Day 2 of Revelation Study: Chapter 1

John was on the island of Patmos where he had been exiled for his faith when he received this revelation. On a Sunday, during his time of worship, he heard the Lord call out and instruct him to write what he was about to see in a book and send it to seven specific churches (1:9-11).

Defining Terms

Upon turning around, he saw:

1.      7 Golden Lampstands       =       7 churches

2.      The Son of Man                  =       Jesus

3.      7 Stars [angels]                  =       7 pastors*

*The Greek word for “angel” means messenger. These messengers are likely the pastors.

**We know what these symbols mean because Jesus defines them in Revelation 1:20.

Seven Spirits

Another phrase that must be defined is given in verse four. It is there that John refers to the “seven spirits….” This phrase is also used in 3:1, 4:5, and 5:6. The Law of First Mention reminds us to always go back and see what a specific word or phrase meant when it was first given. So, what does it mean?

In its very first mention, John inserts this phrase within his greeting from the Godhead — the Trinity. Grace and peace are seen being expressed to these churches from the Father, the Spirit [i.e. the seven spirits], and the Son. So, why is the Holy Spirit referred to as seven spirits? Is God a nonagon — a nine-sided figure? The quick answer is no. God is still only three-in-one. He is Father, Spirit, Son; and apart from Him there is none.

We know this is the case because, throughout Scripture, God is always seen as having or being one Spirit. What ought to be recognized is that the number seven is often seen as an expression of wholeness or completion. An example of where both truths are emphasized together is in Genesis 1 - 2:4. There, in that passage, God is seen as being one God while having fully expressed Himself in the seven-day week of creation.

A good way to understand this is to look at what this phrase is connected to in the following passages. The end of chapter one tells us that the churches are lampstands. Revelation 4:5 gives us an image of the seven spirits being seven torches of fire. This makes more sense when we realize that, in the first century, the lamps or torches were placed upon the lampstands to give light. At the beginning of chapter three, we see the spirits of God in the same place as the pastors of the churches. Finally, in 5:6, we are made aware of the fact that the seven spirits of God had been previously sent out into all the Earth. What is the Holy Spirit’s ministry in the world today? It is the act of indwelling and filling His people in order to reach the world for Christ.

Therefore, in the same way that the seven churches listed here represent local bodies of believers while also maintaining a fuller concept of the universal Church, “the seven spirits of God” is an expression John uses to describe both the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the seven literal outpourings of Himself into the world by means of these seven churches. These are not seven different Holy Spirits, but seven distinct manifestations of the one complete Spirit of God.

The Angel of the LORD

¹The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending His Angel to His servant John, ²who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. ³Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Revelation 1:1-3

An interesting reference to take note of is that Jesus is referred to as God’s Angel. How do we know this is Jesus? Though there are many angels acknowledged within this book, we can be confident that this is speaking of Jesus because He is the One who comes to John here in chapter one (cf. 1:1, 5, 13-18). Thus, what John is doing here is bringing in Old Testament terminology in order to specifically draw in his Jewish audience – those who most clearly understood the Old Testament.

The reason he does this will be seen more clearly as we move throughout this book, but one of his primary motivations was due to the fact that most of Revelation is centered upon God’s future dealings with the nation of Israel. One of the incredible ways God met with His people in the Old Testament was through the appearing of the Angel of the LORD (cf. Gen. 22:11-18; Ex. 3:2-4; Jud. 13:3-23). This is what scholars refer to as a “Christophany” which basically means that God allowed someone to witness an appearance of Christ at some point in history before His first coming.

While it could be argued that His whole earthly ministry was a Christophianic experience [yes, I just created that word], nowhere else in the New Testament, outside of Revelation, is our Lord referred to as the Angel of the Lord. Again, we must remember that the word “angel” here simply means “messenger” in Greek. Christ is not literally an angel as we typically think of because the angels were created by Him (cf. Col. 1:16). He is the eternal Son of God. Nevertheless, this phrasing on His behalf is appropriate because He is the Father’s messenger. He is the initial bearer of this new revelation. He is the one seen coming and calling out to John.

As far as I am aware, most, if not all, references to the Angel of the LORD found in the Old Testament Scriptures are examples of when God the Father was sending a message of salvation and deliverance for His people. In Genesis 22, He sent His Angel [i.e. Christ] to deliver Isaac, the promised son, from the blade of his father. In Exodus 3, He sent His Angel to raise up Moses to lead His people out of slavery and into their inheritance. In Judges 13, God sent His Angel to Manoah and his wife to inform them that He was giving them a son who would deliver Israel from out of the hands of the Philistines. Therefore, even from the very first verse of Revelation, we have some understanding of what the overall focus of this book will be — salvation and deliverance for God’s people.

Continue on to read about chapters two and three.

*Click here to read the purpose of this blog series.