The Revelation - Part 1: The Seven Golden Lampstands

"Write on a scroll what you see"

 Despite the challenge this book presents, it outlines the structure in chapter 1:19, which helps us determine where the body of Christ lies in the ordering of the prophecy. Many commentators have already explored this subject, so it's unlikely I'll uncover anything entirely new, aside from a few conclusions I've drawn from patterns in the text. The opinion we arrive at will clarify our eschatology and, to some extent, alter our ecclesiology, but that’s another conversation. The ideal situation would be that both would come together without torturing the text beyond recognition. While the letter to the Churches in Chapters 2-3 is perhaps the most relevant for believers today, my focus in these two commentaries is on who and where the Church is in the events leading up to the New Jerusalem.

The process wasn't without effort—many hours were spent grappling with the grammar and structure—and discovering how the layers fitted together. The turning point came when the structure became logical and coherent, and the theology made sense, without the distraction of metaphor and allegory.

The patterns that developed echoed throughout the entire biblical corpus, and recurring themes began to emerge. John’s vision outlined present and future events, yet much of the detail concerning the Church goes unnoticed, especially if we approach the topic based on the limitations of what others have told us. Moreover, our preconceptions of who Matthew 24–25 is talking about significantly influence our view of where the Church is, and who the twenty-four Elders represent.

The spiritual significance of this book is expressed in the first chapter, “a revelation of Jesus Christ, given to Jesus Christ, from God.” Jesus conveys to John the events leading up to, and beyond, the "Day of the Lord". I began this exercise with a degree of ambivalence—and seriously questioned whether understanding this book was worth the effort. However, my ambivalence quickly shifted to curiosity, then to exhilaration. As I gave my time, God gave His—and He revealed abundantly more than I gave. This stirred emotions I cannot adequately explain—the love embedded in God's design, the brilliance of the language, the hints and echoes throughout the Old and New Testaments, and the destiny of time—a menagerie of thoughts that evolved into unambiguous certainty. I’ll leave it for you to decide where I ended up.

The book divides itself into three sections, beginning with “what John sees” (Rev 1) which is a vision of Jesus Christ standing among seven Churches, then “what is now” (Rev 2–3) which is a letter about these seven churches, and finally Revelation 4 begins “what will take place after this”—a recurring phrase that's important to keep in mind because it emphasises the linear structure of the vision: one event follows the other, with pauses between some chapters. These pauses provide keys that unlock the sequence to events that follow.

In Rev 1:4-6, John extends a greeting to seven Churches and states that Jesus "hath made us kings and priests unto God" to serve His God and Father. In the Bible, only three identities are represented as Kings and Priests: Jesus Christ, Melchizedek, and those in the Body of Christ. Therefore, the positioning of Priests and Kings within the prophetic timeline indicates where the Body of Believers is as we move into Chapters 4-8. John is applying this directly to himself and the believers in these seven Churches on the Earth. 

John was on the island of Patmos—he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. Some commentators have suggested that this phrase should be interpreted as "the Day of the Lord" (Isaiah 13:6, Joel 1:15). The Day of the Lord is contextualised throughout the Bible as the "second coming of Christ" or "the day of the Lord's Wrath". In essence, John provides an introduction to the seven Churches at the beginning of his letter and writes about where he was when he received this vision. John is referring to Shabbat—a Saturday, the seventh day of the Jewish week—he's in a posture of prayer—not in a dream, but seeing a vision of Jesus Christ standing among Seven Golden Lampstands. John has a vision of the Church with Jesus Christ, a period he himself lived through on earth.

 Jesus explains these lampstands as real churches during Christ’s earthly ministry(Rev 1:20) and therefore metaphors for the Body of Christ. The report on these seven Churches is sandwiched inside the body of the book, much like an addendum that's related, but, if removed, wouldn't alter the prophetic structure if we jumped from Chapter 1 straight to Chapter 4. John is told to write "what he sees", which is the seven lampstands, and send it to these Seven Churches—chapters 2-3 of the letter are details about the Churches and form the "what is now" section of the prophetic timeline. Again, this is where I depart from some commentators—systematically, each report was addressed specifically to each Church. That the details to each were contained in one letter to the Churches (plural) can also mean that one letter is passed on to the next—a common and efficient means of communicating specific details to each Church at that time. The grammar doesn't suggest that the detail to each, applied to all seven. The detail could apply, but the text doesn’t suggest it’s meant to be interpreted this way. However, the details sent to each of the seven Churches do appear relevant for all Churches today.

John's revelation was NOT positioned in Heaven, at this point, because later, he says, "After this, I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me, like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." (Rev 4:1)

Part 2 of this commentary will examine what “comes after this”, the snatching away of believers (harpazo), the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel, the multitude of tribulation saints, the seventieth week of Daniel (the Great Tribulation), and, finally, the New Jerusalem.

Considerations:

"And hath made us kings and priests unto God." Only three are named as Kings and Priests: Jesus Christ, Melchizedek, and believers in Christ.

"After this”—a recurring phrase that's important to keep in mind because it emphasises the linear structure of the vision.

An intersecting pause introduces a key that helps unlock the timing of events.

The "Lord's day" and the "Day of the Lord" are not to be considered the same

The Tribulation period in the “Seventy weeks of Daniel” is not about the salvation of Gentiles—it’s about bringing the Jews before Jesus Christ.