CHAPTER 16
To a beginning prophecy student, nothing is more intimidating than the Book of the Revelation. It is shrouded in mysterious symbols and filled with characters who are literally out of this world. Yet, it is the only book in the Bible which promises a blessing just for reading it. The remaining chapters are devoted to unlocking the mysteries of that amazing Book.
According to the first verse, God is the source of the Revelation, and Messiah is the subject. Its purpose is to make known God's plans for "unveiling" His Son to the world. That is perhaps puzzling since most people have already heard of Jesus. You might want to ask—What hasn't been revealed?
To answer, we go back to an event which happened a few months before Messiah's crucifixion. He had taken three of His companions to a high mountain to pray. There something extraordinary happened. Before their eyes, Messiah's appearance was dramatically changed (see Matthew 17).
By that time, the disciples did not doubt that Jesus was Messiah. Yet, they had perhaps become a little too familiar with Him. For example, when Jesus announced that He must be crucified as part of God's plan, the disciples strongly objected. "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to you," said Peter (Matthew 16:22).
On that mountain God demonstrated that there was more to this "teacher" than the disciples knew. Unlike Moses, whose face reflected God's glory, Jesus' face seemed to glow from within. Now that same Moses, along with the prophet Elijah, appeared before them. No doubt they were conferring with Messiah about His coming "exodus," which was about to take place in Jerusalem.
At this sight, the disciples were stricken with fear. Peter started babbling about building three tabernacles, one for each of the "luminaries" before them. Apparently, Peter concluded that Messiah was now to be put on the same level with Moses and Elijah. That, by the way, was no small matter to the Jewish mind.
But God would have none of that. Suddenly, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice thundered from the cloud. "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to HIM!" Clearly, one greater than all the Old Testament heroes was among them. Hearing this, the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear.
In the same way the disciples had to be brought to a fuller understanding of Messiah, so it is with the world today. For the time is coming when "every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus is Lord." In the Book of the Revelation, God tells how He will present Messiah on earth and then enthrone Him as King of kings and Lord of lords. This is not a new plan. It was announced in the Psalms long ago.
Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as thine inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Thy possession. Thou shalt break them [the nations] with a rod of iron, Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware. Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence, and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (Psalms 2:7-12).
About 60 years after seeing the "transformed" Messiah, one of the disciples had a repeat experience. John had been banished to a barren island for his belief in Messiah. There, while worshiping on the Lord's day, he heard a loud voice, commanding him to write in a book the things he was about to see. As he turned around, John saw Messiah! Once again, He appeared in that majestic form John had seen on the mountain:
True, this description is full of symbolic language. What is clear though is that Messiah's true nature is different from what most expect. No humble peasant carpenter now; no more of the mild mannered teacher who allowed His enemies to beat Him and spit upon Him; no more a silent victim going to a sacrificial death on the cross.
Seeing Messiah again in this form, John reacted just as before—he fell at His feet as a dead man. In fact, before He could continue the message, Messiah had to revive the fearful disciple. He laid His hand on John and comforted him saying, "Do not be afraid." Then He instructed John to send a message to the seven churches. He was to write about the following subjects:
This included a description of Messiah, now in His glory, and His surroundings. Messiah was standing in the middle of seven golden lampstands. From His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and He held seven stars in His right hand. Messiah explained that the lampstands are the churches. Like a lampstand, the church has no light of its own. It is the place where the "light" of God is to be exhibited. This symbolism also pictured an ongoing judging of the churches. His fiery eyes inspect everything, and the sword shows decisive action against any wrongdoing.
The seven stars were said to be the seven messengers of the churches. By this He was signifying that these messengers are light givers. Though stars are normally in the heavens, Messiah holds these in His hand—for the benefit of the churches. They are not angels. They are men who bear witness to Messiah. Since they are in His right hand, they have the power and authority of Messiah. Who are these stars? They are those saints who boldly claim all the authority that is Messiah's in combating Satan's kingdom. You find them in the churches because Messiah puts them there.
The second subject John was to write about was the condition of the church of that day. The Lord divided this message among seven specific churches located in the region we know as Turkey. These seven were symbolic for all the churches, and the message given to each of them followed a distinct pattern.
Some think these churches represent seven periods of church history. However, attempts to compare the characteristics of those churches with historical ages produce only subjective and general trends. Bottom line, it smacks of an attempt to make prophecy out of something that wasn't prophetical. A better explanation comes from the plain reading of the text itself. Messiah was describing "the things which are." In other words, the conditions at that moment.
There is no question that the seven churches were literal, active churches. The purpose in singling them out was not prophetical; it was practical. Do you realize that before this revelation, we know of only one instance where Jesus even mentioned the church? (See Matthew 16:18). Perhaps evaluation and direction from Messiah were needed at that time. No doubt, the churches had many of Paul's Letters, and they had probably formulated a number of policies and doctrines. But were they correctly putting into practice what they had received? Were they pleasing the Lord in all aspects? What they needed was an inspection by the Lord to show them how well they were doing (something like a mid-term examination).
Though conditions of the specific churches were named, it is clear that the commands were for everyone. "Hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This shows the comments were for the entire church body. By making a composite of all that Messiah said, a clear picture arises showing what Messiah wanted from His churches. In that way, each church was alerted against a whole range of possible errors.
The central theme of these seven messages is that Messiah's followers were to persevere until He comes again. The promises regarding that day seemed to build as He moved from addressing one church to the next.
Lastly the revelation moves to the "things which will take place after these things." The balance of this book will be an examination of those future things.