Truth On Tough Texts
Truth On Tough Texts
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N LIGHT OF A LITERAL APPROACH TO THE BOOK OF REVELATION, GOD STRONGLY emphasizes the messages to the seven churches of chapters 2–3. So important are these messages, in fact, that they comprise a little over twelve-and-one-half percent (or about one eighth) of the content of the book. Moreover, there is a lot of “Church Truth” in these messages that matches the Church Truth contained in other New Testament Epistles. Let us not neglect these two chapters in favor of the more “spectacular” parts of Revelation. These two chapters will honestly be of far more help to local churches and individual believers than will the remainder of the book.
In this issue of TOTT and the next, we will examine the four-fold application of these letters, the first of which provides us with our first “tough text.”
By this is meant that Christ was concerned with the state of each of these physical, 1st Century local churches. As one commentator observes, “The order of scriptural presentation was geographic. A messenger would naturally travel the route from the seaport Ephesus, 35 miles north to another seaport, Smyrna, proceed still farther north and to the east to Pergamos, and then would swing further to the east and south to visit the other four cities (1:11).”[1] These cities, of course, were located in the Roman province of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and were undoubtedly selected because they were the key cities of the seven postal districts of that region. They were the cities one would choose if he wanted to spread information.
The Lord Jesus makes observations and counsels each one of them. Revelation 1:20 makes this clear: 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.
As this verse declares, each church was viewed as a lampstand. The Greek here for “lampstand” is luxnos, which refers to the hand-lamp that was fed by oil. As we know, “oil” is used in Scripture as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, so the thought here is that the churches themselves do not create light; rather, each church bears the light of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We now notice the word “angels.” The Greek here is angeloi, meaning “messengers.” The
identity of these “angels” has been a matter of much discussion through the
years. A clue to this identity lies in the fact that Jesus holds them in His
right hand. As the right hand is used in Scripture as a symbol of honor and authority
(Eph. 1:20; Heb. 8:1; 12:2; I Pet. 3:22; etc.), the idea here is that Jesus is
controlling His church through the authority of these “messengers.” While angels
is the common translation of angeloi, and while there are some valid arguments
that these are literal angels, we are compelled to disagree for several
reasons.
First, literal angels are never spoken of in Scripture
as being the “authorities” in churches. In other words, they are never involved
in church leadership; God does not rule churches through angels. Nowhere
is this indicated in the Epistles. Angels don’t lead churches; God’s men lead churches and are responsible for how they lead.
Second, all but two of these churches, and
obviously their leadership, have been disobedient to God’s Word and are
commanded to repent of their sin (2:4-5,
14, 20; 3:1-3,
15, 17, 19). Angels, however, do not sin and,
therefore, have no need to repent.
Third, and perhaps most significantly, saying that these are literal angels actually means that God is sending messages to angels through John, but such an idea has no precedent in Scripture. Not once do we read that God spoke to angels through men.
Fourth, while it is argued that angelloi always means angels, that simply is not so; there are several instances in Scripture where angelloi clearly speaks of “messengers,” that is, human messengers. Luke 7:24, for example, declares, “And when the messengers [angelloi] of John were departed, [Jesus] began to speak unto the people concerning John.” A few verses before, in fact, we read that these same messengers were John’s disciples, that is, men (v. 19). Then in verse 27, our Lord Himself uses angellos to refer to John as His “messenger.” Likewise, James 2:25 recounts, “Was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers [angelloi], and had sent them out another way?” The spies sent in to reconnoiter the Promised Land were men, not angels. As one Greek authority points out, an argument could be made that even Hebrews 13:2—“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”—might be referring to hospitality “to itinerate preachers rather than angels.”[2]
Further, we see the same idea in the Old Testament, both in the Hebrew and the Greek (Septuagint), which provides a clear precedent for the New Testament use. While most references in the Old Testament are to literal angels, several are not. Commentator William Newell well points out some of those. While Genesis 32:1, for example, says that Jacob encountered literal angels, verse 3 says he sent his own “messengers” to Edom. In both verses, the Hebrew word is the same, malāk, which in-turn is translated as the Greek angelloi. Likewise, in Numbers 20:14, Moses sent his own “messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom,” while God sent an “angel” to Moses. The Hebrew is again malāk in both verses and is translated as the Greek angelloi (and angellos). Again, in Judges 6:10-23, the literal “Angel of the Lord” is referred to seven times by the Hebrew malāk (vs. 11, 12, 20, 21 [twice], 22 [twice]), while the messengers Gideon sent are also called malāk (v. 35); in all cases the Greek is again angellos. And still again, Sennacherib’s representative are called “messangers” in Isaiah 37:9 and 14, while in verse 36 the Angel of the Lord is in view, and the same Hebrew and Greek words are used.[3]
Most significant in all those examples is the fact that the Hebrew and Greek words refer to both angels and men in the same context. Some argue, “Since the word ‘angel’ occurs 67 other times in Revelation, and since every one of those refers to heavenly angels, then it must also be true here in 1:20.” But that obviously is not so.
Fifth, the context clearly seems to argue against literal angels. Christ is speaking about earthly matters to an earthly messenger, who will in-turn pass on those matters to other earthly messengers. Why would He bring heavenly beings into a discussion of earthly issues? Further, the responsible parties in these letters are earthly beings, not heavenly beings.
Sixth, one final problem with the literal angel idea is that there is no way to explain how the angels then conveyed Christ’s message to the churches. It seems more than obvious that men would carry these messages to the churches.
We must conclude, therefore, that the messengers of Revelation 2-3 were, indeed, the pastors of the seven churches. These men were those who were responsible for the leadership of those churches and those to whom the challenges and encouragements of the letters were given. It is through such men that the Lord (Who holds these in His right hand) leads and rules His Church.
If we may submit, therefore, this is precisely why the qualifications and requirements for leadership in the Church are extremely high, according to I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. God could not be clearer on this issue of qualified leadership. In spite of that, however, we increasingly see people today leading who, frankly, should not be doing so. The common attitude is that anyone can lead, but this is worse than dangerous. In fact, the precedent in Scripture for training to be a leader seems to be three years. The disciples spent three years with the Lord, Paul spent three years in training before being sent out to preach and plant churches (Gal. 1:11-18), and Timothy was with Paul three years during the second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-18:22). We would also add, as Paul wrote to Timothy—“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (II Tim. 2:2)—can there be any doubt that he was saying, “As I trained you for leadership, you train others for leadership?”
Dr. J. D. Watson
Pastor-Teacher
Grace Bible Church
Light (1)
phōs
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n Classical Greek usage, the basic meaning of phōs (5457; English phosphorus, etc.) is light and brightness and conveys the ideas of sunlight, daylight, torchlight, firelight, and so forth. In other words, it refers to light itself, not the source of light, such as the sun, a torch, fire, or a lamp. Even early in secular usage, it was also used figuratively “to mean the sphere of ethical good, whereas misdeeds are said to take place in darkness.” All that was carried over into NT usage but intensified all the more by its identification with Christ.
The
Christian, therefore, is to walk in light. Since we were once “darkness,
but now are . . . light in the Lord,” we are to “walk as children of light”
(Eph. 5:8). In other words, we conduct ourselves according to light, the light
of Christ and His Word. As He is the Light (John 1:4; 8:12) and is the Word Who
became flesh (1:14), then it is His Word in which we are to walk.
What seems obvious about darkness
and light is that they cannot coexist. If you turn on a light in a dark room,
darkness flees. But it’s not as obvious in practical application. People talk
much about “gray areas” of conduct, avoiding the terms right or wrong and truth or error. But the Scripture contains no such “gray areas.” Conduct is
either moral or immoral, good or bad, true or false.
What,
then, are the “attributes” of light? Generally speaking, light pictures
two basic thoughts.
First, in regard to the intellect,
light pictures truth. So, to walk according to light means that we walk
according to truth. No longer are we ignorant, for the truth of Jesus
Christ is in us. Moreover, walking according to light means that we are growing
in the knowledge of Christ day by day.
Second, in regard to morality,
light pictures holiness. To walk according to light means that we live a
pure, holy life; we walk as holy people. All that we say and do shines forth
the light of Christ that is in us (cf. Eph. 4:17–32).
Scriptures for Study: Read the following verses,
noting other ways in which we are to walk in the Christian life: Romans 4:12;
6:4; Galatians 5:16, 25; Ephesians 5:2; Colossians 4:5.
Light (2)
phōs
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aking one more look at the word phōs (light), this is one of the most glorious NT metaphors concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Without question, the most vivid example of Christ being Light appears in John 8:12, where He declares, “I am the light of the world.” But it’s only when we realize where our Lord was standing when He uttered those words that we see the full significance of His statement.
The setting was the Illumination of the Temple ceremony that took place during the Feast of the Tabernacles (or Booths). That feast, which began five days after Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), involved the Israelites presenting offerings for seven days while they lived in huts (booths) made of palm fronds and leafy tree branches to remember their journey in Canaan (Lev. 23:43).
At the end of the feast, the illumination ceremony took
place, which is described in the Mishna. The Torah
was the Jews’ title for the “Law” (Genesis through Deuteronomy). Questions
arose, however, concerning the meanings of these laws, so over the years an
oral law called “the tradition of the elders” developed, which was then put
into written form around AD 200. This was called the Mishna, which means
“repetition,” as much of Jewish education was based on repetition; this became
a principle part of what was called the “Talmud,” the commentaries that were
written on the Law.
The
Mishna tells of
four tall, massive golden candleholders that stood in the temple treasury. On
top of each was a large torch and bowl containing 120 logs (about 20
gallons) of oil. There was also a ladder for each candleholder, which a priest
climbed; then he poured oil into the bowl, placed a wick in it made of old
garments, and lit it. The Mishna records that “there was not a courtyard
in Jerusalem which was not lit up from the light.”
So, it was
on that very spot that Jesus stood when he declared, “I am the light of the
world.” What a scene! In essence, He said, “While these great torches light all
Jerusalem, I light the entire world. Only if you know Me, will
you be delivered from darkness and have light to see.”
Dear
Christian Friend, this challenges us that since we are part of that
light, we are to walk in that light (Eph. 5:8).
Scriptures for Study: Read the following verses and
rejoice in the light: John 9:5; 12:46; Romans 13:12; 2 Corinthians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians
5:5; James 1:17. & Also read 2 Corinthians 6:14—7:1, which concerns
our separation from the world.
Now in its second printing from AMG
Publishers, A Word
for the Day is
available wherever Christian books are sold.
The
first step astray is a want of adequate faith in the divine inspiration of the
sacred Scriptures. All the while a man bows to the authority of God’s Word, he
will not entertain any sentiment contrary it its teaching. “To the law and to
the testimony,” is his appeal concerning every doctrine. He esteems that old
Book, concerning all things, to be right, and therefore he hates every false
way. But let a man question, or entertain low views of the inspiration and
authority of the Bible, and he is without chart to guide him, and without
anchor to hold him.
In
looking carefully over the history of the times, and the movement of the times,
of which we have written briefly, this fact is apparent: that where ministers
and Christian churches have held fast to the truth that the Holy Scriptures
have been given by God as an authoritative and infallible rule of faith and
practice, they have never wandered very seriously out of the right way. But
when, on the other hand, reason has been exalted above revelation, and made the
exponent of revelation, all kinds of error and mischief’s have been the result.
Robert Shindler in Spurgeon’s
The Sword and the Trowel (1887)