Ⅲ
The experience and enjoyment of the Divine Trinity in full is consummated by the One who is, who was, and who is coming, by the seven Spirits, and by Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth—Rev. 1:4-5:
A
Revelation 1:4 speaks of God as the One who is, who was, and who is coming:
１
This is the meaning of the name Jehovah:
ａ
In Hebrew Jehovah means “I am who I am”—Exo. 3:14, 6.
ｂ
His being the I Am signifies that He is the One who exists from eternity to eternity.
２
God is the only One who is, the only One who has the reality of being.
３
Hebrews 11:6 says that “he who comes forward to God must believe that He is”:
ａ
According to Hebrews 11:6, God is, and we must believe that He is.
ｂ
As the One who is, who was, and who is coming, God is the self-existing One and the ever-existing One, the One whose being depends on nothing apart from Himself, and the One who exists eternally, having neither beginning nor ending—Exo. 3:14.
ｃ
To believe that God is, is to believe that He is everything to us and that we are nothing—John 8:58; Eccl. 1:2.
ｄ
To believe that God is implies that we are not; He must be the only One, the unique One, in everything, and we must be nothing in everything—Heb. 11:5; Gen. 5:22-24.
B
Revelation 1:4 speaks of “the seven Spirits who are before His throne”:
１
In the book of Revelation the Spirit is called the seven Spirits (1:4; 4:5; 5:6), the sevenfold intensified Spirit.
２
The seven Spirits in Revelation 1:4 undoubtedly are the one Spirit of God (Eph. 4:4) because They are ranked among the Triune God.
３
As seven is the number for completion in God’s operation, so the seven Spirits must be for God’s move on the earth—Rev. 4:5:
ａ
In essence and existence, God’s Spirit is one.
ｂ
In the intensified function and work of God’s operation, His Spirit is sevenfold—1:4.
４
The title the seven Spirits indicates that the Spirit has been intensified sevenfold; this Spirit intensifies all the elements of the Spirit: divinity, incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, reality, and grace—3:1.
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 1:4-5 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is coming, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood.Our enjoyment of the Divine Trinity in full is consummated with grace and peace by the Father, who is, who was, and who is coming; by the seven Spirits; and by Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:4-5). Grace is the Triune God as our enjoyment, and peace is the issue, the result, of our enjoyment of grace. The more we enjoy the Triune God as our grace, the more we have peace within. In Revelation 1 the Father is referred to as the One who is, who was, and who is coming. As God the eternal Father, He was in the past, He is in the present, and He is coming in the future. This shows that even the Father Himself is triune. He is triune as the One who is, who was, and who is coming. The seven Spirits are the sevenfold intensified Spirit. The one Spirit has been intensified sevenfold. The sevenfold Spirit may be likened to a seven-way lamp. Such a seven-way lamp gives us the strongest light, the intensification of light. The Spirit today is intensified sevenfold because of the dark age. (CWWL, 1988, vol. 1, “Living in and with the Divine Trinity,” pp. 384-385)
Today’s Reading
God is…the One who is, who was, and who is coming. This is the meaning of the name Jehovah. In Hebrew, Jehovah means, “I am who I am.” His being the I Am signifies that He is the One who exists from eternity to eternity. His title, I Am, not only indicates that He exists but that, in a positive sense, He is everything. He is life, light, and every other positive thing. Do you need life? God is life. Do you want light? God is light. Do you desire holiness? God is holiness. God exists from eternity to eternity and He is everything. This is our God. (Life-study of Revelation, p. 39)In the book of Revelation the Spirit is called the seven Spirits (1:4; 4:5; 5:6), the sevenfold intensified Spirit to counteract the degradation of the church. The seven Spirits in Revelation 1:4 undoubtedly are the Spirit of God because They are ranked among the Triune God. As seven is the number for completion in God’s operation, so the seven Spirits must be for God’s move on earth. In substance and existence God’s Spirit is one. In the intensified function and work of God’s operation His Spirit is sevenfold. It is like the lampstand in Zechariah 4:2. In existence it is one lampstand, but in function it is seven lamps. At the time the book of Revelation was written, the church had become degraded, and the age was dark. Therefore, the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God was needed for God’s move on earth.
The title the seven Spirits indicates that the Spirit has been intensified sevenfold. This Spirit intensifies all the elements of the Spirit: divinity, incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, reality, life, and grace.
The seven lamps in Revelation 4:5 refer to the seven lamps of the lampstand in Exodus 25:37 and the seven lamps of the lampstand in Zechariah 4:2. The seven lamps of fire which are the seven Spirits of God signify the enlightening and searching of the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God. In Exodus 25 and Zechariah 4 the seven lamps, signifying the enlightening of the Spirit of God in God’s move, are for God’s building, either for the tabernacle or the rebuilding of the temple. [In Revelation 4:5] the seven lamps are for God’s judgment, which will issue also in God’s building—the building of the New Jerusalem. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 867-868)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders’ Training, Book 2: The Vision of the Lord’s Recovery,” ch. 10; Life-study of Revelation, msg. 4