The Three Sides of God as Revealed in Revelation 22 – University Of The Lord Jesus Christ (LESSON 2)

_{The Three Sides of God as Revealed in Revelation 22} 

_{Throughout the entire Bible, God has been revealing Himself to humanity, desiring that the world come to understand who He is. As Paul wrote, *”For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning”* (Romans 15:4). The ultimate revelation of God’s nature is seen in 1 John 5:7: *”For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”* This statement, when broken down into layman’s terms, aligns with the deeper revelation of God as:}

1. _{The Eternal Spirit (The Father)}
2. _{The Image of God (The Angel of the LORD)}
3. _{The Son of Man (The Incarnate Christ)}

 _{The book of Revelation, especially chapter 22, unveils this profound truth in a way that encapsulates the entire operation of God from the beginning until today.}

 _{Revelation 22:6-16 – One God, Three Operations}

_{Revelation 22 presents God’s threefold manifestation in distinct yet unified ways:}

 _{Revelation 22:6 – *”The Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done.”*}

  _{– Here, God (the Eternal Spirit) sends His angel (the Image of God) to reveal truth to His servants.}

_{-Revelation 22:9– *”See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”*}

  _{– The angel (God’s Image) refuses worship and directs all honor to God, revealing that the angel is not a separate deity but rather a manifestation of the one God.}

_{– Revelation 22:13, 16 – *”I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last… I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.”*}

  _{– Jesus, the Son of Man, identifies Himself as the Alpha and Omega, affirming that He is the same God who was at the beginning, now operating in redemptive fulfillment.}

 _{The pivotal verse, Revelation 22:9, confirms the unity of these three operations. The angel who appears as the divine messenger claims to be a *fellowservant*—not a separate entity—indicating that the one operating as the angel is none other than God revealing Himself in this particular form. This aligns with Isaiah 44:6, which declares:}

 _{“Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”}

 _{This passage, coupled with 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, shows that only the Spirit of God truly knows the deep things of God, once again proving that these three bear record, yet they are one.}

 _{Additionally, Exodus 3:2-6 reinforces this concept, where the Angel of the LORD appears in the burning bush, yet the text later identifies Him as God Himself. Similarly, in Judges 13:17-22, the Angel of the LORD keeps His name a secret, revealing that His identity was not yet meant to be fully known until He came in the flesh. However, He reveals Himself as God, for only God can consume the burnt offering and also be called God by those who witnessed Him.}

 _{The Creation of the Son of Man in the Beginning}

_{A key insight into this revelation comes from Zechariah 12:1, which states:}

 _{“The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.”}

 _{This verse, revealed to us in deeper study, connects to Revelation 3:14, where Jesus is called *”the beginning of the creation of God.”* This means that He was the first image through which God made Himself visible, aligning with Psalms 148:2-5,which states that all angels were created by God’s command. Thus, the Angel of the LORD, being the first image, was also created at God’s command as the first of His works.}

 _{The reality of this threefold operation is further supported by Revelation 1:1-2, where the revelation is given by God, through His Angel, to His servant John. This complements John 1:1-3 and Hebrews 1:1-3, all of which affirm that Christ, as the Word, was present with God from the beginning as His express image.}

 _{Furthermore, Colossians 1:15-17 declares that Christ is *”the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature,”* reinforcing that the visible manifestation of God preexisted as His divine Image.}

 _{Additionally, The Book of Enoch 46:1-3 and 62:7 describe the Son of Man as one who was hidden in the presence of the Father from the beginning, aligning with Daniel 7:13, where the Son of Man is seen coming with the clouds of heaven, appearing before the Ancient of Days. This vision symbolically represents the distinction shown for our learning, yet maintains the oneness of God’s operation. Enoch further reveals that the Son of Man was appointed from eternity to execute judgment and establish righteousness, confirming the divine role assigned to Him before creation.}

 _{Three Operations, Three Main Characters}

_{God’s threefold nature also represents His three principal operations:}

1. _{1. Judgment and Power in the Eternal Spirit (Father) –}

   _{– The Spirit represents divine omnipotence and sovereign judgment over all things.}

   _{– Hebrews 12:29– *”For our God is a consuming fire.”*}

   _{– Deuteronomy 32:39– *”See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.”*}

2. _{Grace in the Image of God (Angel of the LORD) –}

   _{– The Angel of the LORD has always functioned as the intermediary, bringing the grace of God to humanity as the visible representation of God.}

   _{– Genesis 48:15-16 – Jacob refers to *”the Angel who redeemed me from all evil”* in blessing Joseph’s sons.}

   _{– **Malachi 3:1** – The prophecy of the coming of *”the Messenger of the Covenant.”*}

3. _{Faith in the Son of Man (Jesus Christ) –}

   _{– Jesus, as the Son of Man, is the embodiment of faith, becoming flesh to fulfill God’s redemptive plan and reconcile humanity.}

   _{– Hebrews 2:14-15 – Jesus took on flesh to destroy the power of death.}

   _{– Romans 5:1-2 – Through faith in Jesus, we have access to God’s grace.}

 _Conclusion

_{Revelation 22 unveils the grand design of God’s self-revelation: One God operating in three manifestations—Eternal Spirit, Image, and Son of Man. This truth harmonizes perfectly with 1 John 5:7, proving that God has always operated in this divine order from the beginning, and continues to do so even now. His operations embody Judgment (Father), Grace (Image), and Faith (Son), forming the complete picture of God’s interaction with creation. This understanding deepens our faith and magnifies the glory of God, who has revealed Himself fully in Jesus Christ.}

 _{To Him be glory forever! Amen.}