And I turned to see the voice that spake with me.
And being turned,
I saw seven golden candlesticks
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man
clothed with a garment down to the foot
and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hairs were white like wool,
as white as snow
and his eyes were as a flame of fire
And his feet like unto fine brass
as if they burned in a furnace
and his voice as the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars
and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword
and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength
...
(((John turned- the voice was coming from behind him as noted earlier, but tell me, did John turn right away upon first hearing the booming trumpet-like voice behind him? No. The voice had time to tell John --
'I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.'
If you read that aloud you realize that's quite a bit of talking to someone's back. A knee-jerk reaction you'd think would have been to turn upon the first few words. But John isn't himself here is he? What I mean is, John is being guided by the Spirit. If he's in the Spirit then he has to be guided by the Spirit and obviously he wasn't guided to jerk about but able to listen and then turn to see the voice that had spoken with him. It's just interesting to imagine the situation, isn't it? John is on an island, he's in the Spirit. I'm picturing him sitting outside in some nice spot, and yes, I imagine there are nice spots there- I've seen pictures of the Island of Patmos and while they are modern pictures I can't believe the island was some desolate rock unable to sustain life. Anyway, I imagine John sitting outside and while he's praying the Spirit fills him fully and he hears the great voice behind him. Taking a moment to listen to the voice John I imagine is amazed and turns to see from whom this voice is coming because clearly it's behind him and not just generally surrounding him on all sides. He turns and what does he see...
...
'I saw seven golden candlesticks'
Exodus {25:31} And thou shalt make a candlestick [of] pure gold: [of] beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. {25:32} And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: {25:33} Three bowls made like unto almonds, [with] a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, [with] a knop and a
flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. {25:34} And in the candlestick [shall be] four bowls made like unto almonds, [with] their knops and their flowers. {25:35} And [there shall be] a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick. {25:36} Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it [shall be] one beaten work [of] pure gold. {25:37} And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it. {25:38} And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, [shall be of] pure gold. {25:39} [Of] a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.
{25:40} And look that thou make [them] after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.
Exodus {39:32} Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they. {39:33} And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets, {39:34} And the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers’ skins,and the vail of the covering, {39:35} The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat, {39:36} The table, [and] all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread, {39:37} The pure candlestick, [with] the lamps thereof, [even with] the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light, {39:38} And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door, {39:39} The brasen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, {39:40} The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation, {39:41} The cloths of service to do service in the holy [place,] and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons’ garments, to minister in the priest’s office. {39:42} According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. {39:43} And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they have done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.
2 Chronicles {4:19} And Solomon made all the vessels that [were for] the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon the shewbread [was set; ]{4:20} Moreover the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner before the oracle, of pure gold
Seven candlesticks- in the tabernacle erected in the wilderness by Moses and by Solomon for the permanent temple- the house of God. And John turns to look at who spoke to him and saw seven golden candlesticks. There's that number again- seven. And we know for a fact that God placed importance upon having seven lamps in His temple, so what is John seeing? No longer is the terrain behind him the same as it was when he walked to where he was. Everything had been changed. The Spirit had altered things and in this vision he was seeing seven golden candlesticks a sure sign of the temple of God, only not the temple John knew on earth in Jerusalem. He didn't say he'd been taken to the Jerusalem temple, but here he was seeing a very amazing sight, seven golden candlesticks but not only that...
...
'And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man'
Dan. {7:13} I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. {7:14} And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.
Matthew {8:18} Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. {8:19} And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. {8:20} And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head.
Matthew {11:16} But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, {11:17} And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. {11:18} For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. {11:19} The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
Matthew {12:8} For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
Matthew {13:41} The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity
(((Is it safe to say that the Son of man John was seeing was Jesus? Read on...))))
...
'...clothed with a garment down to the foot
and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hairs were white like wool,
as white as snow
and his eyes were as a flame of fire
And his feet like unto fine brass
as if they burned in a furnace
and his voice as the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars
and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword
and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.'
(((What a vision! What a sight to behold! Clearly John is describing something very magnificent! What did John do upon seeing such a wonder?))))
...
'And when I saw him
I fell at his feet as dead.'
(((He fell! And not only did he fall, he fell as one dead. What's that mean? He lost all ability to remain standing. His very strength was gone. The shock of what he was seeing completely floored him. We hear about people being frightened into fainting, frightened into falling down in fact we may have done it ourselves a time or two, but it would be a very amazing fright to cause us to just fall down as dead, yes? John fell at the feet of the Son of man as dead and no wonder by how he's described Him. Fear coursed through John, such a fear that it had him all but fainting.))))
...
And he laid his right hand upon me
saying unto me
Fear not
I am the first and the last
I am he that liveth,
and was dead;
and, behold,
I am alive for evermore,
Amen;
and have the keys of hell and of death.'
(((The Son of man laid his right hand - the hand that held seven stars- upon John and spoke. What's the first thing He says to John after being seen by him? 'Fear not'
Fear not! John was filled with fear! We like to imagine that the only encounter one could have with the Spirit and such would be peaceful and calm, we envision an otherworldly tranquility assoiciated with God. It's not altogether wrong to believe in such because Jesus was a peaceful man upon earth and He advocated peace and love. He admonished His disciples for their fear when they were in the stormy seas. But it's understandable that fear isn't altogether unexpected when we deal with the Spirit. Is it a crippling fear? Well, it was a fear that knocked John off his feet as if he were dead, falling to the ground. Obviously it wasn't a fear that sent him running for the hills. This fear took total control of John and then the Son of man said to him...'Fear not'
He didn't stop there did he? He went on to explain why John should not fear.
He says... 'I am the first and the last' Again the association of God! The ever was and ever will be.
He says... 'I am he that liveth and was dead.' John knows who died and rose- the Son of God, the Son of man.
He continues... 'And, behold, I am alive for evermore, amen!' Never will death touch Him again. Death took the Son of man, the man who was the Son of God and pulled Him down to the grave. Released from death He would live forever!
And He says... 'And have the keys of hell and death.' The keys! What do keys do? They unlock and when you unlock something you're opening it, you're freeing what was locked within. The keys of hell and death are whose? Jesus! Jesus the Son of God, the Son of man who died and rose from death defeating death has the keys that can free everyone from death and the grave! Everyone!
Jesus! Jesus in the heavenly temple of God surrounded by the seven golden candlesticks! Jesus reaching to touch John to revive him from his stupor over the very sight of all he was being shown. What wonder! What amazing, miraculous sights to be seeing! To be in the presence of Jesus in all His glory, so unlike Jesus when He walked the earth so unassuming. This is Jesus in all His power, His heavenly garb, His transformed self. No wonder John needed reviving.
Amazing the setting for this message to us, and make no mistake it is for us. For God's people throughout time and we are God's people. We need to study this thoroughly, we need the blessings offered to us. May we truly be blessed and guided by the Spirit as we endeavor to understand more fully all that was given to John and in what manner it was given to Him. Such an amazing description of the setting deserves a true recognition for the importance placed upon what message is being told to John for us.
By His mercy and His grace, His everlasting love, now and forever! Amen!
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