Verse 4 and 5 sound like a normal new testiment salutation:
- The book is addressed to the "seven churches which are in Asia."
- He sends grace and peace.
But, this grace and peace is coming from nine sourcers. Who/what are they?
Who are the nine sources of grace and peace?
Wed, 2008-12-10 09:17
#1
Who are the nine sources of grace and peace?
Fri, 2009-01-09 22:20
#2
The nine sources
The nine sources of grace and peace are listed in verses 4 and 5:
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him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and
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from the seven spirits before his throne,
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and from Jesus Christ.
In verse 8, him "who is, and who was, and who is to come" is identified as the "Lord God." I find it interesting that God and Jesus are specifically mentioned separately as sources of grace and peace.
Interestingly, also in verse 8, God calls himself "the Alpha and the Omega." In verse 17, Jesus calls himself the "first and last." (we know it is Jesus because in verse 18 he says that he "was dead," and is "alive for ever and ever!") Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, respectively, so essentially God and Jesus are both claiming to be the first and last. Interestingly, Jesus seems to still differentiate himself from him "who is, and who was, and who is to come."