9-17-23 Bible Study Revelation 2

If you remember,,, last Sunday we ended as Jesus spoke in verse 11 where John was told to write what he sees,,, and send it to the 7 churches.

Tonight we begin in verse 12 as John turns to look in that direction so that he can see who is speaking.

Verses 12-13 said: 12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 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.

John turns and sees seven golden candlesticks and among them was Jesus,,, one like unto the Son of man,,, we have seen Jesus described this way in Daniel 7:13 as was mentioned last week,,, along with Mark 2:10 and Mark 8:31 that are just 2 places in the New Testament where Jesus uses this description of Himself.

The 7 golden candlesticks can be understood better,,, if you go to Revelation 1:20 where it says: — 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.

So from this we can see that Jesus is amongst the churches,,, He is present there,,, just as He is in our churches,,, today!

The lampstands which accompany Christ in the vision remind one of the lamp-stands in both the Tabernacle and the Temple,,, while the long robe is reminiscent of the Aaronic priesthood.

John must have been impressed to believe that the Christian Church was the fulfilment of all that the Temple and its worship represented.

The seven candlesticks [lamp-stands] are also the seven churches to which John was instructed to write.

The Church of Christ is to be a light in a world of darkness. “Ye are the light of the world,” and a lamp on a lamp-stand.

The Church is to be like its living Lord who was called the Light of the world. “God is light” (1 John 1:5).

Christ is light.

The Church is light,,, a light reflected from Christ.

The messages to six of the churches are each introduced by one of the descriptive phrases used of Christ in the initial vision.

Christ is in the midst of His Church.

His outer garment was the long robe of a judge.

The band around His chest symbolizes the righteousness and faithfulness with which He judges and it used Isaiah 11:5,,, to show where it got it’s information,,, because it says: “Righteousness will be a belt around His loins; faithfulness will be a belt around His waist.”

These clothes were like the priestly garments seen in Exodus 28 and Daniel 10:5.

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Verses 14-15 said: 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

This description is similar to Daniel 7:9 ““As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of His head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire.”

And Daniel 10:6 “His body was like topaz, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.”

Since brass is a consistent type of judgment, this supports the view that it is the judicial office that is primarily in view.

His voice sounded like the waves of the sea, or a mountain cataract, majestic and awesome. waterfall especially one containing great volumes of water rushing over a precipice(cliff)

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Verse 16 said: 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.

In His right hand Christ held seven stars, and the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.

To some writers the stars represent the pastors of these churches.

The letters were addressed to the angels of the churches, and so it is not stated explicitly that they were to pass on the messages to the churches.

They are not pastoral letters.

They speak directly to each church made up of men and women, “even as you and I.”

If one will realize that he should not seek for consistency in such symbolism, it may well be that the angels also represent the churches.

While Christ is in the midst of His Church, he also holds each church in His hand.

In the Old Testament God’s right hand is the instrument of salvation and of His guidance and protection of His people.

It also said,,, the hand which held the churches,,, also rested upon the head of John,,, to reassure him when he fell down in fear before the Presence as we will see in the next verse.

The Believer’s Bible Commentary said: He held in His right hand seven stars, indicating possession, power, control, and honor. Out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, the word of God (Heb. 4:12). Here it refers to the keen and accurate verdicts concerning His people, as seen in the letters to the seven churches. His countenance was radiant as the sun at high noon, the dazzling splendor and transcendant glory of His deity.

Combining all these thoughts, we see Christ in all His perfections as supremely qualified to judge the seven churches. Later in the book He will judge His foes, but “judgment (must) begin at the house of God” (1 Pet. 4:17). Note, however, that it is a different kind of judgment in each case. The churches are judged with the purpose of purification and reward, the world with the purpose of punishment.

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Verses 17-20 said: 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: 18 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. 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.

The sight of Jesus as Judge frightened John,,, but Jesus told him,,, to fear not,,, and revealed Himself as the First and the Last,,, a title of Jehovah as seen in Isaiah 44:6 and Isaiah 48:12.

This also lets us know that Jesus is in control of hell and of death,,, and as Christians we have nothing to fear.

Because Jesus conquered death through His resurrection!

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1:19–20. Following the revelation of Christ in glory, John was again commanded to write. The subject of his record has three tenses: (a) what he had already experienced: what you have seen; (b) the present experiences: what is now; and (c) the future: what will take place later. This appears to be the divine outline of Revelation. What John was told to write was first a record of his experience (chap. 1), now history. Then he was to write the present message of Christ to seven churches (chaps. 2–3). Finally, the main purpose of the book being prophetic, he was to introduce the events preced ing, culminating in, and following the second coming of Christ (chaps. 4–22).

The chronological division of the Book of Revelation is much superior to many other outlines in which interpreters often seize on incidental phrases or manipulate the book to fit their peculiar schemes of interpretation. This outline harmonizes beautifully with the concept that most of Revelation (beginning in chap. 4) is future, not historic or merely symbolic, or simply statements of principles. It is significant that only a futuristic interpretation of Revelation 4–22 has any consistency. Interpreters following the allegorical approach to the book seldom agree among themselves on their views. This is also true of those holding to the symbolic and historical approaches.

In Revelation a symbol of vision is often presented first, and then its interpretation is given. So here the seven stars were declared to be the angels or messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches themselves. The Book of Revelation, instead of being a hopeless jumble of symbolic vision, is a carefully written record of what John saw and heard, with frequent explanations of its theological and practical meanings.

Revelation, with assistance from such other symbolic books as Daniel and Ezekiel, was intended by God to be understood by careful students of the entire Word of God. Like the Book of Daniel, it will be better understood as history unfolds. Though timeless in its truth and application, it is a special comfort to those who need guidance in the days leading up to Christ’s second coming.

Before unfolding the tremendous prophetic scenes of chapters 4–22, Christ first gave a personal message to each of the seven churches with obvious practical applications to His church today.

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From the Bible Knowledge Commentary: We talked earlier in our study about the routes of the churches and their locations and I thought that I’d add this note about that. It said that when Christ sent a message to each of seven local churches in Asia Minor,,, The order of scriptural presentation was geographic.

A messenger would naturally travel the route from the seaport Ephesus 35 miles north to another seaport Smyrna, proceed still farther north and to the east, to Pergamos, and then would swing further to the east and south to visit the other four cities.

And it went on to say,,, that there has been much debate as to the meaning of these messages for today.

Obviously these churches were specially selected and providentially arranged to provide characteristic situations which the church has faced throughout its history.

Just as Paul’s epistles, though addressed to individual churches, are also intended for the entire church, so these seven messages also apply to the entire church today insofar as they are in similar situations.

There were many other churches such as those at Colosse, Magnesia, and Tralles, some larger than the seven churches mentioned in Asia Minor, but these were not addressed.

As the contents of the letters are analyzed, it is clear that they are, first, messages to these historic local churches in the first century.

Second, they also constitute a message to similar churches today.

Third, individual exhortations to persons or groups in the churches make it clear that the messages are intended for individuals today.

Fourth, some believe that the order of the seven churches follows the order of various eras in church history from the first century until now.

There are some remarkable similarities in comparing these letters to the seven churches to the movement of church history since the beginning of the apostolic church.

For instance, Ephesus seems to characterize the apostolic church as a whole, and Smyrna seems to depict the church in its early persecutions.

However, the Scriptures do not expressly authorize this interpretation, and it should be applied only where it fits naturally.

After all, these churches all existed simultaneously in the first century.

Though each message is different, the letters have some similarities.

In each one Christ declared that He knows their works; each one includes a promise to those who overcome; each one gives an exhortation to those hearing; and each letter has a particular description of Christ that related to the message which follows.

Each letter includes a commendation (except the letter to Laodicea), a rebuke (except the letters to Smyrna and Philadelphia), an exhortation, and an encouraging promise to those heeding its message.

In general these letters to the seven churches address the problems inherent in churches throughout church history and are an incisive and comprehensive revelation of how Christ evaluates local churches.

It went on to say that,,, this portion of Scripture has been strangely neglected.

While many turn to the epistles of Paul and other portions of the New Testament for church truth, often the letters to these seven churches, though coming from Christ Himself and being climactic in character, are completely ignored.

This neglect has contributed to churches today not conforming to God’s perfect will.

This is something that will need to be looked at further as we continue our study of this book!

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9-17-23 Bible Study Revelation 2

Revelation 1:12-20