The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost
Revelation 1
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
No one can study the Book of Revelation and doubt the Trinity of God. Over and over you see visions where each member of the Godhead plays a beautiful part. God and His majestic throne is seen over and over. He is a central figure and all glory will soon speak of His sovereign powers.
Jesus Christ is the “Lamb of God over and over and all redemption is complete in Him. The Holy Spirit is the mighty arm of the Father and the Son, and He always gives His glory to the Lamb. My view has been of a Father who is the mind of the universe, the Son who is His Word both in written and personal form, and the Holy Spirit is the One who manifests all power.
To deny the Trinity of God throws the whole Bible in disarray. The Father exalted Christ when He arrived back to Heaven after His death and resurrection. Over and over the Divine Godhead fills our Bible with a presence of excellent beauty.
The Presence of the Godhead in the Book of Revelation
- The Throne and the Father sitting on His throne:
1:4 4:9 6:16 14:5 22:3
3:21 4:10 7:8 16:17
4:2 5:1 7:10 19:4
4:3 5:6 7:17 20:4
4:4 5:7 9:3 20:11
4:5 5:11 13:5 21:5
4:6 5:13 14:3 22:1
- The Son seen as the “Lamb of God”
5:6 7:10 14:4 21:14
5:8 7:14 14:10 21:22
5:12 7:17 15:3 21:23
5:13 12:11 17:14 21:27
6:1 13:8 19:7 22:1
6:16 13:11 19:9 22:3
7:9 14:1 21:9
- The Holy Spirit sometimes called “The Seven Spirits of God”
1:4 3:1 4:6 16:13 22:14
1:10 3:6 5:6 17:3
2:7 3:12 11:8 18:2
2:11 3:22 11:11 19:19
2:29 4:2 14:13 21:10
Over and over, John saw the Father on His throne, Jesus Christ the Lamb as slain, and the omnipresent Spirit overarching the total revelation. It was absolutely the greatest series of visions that God has ever given to any man. To even compare this rapturous revelation of our magnificent God to the crude imitation gods of Satan is too vile to imagine. No wonder the angels throughout the Bible are forever crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” in the pattern of the three persons of the Divine. Our God always excels in heavenly splendor.
As the great drama begins to unfold in the otherwise dark cave on the isle of Patmos, John immediately begins to record what He saw. “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” (Rev. 1:4-5) There is no way to doubt that John saw “God in three persons.” He said, “from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ.” The language is unquestionable. John was not just speaking; he was describing the transcendent scene that appeared before him. He had been told to record “all things that he saw.” (Rev. 1:2)
Genesis 1
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
It was the Father that gave this revelation to John. When the Son of God had paid the awesome vicarious penalty for sin, He was welcomed home with Celestial bliss. Not one word or action during His thirty-three years was less than perfect submission to the Father’s will. The heavens had thundered with the Father’s voice. When He was baptized by John, the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:17b) Again on the Mount of Transfiguration the Father affirmed His Son.“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” (Matt. 17:5)
When Jesus Christ had ascended back to Heaven, the honors bestowed upon Him were unlimited. The Father gave Him a name above all names, in Heaven or Earth, and made Him the Lord of His Church and the spiritual kingdom dispensation. Apostle Paul recorded the heavenly triumph at Christ’s return to the Fathers’ presence. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11)
Every book of the Bible before the “Book of Revelation” was the action of the Word, Jesus Christ, and transmitted by the Holy Spirit. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (II Peter 1:21) This masterpiece of God’s total revelation is transmitted to John by an angel and coming directly from the Father. The Book begins, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, WHICH GOD GAVE UNTO HIM, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” (Revelation 1:1)
Matthew 3
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
It was time in God’s great plans for Him to exalt His Son and reveal His plans for the final completion of all things. This last great book is just that, the Father’s plan for the redemption of the created universe and the final judgment of sinful man and the master of deceit, Lucifer. The Father showed John the numerous events that reflect His Divine finish.
Thirty-one times John saw the Father’s throne, twenty-five times he saw the Lamb that had been slain and sixteen times he saw the Holy Spirit. Everything the Father said and did, the Son and the Spirit were a part of it. Everything the Son did or said, the Spirit and the Father were a part of it. Everything the Spirit did or said, the Father and the Son were a part of it. There are three that bear record in heaven in every circumstance or event. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (I John 5:7) Heaven is a place of perfect unity in all things.
It is only Biblical that the Father would be the Heavenly author of this final book of the Bible. His Son had paid the ultimate sacrifice to redeem the world that His Father had created. In truth the Father had offered His Son and even laid His hands on the hands that nailed Him to the cross. Isaiah said by the Holy Ghost, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:10-11)
1 Thessalonians
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Throughout this masterpiece, the Father wanted His saints to see His exaltation of His Son. It is His Son’s New Jerusalem and His Son’s Bride that will fill the city. Every victory of the Book of Revelation was won on the cross and by His blood. The Father will exalt Him and, in the end, the Son will exalt the Father. John the Revelator saw it completed and cried, “Even so come Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22:20b)