Snippets

Rev. 1:4

Seven Spirits who are before His throne

(Seven Stars/Seven Angels/Seven Spirits of God)

Isa. 11:1-4; Rev. 1:16, 20; 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14; 4:5; 5:6

 

The sevenfold attributes of the ONE Spirit of God; wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might, out of which flows the knowledge of God, fear of the Lord, and righteous judgment to humankind. Being the seventh, righteous judgment is a summation or manifestation of the six and reflects the divine and universal principle of sowing and reaping (Gal. 6:7-10). When righteous judgment is viewed as a three (knowledge [1], fear [2], righteous judgment [3]), it signifies a “complete witness” of His knowledge and fear to man (Deut. 19:15; Isa. 26:9).

 

Rev. 1:5

Kings of the earth

(Six Things which God hates, the Seventh which is an Abomination/Leviathan/Carnal Mind/Old Man/Man of Sin [Individual & Collective])

Prov. 6:16-19; 1 Kings 4:34; 10:23; 2 Chron. 9:22-23; Psalm 2:2; 76:12; 89:27; 102:15; 138:4; 148:11; Isa. 24:21; Lam. 4:12; Ezek. 27:33; Matt. 17:25; Acts 4:26; Rev. 1:5; 6:15; 16:14; 17:2, 10, 18; 18:3, 9; 19:19; 21:24; Leviathan; Job 41:1; Psalm 74:14; 104:26; Isa. 27:1; Old Man; Rom. 6:6; Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9; Man of Sin; 2 Thess. 2:3

 

The kings of the earth speak inwardly of carnality, beginning with “a proud look” and manifesting as “one who sows discord among brethren.” When we take a close look at Proverbs 6:16-19, we find that the first five attributes make up the whole person, while the sixth is what we are (a false witness who speaks lies; coincides with the spiritual meaning of six) and the seventh is what we do (sows discord among brethren; spiritual meaning of seven, i.e. manifestation]). These are the inward “kings of the earth,” for it is an indisputable fact that every single person who has ever lived struggles with carnality while on this earthly plane. The apostle Paul refers to our carnality as the “old man” and “man of sin.” This is the “first man Adam” of 1st Corinthians 15:45.

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The idea of “kings of the earth” connects with Genesis 1:26, where God gave man “dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (KJV). This dominion encompasses this world only and explains why there is so much suffering on this planet. For this reason, Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10; KJV). Yes, Jesus Christ currently reigns at the right hand of the Father and is “prince” or “ruler” over the “kings of the earth.” So it is that “he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet” (1st Cor. 15:25; NKJV).

 

Rev. 1:10

The Lord’s Day

Gen. 2:1-3; Heb. 3:7-4:11

 

The Lord’s Day is not so much a particular 24 hour day, but rather the manifestation of God’s light and purpose, for God called the light “Day” (Gen. 1:5). John was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day,” revealing that in order to understand any “day” of the Lord, one must be “in the Spirit.” In contemporary terms, we would call this consciousness or spiritual awareness. Since God is Spirit (John 4:24) and God is light (1 John 1:5), a “day” of the Lord is the manifestation of light and His purpose in the inner man. Paul declared that we are to be “sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness” (1 Thess. 5:5). If we consider the three great Feasts of Israel, there are seven “days” of the Lord, each one corresponding to the feasts; Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles.

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In 2nd Peter 3:8, we read that “one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (ESV). This does not mean that a “day” of the Lord is exactly a thousand years, rather, 1,000 is 10 x 10 x 10, i.e. a “complete witness” (3; Jones) of God’s “perfection of divine order” (10; Bullinger) as reflected in His law (Ten Commandments; Jones).

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In John 11:9, Jesus declared, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world” (NKJV). Twelve is “the number of governmental perfection and divine authority,” thereby marking any “day” of the Lord as the manifestation of God’s will and work in the earth. Again, “twelve hours” is not literal, but symbolic, referring to the governmental perfection of God’s purpose as expressed in time. To “walk in the day” is to “walk” “after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1).

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In Revelation 9:15 we read, “And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men” (KJV). “Hour” and “day” denote “time,” while “month” and “year” denote “season,” hence we have a “time and season” presented to us in the sixth trumpet (1st Thess. 5:1-2). Seasons consist of months and years which are made up of days and hours (time).

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Rev. 1:10

A loud voice as of a trumpet

Isa. 58:1; 1st Thess. 4:15; 1st Cor. 15:52; Rev. 4:1

 

A trumpet or trumpets signify the voice of Christ, i.e. what the Spirit says to the churches (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). This being the case, the seven trumpets of Revelation reflect His voice which declares the will of the Father as recorded in the seven prophecies to the seven churches. The voice of Christ is both singular and collective as indicated by Revelation 1:15 where we read, “His voice as the sound of many waters” (NKJV), where “many waters” speaks of “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues” (Rev. 17:15; NKJV). It is in the fifth seal (five is the number of grace) where we see “under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held,” and where we are told that “they cried with a loud voice (trumpet), saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge (vindicate) our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” (Rev. 6:9-10) This shows that the trumpets of Revelation are the manifestation of his judgment and vengeance in the earth (Isa. 18:3; 26:9). Judgment is for the end purpose of correction, not for the end purpose of “eternal torment” as many suppose.

 

Rev. 1:12

Seven golden lampstands

Rev. 1:20

 

The seven golden lampstands are the seven churches or called of the Lord in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Though these were literal churches in John’s day, I believe they are to be taken prophetically as the ONE church of Christ since its establishment on the Day of Pentecost.

 

Rev. 1:13

His head and hair were white like wool

Psalm 145:9; Isa. 1:18

 

White speaks of righteousness and purity. The idea of righteousness connects to the seventh Spirit of “righteous judgment.” Christ alone judges fairly and in accordance with the Father’s will.

 

Rev. 1:13

His eyes like a flame of fire

Exod. 3:2; Joel 2:5; Acts 7:30; Heb. 1:7; 4:12-13; Rev. 2:18; 19:12

 

Fire is light, therefore “eyes like a flame of fire” speak of the Lord’s ability to perceive all things which pertain to our Father’s kingdom (wisdom, understanding, counsel, might). Fire gives light and purifies, so too the unadulterated living Word of God through Christ.

 

Rev. 1:14

His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace

Lev. 26:19; Num. 21:9; Deut. 28:23

 

Brass typifies judgment (brazen altar and brazen laver). The “feet” denote that on which everything else stands and signifies our “walk” or conduct in life, agreeing with the seventh Spirit of God and our need for judgment, i.e. His loving correction. The “furnace” or fire speaks of how God’s living Word tests every work of man (1st Cor. 3:13). It’s interesting to note the word for “furnace” is used in Revelation 9:2 in regard to the bottomless pit. Would “feet” then indicate the end of the age and the exponential increase of carnality apparent in our time? Would the “furnace” denote the tribulation that comes as a result of our carnality, both individually and collectively? The fact that “fine brass” or judgment regards the “feet” leads to Mark 12:36 where judgment leads to victory over his “enemies.”

 

Rev. 1:16

Seven stars

Rev. 1:20

 

The seven stars are the “angels” of the seven churches. These “angels” are defined as the sevenfold characteristics of the one Spirit of the Lord (See “Seven Spirits who are before His throne”). When John is told to “write” to the “angel” of each church, he is appealing to the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might in the called of God.

 

Rev. 1:16

Sharp two-edged sword

Heb. 4:12

 

The living and active Word of God (ESV). Two is the number that represents "division" or "witness." His living Word brings division into our being in order to eventually produce a witness.

 

Rev. 1:18

Keys of Death and Hades (Hell)

 

“Hades” in the New Testament is synonymous with Sheol in the Old, meaning a grave or pit. When I think of a pit, I think of the “bottomless pit” described in the fifth trumpet, symbolic of a state of being where we are dead in trespasses and sins due to the incessant workings of the carnal mind (imaginations of the thoughts of men’s hearts being evil continually [bottomless]). Death can be defined as the temporary nature of form as well as our inability to see the light of life and thus walk in darkness (Luke 1:79; 11:34; John 1:5; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35; 1st John 1:6; 2:9).

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Hades or “Hell” follows death because Hades is the manifestation of death (Rev. 6:8). The carnal mind is death so what comes from it produces a present state of being which resists what is good for us (Rom. 7:12-13). Since death is first and foremost a state of being (Eph. 2:1), Hades is simply its manifestation. As mentioned, this manifestation is described in the fifth trumpet as the “bottomless pit” (Sheol/Hades), what the Concordant Literal New Testament aptly calls “submerged chaos.” All of humankind’s suffering can be attributed to the carnal mind, a mind of pride where we think more highly of ourselves than we should (Rom. 12:3). It is also important to note that the beast which ascends out of the sea in Revelation 13:1 is synonymous with the opening of the bottomless pit in the fifth trumpet.