“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" (see Revelation 1:11).

      Not long after John was given this revelation, these churches began to fade out of existence. So, why would the Lord’s message for the entire church age be sent to these seven churches? It was obviously not because of what these churches were or would become but because of how they prophetically foreshadowed the unfolding destiny of the whole church in this age. Seven is the “number of completion,” or wholeness. These churches represent the entire church as it would unfold through the age. We’ll see this more clearly as we proceed.

      Let us consider that in John’s time, they were looking into the obscure future. However, we standing near the end of this age can see how accurate this prophecy was—if we know history. Not many do, so this study will provide at least a cursory overview of the history that has impacted the world and what the world and the church will look like at the end of the age. By this, we can also understand what is left to be fulfilled.

      We will cover this history more when we get to the Lord’s messages to these churches. First, He gives us a preface to these messages that we need to receive first. The Lord is the Word, and every word He speaks is important. So, we should never skip His prefaces, as they are often loaded with important understanding.

      John continues with this in Revelation 1:12-20:

      Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

      There are few texts in Scripture as packed with prophetic symbolism as these. They also establish the basis of the symbolism used in the rest of the vision, and we cannot really understand prophecy without understanding the symbolism that is God’s prophetic language.

      The first thing we should notice is how “seven” is repeated. There are more “sevens” later in this vision—seals, trumpets, thunders, etc. We might assume they are all connected to the seven churches. We should be open to it, but let’s try not to assume anything. Here, we begin with seven lampstands, seven stars, and seven angels, one each for the seven churches.

      Many would like prophecy to come with neat, mathematical precision, but it rarely does. There are principles that can help us know what the symbolism means, but if we start to rely on these principles, we will often find ourselves off track. However, biblical, prophetic symbolism will almost always be established somewhere else in Scripture.

      This is almost always, as there are exceptions, which it seems the Lord uses to keep us dependent on the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, not principles and formulas. Dependence on principles and formulas can lead to a form of sorcery, which is named as one of the works of the flesh in Galatians because it is dependence on the natural mind, not the Spirit.

      The Lord wants us to use our natural minds after they have been renewed, as then they will be led by the Spirit. To fall back on our own abilities is a continual temptation we must guard against if we are going to walk by the Spirit and worship the Father in Spirit and truth. This may be the greatest benefit of making a deep dive into the book of Revelation, as this will help us to better understand all prophecy and everything else the Lord is saying to us. This will become clearer as we get to know the language of the Spirit better, and the book of Revelation is a master’s course in it.