Saturday's Prayer 22FEB25

Revelation Friday Night Bible Study 21FEB25 (Revelation 1:12-16) pt 1

 

The Seven Lampstands and the Son of Man 

 

“I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand, he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance” (Revelation 1:12-16). 

 

            John describes himself as turning around to see who was speaking to him. As one cannot actually see a voice, John is referencing the person to whom the voice belongs. Just as John had to turn in order to identify the voice that was speaking, we, as believers in Christ, should pay close attention to the voices that we listen to. Many voices are preaching, teaching, evangelizing, and prophesying lies in the name of God and religion. Yet, if we have a personal relationship with the Lord, He will never allow us to be deceived or led astray. The Bible says: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). To know the voice of God, one must spend time with God and respond accordingly.

 

The Meaning of the Seven Lampstands  

According to most biblical scholars, the number seven, or sheba (שֶׁבַע) in Hebrew, means completion, totality, divine order, and perfection.[1] The use of this number has been greatly aligned with God finishing all creation in six days, calling it good, and having a complete rest day on the seventh. It was not because He was tired that He rested, but to set the example for man to follow. The Bible says: “The heavens and the earth and all who live in them were completed. On the sixth day, God completed all the work that he had done, and on the seventh day, God rested from all the work that he had done. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all the work of creation” (Genesis 2:1-3). Therefore, it was not by happenstance that the number seven was included in John’s vision, but had significant meaning regarding God’s divine prophetic message and plan.

The seven lampstands in John’s vision represented the seven churches in Asia (modern-day Turkey) to whom John was instructed to write. These churches were Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodecia. Although the seven lampstands represented actual churches to whom spiritual instructions were written, as we will discuss later in Chapter 2, their symbolism is vital for believers today. Thus, considering that our lights are never to go out or grow dim, all who have accepted Jesus have been made complete and come into His fullness. The Bible says: “All the fullness of deity lives in Christ’s body. And you have been filled by him, who is the head of every ruler and authority” (Colossians 2:9-10). Yet, the Lord had a timeless message, not limited to just those churches, but included words of rebuke, correction, encouragement, and commendation.

John proceeded to describe the lampstands as being made of gold. What was the gold’s significance? God held gold as being precious and of the highest regard. After all, He’s the One who made it. During the time of Moses, God instructed him to give the laws written by His own finger to the Children of Israel as a covenant between He and them. They were to obey them with all their heart, soul, and mind. God told Moses to make the Ark of the Covenant, where the 10 Commandments would be placed. They would then be kept inside the Holy of Holies within the sanctuary. This ark was to be made of acacia wood and covered in gold. Such were many of the other consecrated items that were to be placed inside the Tabernacle and later the temple that God had King Solomon build. The priestly attire that Aaron, Moses’ brother, was to wear also had gold on its breastplate . The Bible says: “Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the Lord. (Exodus 28:36).  

Gold represented the holy things that had been tried in the fire as part of the purification process. The Bible says: “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1Peter 1:7). In today’s time, gold can go through various purification processes, but the original process involved a refinement in the fire to separate the impurities (zinc, iron, copper, and silver).[2] Therefore, the seven lampstands representing the seven churches were to be holy unto the Lord, symbolized by the description of gold.   

 

Description of the Son of Man 

 

Jesus often referred to himself as the Son of man during His 3 ½ years of earthly ministry. Despite what many false teachers teach and believe regarding God not having a son or being equal to the Father, as they are One, Jesus contradicted these false ideologies by describing who He was and still is. The Bible says: “’But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home’ ” (Matthew 9:6). Jesus left His place in Heaven to come down to earth to save mankind from their sins. He was both the Son of God and the Son of man, due to him being divine without genealogy but born through the implementation of the Holy Spirit inside of Mary’s womb. The prophet Daniel also described Him as such. The Bible says: “In my vision, at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence” (Daniel 7:13). Jesus never lost His deity even while on earth wrapped in flesh; therefore, He was and shall forever be the Son of the Living God.  

 

Jesus’ Garments

 

Everything that Jesus does has a purpose, even down to the garments that He wore. The Bible says: “I surely rejoice in the Lord; my heart is joyful because of my God, because he has clothed me with clothes of victory, wrapped me in a robe of righteousness like a bridegroom in a priestly crown, and like a bride adorned in jewelry” (Isaiah 61:10). John described Jesus as wearing a long robe down to his feet. Jesus’ attire represents all that He is and forever will be, the Garment of Salvation and Righteousness.   

The prophet Daniel described Jesus very similar to John’s detailed account in a vision that was shown to him. The Bible says: “I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude” (Daniel 10:5-6). Here we find Jesus wearing a belt of gold or a sash as described by John, which can be used interchangeably around Him. Again, we see gold being used to symbolize the Holiness of God, and the belt/sash represents truth and righteousness. The Bible says: “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place… (Ephesians 6:14). No sin can stand in the presence of a Righteous and Holy God. Therefore, Jesus’ outward attire represents His characteristics of what is holy and righteous. Even His hair embodies who He is, as it was described as white, like wool and snow.  

White in the Bible represents cleanliness and purity. The Bible says: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalms 51:7). The psalmist, David, was asking God to cleanse him of all his sins and imperfections. This was not in the natural sense but in the spiritual. Jesus’ white hair represents His purity, for no sin was ever committed by Him. The Bible says: “He committed no sin, nor did he ever speak in ways meant to deceive. When he was insulted, he did not reply with insults. When he suffered, he did not threaten revenge. Instead, he entrusted himself to the One who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:22-23).  

 

To be continued next week...

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[1] Bible Hub Editorial Staff, "Strong's Hebrew: 7651. שֶׁ֫בַע (sheba or Shibah) -- Seven," Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages, accessed February 19, 2025, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7651.htm.

[2] Britannica Editorial Staff, "Refining," Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified July 26, 1999, https://www.britannica.com/technology/gold-processing/Refining.

Revelation Friday Night Bible Study 14FEB25 (1:10-11) CONT.

 ...continuation from last week.

 John was in the Spirit…

“On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: ‘Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea’ ” (Revelation 1:10-11). 

 

c.     One must be guided by the Spirit. During John’s day and especially now, it is important to be guided by the Spirit. One wrong decision can be costly naturally and spiritually if not led by the Lord. The Bible says: “ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.  And by him we cry, “Abba,” Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:14-17). Jesus did not leave His followers without having the help needed to flow in accordance with the will of God. We have been grafted into the family of God, where we have access to all the direction we need, as per the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

 

d.     One must be taught by the Spirit. There is knowledge of the world, and then there is knowledge and wisdom given from the Holy Spirit to believers. Even though one may have knowledge, they may not have wisdom regarding the use of that knowledge. While there is nothing wrong with centers for learning that teach children, young people, and adults much-needed skills such as reading, writing, arithmetic, and more, the best teacher one can have as a believer in Christ is the Holy Spirit. The Bible says: “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” (Luke 12:11-12). Jesus told the disciples that they did not have to prepare a speech or have some well-written words to defend themselves against those who would come against them. The Holy Spirit would tell them what to say, for they would speak on His behalf, not their own.

 

e.      One must be given recollection by the Spirit. As human beings, we tend to forget things at times. No matter how much we read, study, and try to commit to memory various materials, we may only remember a small portion, at best, years later unless we have refresher courses. Inversely, the Holy Spirit promises to bring all things back to our memory when needed.  The Bible says: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). Jesus made this promise to the disciples, and because we are also His disciples, we can hold on to this promise as well. Yet, there is one important thing to know. For something to be returned to your memory, you must put something into its bank. Let’s use the example of a bank. One cannot expect to make a withdrawal if there has not been a deposit. It’s the same thing with God. Yet, the Holy Spirit can and will teach you things you may have never studied because it is a gift He bestows on believers. Nevertheless, we are to always study to know Him better. The Bible says: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Ephesians 1:17). The Lord wants us to know Him, and the book of Revelation gives us insight into who Jesus is through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

 

John had all of these characteristics to be in the Spirit. Therefore, he was able to write as led by the Spirit to give what he had seen in a vision as a message to the body of Christ for then and now. The Bible says: “ We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts..  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19-21). God’s Word is trustworthy and true. Thus, everything that has been written will come to pass as prophesied by the Lord himself.