is teaching man about Himself. He is raising up a people to be one with Him, to become like Him.
He is doing the same thing today.

Atonement

Leviticus 16:10 ESV
but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.

Our sins were lifted and carried by Jesus far from the presence of God so that we could come close. He gave His blood that sins might be removed and remembered no more, as far apart as East is to West.
He came to live among us and to completely represent us before the Lord, to make and be that atonement that was required.

Leviticus 16:30-31 NIV
because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. 31 It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.

Jesus allows us to enter the rest of God, even in a world still groaning under the curse of sin. A table has been set in the presence of our enemies.

The day is coming when what has begun will be complete and the children of God will be revealed. Our journey will be at end and creation restored.

All That He Saw -Rev 1:2

Revelation 1:2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

The mature Christian bears more witness to his or her Father than self.  The less mature a Christian is found, the less they reflect God.  A person cannot long  reflect something they are not, just as they cannot share something they don’t have.

  From the Greek:

μαρτυρέω martureō ; from 3144 ; to bear witness, testify:-- add...testimony(1), attested(1), bear...witness(1), bear   -NASB Strong’s Dictionary

In the gospel of John, Jesus is called the word of God.  The testimony of Jesus is from God, He Himself saying He only spoke the words given to Him by the Father. Just as a word that passes our lips begins before it is spoken, in the beginning He was with God.  The two phrases describe the same thing.  Jesus is the word of God, and as John tells us is God.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

So the testimony of Jesus Christ is the word of God, the Son and the Father are one.  The truth of this is confirmed by the one Spirit.  We have been given the revelation of God both in the coming of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  John had the privilege of seeing and being with Jesus while He was here on earth.  He had listened to the word of God given voice by the one sent from God, touched the incarnation of the Son and Savior,  and beheld the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of our Lord.

Like John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus, a voice crying out in the desert wilderness, John gives witness to the second coming of Jesus, a voice in the wilderness of the world which is dry from the lack of knowledge and wisdom, the things of God.  In this book, John shares “all that he saw”.  His experience of Christ is unique, as it is for all of us, but John was chosen for a particular purpose and gifted to that end.

The Revelation -Rev1:1

Echoes of the Word

Revelation

An Encounter With The Spirit

Using the

NIV Translation

Revelation 1:1  The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Jesus revealed God’s word through His incarnation.  Now God reveals Jesus.  Jesus no longer walks on the earth as one of us.  He is present with God in heaven’s throne-room as the head of a new creation, the new man made possible by the victory and power of God.  Using symbols from the Old Testament, we are presented with the message that God is in control and faith in Him will be rewarded. 

The revelation spans that distance between heaven and earth, between the divine and fallen, and between now and the last day.  The images are interpretations of what John received, perceived, and his attempt to put into words this marvelous and awesome series of visions and experiences on this Lord’s day.  He uses the language, history, and prior revelations of his day to express the reality of these visions of tomorrow. This book contains a blessing for all who seek after a word from God.  The sovereignty and majesty of God is in full view.  The exact meaning of a given passage may be unclear and debatable at this time, but there is no denying that the overarching understanding is that God is in control and His word will prevail.  

The Greek word here translated as “made it known” reminds us of the importance of imagery in the communication of this message.  How else can a glimpse of God and heaven, of the mystery of our Creator’s will and purpose be given to finite creatures?  Just as Jesus emptied Himself to take on the form of man, the word of God is spoken in the language and concepts that will allow man to apprehend and hear that very word.

σημαίνω * sēmainō * say-mah'ee-no * From σῆμα sēma (a mark; of uncertain derivation); to indicate: - signify.  -NASB Strong’s Dictionary

Jesus told His disciples in the gospel of Luke  that He would fulfill the Scriptures and opened their minds to receive the words.  Revelation comes to us through the same Spirit that breathes life into the words of this book and the others contained in the Bible.  The words themselves are meaningless and of no value to a heart not touched by the hand of God.  He is in our midst and the Spirit guides us into truth.  It is this presence that lends us  the peace of God and opens us to the good news of Christ.

Luke 24:44 Now He said to them, “These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”  Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Luke 24:36  While they were telling these things, “He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you.”

The message is intended for all believers, for all those who serve the Lord, who have believed in His gospel, who willingly follow after Him and look forward to His return.  It will happen soon, not with the idea of tomorrow or the next day, but the next thing in these last days.  The very last day has yet to come, but come it will.

John 6:40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day

John 12:48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day

Carries Our Load

Genesis 22:6 NIV
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,

Isaac carried the wood of his sacrifice on his back where his life was to be offered up to God.
Jesus bore the wood of the cross to the place of his death.
Both were required, one was accepted.

Holy Ground

Acts 7:33 NIV
Then the Lord said to him, 'Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground

The Lord tells us elsewhere to be holy because He is holy.  The ground is holy because the Lord is present.  If we stand with the Lord, we are on holy ground and this is the rock which will not be moved.  All other ground is sinking sand.
The sandals could signify self, the material world, the pride and willfulness of the flesh.
Let us daily remove our sandals for we do indeed stand on holy ground.

Your Servant

Matthew 23:11-12 NASB
But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Christ humbled himself, becoming a servant to humankind. He asks the same of us, to follow him. He humbled himself in obedience to God's will.
Jesus was predestined to die on our behalf. We were predestined to live if we place our faith in him, putting him first. Doing so, we share in his glory and the exultation in heaven.

Being Present

Being present is akin to worship, for He present. It is here we pray and give thanks. It is here we are closest to God, to feel His presence and to hear a word.
We are most likely to find and be ourselves in this place.

A Ransom

[ESVi] Ex. 30:12 “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the LORD when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.

A ransom is to be paid for those numbered with the Lord. It is the same for every man, rich or poor. It is the rescue and atonement for our sins.
This is what Jesus did for all those that would be numbered with Him. He did what we cannot do.

The Same

Exodus 19:3 NASB
3 Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:

There are two descriptions of the one people before us.  In the same way we might understand the house of the Father and the sons of God.  They are the same thing. Consider the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
There will be no other God before us, for there is no other God.

A Better Word

Hebrews 12:18-24 NIV
The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy


18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Experiencing God is contrasted here between two mountains.  Before one we stand in fear, we tremble in unrighteousness.  In the other, we are able to dance with joy, for God has made us righteous in His Son.  Jesus is that rock, that mountain upon which we stand.  It is the rock which does not move and is everlasting.  A better word.

Sign And Symbol

Exodus 13:15-16 NIV
15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons. ’ 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

Each one that believes is given the right to become a son of the Father.  We are redeemed for that purpose and are the first born of humanity, the harvest of the Lord.
Our response of walking with the Lord today is living life according to His light.  This is the sign of the Lord's mighty hand bringing us out of the world and into His kingdom.  With our mind and heart we give praise to God.  With our hands we serve Him and reach for His.

Same Rules

Numbers 15:15 NIV
15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord:

In the Old Testament, all who obey the Lord will receive the blessing of the Lord. It is the same in the New Testament. Salvation belongs to the Lord and is given to all who call on His name. Both Testaments reveal the same God and prepare a people to join Him in a restored creation.

A Thousand

Exodus 20:6 NIV
6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.


God's love is not finite. It is less a particular number as it is a large and inclusive number. It is not limited to a thousand generations, but all those who love the Lord and fulfill His word.