Grace and Peace
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)

“I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted” (Rev. 2:2–3).

In many ways, the church at Ephesus had their act together. When the Lord begins to speak to them directly, he commends them heartily at first. This was the church that had received the magnificent epistle to the Ephesians, and the apostle Paul had labored there in Ephesus for a few years. They had internalized the teaching, and were faithful in their defense of it. [Read more…]

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Grace and Peace

“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11)

“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks” (Rev. 2:1).

We have come to the introduction of the passage where the Lord speaks to all seven churches through their appointed angels, or “messengers.” He has a word to speak to the church at Ephesus, and so he writes to the “messenger” of that church. The message to the angel and the message to the church are identical. God speaks to His churches through His appointed and ordained servants.  [Read more…]

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Grace and Peace

“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)

“The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.” (Rev. 1:20).

The last verse of this chapter may be considered the introduction to the next two chapters. In this section of Revelation that is opening up, messages are being given to the angels of the seven churches of Asia. We have learned earlier that the Lord Jesus was standing in the midst of seven lampstands (Rev. 1:12-13), and that He also held seven stars in His right hand (Rev. 1:16). We are also told that a sharp two-edged sword came out of His mouth. So we were told earlier that this was the case. In this this verse, we are given the meaning of the mystery, and in the two chapters to come, we are told how the Lord exercises this ministry. [Read more…]

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Grace and Peace

“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11)

“Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter” (Rev. 1:19).

John is then instructed to write down what he has seen. The book of Revelation has many “time stamps” within it, but it also has some time hints, like this one. John is told to write what he has seen, the things that are happening in the present, and the things that will occur after that, in the future. He is not told to write down what has happened, what is happening right then, and then to hit the pause button for two thousand years or more. The expectation clearly is that the “things hereafter” are the things that will be unfolding in the immediate future. [Read more…]

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Grace and Peace

“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11)

“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Revelation 1:17–18, KJV 1900)

Understandably, when John saw this vision he simply collapsed. The vision was overpowering, and John fell down, virtually dead. But the Lord—for He here clearly identifies Himself as the Lord Jesus—laid His right hand on John. This is the same right hand that holds the seven stars, who are the pastors of the seven churches in Asia. When the Lord touched John with His right hand, His first words were “fear not.” The vision preceding provided ample reasons for collapsing, but the words that follow were the Lord’s encouragement to rise up and “write.” The vision was overwhelming; the words were enabling. [Read more…]

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