19 “Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 20 “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:19–20)
There are complaints down through time that Revelation—not Revelations—is hard to understand. Granted, the imagery appears to be generated in the outer stretches of the imagination. Since it’s now been more than two thousand years since it was written, we are seeing things that people in John’s time would find inscrutable, incredible, and indescribable without finding something perhaps in the animal, insect, or military worlds that was similar. For example, describe a drone in flight. Something akin to a buzzing insect like a mosquito, rght?
But in these verses (19-20) there really is no excuse. We’re given a clear outline to the book, and some key terms are defined. Here’s the roadmap: John was to write down what was, what is, and what is to come. This is the simple layout to a very complex piece of literature.
Still, this book is not too complex to push aside for another day. It needs to be tackled. It is also the final book in the Bible for a reason. It is the end of the story. You must hold onto to your hats in many respects. But it will be a blessing.
Graciously, the Lord, right off the bat, defines a few terms. The stars here are the angels (likely psstors) assigned to each of the seven recipients of the letter, described as lampstands, code for the churches. That angels are key elders here is situational because of the context and not universal in the book.
“Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” (Revelation 1:11)
It’s now time to tear open the envelope, or in the case of a scroll, break the seal.
Leave a Reply