John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from the One who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Rev. 1:4, 5.
It is probably only superstition, but the North Dakota farm culture my wife grew up in believed that things happen in threes. If two people you knew died, you begin to wonder when the third one would be. Or if two of your friends and relatives decided to get married, you speculated whom would be next. People believed that both good and bad things tended to happen in groups of three.
In the book of Revelation a lot of things also occur in patterns of three. We find three angels (Rev. 14:6-12) and three frogs (Rev. 16:13). John talks about three beasts (Rev. 12 and 13, cf, Rev. 16:13) and three woes (Rev. 8:13). The passage above describes the Godhead as a complete "trinity" of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Revelation 1:4-6 has, in fact, three "trinities." Today's devotion will focus on the second of the three.
John the revelator describes Jesus as "the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth" (verse 5, NIV). These phrases describe the main characteristics--or qualities--of Jesus. You won't read about such qualities in USA Today or hear about them on CNN. The teens at the local disco are not talking about Jesus as they dance. Our world is largely oblivious to the marvelous qualities of Jesus. That's why the book of Revelation is so important. It openly and publicly reveals the secret things about Jesus.
Jesus is "the faithful witness." In the original language the word for "witness" is the one from which we get the English word "martyr." In the self-sacrificing love of Jesus on the cross, we see a clear demonstration of the character of God.
Christ is also "the firstborn from the dead," a reference to His resurrection. When God raised Jesus from the tomb, He pronounced a blessing on the whole human race (Acts 13:32, 33). From then on a human being was seated at the right hand of God (Heb. 8:1, 2)!
That means He is the "ruler of the kings of the earth." While most people do not acknowledge Him as such, we can become citizens of His kingdom and receive all the benefits of citizenship in it. Because He rules the kings of the earth we don't have to be afraid of oppressive governments anymore. They govern only by permission (John 18:36, 37). In the book of Revelation Jesus is everything we need.
Lord, I see the greatness of Jesus more clearly than ever. I will worship Him today with all my heart.
It is probably only superstition, but the North Dakota farm culture my wife grew up in believed that things happen in threes. If two people you knew died, you begin to wonder when the third one would be. Or if two of your friends and relatives decided to get married, you speculated whom would be next. People believed that both good and bad things tended to happen in groups of three.
In the book of Revelation a lot of things also occur in patterns of three. We find three angels (Rev. 14:6-12) and three frogs (Rev. 16:13). John talks about three beasts (Rev. 12 and 13, cf, Rev. 16:13) and three woes (Rev. 8:13). The passage above describes the Godhead as a complete "trinity" of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Revelation 1:4-6 has, in fact, three "trinities." Today's devotion will focus on the second of the three.
John the revelator describes Jesus as "the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth" (verse 5, NIV). These phrases describe the main characteristics--or qualities--of Jesus. You won't read about such qualities in USA Today or hear about them on CNN. The teens at the local disco are not talking about Jesus as they dance. Our world is largely oblivious to the marvelous qualities of Jesus. That's why the book of Revelation is so important. It openly and publicly reveals the secret things about Jesus.
Jesus is "the faithful witness." In the original language the word for "witness" is the one from which we get the English word "martyr." In the self-sacrificing love of Jesus on the cross, we see a clear demonstration of the character of God.
Christ is also "the firstborn from the dead," a reference to His resurrection. When God raised Jesus from the tomb, He pronounced a blessing on the whole human race (Acts 13:32, 33). From then on a human being was seated at the right hand of God (Heb. 8:1, 2)!
That means He is the "ruler of the kings of the earth." While most people do not acknowledge Him as such, we can become citizens of His kingdom and receive all the benefits of citizenship in it. Because He rules the kings of the earth we don't have to be afraid of oppressive governments anymore. They govern only by permission (John 18:36, 37). In the book of Revelation Jesus is everything we need.
Lord, I see the greatness of Jesus more clearly than ever. I will worship Him today with all my heart.
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