Revelation 1:20, commentary and pictures

Christ Himself explains the mystery John saw: the seven stars held in His right hand are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven golden lampstands are the seven churches themselves. Seven signifies a complete whole, so those seven congregations stand for all churches in every age to the close of earth's history. His holding the stars and walking among the lampstands shows His rule, special care and almighty protection over His people, with untiring vigilance over their true condition. The stars are His appointed ministers, instruments in His hands through whom His light shines, who can do good only through His power and would fall without His sustaining guidance. The churches are vessels with no light of their own, receiving oil and fire from Christ the Sun of Righteousness so they may shine amid moral darkness and give His light to the world.

Vision Setting and Explanation

The mystery is explained by Christ Himself: the seven stars seen in His right hand are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven golden candlesticks or lampstands are the seven churches themselves. The book in which this is written contains the word of God, and Revelation is not a sealed book but a mystery unfolded, to be understood for what it tells about scenes to take place in the last days of this earth's history, when the enemy will bring in everything he can to carry out his deceptive designs. Those who have no desire to understand the things to take place on this earth are lacking in wisdom, and no man can take that light and revelation away.

John received this on the desolate island of Patmos, where he was for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. There he was banished as on a desert island, deprived of the society of his brethren, to endure hatred and scorn while Satan opposed every soul who would favor Jesus Christ and be saved by Him. God's hand moved unseen in the darkness and used the very effort of his enemies to extinguish the light to place the truth in bold relief, by giving him a more wonderful revelation of Christ to give to the world.

Being in the Spirit on the Lord's day, which is the Sabbath, he heard behind him what is recorded and saw One like the Son of man standing in the midst of the candlesticks and holding the stars. He was commanded to write what he had seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall happen afterward, in a book and send it to the seven churches in Asia at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Christ came personally to John on Patmos to give him these things, and the risen Saviour made His presence known on the holy Sabbath day with a great light and a most wonderful view of His glory and made known what was to come upon the earth.

In the vision Christ presents Himself as a personal being in glorified humanity, in glory and brightness, not in the poor garments He wore for humanity. He speaks with the same voice that spoke from the cross, and is shown in glory as He will appear when He comes in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. John was then old, persecuted, and beloved, and his humanity could not endure the glory so he fell as a dead man until Jesus revived and strengthened him to receive the message.

God chose a human messenger rather than an angel to make these mysteries known to the churches, so messages from God through human lips must be received and not thrown aside because they come from a human. John was also shown the heavenly home and God's throne, and the redeemed who had come through great tribulation and were made clean by the Lamb's blood. He heard the angels' praises and the songs of those who overcame through the Lamb and their testimony, with future events revealed extending to Christ's coming.

Seven Means Complete Church

Seven signifies a complete whole, so the seven churches John was told to write to stand for all the churches in the world. The mystery of the seven stars and the seven golden candlesticks, which are the angels and the churches, was not for John on the Isle of Patmos alone and not for the seven churches in Asia alone. Through those churches an inspired message comes to make its powerful impression in every age to the close of this earth's history. The seven church names symbolize the church in different periods of the Christian era, the messages extend to the end of time, and the symbols disclose the church's condition in each period.

The messages to the seven churches, which are the seven candlesticks, give the history of Satan's effort to bring dissension into the church, including difficulties that must be met today. They were given just as God was about to open the history of the church for future ages, as an assurance of the Saviour's interest and care for His people through the last struggles and final victory. There will always be seven, because seven is God's symbol of completeness. If a star separates from God and falls from its place, another takes its place, so there are never fewer than seven. A church faithful to its trust need not fear coming to nothing, because no star protected by Christ's almighty power can be taken from His hand.

Christ Holds and Walks

Christ holds the seven stars in His right hand and stands and walks among the seven golden candlesticks, and this posture shows His relation to the churches and His rule over them. His holding of the stars means that the people of God and His servants are under His special care and protection and control and almighty power. A church faithful to its trust need not fear coming to nothing or being lost, because no star protected and held by His power and hand can be taken from Him.

Jesus as the great Head to be revered superintends all present and future events of His church. The world is not without a ruler, for the program of coming events is in the Lord's hands, and the Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations as well as the concerns of His church in His own charge. Therefore God's servants are not to trust to themselves in great emergency, since heaven is thus closely connected with events on earth and God's care for those loyal to Him is so great.

His walking in the midst symbolizes communion and constant communication with His people. Even while He is High Priest and Mediator in the sanctuary above, He is present among the churches to help and comfort and support them and to supply spiritual power, going from church to church and from congregation to congregation and from soul to soul. He knows the true state and condition of His people and observes their order and vigilance and piety and devotion. Being represented as walking signifies untiring wakefulness and unremitting vigilance, watching whether the light of any of His sentinels is burning dim or going out. Left to mere human care the flickering flame would languish and die, but He is the true Watchman in the Lord's house and the true Warden of the temple courts, and His continued watchcare and sustaining grace are the source of life and light to the churches.

Though the church is enfeebled and defective and with chaff, it is the only object on earth upon which He bestows His highest regard and supreme regard. The church in heaven and the church on earth are identical in His estimation, and the church in heaven is the perfected counterpart of the church on earth. He takes pleasure in His people, constantly watches over them with tender solicitude, and strengthens them by His Holy Spirit. He promises to come personally into the midst of His church.

Stars as God's Ministers

The angels of the churches are appointed over every church that professes faith in Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God. The seven stars are God's ministers, held in the hand of Christ as the First and the Last. They are His representatives, to preserve sacred, holy dignity, their simplicity in Christ being the pure, sacred dignity of the truth, and He treats them as representatives of His character if they are sanctified through the Word.

Like stars whose light and movements God controls, ministers are instruments in His hands through whom His light shines on the church and the world. The blessings of the church are bound up with them as they represent Christ's love. All the good they accomplish comes through His power, grace, Holy Spirit, and guidance. Apart from His sustaining power and direction they would fall and become fallen stars, for without His guidance they would fall.

Under the working of the Holy Spirit they come into order and shine with Christ's brightness. They do this as they preach the word, leaving churches that already know the truth and establishing new churches among people who do not know God's warning message.

Churches Bear Christ's Light

The seven golden candlesticks are the seven churches, and they are lampstands, vessels made to receive oil and fire so that they can give light. They have no light or grace of their own, and no church shines by itself. All light and power comes from Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, who is the source of their light and effectiveness. Through Him they can shine amid moral darkness.

They are pictured as golden bowls that receive golden oil from the two olive trees, the heavenly messengers, through golden tubes and pipes. The oil flows into the churches so that they let their light shine forth in glorious brightness as living channels of light. They are lamps that burn brightly when thus supplied, and the supply keeps them burning and enables them to give light to others. That oil also represents sacred truth carried by the Lord's messengers, which they must themselves receive before they can present the truth fervently, so the light and witness of the church depend entirely on what Christ supplies.

This shining requires soul consecration and purification from all selfishness, pride, and impurity, with active faith and connection with divine influences. Without that, even the most splendid service will not be accepted. The churches must not remain in darkness about God's Word and commandments, but must reflect light to the world and pass that light on to people in darkness. A church that claims light but does not share it will become a receptacle of darkness, and those who kindle their own light instead of receiving it from God face woe.

Every child of God has a living connection with heaven, with angels coming down a ladder of shining brightness and going up again, reflecting the light and glory of God to give light and grace and strength. This connection is kept by prayer in the home and by clinging to faith unto salvation. To neglect prayer is to tell the angels their help is not needed. The church in heaven is the perfected counterpart of the church on earth, and God and the Lamb will be its light through eternal ages.

Study and Obey Messages

The mystery explained here is part of Christ's own instruction that the book containing it holds the word of God, and the book itself is not sealed but a mystery unfolded. It unfolds solemn truths about events before Christ's second coming and the scenes to take place in the last days of this earth's history. That unfolding must be understood for what it tells about those last days, when the enemy will bring in everything he can to carry out his deceptive designs.

The light thus given was not to be hidden but to be studied, believed, and preached. It is a testimony given also to the present time, so it must be searched out from the Scriptures to be known. Those who have no desire to understand the things to take place on this earth are lacking in wisdom. No man can take that light and revelation away.

Reading the messages to the seven churches in the next two chapters critically brings a power not yet realized. That reading must be done with humbled hearts. Then God's love will abide in the heart, with love for the souls for whom Christ died. Loveless cold indifference will pass away, and there will be an end of setting up or casting down others.

Christ Himself revealing Himself and speaking to the churches intends His light to shine through His people to the world. He desires to sanctify and elevate His followers. He desires to prepare them for service in the church above and for higher service in the church above.

As members of His church, people are to allow Him to impress their minds and to work through them to His glory. They are to heed the messages He addresses to the church and to obey the messages He gives to His church. By obeying them they are to make certain their redemption. So they will meet Him with joy at His coming and not be among those who shall wail because of Him.

Believers are to rely on Christ in living faith and bring their needs to Him. They are not to seek help from the god of Ekron.