LECTURE II
THE VISION OF THE RISEN CHRIST 1:12-18,20
Keeping in mind the threefold division of Revelation, as set forth by the risen Lord Himself in Rev. 1: 19, let us con sider today the first of these divisions, comprising 1:12-18, 20. The glorified Lord Jesus spoke to John on the Isle of Patmos and gave him a glimpse of Himself and His resurrection min istry on behalf of His church. Then He said to His servant, John, "Write the things which thou hast seen" (1:19). And this is our lesson for today-the study of the picture of the glorified Son of Man "in the midst" of His people, His blood bought church.
THE SEVEN GOLDEN CANDLESTICKS
First let us read again the entire passage, noting particu larly that the seven candlesticks are symbolic of the seven churches. The Lord Himself said so in verse 20. Any good map of Bible lands will show the location of these seven churches in Asia, known to us today as Asia Minor. As we saw in our last lesson, and as we shall see in some detail when we consider chapters two and three, these were seven local churches, in which existing conditions foreshadowed the seven periods of church history, from Pentecost to the rap ture. Therefore, the message of the risen Christ to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Lao dicea is a message to all local churches of this present age. It is a message to the whole church, which is the body of Christ. · The seven "angels" or "messengers," symbolized by the seven stars in the right hand of the glorified Christ, may well represent any of His witnesses, who are kept in the hollow of His hand, as well as the actual messengers who bore these words to the seven churches in Asia in the day of John. The "seven stars" represent individual believers; the candlesticks, the church as a whole.
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