Posted by
ValiantForTruth on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 12:43:28 AM
‘The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.’ [Revelation 1:20]
In the book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3 we have seven different letters written to the seven churches in Asia. What is unique about these epistles is that they are given by Jesus Christ directly to the churches. The picture we have in chapter 1 is of our glorified Lord in the midst of the lampstands. The seven stars or angels are said to be in His right hand.
Christ is identified as the ‘ruler of the kings of the earth’; the One with all authority in heaven and earth. This book is the revelation of His plan to rule the nations for the good of His church. In that respect it is a divine philosophy of history. The book describes principles of human conduct and divine moral government that are always operative.
This plan pertains to things that must shortly come to pass. They begin to happen at once. ‘The time is at hand.’ Revelation 1:3 should end the debate over futuristic views of this book.
The covenant of redemption has been accomplished in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. The covenant of grace is being applied until all the elect are gathered into the kingdom. It is Christ who has ‘released’ us from our bondage in sin. He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father. [Revelation 1:5-6] This designation was formerly applied to Israel [Exodus 19:6], but is now applicable to believers collectively in the Church.
The churches are called lampstands; that is light-bearers. The same word is use by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.’ [Matthew 5:14-16]
In the tabernacle there was one lampstand with seven lamps; here in Revelation there are seven lampstands. This symbolism illustrates the new order in the kingdom of God. In the Old Covenant there was a visible unity in the Jewish church-state. The New Covenant churches find their spiritual unity in Christ who is present and active among them through His word and Spirit. [Hendricksen, More than Conquerors]
Who are these angels or stars? All seven letters are introduced with the words; ‘To the angel of the church in [name] write:’ where name is one of the churches; Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia or Laodicea. The letters are addressed to the ‘angel of the church.’ Faithful teachers are stars that shall shine forever [Daniel 12:3], and false teachers are wandering stars [Jude 13].
If we take angels in the sense of pastors and ministers of the word, then the church government in Revelation is consistent with the church government given in the rest of the New Testament. Paul instructs Titus to appoint elders in every city; that is, in every church. [Titus 1:5] The qualifications for the office of elder is given to the churches in Titus 1 and I Timothy 3 so that they can recognize qualified men for the eldership. These are independent churches each under the control of Christ through the ministry of His word.
The Christian Church is one, but it is also many; at once the ‘Church’ and the ‘Churches.’ These may be quite independent of one another, the only bond of union with one another which they absolutely require being that of common dependence on the same Head, and derivation of life from the same Spirit; and are fitly represented by seven, the number of mystical completeness. [Trench, Commentary on the Epistles to the Seven Churches in Asia]