troysal wrote:
https://letthetruthcomeoutblog.wordpress.com/2022/02/23/does-genesis-126-prove-a-multiplicity-of-persons-in-god/
You use the first book in the Bible. I’ll use the last.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: 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 1:1-6John writes:
Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come. The consistent salutation of Paul in all his letters to churches was "grace and peace." In his personal letters to Timothy and Titus he added "mercy." Peter too used this form of greeting to the saints.
But in Revelation, this greeting from divine Persons becomes a benediction. It could be considered ironic that the book of Revelation in which are heard the thunderings of divine judgment on earth opens with the word "grace," that speaks of unmerited favor towards mankind. The book in which the gathering armies is prophesied opens with the stillness of a heavenly benediction "grace to you and peace". These words define the heritage of believers despite the conditions around.
And the source of the grace and peace which comes to men is God. Three statements unfold tremendous truth concerning God. The threefold repetition of the preposition "from" shows the triune God in operation in redemptive purpose. The statements may be set out as follows:
• From Him who is and who was and who is to come (v. 4b)
• From the seven Spirits who are before His throne (v. 4c)
• From Jesus Christ ... (v. 5)
When you see the seven spirits, it's talking about the perfect Spirit (capital S), the complete Spirit. So, the seven Spirits (capital S) here mean the Holy Spirit that is before the throne of God. And the reason I take it that way is because we have in verse 4b “from Him who is and who was and who is to come,” that's God the Father. And then you have the Holy Spirit, the seven Spirits who are before his throne in the beginning of verse 5. And from Jesus Christ.
So. what do you see here? You see our Triune God. Unlike anyone else ever. Within deity: unity, eternity and equality with individuality. You have one essence of God made up of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• The father is not the son and the spirit.
• And the son is not the father and the spirit.
• And the spirit is not the father and the son.
But they are all of one essence. And what else do you see? You see them right there, all around the throne. The one who is, and who was, and who is to come with the Holy spirit and Jesus Christ. And they are all in community together as they always have been.
And when we see this, we see that the gospel is paramount and central throughout the book. So where do you see the gospel? You see it from Jesus Christ. So, how does the book start off talking about Jesus Christ? The faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth, the one who loved us and washed us from our sins.
How?
By his blood. Is that not the gospel, or what? Let's start there and we'll work our way backwards.
• Jesus Christ is the only one that can forgive you of your sins.
• Jesus Christ is the only one that can make your dead life alive.
• Jesus Christ is the only one that can present you to the father, God.
There is no other way. And it's only through his blood. To reject Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection is to reject God. There are no other gods. He is the King of Kings, he is the Lord of Lords. He is the one who sets us free, not only from the penalty of our sin, but from the power of our sin. And ultimately from the presence of our sin.
He is God. He is the only way. And that is the only way that you can know Christ, is through the gospel. That's the gospel. You can only call yourself a Christian if you’ve turned from your sin, turned to Christ, and by grace, have received everything that God has for you. Not by anything you've ever done, but all by his grace because of his sovereign mercy in your life.
That's the gospel. Who's Jesus? He's the only one that can set you free from your sin. He's the only one that can deliver you from the judgment that's coming. He's the only one that can present you faultless before the father. And there are no other gods.
What else is he? He's the ruler of the kings of the earth. We live in a day and age where people are living in fear based upon who's in office. It doesn't matter, Jesus Christ is ruler over
ALL! And you need to know that. You need to know that, because Jesus is part of a monarchy. He's not an elected official. And when he comes back and establishes his kingdom, there is no voting.