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Scripture Reading: Rev. 2—3
Based upon what we have seen in Revelation 1, we now want to see this wonderful One in Revelation 2 and 3. In these two chapters the most striking point is that this all-inclusive, excellent, marvelous, mysterious, and wonderful One speaks. He speaks seven times to each of the seven churches. In these seven times of speaking, He always declares what He is. Based upon the claim of what He is, He speaks something. At the beginning of each of the seven epistles recorded in chapters 2 and 3, it is the Lord who speaks (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14). At the end of all seven epistles, however, it is the Spirit speaking to the churches (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). This is a strong indication that the actual speaker is the Spirit. This shows that Christ and the Spirit are one. First, we see Christ speaking, and then Revelation tells us that the Spirit is the One who speaks. The oneness of the Trinity here is economical based upon the essential aspect. Christ and the Spirit are one economically because They are one essentially. Because Christ, the Spirit, is speaking, this does not refer to existence. This refers to the move, the motion, the action, of the Triune God. Christ and the Spirit’s being one economically depends upon Their being one essentially. I hope that this shows more concerning the depth of the truth of the Divine Trinity.
At the end of the book of Revelation “the Spirit and the bride say” (22:17). In the first chapter we see many titles for this wonderful One — Him who is and who was and who is coming; the seven Spirits who are before the throne; Jesus Christ; the faithful Witness; the Firstborn of the dead; the Ruler of the kings of the earth; the Redeemer; the One who made us a kingdom, priests to His God and to His Father; and the One who comes. Also, in Revelation 1 we see the Son of Man appearing as the High Priest. In the last chapter of Revelation, however, in the finalization, there is only “the Spirit.” The all-inclusive, compound, sevenfold intensified, life-giving, processed, indwelling Spirit is the consummation of the processed Triune God, the Spirit, in Revelation 22:17. The word processed indicates all the procedures that the Triune God has gone through. In Revelation 1 there are many titles for this wonderful One, but in chapter 2 there are Christ, the all-inclusive Head, and the speaking Spirit. This means that whatever He is in chapter 1 has been condensed into the all-inclusive Christ and the speaking Spirit in chapter 2. At the end of the book of Revelation we see “the Spirit.” The all-inclusive Spirit is the consummation of the processed Triune God. The bride is the consummation of the processed tripartite man. Therefore, the processed Triune God will be the Bridegroom, and the processed tripartite man will be the bride. The processed God and the transformed and glorified tripartite man become a divine couple in eternity.
Revelation 2 and 3 are composed of seven epistles and are the Lord’s last words written to His churches. In this chapter we want to see who the Speaker is in each of these seven epistles. We want to see this speaking One’s status, and we also want to see what He promises to the overcoming church. We need to see all the main points of this person and His promise. In Revelation 2 and 3 we see that the all-inclusive Christ as the Head of the church, walking in the midst of the churches and searching and infusing the churches, speaks to the churches.
In the epistle to the church in Ephesus we see the all-inclusive Christ as the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand (2:1). The brothers who are taking the lead in the churches as the messengers (Gk. angels — 1:20) are held in this One’s hand. This One is the holder of all the church leaders. However, some of the so-called church leaders may not be held by Him. He holds only those whom He recognizes. To be held by Him, we must be recognized by Him first. We must realize that the leading ones in the churches in the Lord’s recovery are held in His hand. Revelation 2:1 also tells us that He walks in the midst of the lampstands. This is a wonderful scene! While the Lord is sitting at the right hand of God as our High Priest interceding for us, the churches (Heb. 7:25), He is holding the messengers of the churches and walking in the midst of the churches to care for them. This One who holds the leaders in His hand and who walks in the midst of the churches is the all-inclusive, excellent, marvelous, mysterious, and wonderful One.
Although we have been experiencing and enjoying One who is so rich, we did not have much realization that this One was so all-inclusive, excellent, marvelous, mysterious, and wonderful. This is why the book of Revelation is needed to unveil such a One to us. We need to realize that this One is the Spirit, the Father, the Son, Christ, Jesus, the Son of Man, the Son of God, the High Priest, and many other items. Many readers of the book of Revelation consider this as a “strange” book because of items such as the beast coming out of the sea, the scarlet beast having seven heads and ten horns, and the seven seals, seven bowls, and seven trumpets. When we come to the book of Revelation, however, we need to primarily care for this wonderful One who is holding all the church leaders in His right hand and who is walking in the midst of all the churches.
A number of times some of the saints came to me and told me that it seemed to them that I never became disappointed or discouraged. They wanted to know why this was the case. The reason for this is that by His mercy I have seen this marvelous One, and I have seen that I am in His hands. To see this strengthens me to the uttermost. I enjoy and experience the all-inclusive, excellent, marvelous, mysterious, and wonderful One. This is why the opening word in Revelation 2 says, “These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, He who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands” (v. 1). To listen to this One’s words you have to see who this One is.
In speaking to the church in Smyrna, He says that He is “the First and the Last, who became dead and lived again” (v. 8). The fact that He is the First and the Last means that He never changes. Regardless of how much persecution or what kind of martyrdom the saints suffer, He is the First, and He is the Last. Nothing can change Him. You may put Him to death, yet He lives again. This title is seemingly simple, but it implies the creation, the First, and the completion, the Last. This also implies the Lord’s incarnation. If He had not been incarnated, He could never have been killed. This also implies His living on this earth. He was incarnated, He lived on this earth, and then He was crucified and He became dead. Then He lived again. Such a declaration implies the creation, the completion, the incarnation, the human living, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. This is a declaration to strengthen the suffering church in Smyrna. The church in Smyrna was experiencing and suffering martyrdom, and the only thing that can support the saints in their martyrdom is to see such a One who created and will complete the entire universe, who became incarnated, who lived on this earth, and who was crucified and resurrected. Such a vision sustains the martyrs to stand in their sufferings.
The third speaking is to the church in Pergamos, a fallen and worldly church. In this epistle the speaking One has a sharp two-edged sword (v. 12) proceeding out of His mouth (1:16). This sword out of the Lord’s mouth is to cut, to judge, to discern, to kill, and to slay. To the degraded and worldly church, He is the One who has such a slaying and judging tongue. If you know Him as such a One, you cannot be worldly.
The One who speaks to the church in Thyatira is the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and feet like shining bronze (2:18). The church in Thyatira is a figure of the Babylonian church. In this speaking, the Lord declares Himself to be the Son of God because this church says that He is the son of Mary. He has eyes like a flame of fire for searching and burning, and He has feet like shining bronze for judging. All the people in the Babylonian church should see this vision of such a One.
The One who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars speaks to the church in Sardis (3:1). The stars are the messengers, which means that the messengers should shine as the stars. In order to shine they must be full of the intensified Spirit, the seven Spirits. He has the seven stars and the seven Spirits as the supply to the stars so that the stars can shine.
The sixth speaking is to the best of the seven churches, the church in Philadelphia. He speaks to the church in Philadelphia as the Holy One, the true One, who has the key of David, and who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens (v. 7). To the church of brotherly love, the Lord is the Holy One, the true One, by whom and with whom the recovered church can be holy, separated from the world, and true, faithful, to God. Also, to the recovered church the Lord is the One who has the key of David, the key of the kingdom, with authority to open and to shut. Regardless of how much opposition there is, no one can shut the door. The key is not in the hand of the opposers but in the hand of the One whom we serve and the One in whom we trust. We have to know Him and see the vision concerning Him. Regardless of how much opposition there is, the doors are increasingly open, and the key is in His hand. Hallelujah for this divine fact!
The seventh speaking is to the church in Laodicea, where the Lord is revealed as the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God (v. 14). The final speaking to the churches is done by the Amen. Amen means “that’s it.” Whatever He says, that’s it. The Lord is also the firm, steadfast, and trustworthy One. Hence, He is the faithful and true Witness. Furthermore, He is the beginning of the creation of God. This means that the entire universe as God’s creation began from Him. The Lord is the unchanging and ever-existing source of God’s work. He was the beginning of God’s entire creation. Without Him nothing could happen, because He was the beginning.
As the Amen, He is the ending. In His address to the church in Laodicea the Lord declares Himself to be the Amen first, the faithful and true Witness second, and the Beginning last. These expressions in such an order show that He is One whom we cannot explain. The order of these titles is not according to our human logic. He is the Beginning of the entire universe, the Witness to keep the things going, and the Amen, the very ending. Whatever God intended to do, this will be. Amen! God wants a New Jerusalem — Amen! God wants a church in Irving — Amen! God wants you to be an overcomer — Amen! Just say Amen; do not say that you cannot make it. God wants you to be holy — Amen! God wants you to be a co-king of Christ — Amen! God wants to have many churches in America — Amen! God wants every church to be an overcoming church — Amen! To all of God’s promises and to all that God desires to do, He is the Amen. We should not forget that He declares Himself to be the Amen not in the first epistle but in the last epistle. He is the Amen! He is everything, and He is Amen to everything. We all have to see and know Him to such an extent. He is the One who is all-inclusive, excellent, marvelous, mysterious, and wonderful.
Now we must see His promises to the overcomers in the seven churches. The Lord does not promise us a big mansion, a good car, a high promotion, or good children. His sevenfold promise is much more wonderful than any of these things. To the church in Ephesus this all-inclusive, wonderful One promises to give the overcomers to eat of Himself as the tree of life. This is the divine life. To the church in Smyrna He promises to give the overcomers the crown of life. The eating of the tree of life is inward for supply, and the crown of life is outward for glory. These promises are wrapped up with the divine life. This life first must be our food, and then it will be our expression and our glorification as the crown of life.
The Lord also promises the overcomers in the church in Smyrna that they will not be hurt of the second death (2:11). The second death is the lake of fire (20:14). This means that since you are enjoying life to such an extent, death can never touch you. The lake of fire, the second death, is the totality of death. If someone has not received the Lord, his spirit is dead, and then he will die in the body. All the sinners will be thrown into the lake of fire, which means that they will die in their soul. The second death, which is the lake of fire, is the totality of death. If you enjoy Christ as the tree of life, you will enjoy the crown of life, and the totality of death has nothing to do with you and cannot touch you.
The Lord promises to give the overcomers in the church in Pergamos to eat of Himself as the hidden manna (2:17). The hidden manna is deeper than the tree of life. The open manna was revealed in Exodus 16, but the hidden manna is something particular and specific for your enjoyment. This specific thing is still Christ Himself. When you enjoy this specific portion of the divine life, you will receive a white stone for building (v. 17). This promise reveals both life and building. Life and building are the structure of the sevenfold promise. Life for our enjoyment and experience will result in the building. You will be a white stone, which means a justified and acceptable stone. The color white in the Bible signifies justification and acceptance. You will be a stone that is so acceptable to Him and that is altogether justified in His searching eyes. This stone is for His building.
The fourth promise is to the overcomers in Thyatira. They will be given authority over the nations to shepherd them with an iron rod, and they will also enjoy Christ as the morning star (vv. 26-29). The morning star appears when the night becomes darkest. This shows that at the darkest time, within us there is a star shining. This indicates that in addition to life and building, we have the light. The sevenfold promise is wrapped up with life, building, and light. As an overcomer, the totality of death cannot touch you, you will be full of life, you will be the precious material for God’s building, and you will enjoy the particular light, the morning star.
The fifth promise is to the church in Sardis, where the Lord promises to give the overcomers to be clothed in white garments and not to have their names erased out of the book of life but confessed by Him before His Father and His angels (3:5-6). Sardis is a figure of the reformed church, the Protestant church. The overcomers will be clothed with white garments. White garments signify the walk and living that is unspotted by death and that will be approved by the Lord. These white garments mean that the overcomers will be entirely justified. Also, their names will not be erased out of the book of life but will be confessed by Him at His second coming.
The overcomers in the church in Philadelphia will be kept out of the hour of the great tribulation (v. 10). This means that the overcomers will be raptured before the great tribulation. While the entire earth is suffering under the great tribulation, the overcomers will be taken away into the parousia (Gk.), the presence, of the coming One. While the other believers are suffering in the tribulation, the overcomers will be enjoying His presence. This is a reward of enjoyment to the ones who are full of life.
Also, these overcomers will be pillars in the temple of His God with the name of His God and the name of the city of His God, the New Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven from His God; also, His new name will be written upon them (v. 12). Now the overcomers are not merely stones, but they are built into pillars. This means that no one can pull them out of the temple. Some believers came into the church life, and after a couple of months they left. They left because they were never built in. It is very hard to pull out the steel beam of a building. In the same way the overcomers of the church in Philadelphia all have been built into the temple and are the pillars in the temple. These overcomers bear three names: the name of God; the name of the holy city, New Jerusalem; and the new name of this wonderful One. We do not know what this new name will be, because it is a secret. The main point is that the overcomers experience the enjoyment of life and the building into God’s temple as their reward.
The final promise to the overcomers in Laodicea is to feast with the Lord and to sit on His throne (3:20-22). The Lord promises to dine with the one who opens the door to Him. To dine is to eat not merely one food but the riches of a meal. This may refer to the eating of the rich produce of the good land of Canaan by the children of Israel (Josh. 5:10-12). To sit with the Lord on His throne will be a prize to the overcomer so that he may participate in the Lord’s authority in the coming millennial kingdom.
We can see that the sevenfold promise is wrapped up with life, with building, and with light, and the issue is the sitting on the Lord’s throne and the authority to rule over the nations. Regretfully, all the aspects of the sevenfold promise are not being taught today in Christianity. Thank the Lord, however, that by His mercy we do have a burden to see such a promise. We overcome the world by such a promise. We need to be those caring for the eating of the tree of life. We should not care for riches, for position, or for a name but for the eating of the hidden manna. We care to feast with Him, we care for the crown of life, we care to be a piece of white stone, and we care to be built into a pillar in God’s temple. We care to sit on His throne with Him and to be rewarded with His authority to rule over the nations. Our eyes need to be opened to see this wonderful One and to see His marvelous promise. This promise is full of life, light, and building, and the issue is that we will sit on His throne to be His co-kings to rule over the nations. Today we are enjoying Him as our food — He is our tree of life and our hidden manna.
