TRINITY - The Trinity In Revelation as a Movement Towards Egalitarianism

image of a bird flying in the sky with the word trinity on it.
I recently read the book ‘The Shack’, its quite old now, but I remember the outrage that it caused by its conveyance of the trinity.

 In our minds (and academic circles) the trinity is often viewed as a very male anthropomorphism with a set hierarchy (the father at the top, then the son, then the spirit). This is usually understood from the way the trinity is laid out in scripture.

 In the book of Revelation we see a different formula that people usually miss. At the beginning of the book it says:
'Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.'

 Here we see the father (who was, who is, and who is to come), followed by the spirit (the seven spirits), and then the son.

 This formula is based on the layout of the Jewish temple, working from the middle outward. The first is the throne in the centre of temple (signified by the Father), then the seven pronged lamp stand (signified by the Spirit), then the alter where the sacrifices are made (signified by the Son).

 This break from the normal pattern hopefully shows that our dogmatic approach to the hierarchy is often unfounded, and that the trinity is much more egalitarian than we may have imagined.

 May we come to a greater understanding of God’s egalitarianism, may we break down hierarchy in her people, and may we view all people the way that God does - as equals.

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