Revelation was recorded by John to be sent to the seven churches to inform them of the things that will shortly come to pass and that they should live of the grace of God. John greeted them with "Grace be unto you" and closed with the prayer "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." Grace would be effective for them because it would come from the eternal God: "Grace be unto you, and peace, [1] from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and [2] from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And [3] from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness." To him that overcomes, John wrote that God would enable him "to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7). Grace will be effective because it is applied to the believer by the Holy Spirit who is able to supply perfectly whatever is needed to meet the needs of the many different people in the seven different churches: "Grace be unto you . . . from the seven Spirits which are before his throne." The Holy Spirit has the capability, regardless of the many spiritual needs (signified by the symbolism of the "seven Spirits"), to enable all believers in every age to "be clothed in white raiment . . . [and have Jesus] . . . not blot out [the believer's] name out of the book of life, but . . . confess [the believer's] name before [his] Father, and before his [Father's] angels" (Rev. 3:5). Grace will be effective because it is the manifestation of Jesus Christ in and through the believer: "Grace be unto you . . . from Jesus Christ." He who is "the faithful and true witness, and the firstborn of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth . . ." (Rev. 1:5) would enable all who "overcometh, and keepeth [Jesus'] works unto the end, to him will [Jesus] give power over the nations" (Rev 2:26). Amazingly, grace is the energy of Jesus at work in the believer's life to give him the privilege (translated power) to be "kings and priest unto God . . ." (Rev. 1:6). John is telling the believers in the seven churches that they could be "kings and priests unto God" regardless of what would come shortly upon them. The grace of God would bring the "morning star" to them even after the darkness night (Rev. 2:28). In spite of the nations (the pagans) ruling over them in the physical world, the morning was coming and they would "reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." It is significant to point out that the dynamic duo of grace and peace appears in the greetings of the letters of Paul, of Peter, and of John. Of course, the subject matter of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts thoroughly includes both grace and peace in their portrayal of the good news to all men through Jesus Christ. In Revelation, John felt compelled to greet his readers with "Grace be unto you, and peace." He knew that because there would be "things which shortly must come to pass," they would need, as one New Testament writer expressed it, "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding." They would need the peace of God "[to] keep [their] hearts and minds . . ." (Phil. 4:7). Even though the time had come "to hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein," the believers could still be blessed because of the grace of God and the peace of God extended to them. Heavenly Father, As I face life today, let your grace and your peace permeate my entire being. Let your grace so work in my life that I can successfully meet every challenge that comes my way. Keep me by thy power that regardless how strong the winds of opposition may blow that I can be kept in the peace that passes all understanding. Heavenly Father, by the power of your Holy Spirit that dwells within me let me rule as a king over my circumstances and ordain me as your priest to those around me. This, I pray. Amen!