The Wisdom of the Apocalypse

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: IV OPENING VISION THE LORD OF GLORY IN THE MIDST OF HIS CHURCHES I I2-2O This sublime vision of the Lord arrayed in the symbols of His majesty and glory, in the midst of His churches, was beheld by the Seer whilst he was in the state of spiritual ecstasy (26). It was introduced by 'a great voice, as of a trumpet, ' which he heard behind him (28); and it is given here as an introduction, not only to the Epistles that immediately follow, but also to all the subsequent revelations; for it is with these characteristic traits that the Lord will manifest Himself even to the close of the book. 12 And I turned to see the voice which spake with me; and, having turned, I saw seven golden light-bearers. Here, by a common f1gure of speech, the voice stands for the person, as in the words: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness (John i. 23). These light-bearers, or lamp-stands, as interpreted by the Lord himself at the close of the vision, are the symbol of the seven churches, and consequently of the church universal (30). The fundamental idea in the symbolism of gold, the purest and most precious of all the metals, is that of the utmost purity and preciousness; and accordingly it frequently denotes the most precious things, such as faith, charity, holiness. Hence these light- bearers are of gold to signify that the church is the most precious of all things to her Lord, 'who hath purchased her with his own blood ' (Acts xx. 28), and who adorns her as His Bride with the beauties of His own character (Ez. xvi. 10-14). As light-bearers, they signify that she is the light of the world, that it is her vocation to shine into its darkness, and to show the way of life to lost souls, as in the Lord's words: Ye are the light of the world. . . . Let your light j (33) so sh...