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The Introduction and The Seven Churches of Asia.
The first verse of the Book of Revelation chapter 1 introduces Jesus Christ,God's Son. Who was given the Revelation to show to His servants on earth things which must shortly come to pass.
The Angelic Messenger was sent to communicate with the Apostle John to bring the divine mysteries into full view to His servants.
The mysteries of God recorded in His Word,have been only partially understood by the ecclesiastical world,and the time had come to bring the full revelation through the beloved John,which was written and recorded,so that those who seek to understand the consummation of these great mysteries,and the outcome of His purpose and plan of Salvation may be well informed.(Chapter 1 here)
Although the Book of Revelation appears to be the most mysterious of all sixty- six Books recorded, it is not written to deepen the mysteries, but to enlighten them.The reason it becomes so mystical to the world and most Christians, is because it is written in the symbolic language of the Bible.
Biblical language is as hard to understand as a foreign language, and a Spiritual language is understood only when it is taught by the Holy Spirit, Who wrote the Bible through holy men of God under the inspiration of the Spirit of God.
John14:26
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
Through symbols, types, shadows, and various other ways through the Prophets, and by the movements of the Holy Spirit through the past generations, the language of the Bible has been revealed.
Although it is written in the natural language, the Holy Spirit teaches the Spiritual language by likening the natural to the Spiritual. This is done in various ways throughout the Bible.
The Angelic Messenger is the Holy Spirit Who comes in Spiritual illumination and not in Person. The Book of Revelation is built around Jesus Christ Who is the Subject matter from the Beginning of the World.
The Book reveals Him as King of kings, and Lord of lords...The Lamb Slain...The First Begotten of the Dead....The High Priest...The Faithful Witness....The Lion of the Tribe of Judah....The Lord of Harvest....The Word of God....The Bridegroom of the Church....The Bright and Morning Star....The Eternal Judge....The Lamb as Part of the Temple....The Light....The Root and Offspring of David....The Alpha and the Omega.
Jesus declares Himself to be the Alpha and the Omega of the earth, the Beginning and the Ending. He still IS, and WAS, and IS yet to come, and HE is the Almighty of the earth.
It was HE Who created the earth and made all things therein. He was not God the Father, but He received all power from the Father Who commissioned Him to be God over all the earth in bringing salvation to the earth...
Revelation 1:8
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
The Testimony is not through the Father of heaven, but through the Son Who IS the Begotten of the Father, and was WITH the Father in the BEGINNING.
John 1:1-3
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..The same was in the beginning with GOD....All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made."
John 1:14
“And the Word was made flesh,and dwelt among us,(and we beheld his glory,the glory as of the only begotten of the Father)full of grace and truth.”
The whole Bible is built around the Son. All Titles mentioned in the Book of Revelation starting in Revelation chapter 1 pertains to the Son, the Lamb, Who was slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 13:8
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
The Word, is the name of the Father's Spiritual Son of the Family in heaven, and It was the Word that the Father used to create the earth before He made flesh.
Jesus, is the name of the Father’s earthly Son made flesh, and Who is spoken of as the “Son of man”. He was made God and King of the Father's Spiritual Kingdom on earth.
John 18:37
“Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”
Luke 23:2
“And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.”
Thus, the Bible has described two Sons. Оne with a Spiritual nature in heaven, and the Other with a fleshly nature on earth, when the Father's plan is completed the earthly Son will turn back to God the heavenly Father, all power and authority given HIM while He was on earth.
1 Corinthians 15:24-25
24. Then cometh the end,when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God,even the father: when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet."
Many do not think it is necessary to receive the revelation starting in Revelation chapter 1 which is sent directly from God through His Son to His servant John, and is to be delivered unto the churches.
But God deemed the revelation so important that He said in the last remarks in the Book, that if any man added to, or took away from the Words written in this prophecy, God would take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things written in this Book.
Revelation 22:18-19
18. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things,God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy,God shall take away his part out of the book of life,and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Therefore, let us proceed with caution, and may our hearts be hungry for the revelation and message that God deemed so important for us to receive. Jesus the “FAITHFUL WITNESS", brought this revelation to John while he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day.
He was elevated on a Spiritual plane, losing all consciousness of things about him in the world.
Suddenly a voice from behind him spoke, and it sounded like a trumpet, the same voice that will sound at the resurrection of the dead...
1 Corinthians 15:52 "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound. and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
The voice presents a call to attention as did the trumpet to Israel at the feasts, and at the time of war, and at the mount when God spoke.
The sound of His voice caused all Israel who stood at the base of the mount to exceedingly tremble and fear, and they asked Moses to speak unto them henceforth, and not to let them hear the voice of God again....
Exodus 19:16-19
16. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
17. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
18. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
19. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.
Exodus 20:18-19
18. And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
One can imagine how John felt when he turned to see the voice that spoke, and saw the Seven Golden Candlesticks, and One like unto the Son of man in all His glory, although John was in the Spirit, he was still flesh and bone when he turned about...
Revelation 1:17-19
17. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, and he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me. Fear not; for I am the first and the last:
18. I am he that liveth, and was dead:and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
19. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.
The number Seven is a Biblical number of divine completeness.
The message to the Seven Churches signifies the complete Church worldwide.
The Seven Spirits which are before His throne is the completeness of God's Spirit.
Revelation 3:1,4,5
1."And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write;These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead."
4."Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy."
5."He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."
Isaiah 11:1-2
1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2. And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Revelation 5:6
“And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”
Zechariah 3:9
“For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day."
Revelation 3:9
“Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.”
In Revelation chapter 1, the Seven Golden Candlesticks are symbolic of the Seven Churches, or the Complete Church which bears the Light of the Gospel to the world.
They are fore-shadowed by the Seven Golden Candlesticks in the tabernacle and temple, which were the only light in the building.
The Son of Man in the midst is JESUS CHRIST as the HIGH PRIEST, standing in the midst of His Church.
He is dressed in the clothing of the High Priest, with a garment down to His feet, and girded about the chest with a golden girdle.
All this is made clear when we study the literal priesthood and their dress under the law.
Their duties were to minister to the people through the rituals and ceremonies of the natural law, and to keep the incense burning on the altar, and to keep the lamps filled with oil, and the wicks trimmed that the brightness of the lights might shine in full effect.
Revelation 1:14-15
14. His head and his hairs were white like wool,as white as snow;and his eyes were as a flame of fire;..And his feet like unto fine brass,as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
15. His head and his hairs were white like wool,as white as snow;and his eyes were as a flame of fire;..And his feet like unto fine brass,as if they burned in a furnace;and his voice as the sound of many waters.
His hair was as the purity of the holiness of the Almighty, and His eyes as a flame of fire, and nothing could be withholden from His sight. They were as a piercing flame looking into the heart of the Churches.
His feet were as fine brass burned in a furnace. Brass speaks of judgment. He came to take inventory of the Last Day Church and to judge Their movements.
Beginning in Revelation chapter 1 the Epistle to each church was written as an admonition to the One and Complete Church which He is preparing for Himself as the Bride.
The commendations, the faults, and reproofs of each church was declared to enlighten the True Church of the Way unto perfection.
By using all Seven Churches, Jesus was opening the Way of understanding through the Seven Epistles of the One and Complete Church of the End Day.
The Seven Churches are the Seven Golden Candlesticks, which is the only means of shedding the Gospel Light to the world.
The Seven Golden Candlesticks were the only means of Light in the Holy Place. As the high priest ministered to, and inspected the candlelight, under the law, so Jesus walks in the midst of the Churches inspecting and trimming the wicks, filling the vessels with Oil and removing all defilement.
Herein brings the understanding of the rebukes and commendations in the Seven Epistles to Asia. These Epistles apply to the local church and every church in the world; to all believers, and for all times.
God's plan for this Age is to bring forth the perfected Church in fulfillment to the ministry of His will, and the defeat of Satan through the Church read: John 17:20-23 and Ephesians 4:11-16 below.....
JOHN 17:20-23
20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21.That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me,and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23. I in them,and thou in me,that they may be made perfect in one;and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them,as thou hast loved me.
Ephesians 4:11-16
11. And he gave some, apostles; and some,prophets;and some,evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16. From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
The inspection of the Churches was due to a great Event that was to take place at the End of the Age,(the wedding).
Remember that these Seven Churches are representative of the entire church age. Read the scriptures below.
Revelation 19:7-8
7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
EPHESIANS 5:29-32
29. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32.This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
The Seven Churches are prophetically shown in Their dispensational movements through a period of time,from the forming of the first church under the Apostolic ministry to the close of the Age.
They are recognized by their characteristical actions being judged by the Word of God, and are placed in their dispensational periods in the appropriate time.
How was He to perform this great mystery of perfection?
By using the two-edged Sword that He had in His mouth. The two-edged Sword is the Word of God, and It is used by word of mouth.
Hence, the Word in the Epistle of John came as a two-edged Sword from the mouth of Jesus to be sent to the Churches, to cut away all imperfection in the Churches.
THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA
The introduction to the seven churches of Asia in Revelation chapter 1 finds the Son of Man standing in the midst of the Seven Golden Candlesticks, which is said to be the Seven Churches.
Revelation 1:20
"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."
The seven Epistles to the Seven Churches are prophetic. They are Christ's own history of the church from Pentecost to the End of the Age.
Jesus standing in the midst is the High Priest commending and criticizing His Church.
John was given this revelation on the Lord's Day while he was exiled on the Isle of Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Patmos is a small island off the coast of Asia Minor. What he saw while in the Spirit, he was told to write and send to the Seven Churches of Asia.
Revelation 1:10-11
10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11. Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia,and unto Laodicea.
The Son of Man presented Himself to John as the ”One Who liveth, and was dead; and behold, He is alive for evermore,” (Jesus the crucified One).
He appeared in the garb of the High Priest on a tour of inspection of His churches.
He declared the Seven Golden Candlesticks to be the Seven Churches, and the Seven Stars to be the Seven Angels or Messengers which is the head of each church. This signifies that they were the leaders or pastors of the churches.
In the Epistles to each church, Jesus has ordained them to act as a priest and shepherd to control the church in righteousness as they are moved upon by the divine High Priest.
The Angelic Messenger is the Holy Spirit Who comes in Spiritual illumination and not in Person. The Book of Revelation is built around Jesus Christ Who is the Subject matter from the Beginning of the World.
The Book reveals Him as King of kings, and Lord of lords...The Lamb Slain...The First Begotten of the Dead....The High Priest...The Faithful Witness....The Lion of the Tribe of Judah....The Lord of Harvest....The Word of God....The Bridegroom of the Church....The Bright and Morning Star....The Eternal Judge....The Lamb as Part of the Temple....The Light....The Root and Offspring of David....The Alpha and the Omega.
Jesus declares Himself to be the Alpha and the Omega of the earth, the Beginning and the Ending. He still IS, and WAS, and IS yet to come, and HE is the Almighty of the earth.
It was HE Who created the earth and made all things therein. He was not God the Father, but He received all power from the Father Who commissioned Him to be God over all the earth in bringing salvation to the earth...
Revelation 1:8
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
The Testimony is not through the Father of heaven, but through the Son Who IS the Begotten of the Father, and was WITH the Father in the BEGINNING.
John 1:1-3
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..The same was in the beginning with GOD....All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made."
John 1:14
“And the Word was made flesh,and dwelt among us,(and we beheld his glory,the glory as of the only begotten of the Father)full of grace and truth.”
The whole Bible is built around the Son. All Titles mentioned in the Book of Revelation starting in Revelation chapter 1 pertains to the Son, the Lamb, Who was slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 13:8
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
The Word, is the name of the Father's Spiritual Son of the Family in heaven, and It was the Word that the Father used to create the earth before He made flesh.
Jesus, is the name of the Father’s earthly Son made flesh, and Who is spoken of as the “Son of man”. He was made God and King of the Father's Spiritual Kingdom on earth.
John 18:37
“Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”
Luke 23:2
“And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.”
Thus, the Bible has described two Sons. Оne with a Spiritual nature in heaven, and the Other with a fleshly nature on earth, when the Father's plan is completed the earthly Son will turn back to God the heavenly Father, all power and authority given HIM while He was on earth.
1 Corinthians 15:24-25
24. Then cometh the end,when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God,even the father: when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet."
Many do not think it is necessary to receive the revelation starting in Revelation chapter 1 which is sent directly from God through His Son to His servant John, and is to be delivered unto the churches.
But God deemed the revelation so important that He said in the last remarks in the Book, that if any man added to, or took away from the Words written in this prophecy, God would take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things written in this Book.
Revelation 22:18-19
18. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things,God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy,God shall take away his part out of the book of life,and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Therefore, let us proceed with caution, and may our hearts be hungry for the revelation and message that God deemed so important for us to receive. Jesus the “FAITHFUL WITNESS", brought this revelation to John while he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day.
He was elevated on a Spiritual plane, losing all consciousness of things about him in the world.
Suddenly a voice from behind him spoke, and it sounded like a trumpet, the same voice that will sound at the resurrection of the dead...
1 Corinthians 15:52 "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound. and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
The voice presents a call to attention as did the trumpet to Israel at the feasts, and at the time of war, and at the mount when God spoke.
The sound of His voice caused all Israel who stood at the base of the mount to exceedingly tremble and fear, and they asked Moses to speak unto them henceforth, and not to let them hear the voice of God again....
Exodus 19:16-19
16. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
17. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
18. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
19. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.
Exodus 20:18-19
18. And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
One can imagine how John felt when he turned to see the voice that spoke, and saw the Seven Golden Candlesticks, and One like unto the Son of man in all His glory, although John was in the Spirit, he was still flesh and bone when he turned about...
Revelation 1:17-19
17. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, and he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me. Fear not; for I am the first and the last:
18. I am he that liveth, and was dead:and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
19. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.
The number Seven is a Biblical number of divine completeness.
The message to the Seven Churches signifies the complete Church worldwide.
The Seven Spirits which are before His throne is the completeness of God's Spirit.
Revelation 3:1,4,5
1."And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write;These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead."
4."Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy."
5."He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."
Isaiah 11:1-2
1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2. And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Revelation 5:6
“And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”
Zechariah 3:9
“For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day."
Revelation 3:9
“Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.”
In Revelation chapter 1, the Seven Golden Candlesticks are symbolic of the Seven Churches, or the Complete Church which bears the Light of the Gospel to the world.
They are fore-shadowed by the Seven Golden Candlesticks in the tabernacle and temple, which were the only light in the building.
The Son of Man in the midst is JESUS CHRIST as the HIGH PRIEST, standing in the midst of His Church.
He is dressed in the clothing of the High Priest, with a garment down to His feet, and girded about the chest with a golden girdle.
All this is made clear when we study the literal priesthood and their dress under the law.
Their duties were to minister to the people through the rituals and ceremonies of the natural law, and to keep the incense burning on the altar, and to keep the lamps filled with oil, and the wicks trimmed that the brightness of the lights might shine in full effect.
Revelation 1:14-15
14. His head and his hairs were white like wool,as white as snow;and his eyes were as a flame of fire;..And his feet like unto fine brass,as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
15. His head and his hairs were white like wool,as white as snow;and his eyes were as a flame of fire;..And his feet like unto fine brass,as if they burned in a furnace;and his voice as the sound of many waters.
His hair was as the purity of the holiness of the Almighty, and His eyes as a flame of fire, and nothing could be withholden from His sight. They were as a piercing flame looking into the heart of the Churches.
His feet were as fine brass burned in a furnace. Brass speaks of judgment. He came to take inventory of the Last Day Church and to judge Their movements.
Beginning in Revelation chapter 1 the Epistle to each church was written as an admonition to the One and Complete Church which He is preparing for Himself as the Bride.
The commendations, the faults, and reproofs of each church was declared to enlighten the True Church of the Way unto perfection.
By using all Seven Churches, Jesus was opening the Way of understanding through the Seven Epistles of the One and Complete Church of the End Day.
The Seven Churches are the Seven Golden Candlesticks, which is the only means of shedding the Gospel Light to the world.
The Seven Golden Candlesticks were the only means of Light in the Holy Place. As the high priest ministered to, and inspected the candlelight, under the law, so Jesus walks in the midst of the Churches inspecting and trimming the wicks, filling the vessels with Oil and removing all defilement.
Herein brings the understanding of the rebukes and commendations in the Seven Epistles to Asia. These Epistles apply to the local church and every church in the world; to all believers, and for all times.
God's plan for this Age is to bring forth the perfected Church in fulfillment to the ministry of His will, and the defeat of Satan through the Church read: John 17:20-23 and Ephesians 4:11-16 below.....
JOHN 17:20-23
20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21.That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me,and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23. I in them,and thou in me,that they may be made perfect in one;and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them,as thou hast loved me.
Ephesians 4:11-16
11. And he gave some, apostles; and some,prophets;and some,evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16. From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
The inspection of the Churches was due to a great Event that was to take place at the End of the Age,(the wedding).
Remember that these Seven Churches are representative of the entire church age. Read the scriptures below.
Revelation 19:7-8
7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
EPHESIANS 5:29-32
29. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32.This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
The Seven Churches are prophetically shown in Their dispensational movements through a period of time,from the forming of the first church under the Apostolic ministry to the close of the Age.
They are recognized by their characteristical actions being judged by the Word of God, and are placed in their dispensational periods in the appropriate time.
How was He to perform this great mystery of perfection?
By using the two-edged Sword that He had in His mouth. The two-edged Sword is the Word of God, and It is used by word of mouth.
Hence, the Word in the Epistle of John came as a two-edged Sword from the mouth of Jesus to be sent to the Churches, to cut away all imperfection in the Churches.
THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA
The introduction to the seven churches of Asia in Revelation chapter 1 finds the Son of Man standing in the midst of the Seven Golden Candlesticks, which is said to be the Seven Churches.
Revelation 1:20
"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."
The seven Epistles to the Seven Churches are prophetic. They are Christ's own history of the church from Pentecost to the End of the Age.
Jesus standing in the midst is the High Priest commending and criticizing His Church.
John was given this revelation on the Lord's Day while he was exiled on the Isle of Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Patmos is a small island off the coast of Asia Minor. What he saw while in the Spirit, he was told to write and send to the Seven Churches of Asia.
Revelation 1:10-11
10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11. Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia,and unto Laodicea.
Revelation 1:18
“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
The Son of Man presented Himself to John as the ”One Who liveth, and was dead; and behold, He is alive for evermore,” (Jesus the crucified One).
He appeared in the garb of the High Priest on a tour of inspection of His churches.
He declared the Seven Golden Candlesticks to be the Seven Churches, and the Seven Stars to be the Seven Angels or Messengers which is the head of each church. This signifies that they were the leaders or pastors of the churches.
In the Epistles to each church, Jesus has ordained them to act as a priest and shepherd to control the church in righteousness as they are moved upon by the divine High Priest.
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