The glorious church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the lampstand of His glory, giving light to a world covered in darkness and perishing in their sins, doomed to damnation away from His glorious presence for eternity. God has given us access to the mysteries of the kingdom and has opened Heaven for all who would dare enter the realms of glory and see the revealing of His Son, the Lamb, slain for all of mankind's sins and given freely to all who would receive by faith! The revelation of Jesus Christ is in fact, Christ is in us and that is our hope of glory. In this message God is revealing to His body that we are truly the "Light of the world!" A city set on a hill, a lighthouse for lost souls searching for rescue. We are not only ambassadors, we are the body of the living Christ in the Spirit here on earth! We represent the Lord Jesus Christ to a fallen world, lost and in need of the Savior's love and forgiveness. God is omnipresent, He is everywhere by the power of His Holy Spirit, but we as His church are His presence in the earth. He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shinning in its strength. The heavenly oil of the Spirit gives the fuel that sustains the very lamps of God, His church!Īnd I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, (prophetic revelation) which are the seven spirits of God sent out to all the earth.
The seven churches, seven stars, and seven lampstands are all the same in that they receive light from the Lamb of God who resides in the midst of the throne of Heaven. Remember John was in the Spirit when an open door was shown to him and everything we receive from God comes through prophetic revelation given by the Holy Spirit. The golden lampstands representing the churches of Asia are given revelation directly from the throne by the Lord Jesus through the prophetic messages sent through the seven messengers. The scripture plainly states that the seven spirits are seven lamps that represent the seven churches. There is but One Holy Spirit who is also the third person of the Trinity, the three in One God who presides over all of creation.
As I read this prophecy of scripture and prayed for the revelation of it, God began to show me what the seven spirits truly represent. In the midst of this glorious sight were seven lamps of fire that were burning before the throne and twenty four elders sitting on their thrones. Imagine being in the majestic throne room of God and experiencing the glory and presence of the Creator of the universe! John the apostle beheld an open door to the very throne of the Most High giving him access to the prophetic revelation about to be given him. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. Revelation 1:12,13Īround the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands, One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. In order to see the revealing of the Christ one has to be born again and led by the Holy Spirit, having eyes to see the glory of this supernatural prophecy.
Remember the children's song, "This little light of mine, let it shine?" That is our sole purpose as the body of Christ, to shine the light of the Lord Jesus into a world lost and dying and to show the way to God in the darkness through the gospel of salvation to all who will receive it. The church of Jesus Christ is a lighthouse to the lost, not a place to go but a person or persons to be the representation of Jesus Himself in the earth. Jesus uses several words to describe these churches such as lampstands, stars and the Greek word ekklesia, which means a calling out, an assembly or a religious congregation, but all have to do with something that gives light. Today I believe that these seven churches represent seven characteristics of the body of Christ. When I first came to the Lord I was taught that the seven churches were seven periods of time or in other words: church ages.
The revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ holds a blessing for whoever desires to read and to understand that which the Spirit is revealing to the faithful follower of Christ. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last." "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia and to Laodicea".