19 Write therefore the things you see, what they are [and signify] and what is to take place hereafter.
20 As to the hidden meaning (the mystery) of the seven stars which you saw on My right hand and the seven lampstands of gold: the seven stars are the seven angels (messengers) of the seven assemblies (churches) and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
It is plain and simple what the meanings are of these fourteen items, seven Churches and seven messengers. The seven lampstands are the churches and the seven stars are the messages that the churches preach. Now a lot of people say that these seven churches represent seven different church ages, or a history of the Church. But how can this be the case when the Truth is that Jesus is always the same? Our Lord never changes, and we are always His body, regardless of what period of history we live in. As I read what John writes to these seven churches, one thing pops out to me: the faults and experiences of all the churches in Asia are shared by churches today. I can look around and see that many churches have all of the traits and some have others, because we have so many different churches today.
Here is the way I see it, whether these seven churches represent seven specific churches, or seven church ages, or seven styles of churches, doesn’t seem to really matter all that much to us as readers. What really matters is what Jesus is saying to these churches. Heaven and earth will pass away, but Our Father’s Word will remain, and I am sure that the strengths and weaknesses of these churches still apply to all worldly churches today!
[There is] one body and one Spirit--just as there is also one hope [that belongs] to the calling you received-- Ephesians 4:4
As we study in the upcoming Chapters what Jesus tells six of the churches to do, I want you to notice how that He places all of the burden on the churches to change themselves. I will point out specifics as we study each of the seven churches. But keep in mind that only with the one church, the church of Philadelphia, does Jesus say that He will keep them. As for the other six, He never proclaims that God will prune them, as we read that He will do in John 15. We are never shown that our Father will strengthen the six churches as we read that He will do in Ezekiel 36, or that He will Shepherd them as we read that He will do in Hebrews 13. We are never told that our Father will keep these six churches from the evil as we read that He will do in John 17. Jesus never tells these six churches that He is actively involved in changing them, which is the only way that they could ever succeed. Jesus told them to act, He never used the above mentioned scriptural references, or the many others that we can find in the Bible, to tell the six that He would lead them to victory. Our peace is that Jesus’ true church, which is His Bride, never fails. Jesus always has a remnant of His chosen ones in every church. These remnants are the Church of Philadelphia. There is only one body, one church, one hope, one love, and we are of one mind, and Jesus is keeping us!
The real lesson for me here has always been this, whether seven specific churches, seven church ages, or seven styles of church, they all fail without Jesus being the force within them that causes success! Jesus only tells one church that He is the power within them that will keep them. With the six other churches, Jesus tells them, you change this or you change that. But the Beginning and the End knew that they wouldn’t change, because He was not the power within them allowing them too! This is why I personally believe that these are seven church styles, because there is only one true church. The true church is the one that is actually one with Jesus, the one that is being kept by Him. There may be believers spread out in the six other churches, but even though the Holy Spirit has them serving in them, true believers are still only one! If these were ages, that would mean that Jesus only told one church age that He would keep them. And that just can’t be true!
And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise [all them] up at the last day. John 6:39
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