Unveiling Revelation: Decoding the Seven Stars and Lampstands Through Jesus' Own Words
A) We dive into the fascinating Book of Revelation, picking up at the magnificent chapter one, verse 20. We are after Jesus has explained that John will share with others what has been seen, what is being seen, and what will yet be seen. Please, never forget that important clue. We now look at the revelation of some of the things that Jesus is showing us.
B) When it comes to scripture, the best interpreter of scripture is scripture itself. What that means is that we can put a lot of slants on things, and I think each group of theology does so without trying to do anything negative or evil. However, the best definition for Scripture is always found within scripture itself. There’s a particular reason for this: it’s because what God has to say about something is always more accurate.
C) Jesus mentions what the mysteries are regarding the seven stars in his right hand and the seven golden lampstands. He’s now going to explain what these mysteries are, so there can be no better place to gain this understanding than from Jesus himself. The seven stars are the seven angels of the seven churches. Here’s the problem: the Greek word for "angel" is the same word for "messenger." So, the struggle is whether they are actual angels or actual people who are the chief messengers of the church. Keep in mind that no letter has ever been written to an angel, except to one group whose angel is named Moron. If that’s not a hint from God, then I don’t know what is.
D) Jesus goes on to explain, after the discussion of the seven angels, what the seven lampstands are. A lot of people have come up with very interesting theories. You have to appreciate that they’re trying to understand the word, but Jesus clearly says the seven lampstands are the seven churches. The seven churches are, in fact, the seven churches that are being sent the letters mentioned earlier. Some people believe these are seven stages of the church. That’s an interesting idea, but it is not declared so in Scripture.
