Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over 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 forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1: 4b-6, NKJV.
Dear God, we thank You so much for this opportunity of coming into Your presence. Please bless us as we study Your Word. In the name of Jesus we humbly pray. Amen.
What a beautiful doxology! A hymn of praise to our “Savior and Friend!” Let us pick it apart and notice all the things that John is praising Him for, and as we do, let us join him, in praise to the Lord!
This hymn of praise is part of a greeting that the apostle is sending to the churches in Asia. He begins by offering them the “Grace” and “peace” of the Savior. Paul, formerly Saul, has experienced grace in abundance! Of all the authors of the Bible, Paul’s letters are the ones that abound with the “Good News” of God’s amazing grace! The letter to the Romans is filled to overflowing with the “unmerited favor” of God! He tells us why it is granted (Romans 1: 5)! He speaks of its power to justify us (3: 24)! He shows very plainly, that it is grace that makes the promise of eternal life effective (4: 16). He explains that it is faith that makes grace accessible (5: 2). He reminds us that there is grace enough for all (5: 15). It is very encouraging to listen as he assures us that grace will always out-do sin (5: 20)! It is grace that brings eternal life “through Jesus Christ our Lord” (21)! When we are living by God’s grace, sin will not rule over us (6: 14), Hallelujah! Grace is no justification for us to sin (6: 15)! It is only through grace that we have been given the privilege of salvation (11: 5)! He explains that if we can be saved by our works, then grace has not done its work (11: 6). Spiritual gifts have been given to us according to grace (12: 6). Since it is grace that guarantees our salvation, this doxology would not have been complete without the mention of God’s wonderful grace! Knowing that it is by grace, through faith, that we are saved, brings us peace!
Next, he makes mention of the members of the Godhead. He speaks of God’s infinitude. The great God of the universe who is-today, was-yesterday, and will come and be with us-forever! I believe that he is making mention of the attribute of omnipresence of the Holy Spirit through the use of the perfect number, “seven Spirits.” (If further study proves that thought wrong, I will inform you of my findings.) Then he goes on to speak of Jesus. Jesus is referred to as “the faithful witness. He is the One who conquered death, and whose resurrection makes all other resurrections from the dead possible! ” He is also the King who is above every other king! He is the reigning Monarch! But praise God, He is also the One who opened “a fountain filled with blood,” drawn from His own side, and washed us, and made us free from sin! Hallelujah! Because we are heirs to salvation, He has also made us “kings and priests to His Father!”
It is to Jesus, our Lord and Savior, and soon-coming King, that he ascribes the “glory and dominion” throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity! I pray, that on that great coronation day, we will all be there to sing the doxology that we have been singing here on earth: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen (Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, p. 660). Then, with the redeemed of all the ages, may we join in singing “a new song” of victory, through the matchless grace, and the shed blood of the Lamb slain from “before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1: 18-20)! Amen.