The Revelation of St John The Divine
Revelation - Chapter 1: 12-20

  ... cont'd from Revelation Chp 1: 7- 11

Grace unto you, and peace,
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

Revelation 1:12 "And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;"

John "turned" to see the (great) voice that "spake" (as of a trumptet) with him (from behind him). In Heb 1 "spake" (of spake/spoke) denotes such is "time past" (of time past/last days). So we're talking Mosaic law of law/grace: Jn 1:17. For confirmation we have another clue: being turned he saw seven candlesticks, seven "golden" candlesticks. Such speaks of the old of old & new.


In turning John turns back to law as noted in Rev 1:10 comment. The essence of Revelation, written by Paul, is it's a satire on John turning back to law, like a dog returned to his voimit.
Revelation 1:13 "And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one] like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle".

In the "midst" of seven candlesticks denotes a Menorah Seven. Such denotes yet another clue it is law which spake, for we find "like unto the Son of man" (is not the Son of God) in the midst of seven candlesticks, which are seven churches (Rev 1:20), in such things are an "allegory". The Son of man is not the Son of God, for God is not a man that he should lie(law). Many get deceived into thinking such is Christ in the midst of the churches. If it were it ould be the Christ of "Christ Jesus", not the Christ of "Jesus Christ". For Christ Jesus is mirrorly the reverse of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only foundation laid we should build anything on, and peace with God is thru Jesus Christ.

We begin to get a description of this twainy "like unto the Son of man", who is wearing the priestly garment of old covenant priests. And such is total cover up, excepting the head and feet. Yet these are sufficient to expose what sort of high priest John saw, as we will soon see.
Revelation 1:14 "His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire;"

Both his head and hairs white, like wool, which is an allegoric picture of the dead. As confirmation the only biblical references to "like wool" speak of snow, hoarfrost ashes, and worm eaten. Likewise "flame of fire" references speak of the angel of the LORD, devouring, spirits of ministers, and Moses. So we're talking Mosaic law, doubleminded vengeful wrath.
Revelation 1:15 "And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters".

Brass feet? Ezekiel 1:7 speaks of a being having burnished brass "calf's feet", but Daniel 10:6 speaks of a man envisioned only by Daniel: "His body also [was] like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude".

Such Daniel 10 vision notably takes place beside the third head of four heads of the great river which went out of Eden: "Hiddekel" (Gen 2:14). The vision is preceeded by three full weeks of mourning (Jeremiah's lamentation, concering breach of Jerusalem walls and exile to Babylon; Still takes place 'between the stictures' of 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av in synagogues), and it's followed by men with Daniel fearfully quaking and fleeing to hide themselves, also Daniel's comliness turning to corruption (ruin, destruction). Again, it's allegorically Mosaic law. Revelation 1:16 "And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength".

The seven stars are the seven angels of the seven churches (Rev 1:20). Like unto the Son of man having such in his "right" hand speaks of such as sheep of divisional goats/sheep in Mt 25. Such speaks of being partial and judgmental by law, which speaks of the seat of Moses, which also self-condemns with consequences in Romans 2:1, for "we all are one" and "there is no respect of persons with God" (condemning any condemns all, and self condemning condemns all within you, which is why God did not send His Son to condemn: John 3:17). Mosaic law is a "ministration of condemnation" in 2Cor 3, and all such is to be "done away".

The clincher of clues given is the sharp twoedged sword coming out the mouth of such priestly being like unto Son of man (should repent: Numbers 23:19). We know such is NOT the "word of God", for in Hebrews 4:12 we learn that of seven things the word of God (grace) is, one thing is it's "sharper than any twoedged sword"; Not to mention it's what comes out the mouth that defileth a man: Matthew 15:11 (Mk 7:20). A twoedged sword such as law vs law kills both left/right ways; Notable for those who want to be right in a left/right sides war of plural heavens, and want to be right to make others wrong. A twoedged sword (sword being word with s preceeding it) speaks allegorically of lawed-grace, of grace + law (added), which is as blessing + cursing = accursed (Galatians 1:9) and the curse is "of the law". James 3 points out the tongue set on fire of hell (law) can defile the whole body, also that both blessing(grace) and cursing(law) coming out the same mouth "ought not so to be" (ought not to be spoken nor given any amen if spoken). For both grace and law are contrary things.

His countenance as the sun shineth in his strength speaks of Son of man law being the strength of sin: 1Cor 15:56, strong man (Ml 3:27) we're exhorted to first bind in order to spoil the hse of sin (Mosaic law); For law is both the source and strength of sin. Only the law imputes sin (Rom 5:15; 5:13) and imputed sin brings forth death: 1Cor 15;56; Jam 1:15, to all: Rom 5:14.
Revelation 1:17 "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:"

Obviously such is not Christ, for when John saw such he "fell", and "as dead". If it were Christ: the end of the law, he'd be risen and seated with, in heaven, which is higher than the heavens. If the truth be known, both fear and fear not produce fear, because of the evil concupisence and curse of the law in old Do-teronomy & Don't-eronomy. Before the cross we find both fear and fear not, but after the cross no mention of fear (hath torment), only peace. For the source of fear: the law, got nailed to the cross as "enmity", 'blotted out' for being "against us".

Again we have such a law<=law being saying it's an I am (I exist as an oxymoronic first + last). In Hebrews 10:9 we find "he taketh the first (law), that he may establish the second (grace)"; for the will of God which the Son of God came to do is "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice". Such work was "finished" (Jn 17) even before the cross (Jn 19) when looking at two finsiheds.
Revelation 1:18  "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".  

Such law being alive again, and for evermore is only in the imaginations of those such as Johnny Law. Such imaginations contrary to the knowledge of God ("grace is sufficient", no law req'd), are to be 'cast down': 2Cor 10:5 because they are "vain imaginations": Rom 1:21; And cast down, lest the latter state of man kind be worse instead of better: Mt 12:45; 2Pet 2:20.

As for Jesus Christ, he gave no place to such law, such great tribulation of Mosaic law; And as for the keys of hell and of death, no such are needed when the source of death is abolished.
Revelation 1:19 "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;"

Three things (great greater greatest) are mentioned: (i) things thou hast seen AND (ii) things which are AND (iii) things which shall be hereafter. With John it's law law and destruction thereof. So thank God Paul (not John) is the author of Revelation, so that things which shall be "hereafter" (since there's no thereafter in all the Bible, and here we are so long after the cross) is The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with you all (against none), and a final Amen to that only.
Revelation 1:20 "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".

Mystery starts being revealed (for Revelation is about uncovering, revealing, disclosure) about such things are an allegory, and written aforetime for our learning: Rom 15:4. No doubt the mystery is to solved in time (by getting help, "in time", from the throne of grace, where only mercy is obtainable), for there is neither mystery nor time for such in eternity. And just as a little cancer can kill the whole body if not removed in time, so a little law can kill the whole body (including head) if not removed in time. Hence removal of law is the "operation" of God.

Seven stars are the seven angels of seven churches, seven who accompanied Paul into Asia. Seven candlesticks are seven churches. As we'll see in Rev 22, it's his angel (Paul) who reveals things as "dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie(law)" being in the churches. Paul warns "beware of dogs", names three top dogs who subvert and bewitch churches: James, Cephas(Peter), and John.

Of these, James was killed by Herod (it "pleased the people", since James wouldn't let either Jews or Gentiles be free of law), Peter got converted per "when (not if) thou are converted, then strengthen thy brethren", and says a dog returns to his own vomit (law) like a sow returns to mire (law) after being washed: 2Pet 2:22. John turns back to law "behind" him (Rev 1:12). Revelation 2 ... continued on next page