The revelation is one belonging to Jesus Christ, which God gave Him, and He
signifies it to John. Though God over all blessed for ever, He is here seen
as Son of man, the rejected Messiah or Lamb, and so Head over all things.
This fact, that the revelation is one confided to Him, is important,
because it at once makes it the testimony of Jesus and the word of God
being communicated by Jesus, and given to Him by God. This testimony of
Jesus and word of God comes as a vision to John, who bare record of all He
saw. All of it is prophetic in character, not the Spirit of God the
messenger of the Father and of the Son's grace to the assembly in its own
place-a direct inspired communication to the assembly itself for itself as
in its own right place-but a prophetic revelation to John about it as in
the world, and about the world itself.
The assembly being already in decay and to be removed, whatever the delay
of grace, the time was at hand, and the rejection of the assembly on earth
to be taken as a starting-point. Another system was to be set up. The
apostle had not his face turned towards the assemblies at all, but his
back. The mind of the Spirit is towards Christ's taking the kingdom. Still
Christ was yet amongst them, but as Son of man, the character in which He
judges and inherits the world. The apostle turns and sees Him. Still it
behoved, if He was recounting the coming dealing with the world in
judgment, to notice by the bye "the things that are." By giving them in
seven contemporary churches, no time was necessary; it left the final
results as at the door, for they were in the last days, yet it gave, if
there was delay, opportunity for a full moral picture of the whole of the
assembly's history. I see in this only the wisdom of the Spirit, and
exactly the character of John's ministry. " If I will that He tarry till I
come."
I cannot doubt then for a moment that (while professedly of universal
application for every one that had an ear, not an address to the general
conscience of the assembly) the seven assemblies represent the history of
Christendom, the assembly as under man's responsibility, the fact of the
judgment of the world coming afterwards on its close (the assemblies being
"the things that are ") and the character of events, beginning with the
assembly leaving its first love, and ending with holding fast till He
comes, and with being spued out of Christ's mouth. The adoption of the
number seven, which cannot mean completeness at the same time because the
states are different; the reference to Christ's coming; the reference to
the great tribulation to come on all the earth in the letter to
Philadelphia; the clear object of warning the assembly till Christ came,
the world being then in scene for judgment: all leave no cloud upon the
conclusion that the seven churches are successive phases of the professing
assembly's history, though not exactly consecutive (the fourth going on to
the end; new phases then commencing, and going on to the end collaterally
also).[see note #5]
But though the assembly be thus spoken of, God Himself appears here as the
administrator of the world, even when addressing the assembly; and Christ
as man coming, under Him to this purpose, the Holy Ghost being noticed as
the direct agent of power in the sevenfold perfection in which it is
exercised. It is not the Father and the Son, but God who is, yet who
embraces past and future in His being, and is never inconsistent with
Himself, making good in time all in which He has announced Himself in the
past. The form of this however is peculiar here. It is not merely the
abstract idea of Jehovah, who was, and is, and is to come. He is first
announced by His present absolute existence, "from him who is," the "I am,"
God Himself; and then to connect Himself with previous dealings (not
present relationships) declares that He is the One who was (had revealed
Himself in previous ages to the earth or to men, to the Abrahams and
Moseses of old time), and at the same time was the coming One [see note #6]
who would make good everything revealed of and by Himself. Jesus Christ
(who comes last as the Man in immediate connection with God's witness to,
and government of, the earth) is presented as the faithful witness-as He
was personally on earth -of God; as risen from the dead (but no ascension
or headship of the assembly), taking all in this character, not after the
flesh; and lastly, in government not yet made good, the Prince of the kings
of the earth.
The saints then express their own consciousness of what He has done for
them, yet still in reference to the kingdom, not as the body or bride, or
their own heavenly joys, but the highest possible as regards the given
glory and place. This is the necessary consequence of the consciousness of
a near and blessed relationship. Whatever the glory of the One we are in
relationship with, it is what He is for oneself, one's own nearness to Him,
that comes to the mind when the glory is declared. Were a general to march
in triumph into a town, the feeling of a child or wife would be, " That is
my father," " that is my husband." Here the feeling, though of this
character, is more unselfish. "To him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood." It is His love to us which is celebrated, still
with the personal feeling "us." The saints know what He has done for them,
and further what He has made them. His love as perfect King and Priest are
His highest characters here: nearest to God in power downwards, and in
approaching Him upwards. He has made us kings and priests to God and His
Father: to Him be glory! Such is the saint's thought when He is spoken of.
He loved us, has cleansed us, and given us a place with Himself. This flows
out the instant He is named. It is the answer of heart when He is
announced, before any communication takes place. His having done this is
not announced; it is the saints' own consciousness.[see note #7]
As to others, all must be told. The next point, the first announced, is His
appearing to the world. No direct communication to the assembly for its own
sake -the book is not that. Here the assembly has that in its own
consciousness only, as we have seen. Behold! He cometh with clouds; every
eye shall see Him, the Jews too who pierced Him, and all kindreds of the
earth shall wail because of Him. His appearing is in judgment.
We then find, what is so remarkable in John, the mixing up in expression
God and Christ Verse 8 cannot be said to be one or the other. It is Christ;
but it is Christ Jehovah, Almighty, the Lord; who is, and who was, and who
is to come; the first and the last. (Compare chap. 22:12,13)
Thus, we have the saints of these days; Christ's appearing to judgment; He
is God, the first and the last, Alpha and Omega; the complete circle of
position from John's day to the end. The practical position which John
takes with all the saints, is " the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ."
He belongs to the kingdom, but must wait while Christ waits, expecting till
His enemies be made His footstool. The generic name given to testimony
applies to all his ministry as well as to the prophecy-the word of God and
the testimony of Jesus: only one might have thought that prophecy was not
this last, as it was not to the assembly about itself from its Head; but
the Spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.
Such is the introduction to this book. We now enter on its contents. John
was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. It is his place and privilege however
then, as a Christian, which is spoken of, not the prophetic period into
which He entered. In the day of resurrection-his own place-the day on which
Christians meet, the apostle, removed from the society of Christians, still
enjoyed the special elevating power of the Holy Ghost, though alone; and is
thus used of God, allowed to be banished for the purpose, for what He could
not, in an ordinary way, have communicated to the assembly for its
edification. The persecuting emperor little thought what He was giving to
us when He banished the apostle; no more than Augustus, in his political
plans as to the census of the empire, knew He was sending a poor carpenter
to Bethlehem, with his espoused wife, that Christ might be born there; or
the Jews and Pilate's soldiers, that they were sending the thief to heaven,
when they broke his legs in heartless respect for their own superstitions
or ordinances. God's ways are behind the scenes; but He moves all the
scenes which He is behind. We have to learn this, and let Him work, and not
think much of man's busy movements: they will accomplish God's. The rest of
them all perish and disappear. We have only peacefully to do His will.
The same voice that afterwards called John up to heaven, He now hears
behind him on earth-the voice of the Son of man. It summons his attention
with power; and turning to see the voice, as Moses towards the bush, He
sees, not the image of God's presence in Israel, but the vessels of God's
light in the earth, and a complete summary of it all, and, in the midst of
them, Christ as Son of man. We find, thus, in the Revelation, God's whole
history of the world, or of what is of Him in it, from the first decay of
the assembly to the new heavens and new earth. But it was impossible for
God to set aside the present expectation of Christ, or to justify the
assembly in its careless but sinful thought, My Lord delayeth His coming.
Hence, as always, this history, and especially that of the assembly, is
given in a way which leaves time out altogether. The moral progress of the
assembly is given in pictures of the state of the existing assemblies
selected for that purpose, beginning with its first decline, and ending
with its entire rejection. Being taken up as assemblies, the general
principle of responsibility is in view, and the assembly viewed, not as the
infallibly blessed body of Christ, but such as that it may be rejected and
set aside on earth; for a local assembly and the external visible assembly
clearly can.
These assemblies are seen as distinct light-bearers; that is, in their
place of service, or rather position of witness in the world. They are
viewed in their own proper character as of God; as set by Him in the world,
they are of gold. He may take them away because they give a dim, or no true
light or witness for God; but the thing taken away was founded in divine
righteousness, and founded originally by a divine hand.
But the Spirit first occupies itself with the character of Him who stood
amongst them. First, we get His actual position, before stating what He
was. He stood as Son of man. We have not Him here as Head of the one body,
nor even as heavenly Intercessor; nor have we the Christ, of course (that
is, the Jewish character of the Lord). It will be found that these are just
the characters of Christ omitted also in the first chapter of John's
Gospel. John sees Him in the wide character in which He is set over all the
works of God's hand, and Heir of all promises and purposes of God to man
according to divine righteousness. He is not the Son of man in service. His
garment is down to His feet, and He has the girdle of divine righteousness
about His loins. This is His character.
We have then His qualities or attributes. First, He is the Ancient of days.
In Daniel the same truth comes out. The Son of man is brought to the
Ancient of days; but, farther on in the chapter, it is the Ancient of days
who comes. The Son of man is Jehovah. This characterises all the testimony.
The King of kings and Lord of lords shews Him : (1 Timothy 6:15)
but, when He comes, we find that He is King of kings and Lord of lords. But
in this glory He has the attributes of judgment-eyes of fire-that which
pierces into everything, and fire is ever the sign of judgment. This was
its piercing, searching character: His feet, the firmness with which sin
was met; for brass is righteousness, viewed, not as intrinsically in God to
be approached, but as dealing with man, in his responsibility as man. The
mercy-seat was gold, the altar and laver brass; but there it was as an
altar, that is, dealing with sin for man, a sacrifice, though fire was
there, but here the burning furnace of judgment. The voice was the sign of
power and majesty.
Next, we have official supremacy. He held all that was subordinate
authority in light and order, here spoken of as regards the assembly, in
His right hand, in His power. He had the power of judgment by the word, and
supreme authority-the sun-in the fullness of its highest character. We have
His personal glory as Jehovah; His qualities as divine Judge; and His
supreme official position.
But, He was not less the Redeemer, the gracious securer in blessing of them
that were His. John (as ever in prophetic vision of Jehovah, for it is not
the Spirit of adoption here) falls at His feet as one dead. So Daniel; so
in spirit Isaiah (chap. 6); but His power sustains the saint, does not
destroy him. He lays His right hand on John himself, declares Himself the
first and the last, Jehovah Himself, but withal the same that died in love
and has complete power over death and hades; the deliverer from it, not the
subjecter to it. He has risen out of death and hades, and has the keys-full
power over them-divine power or support; and He who died and rose again,
and lives forever even as man, does so, not simply in the power of divine
life in man, but of victory over all that man was subject to by sin and
infirmity.
This is the position He here takes with John His servant, and with the
assemblies respectively. We shall see that the state of the latter
assemblies brings out other characters known only to the opened eye of
faith. These were what John had seen and which he was to write. Then as
regards prophetic facts, he was to write the things that were, the state of
these various assemblies as the setting forth historically of the
assembly's various state-a history; and the things which should be after
them (that is, when the assembly's history had closed on earth). The whole
assembly therefore, is thus, to the Spirit, present time -the "things that
are." The future was what came after it, God's dealings with the world.
This, while it left the coming of the Lord, or preparatory prophetic events
in immediate expectation, left,if there was delay (and there was to be),
the period indefined, and the expectation, though prolonged, still a
present one. We may remark that we have the personal glory of Christ here,
the position as to the assemblies accompanying it. He is not personally
revealed as Son of man, that is, as taking the Son of man's place: only He
who is Ancient of days is so seen as to make us understand that it was one
who had that place-was Son of man. Subsequently, in the Apocalypse, it is
not His intrinsic personal character, but some relative character or place
He takes. Only we have something analogous to this, when the account of
future things comes in. As regards the world, He is seen as the Lamb, one
whom the world has rejected, but who has redemption right over it. There He
is seen with the seven horns and seven eyes-His power over the world, as
with the seven stars here as Son of man. These are the things John had
seen.
We now pass to " the things that are." The stars are in Christ's hand; He
speaks of them first; He walks in the midst of the assemblies. The latter
are light-bearers, the assemblies or assembly as set in a given position,
and viewed as such before God; not what the people became, but what the
assembly is in His sight; just as Israel was His people whatever the
Israelites became. The stars are that which is held by Christ to give light
and have authority, what He holds responsible to this end before Him. It
is, in a certain sense, all composing the assembly therefore, and so it is
often said in the addresses to the assemblies; but more especially those
who stand in responsibility through their connection with Himself, the
stars in His hand. They should shine, and influence, and represent Him,
each in its place during the night. That the clergy gradually took this
place, and in this sense are responsible in it, is quite true; but that is
their affair to answer for themselves before the Lord. The Spirit does not
so take it here. They assume it as honour; they have it as responsibility.
If ever they were called "angels," it was evidently just this assumption,
and taken from this place. Again, it cannot be doubted that leaders,
elders, or others, were in a special place of responsibility, supposing
them to be rightly such. In Acts 20 they are so treated; but the Spirit
does not so own them here. Christ does not address Himself to elders, nor
to the modern notion of a bishop, which did not indeed exist then. Nor is a
diocese [see note #8]
thought of in these addresses. You have not the authorities (elders) spoken
of in scripture, of which there were always several; and this passage of
scripture cannot be applied to human arrangements as now existing.
What then is the angel? It is not a symbol, properly speaking. The star is
the symbol, and it is here seen in Christ's hand. It is (as angel is always
used where it is not actually a heavenly or earthly messenger) the mystical
representative of one not actually seen. It is so used of Jehovah, so used
of a child, so spoken of Peter. Elders may have practically been specially
responsible from their position; but the angel represents the assembly, and
especially those to whom, from nearness to Christ and communion with him,
or responsibility for it through the operation of His Spirit in them for
His service, He looks for the state of His assembly in His sight. No doubt
the whole assembly is responsible, and therefore the candlestick is removed
when unfaithfulness is brought home to it; but Christ is in immediate
communication with these in respect of it-a solemn thought for all who have
the good of the assembly at heart.
The way in which the angels and the assemblies are identified, and any
distinction in the degree or manner of it, requires a little more detailed
attention. That the assemblies are addressed in their general
responsibility, in the addresses to the angels, is evident. For it is said,
"What the Spirit saith to the churches." It is not a private communication
to an authority for his direction, as to a Titus or a Timothy, but said to
the assemblies; that is, the angel represents their responsibility. So we
find distinct parts of them noticed. " The devil shall cast some of you
into prison;" " fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer :" , "but
I have a few things against thee, thou hast there :", " My faithful martyr
who was slain among you :", "But unto you I say, the rest in Thyatira" (so
it is to be read). Yet the angel and assembly or candlestick are
distinguished: " I will remove thy candlestick out of its place." " Thou
sufferest that woman Jezebel."
But this separation between the angel and the assembly does not take place
in the last three assemblies. The angel is addressed throughout. As to them
too it is only said, Christ has the seven stars, not that He holds them in
His right hand. In Smyrna and Philadelphia there is no judgment; they were
tried, as faithful, and encouraged. As to judgments, or rather warning
threats-in the case of Ephesus, which presents the general fact of the
assembly's first decline, the warning is given that the candlestick would
be taken away unless thy repented: that the assembly did not, we know from
scripture and fact, and these assemblies looked at as a successive history.
In Pergamos and Thyatira the offenders are those specifically judged; in
the case of Thyatira fearful judgments on Jezebel and those connected with
her: she had had time to repent and had not; but here the change of
everything is looked for at the Lord's coming. All this shews the angels to
be the representatives of the assemblies, but morally such; Christ's
warning to be addressed to them (as we can easily understand to be the case
in any who had the interest of the assembly at heart), whom Christ trusted
with this; but to be so far identified with the assemblies that it
concerned all who composed them, while particular judgments were denounced
on guilty parties.
We may now enter on the series of particular assemblies; but briefly, in
connection with the whole structure of the book, rather than entering into
the instructive details, which I have done elsewhere in a series of
lectures.
