Whatever Man Has Seen or Will See of The Divine, He Is Bound to Record. Write.”
Literature, though sadly corrupted and the source of enormous mischief, is a Divine institution. Rightly employed, it is one of the grandest forces in human life. Truth orally communicated is inexpressibly important and immeasurably influential. He who speaks truth rationally, faithfully, earnestly, devoutly, touches the deepest springs in the great world of the mind. What bloodless and brilliant victories the truth has won in all ages! Albeit truth written has some advantages over truth spoken, for man seems to multiply himself by the book he has written. His book is a kind of second incarnation, in which he may live and work ages after the fingers that held his pen are mouldered into dust. Thank God for books, our best companions, always ready with their counsel and their comfort. They are arks that have been borne down to us, over the floods of centuries, the vital germs of departed ages. Let men write them, but let their subjects be not the trashy things of time and sensual pleasure, the visions of a wild fancy, or the speculations of a reckless intellect, but the revelations that Christ has made.[1]
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VISION ONE, 1:9–3:22 |
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II. The Messages of the Glorified Christ to the
Seven Churches, 1:9–3:22 |
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A. The
Son of Man, the Glorified Christ, 1:9–20 |
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1. The
setting—PatmosDS1 a. John was a
brother &
companion to the believers 1) In trials 2) In the kingdom 3) In perseverance b. John received
the Word on the island of Patmos |
9 I
John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the
kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos,
for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. |
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c. John was in a
spiritual trance on the Lord’s DayDS2 2. The
Lord’s loud, trumpeting voice: He gave instructions |
10 I
was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of
a trumpet, |
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a. John was to
write what he saw in a book b. John was to send
the book to the seven churches in Asia |
11 Saying,
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, what thou seest, write in
a book, and send it unto the seven
churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos,
and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. |
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3. The
Lord’s presence in the midst of the seven golden lampstands or the churches,
v.
20 |
12 And
I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven
golden candlesticks; |
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4. The
Lord’s awesome & frightening appearance a. With a long robe b. With a gold
breastplate wrapped around His chest |
13 And
in the midst of the seven candlesticks one
like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt
about the paps with a golden girdle. |
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c. With hair like
white wool, as white as snow d. With eyes like a
blazing fire |
14 His
head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as
snow; and his eyes were as a flame
of fire; |
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e. With feet like
glowing bronze f. With a voice
like the sound of rushing waters |
15 And
his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice
as the sound of many waters. |
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g. With seven stars
in His right-hand h. With a sword in
His mouth i. With His face
shining like the sun |
16 And
he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged
sword: and his countenance was as
the sun shineth in his strength. |
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5. The
Lord’s reassuring presence a. John’s terrified
reaction b. Jesus’ calm
assurance c. Jesus’
identification 1) He is God—the
First & the Last |
17 And
when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon
me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: |
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2) He is the
resurrected, living Lord 3) He is the Judge of the universe |
18 I
am he that liveth, and was dead; and
behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. |
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6. The Lord’s clear instructions 7. The
Lord’s interpretation of the vision a. The seven stars: Are seven pastors b. The seven lampstands: Are seven churches |
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which
are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right
hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of
the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the
seven churches.[4] |
The
Commission in the Prompting Cont. (Rev. 1: 19, 20)
John was given a stated
commission to write this book. We note from our texts the two major aspects of
the commission.
• What to write in the book. “What thou seest, write in a book … Write
the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which
shall be hereafter” (Revelation 1:11, 19).
John is enabled to write these things because they are to be revealed to him.
There is a threefold division of the message of what John is to write. This
threefold division is how the book is divided. First, the past. “What
thou seest, write … write the things which thou hast seen” (Revelation 1:11,
19). This includes the sights of
Revelation 1. Second, the present.
“Write … the things which are” (Revelation 1:19). This includes the
messages to the seven churches (Revelation 2, 3). Third, the prospects. “Write
… the things which shall be hereafter” (Revelation
1:19). This includes the rest of the book of Revelation. It takes
in Revelation 4 to 22. It is the prophetic part of the book.[5]
• His concomitants. “He had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword” (Revelation 1:16). Two concomitants are here. First, the stars. We learn later that the seven stars speak of the “angels of the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20), which many believe are the pastors of the churches. “Stars” lead and guide, and so should pastors. Second, the sword. The two-edged sword in the mouth speaks of the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12).[6]
The Lord’s Clear Instructions (v.19)
6 (1:19)
The Revelation: there were the clear
instructions of Jesus Christ. Christ repeats His commission to John. He tells
John to write three things. Note: these things provide an outline for
the book of Revelation. John was to
write …
• the
things that he had seen, that is, the vision of the glorified Christ (chapters 1–2).
• the things that were, that is, the state
and condition of the churches at that time (chapters
2–3).
• the things that would be thereafter,
that is, the consummation of human history, the coming again of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the end of the world (chapters 4–22).
The
Lord’s Interpretation of the Vision (v.20)
7 (1:20) The Church: there was Christ interpreting the vision for John. The
interpretation is clearly stated.
⇒ The
seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. The word “angels” (angelos)
means messenger as well as heavenly angels. There are several different ideas
as to whom the word refers here. The weight of evidence points toward the
meaning being the ministers of the churches.
⇒ The
seven candlesticks are symbols of the seven churches. Remember what the symbol
means: the church holds forth the light of the world, the glorious light of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city
that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Mt. 5:14).
“For so hath the Lord commanded us,
saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be
for salvation unto the ends of the earth” (Ac.
13:47).
“For ye were sometimes darkness, but
now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ep. 5:8).
“That ye may be blameless and harmless,
the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation,
among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Ph.
2:15).
“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (1 Th. 5:5).[7]
“Write
down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things
that will happen later.” 1:19 NLT The command to write down what John had seen is repeated
(see also 1:11). The phrase “what you have
seen” is a general statement referring to both
the things that are now happening and the things that will happen later.
The vision that will unfold in the following chapters will include present and
future events intertwined events that both are and will be. Every future
revelation has relevance for the present—the churches to whom this letter was
written. Revelation also applies to churches and believers even today, two
thousand years later.
“The
mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven
golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” 1:20
NIV
Christ first reveals to John the mystery
of the seven stars that he was holding in his right hand (1:16). In the New
Testament, the word “mystery” describes something formerly hidden but now
revealed. Christ explains that the seven
stars are the angels of the seven churches. But just who are the “angels of
the seven churches”? Because the Greek word angeloi
can mean angels or messengers, some believe that they are angels designated to
guard the churches; others believe that they are elders or pastors of the
churches. The case for angels as the correct interpretation comes from the fact
that every other use of “angels” in Revelation refers to heavenly beings.
However, because the seven letters in Revelation 2–3 contain reprimands against
the messengers, and angels are not ever considered to be heads of churches, it
is doubtful that these angels are heavenly messengers. If these are earthly
leaders or messengers, they are accountable to God for the churches they
represent.
The seven golden lampstands among which Christ had been standing (1:13) represent the seven churches to whom this letter would be circulated (1:11). The churches may have been facing difficulties and persecution, but they must never forget that Christ was standing among them, totally in control.[8]
The Mystery. In construction, this is the accusative after “write.” A mystery is the opposite of a revealed truth; it is a sacred truth kept secret, the inner meaning of something which is perceived but not generally understood. The angels of the seven Churches. The meaning of these “angels” has been very much disputed. The common explanation that they are the bishops of the Churches is attractive on account of its simplicity. But it has very grave difficulties, especially for those who assign the Apocalypse to the earlier date of a.d. 68. It is highly improbable that at that very early time the seven Churches were already so fully organized as each to possess its own bishop. And granting that they were and that the bishops might fitly be called “angels” or “messengers,” would they not be called messengers of God or of Christ, rather than messengers of the Churches”? And would not the primitive Church have preserved this title as a synonym for “bishop”? “St. John’s own language gives the true key to the symbolism. ‘The seven stars are the angels of the seven Churches, and the seven candlesticks are the seven Churches.’ This contrast between the heavenly and the earthly fires—the star shining steadily by its own inherent eternal light, and the lamp flickering and uncertain, requiring to be fed with fuel and tended with care—cannot be devoid of meaning. The star is the suprasensual inaccessible to the physical senses, the transcendent counterpart, the heavenly representative, the lamp, the earthly realization, the outward embodiment. Whether the angel is here conceived as an actual person, the celestial guardian, or only as a personification, the idea or spirit of the Church, it is unnecessary for our present purpose to consider. But whatever may be the exact conception, he is identified with and made responsible for the Church to a degree wholly unsuited to any human officer. Nothing is predicated of him which may not be predicated of it. To him are imputed all its hopes, its fears, its graces, its shortcomings. He is punished with it, and he is rewarded with it … Nor is this mode of representation new. The ‘princes’ in Daniel (10:13, 20, 21) present a very near if not an exact parallel to the angels of the Revelation” (Bishop Lightfoot, ‘Philippians,’ p. 198). The identification of the angel of each Church with the Church itself is shown in a marked way by the fact that, although each epistle is addressed to the angel, yet the constantly recurring refrain is, “Hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches, “not “to the angels of the Churches.” The angel and the Church are the same under different aspects: the one is its spiritual character personified; the other is the congregation of believers who collectively possess this character.[9]
THE SEVEN CHURCHES
It does not fall to our province to inquire into the reason why seven Churches only are here specified; nor do we enter into the symbolism of the number seven, nor burden ourselves with the inquiry of whether these seven Churches are supposed to represent the whole of Christendom. These and other troubling questions we leave for the student to ponder in his study. Hints for earnest pulpit teaching are alone our care. Historically, the seven Churches here specified did exist at the time of the Apostle John; they were not very far from each other, nor any of them at any great distance from the extreme western sea-board of Asia Minor. When studying the several letters to each Church, we shall endeavor to take note of what was peculiar to each. Here we note only some features that were common to them all.
I. The seven Churches are so many centers of light. “Seven golden candlesticks.” Each Church is a light-bearer. The change from the Hebrew symbol of a seven-branched candlestick to the Christian one of seven candlesticks is noteworthy. In the Mosaic dispensation, the Jewish Church was but one, with a priesthood at its head. Now there is not merely a Church; there are Churches. As the late Dean Alford remarks, “Their mutual independence is complete. Their only union is in him who stands in the midst of them.”24 Each of them, moreover, is a candlestick, or lamp stand. Churches exist as light bearers. Apart from this, they have no purpose. They receive their light from Christ: the light of truth, that they may teach, guard, and extend it; the light of purity, that they may keep themselves unspotted from the world; the light of love, that they may gladden others therewith. Churches are the only institution in the world that exist solely for this purpose. Hence, they are composed of those who are the highest part of God’s creation on earth—of those who are “born again,” who are “being saved.” Note further that they are likened to golden candlesticks. We see by this figure how high a value God sets on the several Churches, which are to be the light-bearers in their several localities.
II. The seven Churches find their center of unity in him who is in the midst of them. “In the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of man.” In him, they find their oneness. To him alone are they distinctly and severally responsible. It is quite possible to boast of counterfeit independence. The independence of isolation, the independence of self-will, and so on, have no license in the Word of God. There is no Church independence sanctioned by Scripture which means anything less, or anything else, than absolute loyalty to the Son of God, and responsibility to him alone. At the girdle of our great High Priest alone hang the seals of authority and power. On earth, he has entrusted the keys of the kingdom to the entire body of believers as a Christian priesthood, and woe be to any Church which allows any earthly ruler to wrest them from its hands! The events of the day are forcing this principle to the front after it has been obscured for ages.
III. Each Church has its own excellence, defect, danger, and duty. So, we find it with Ephesus, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, and Laodicea. Two only are unrebuked—Smyrna and Philadelphia. Thus, the state of things in the entire Church of Christ may be compared to that in a vessel built in watertight compartments, where, though there may be a leakage in one part, the others may be sound. We see this in several Churches even now. One may be loyal to its Lord, and another not so. One may be losing their first love, and another may be all on fire. One may have a great reputation, and yet be dead. Another may be in poverty, and yet be rich in faith. One Church may be fast asleep, another may be abounding in every good work.
IV. The Saviour, in the midst of the Churches, manifests himself to each church according to its own spiritual state. To Ephesus, as “he that walketh in the midst”—to survey, to mark, to correct. To Smyrna, as “the Living One”—to give the crown of life. To Pergamos, as “he that hath the sharp sword”—to sever and to smite. To Thyatira, as “he whose eyes are like a flame of fire”—to see through and through, and to burn up evil. To Sardis, as “he that hath the seven Spirits of God”—to quicken the Church from death. To Philadelphia, as “he that hath the key of David”—to open to the faithful the temple of God. To Laodicea, as “the Faithful and True Witness”—to undeceive them in their sluggish conceit. Thus, our Lord will be to his Churches according to what they are. And if there be a nominal Church that is not doing its Lord’s work, it will certainly not have its existence prolonged for the sake of its own.
V. Whatever may be a Church’s difficulties, our Lord expects it to overcome. Not one of the letters to the seven Churches gives us the slightest reason to suppose that the adverse force might be so strong that any Church whatever would be justified in succumbing to it. There is an abundance of power, love, and of faithfulness in Christ to sustain any Church under any trial whatsoever.
VI. According to a Church’s fidelity or otherwise,
so will be its destiny. If unfaithful, the Church will be
judged, chastised, and possibly swept away. If faithful, her Lord will set
before her an open door, and no one can shut it.
Note 1.
Churches have nothing to fear except their own sluggishness and inaptness to
meet the demands of their age. No artificial help can, in the long run,
perpetuate a dead Church; no artificial aid is needed for a living and faithful
one.
2. There must not only be an overcoming on the part of a Church if it is to be continued, but also a personal overcoming on the part of each individual if he is ultimately to share his Lord’s victory. Let us not forget that just as a Church may be dead though a few in it are alive, so individual souls may be dead even where, as a whole, the Church is alive. The Lord is coming. Every one of us shall give an account of himself. Every man shall bear his own burden.[10]
[1]
Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. 1909. Revelation.
The Pulpit Commentary. London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
DS
Deeper Study
DS Deeper Study
[4] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[5] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical Bible
Expositor: Revelation. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.
[6] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical Bible
Expositor: Revelation. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.
[7] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
NLT
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All
rights reserved.
NIV
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission
of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
[8] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation.
Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL:
Tyndale House Publishers.
[9] Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. 1909. Revelation.
The Pulpit Commentary. London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.
24 Contemporary Review, vol. xv. p. 7. See
also Archbishop Trench’s ‘Commentary on the Epistles to the Seven Churches;’
Dr. Tristram’s ‘Seven Golden Candlesticks;’ and Canon Tait’s ‘Messages to the
Seven Churches.’
[10] Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. 1909. Revelation.
The Pulpit Commentary. London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.
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