Psalms 8:1, 16:2, and 31:1-4
My Shepherd met me in His green pastures, munching on some insights in Luke. He said, “The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it” (Luke 17:2). I longed to see Him, and went to my favorite portrait in the Father’s picture book:
Revelation 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
Revelation 1:13 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.
Revelation 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
Revelation 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Revelation 1:16 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.
While there, reflecting on the features described, I thought of what Peter, James, and John saw on the Mt. of Transfiguration.
Along the still waters, the Spirit reminded me that while I concentrate on the manifestation of my Saviour’s glory, what He is looking at is the point of the passage.
John heard the royal voice declare in tones regal and majestic: “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,” followed by His command to write in a book (Revelation 1:11). When John turned to see the voice, his attention was directed by the Spirit to the seven golden candlesticks (Revelation 1:12), and then to Him Who stood in their midst (Revelation 1:13-16).
Though I have long ago noticed it, it never ceases to amaze: How is it possible that John would turn to see the One Who spoke to him so impressively, and have before Him a being so radiant and glorious, and yet first notice a set of seven candlesticks. Be those sticks pure gold, and large, they are nothing when compared to the august Presence in their midst. Is Jesus hiding Himself in or among the churches? Did the Holy Ghost intervene and direct John’s attention to the subject? Is the gaze of Him whose eyes are as a flame of fire directing ours to the subject of what John was to write in a book?
Verses 19-20 answers:
Revelation 1:19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Do you see it? Write, John, what you have seen, what is, and what will be. But the divine sentence does not conclude there. A semicolon signals that what follows is a continuation of the thought before and is closely related. In other words, in this case, the clause that follows explains that the subject of what John was to write about is this: “the mystery of the seven stars” and “the seven golden candlesticks.” And the first thing to understand is that the stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the candlesticks are the churches. Jesus says look at the churches, as He sets His own gaze there (Revelation 2-3).
I want to see Him, and He is longing for us to be with Him in His Father’s House (John 14:1-4), where He will break His long fast, and lift His glass, and welcome us: “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 6:29). I heard His voice and turned to see Him and found Him seeing me.
In the valley, shadowed by His Cross, I took up mine as He began saying, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). And I followed Him to the table.
At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy came running to catch up as we walked into the harvest.
Praying for revival! 🙏
Going live asap:
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