Many readers of this profound book of prophecy overlook that God gave this Revelation of Jesus Christ TO Jesus! His purpose in doing so is to show His servants things which must shortly take place, and that we are blessed as we keep those things which are written in it. May God grant us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation as we make time to study this book and apprehend the astounding purposes He has for His Bride in heaven in the very near future; may we hear, understand, and keep what the Spirit says to the churches, for the time is near. Amen.
Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands. In the midst of the seven lampstands, One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him I fell at His feet as though dead (1:13-17).
Note that the phrase One like the Son of Man is from Daniel’s OT vision of Messiah during His enthronement in the courts of heaven to judge the antichrist (Dan. 7:3, see Part 6: The Thrones and the Court).
…the things which are: Chapters 2 and 3 are the Lord’s words to the seven… angels (messengers, pastors) of the seven churches (v. 20) in the present: these are Jesus’ seven epistles, if you will, to seven particular churches in Asia at that time. Some prophetic Scriptures describe more than one future event. In this case, these epistles also describe seven particular characteristics of the Church as it changed/changes throughout the Church Age. Of course seven signifies perfection, and The Revelation of Jesus Christ contains a multitude of sevens.
...and the things which will take place after this: The remaining nineteen chapters (up to the epilogue in 22:6-21) describe the entire Lord’s Day (v. 10) and perhaps beyond – that is, not a single day, but everything that must occur once the Church Age ends at the glorious transformation and translation of the saints into heaven. The vast majority of this book is spent detailing the things which will take place in the Lord’s Day (bringing to mind the OT term the Day of the Lord).
Note that although The Revelation of Jesus Christ is dedicated to the seven churches (1:4, 11), scholars have found that it contains well over 400 allusions to the OT, which should be of vital significance to the sealed Jewish remnant of 144,000 (7:4). The omnipresent Holy Spirit will likely lead them to this key book after the Church is raptured, and the OT allusions should facilitate their understanding of the prophecy.
Importantly, although the words church and churches appear numerous times throughout the first three chapters pertaining to the Church Age, they do NOT appear in the prophetic passages of Chs. 4-22. We understand now that this is because the Church remnant will be transformed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, and translated from earth to heaven at the trumpet call of God as described by Paul in 1 Cor. 15:51-53 and 1 Thess. 4:13-18. The Jews, Gentiles, and foolish virgins with insufficient oil in their lamps to whom the Lord says, I do not know you (see Matt. 25:1-13 and Part 7) will remain on earth, but there will be no church.
The trumpet call of God is described herein by John as the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” (4:1). The resurrection and instantaneous transformation of the dead saints, and the seizing up and instantaneous transformation of the living Church remnant are not specifically described here in Chapter 4.
I suggest, though, that the transporting of the Church overcomers from earth to heaven is alluded to by what happens to John as he is suddenly brought from hearing Jesus’ words to the churches on earth to beholding and passing through a door standing open in heaven in verse 4:1. This pivotal verse transitions from the second part of the book describing the things which are to the remainder of the book describing the things which will take place after this.
Let’s back up a bit and listen closely to what Jesus, who described Himself as the door (John 10:9) says about doors to the churches of Philadelphian and Laodicean character at the end of the Church Age.
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, “These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth…” (3:7-10, emphasis added).
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (3:20-22 emphasis added).
“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” After these things [pertaining to the Church Age] I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard [in 1:10] was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne… (3:21 – 4:2 emphasis added).
I offer that John is actually taken immediately in his vision from the Church Age while he is on Patmos to the next age in the divine purpose, the Lord’s Day. In other words, when John says in 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, he doesn’t mean this revelation occurred on either a Sabbath or a Sunday as most readers assume, but that the Holy Spirit transported him forward in time to the Lord’s Day – Christ’s entire Second Advent.
Strong internal proof of this is that Jesus’ voice is likened to a trumpet in both instances. For those of us in the Church, this trumpet brings to mind 1 Thess. 4:16 and 1 Cor. 15:52; for the 144,000 Jews reading this prophecy during the time of Jacob’s trouble it should bring to mind the fearsome long trumpet blast of God at Mount Sinai (see Exodus 19:13, 16, 19).
John’s body was not actually transformed as he went through the door into heaven – it is just that the prophet passed through that blessed door in the Spirit just as the resurrected saints and the overcoming Church remnant alive at the time will do on the Lord’s Day.
The transformation of the Church is not described in this book, for it was already described to us via Paul in his first epistle to the Corinthians: Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep [die], but we shall all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Cor. 15:51-53).
Deanna, I never realized the Revelation was in three parts, what John has just seen, things which are (as you described the seven “epistles” of Jesus, and then the Day of the Lord. Makes sense. Now the 144,000 are Jews that come to Christ after the rapture of the Philadelphian church correct? I guess that’s an exact number for 12,000 times the 12 tribes of Israel. And last question is the persecution of the Philadelphian church. I’m assuming that is present day? The persecution of the church and atrocities against Christians today is what the Philadelphian church is experiencing now if I’m understanding that correctly.
Hi Greg! Yes, Jesus outlines the book Himself in Rev. 1:19 as you’ve observed. Yes regarding the 144,000. And what Jesus wrote the 7 churches in chs. 2 & 3 pertained to seven specific churches at the time, and also conveys characteristics of the Church at large throughout history (the first century church largely represented by the church of Ephesus, and the end-time church largely being of Laodicean character), AND then we can also see that there have been churches with these seven characteristics all throughout the Church age. (Volumes have been written about this, yet the Holy Spirit usually teaches me Himself, having me read only a few select commentaries – see John 16:12-14 and 1 John 2:29-21,27.) So, we see the church has suffered persecution throughout its lifespan; after all, Jesus assured us that if they persecuted Him, they will persecute us also.
God’s prophetic word is so rich, it might be described as multidimensional… Hope this helps.
Yes I see 7 specific churches in the past but it seems like now only two remain; Philadelphian and Laodecia. Or am I not on the right path there?
Most days I see it that way also.