We are still thinking about the relevance of the book of Revelation to the modern reader, and we have looked at what the benediction (word of blessing) and the salutation (word of greeting) indicate. Now let's look at the Doxology
"...from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come... and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion, for ever and ever, Amen. Behold he is coming with clouds, and every eye shall see him... Even so, Amen."
We will look at the latter part of this passage under the heading "John's Seven Declarations". But for now we will consider the first part where Jesus Christ is described as "Him who is, and who was, and who is to come. " We can link this statement to Jesus's own claim, "I am the Alpha and the Omega" (Rev 1:8). Consider
This ties in with Jesus saying, "I am..." and it makes Jesus real in your lifetime right now. He lives --"the firstborn from the dead". Through him, right now, you are being saved. Jesus today is ruler of all --even of all rulers. Yet he "loves us" and wants to be the close personal friend of every one, even you. The living Lord makes your short lifetime meaningful as you serve God faithfully as a royal priest for his glory
This ties in with Jesus being "...the Alpha..." or beginning, and makes Jesus real as you look back over 2000 years to the beginning of the Christian era. Jesus "has freed us from our sins by his blood". The Son of God, who created the world, who was eternal and in the beginning with God, became flesh and died for your sins. This is what "was" a very long time past, yet it is your hope for reconciliation with God and new life today in the risen Lord. What you believe took place in the past becomes your foundation
This ties in with Jesus being "...the Omega..." or the end, and makes Jesus real as you look to the future when Jesus will come in the clouds. He will right all wrongs, and you shall have victory. Even if you die, you will be raised to life again so that your eyes may see the glory of the Lord. What you believe about the future, becomes your motivation
You need to be continually reminded of these three things in this doxology. You are wonderfully favoured, forgiven, and not forsaken. You are favoured by God because Jesus "is" and you are God's royal priest under his rule. You are forgiven by God because Jesus "was" and died for you. You are not forsaken by God because Jesus "is to come" and you will see and share his glory. You must take these things to heart. The book of Revelation was written for this purpose, and this is what the book
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