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| Author Earl Gillespie |
The Patmos Vision Continues
Revelation 1:13-20
The business of the church has continued to grow in America and a modern day relationship between the church and government has been fostered. The fostering of this relationship allows the church as an institution to tap into resources that allows it to enlarge its mission. Beautiful edifices adorn the landscape as a testimony to the pastor and the congregation's mission. As we shall show in our study of Jesus message to the churches, he frowned upon such arrangements. A marriage between Jesus's church and the state was tried in Rome and the British Empire, both ended in failure, now this unholy union is being perpetrated in America. In Jesus messages to the church this was looked upon as committing spiritual fornication.
Ministers of God, (the messengers of God) deck themselves in fine apparel and claim the blessings of the Lord is upon them as they go about buying and selling the favors of the almighty. Today a yoke of bondage is placed upon God's church and the advancement of the church is looked upon as and extension of the pastor’s business savvy.
Ministers of God, (the messengers of God) deck themselves in fine apparel and claim the blessings of the Lord is upon them as they go about buying and selling the favors of the almighty. Today a yoke of bondage is placed upon God's church and the advancement of the church is looked upon as and extension of the pastor’s business savvy.
Revelation 1:13-20 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. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 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. 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: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 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.
In the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, John saw a Person - one like unto the Son of man. Jesus is the head of the Church. Not the Pope, not the Bishop and not the pastor. Jesus is showing here in the midst of the candlesticks, observing and issuing warnings. (Ephesians 5:21-30). Jesus is the foundation of the Church, not the finance officers, and not the government (I Corinthians 3:11). We who are born again are members of His body (Ephesians 5:30). Jesus is the head, the heart, the soul, of the New Testament Church. He died for the Church, He purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28). One glorious day the Church will be displayed in the heavens. “and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of his grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6,7). One day God will display the Church, the bride of Christ, the Lamb’s wife, in the heavenlies, and all God’s new creation will gaze upon the exceeding riches of God’s grace, through which He purchased the Church and kept it and made it possible to present it unto Himself without spot or wrinkle. The church is to be transformed into a spiritual entity and we ought to be careful how we tamper with it.
Verse 14 the Spirit describes the head and the hair of the Son of man. His head and hairs were white like wool, as white as the driven snow. His eyes were as a flame of fire. This person is the “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9). Divine wisdom in all of its perfection and absolute purity . . . as pure as God Himself . . . is set forth and symbolized in the dazzling snow-white hair of the Son of man. His eyes like unto flames of fire . . . burning, penetrating, searching . . . exposing all sin and evil, no matter how thoroughly covered it may be. Who could hope to escape the scrutiny of those burning eyes of fire seen by John? Some will try to attach an ethnic heritage to the descriptions given here, but if we study the symbology and signification of "white like wool and white as the driven snow" the visualization should be that of purity.
Verse 15 describes His feet: They were “like unto fine brass, as if they were burned in a
furnance” His dazzling feet looked like brass would look, burning in a furnace. Brass, in the Word of God, stands for judgment. This verse also describes His voice: It was as the sound of many waters. Read Ezekiel 43:2. The grandeur of His mighty voice exceeds the noise of Niagara Falls with all of its thunderous roar. “The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea” (Psalm 93:4). One day we will look into that face, we will hear that voice say, “Enter thou the joys of thy Lord,” or we will hear Him say, “Depart, I never knew you!” 1 Corinthians 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
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| The Keys to Understanding the Scripture can be Found within the Scripture. |
Verse 16 tells us, “He had in His hand seven stars.” Jesus will tell us later, the signification of the seven stars. His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”God will judge through the force of His Word. God never uses His hands or the power of the members of His body against His enemies. God simply speaks. “His Word is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus said that those who reject His Word will be judged by the Word they reject (John 12:48). All God need do is speak the Word - and His enemies melt in death. “HE uttered his voice, the earth melted” (Psalm 46:6).
Verses 17 and 18: “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: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” The effect of the glorious vision of the Lord Jesus Christ was more than John could bear in the flesh. This vision caused John to fall as a dead man at Jesus feet. This is the same John who pillowed his head on the bosom of Jesus at the last supper (John 13:23). - This is the same John who outran Peter on the resurrection morning in a race to the sepulcher (John 20:4). - This is the same John who worshipped Jesus after He rose from the dead (Matthew 28:17). - This is the same John who witnessed the ascension of the Lord Jesus (Acts 1:9,10). Now he lies not prostrated and begging for deliverance but, as a dead man at the feet of Jesus!
In verse 18 we read, “I am He that liveth.” To me the Spirit is saying in that verse, “I am the Living One. This, too, is a divine title. Jesus is the author of all life. He is the source of all life. In Him we live, and move, and have our being. He is the Living One from eternity through eternity. The incarnation did not originate the life of Jesus . . . He was in the beginning with the Father. But the incarnation was the manifestation of the Christ who had existed from all eternity. Jesus is alive today and the church should prepare us to meet him. Two people in love do not fear meeting each other; therefore, it stands to reason, forgetting the Scriptural
facts laid down in the Word of God, that a born again member of God church will not and
does not fear meeting God. Jesus has removed the stinger from death. Death has
no sting for the Christian. Jesus has promised to go with us through the valley
of the shadow, and therefore we will fear no evil. If your salvation does not
take from your heart the fear of dying, if your salvation does not remove from
your heart the fear of meeting God, then I would advise you to check again and
see if you are genuinely saved. It could be that the devil slipped you a counterfeit.
“Perfect love casts out fear” (I John 4:18). At this point may I ask, you do believe in God, don't you?
19. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; Here John is commanded to write, later on he will be instructed to send these messages to the churches. Centuries later these messages will be looked upon as too confusing.
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. Here we have the threefold division of the book of Revelation. In the Amplified New Testament, verse 19 reads, “Write therefore the things you see, what they are (and signify) and what is to take place hereafter.” Notice the word “therefore.” John was first commanded to write (verse 11): “What thou seest, write in a book.” Between verses 11 and 19, John saw the glorious vision of the Lord Jesus standing in the midst of the golden lampstands which represent the churches, and John was told to write what he had just seen. Thus, the word “therefore” connects the command to write, with the Speaker whom John had just seen in all of His glory. In the vision, John had witnessed divine greatness. Combined with the divine greatness he had also witnessed human tenderness in the Lord Jesus.
John had met Jesus as no other living soul on this earth had ever known Him. “Therefore,” John was ready to write what he had just seen - namely, the glorified Lord. The things that were taking place (the “things that are”) refer to the church age which was in progress at the time John was exiled to Patmos. John wrote about 96 A. D., near the end of the first century of Christianity, and “the things that are” are recorded in chapters two and three. Chapters four through 22:5 record the third division, “the things which shall be hereafter,” and this division has to do with the world and the Jews, and with the Corrupt, apostate church that will be spit out when the true Church is caught out.
Here, then is the key to Revelation which will unlock this prophetic book for you. As we have already stated, we find in this book things past, things present, things yet future. You cannot take events out of the future (the third division of Revelation) and put them in the second division. Each of the three divisions of this book has its own group of events, and to remove these events from one division to another is to wrongly divide the Word of truth. We are admonished to rightly divide the Word. The three divisions of Revelation do not overlap. The first is a complete vision in itself, and by itself. The first division does not overlap into the second division. The vision of the glorified Lord standing in the midst of the seven golden lampstands does not pour over into chapters two and three, which comprise the second distinct division of Revelation. The second division does not overlap the third. It is impossible to fit the prophetic events of the third division into this present church age. When any minister attempts to take events from chapters 4 through 22:5 and place those events in chapters one, two, or three, that person is misusing God’s holy Word - and that is dangerous. In verse 20 the mystery of the seven stars and the seven golden lampstands is revealed. The word “mystery” as used in the New Testament signifies “something that is secret and hidden until revealed and made known.” Then, of course, it ceases to be a mystery. It is then a revelation.
NEXT: Jesus's message to the church at Ephesus
Rev. 2:1-7
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