I am learning in this study to pay closer attention to how Jesus Christ identifies himself to each church before he gives them his evaluation. Here is how his communication in Revelation comes to us. Jesus Christ speaks, John writes it down and the Spirit speaks to the seven churches, and eventually to us. We have already seen also, that John was commanded to write down everything he saw, and that too was to be delivered to the seven churches.
So how did Christ identify himself to the church at Ephesus?
- (Revelation 2:1 ESV) To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: “The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.”
When Jesus Christ identifies himself as the one talking, he describes himself differently to each church, but there is a common denominator: In some way he makes sure that they know that he knows what is going on in the life of that church. He tells them directly—“I know”—and then goes on in his evaluation. With the Ephesian church he develops this even more.
He has intimate knowledge of the life and the people of the church at Ephesus because he walks among the churches, surveying the landscape, taking the pulse, evaluating. Picture that for a moment, Christ visiting western Illinois and walking among the churches here.
We remember from Revelation 1:20 that the lampstands are the seven churches. But what does that mean? The lampstand was not the light, but the light holder. This is important. Two things: 1) The light is not the lampstand. The light, or lamp, is placed on the lampstand. 2) If there is no lampstand, then there is no place to put the light. If Christ removes their lampstand, he effectively removes the light of his presence from them.
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary tells us that a lampstand is a pillar, a tripod, or stand for supporting or holding a lamp. The churches were the light holders, lamp holders, vessels from which God would illumine himself, where he would place his light, his holy illumination, his holy fire. God would set his glory on the lampstand to illuminate the world around, to bring clarity, to pierce the darkness.
That is what light does. It clarifies, pierces the darkness, pushes away the shadows, allows us to see more clearly, removes ambiguity and gives us certainty about the truth of God and his word.
Let me give an example from the same author. The same John of the Revelation writes in 1 John:
- (1 John 5:13 ESV) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
That you may know. Clarity. In SS some time back we discussed the perspicuity of God in his word. Perspicuity refers to clearness of style or exposition, freedom from obscurity; something clearly expressed or presented; lucid, acute perception. God doesn’t stutter. He plainly speaks his truth to us in his word so we can know what we need to know.
So then if our purpose as a church is to be a lampstand from which God sheds his light onto the world, and if the purpose of the light is to clarify who he is and his creation of this world and the rebellion of humankind and the need for the forgiveness of sins and his eternal plan of salvation only through Jesus Christ and his divine purpose and everything else from Genesis to Revelation, then I hope that we can see that whether or not the pastors and teachers of a church are teaching or preaching from the Bible, that if they are not pursuing the glory of God, if they are not honoring God as God, if they are not clarifying the truth of God as to who he is, and the salvation he offers, and his eternal plan and purpose for the ages, then the light of God is gone from that church. Christ has removed the lampstand, and they are merely casting their own light.
REVELATION MESSAGE 4 –
Revelation-The Final Chapter of Preparation / Revelation 2 / 100916 AM
