Revelation 1:4-20

Revelation gives us a unique picture of the inner life of our Christian experienceIt is much different from Paul’s carefully structured teaching- with his separation of the new self from the old self• and his contrast of having the mind of the Spirit versus the mind of the “flesh”• Revelation reaches into our inner lives through symbols and bizarre eventsTherefore, I feel comforted when reading the first few words of verse 4- they have a familiar ring–like finding a street you know when you’re lost• we recognize this same type of greeting from many of Paul’s lettersi.e., “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus . . . . To the saints who are in Ephesus . . . . Grace to you and peace from God our Father” (Ep. 1:1-2)• but already we see a difference: this introductory letter was written to seven churches!◦ and then John takes a sharper turn, not identifying God specifically,◦ but according to a timeless attribute – who is and who was and who is to come- then it gets even weirder – John adds another source of grace and peace“and from the seven spirits who are before his throne”• this has caused a lot of discussion among commentators◦ many of whom opt for the sevenfold Spirit of God• I’m going to suggest something else