Returning to the Orthodoxy of the Church
Message One
The Vision of the Glorious Christ as the Son of Man
Walking in the Midst of the Golden Lampstands
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him to show to His slave…, Who testified the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, even all that he saw—Rev. 1:1-2.
And in the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle. And His head and hair were as white as white wool, as snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; and His feet were like shining bronze, as having been fired in a furnace; and His voice was like the sound of many waters. And He had in His right hand seven stars—vv. 13-16.
Word of Appetizer
What is the first vision that John saw in Revelation?
The first vision is the vision of the glorious Christ as the son of man walking in the midst of the golden lampstands.
And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, And in the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment reaching to thefeet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle—Rev . 1:12-13.
Spiritual Burden
We must have an ear to hear what the Spirit is speaking to the churches: As the Spirit is speaking to the churches, we all need an opened, circumcised, cleansed, and anointed ear to hear the Spirit’s speaking.
We need to see the vision of the glorious Christ as the son of man walking in the midst of the golden lampstands.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The book of Revelation is the unique and ultimate revelation of Jesus Christ.
Christ as the Son of Man is the High Priest, “clothed with a garmentreaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle” (v. 13), to cherish the churches in His humanity and nourish them in His divinity.
The heavenly ancientness of the Lord; the Lord’s seven eyes are as a flame of fire.The Lord’s feet are like shining bronze. The Lord’s voice is like the sound of many waters; Christ’s face is as the sun shining in its power.
Christ is the Holder of the bright messengers of the Churches, Christ is the First and the Last, Christ has the keys of death and of Hades.
The Experience of Life
Christ takes care of the churches in His humanity as the Son of Man to cherish them, He dresses the lamps of the lampstands to make them proper, cherishing us that we may be happy, pleasant, and comfortable.
We can enjoy the cherishing atmosphere of the Lord’s presence in the church to receive the nourishing supply of life.
Practice and Application
If we are going to see the vision of the glorious Christ and of the seven churches in Revelation 1-3, we must care for the following things:
We must take the position of a slave.
We must exercise our human spirit as the organ for us to see, realize, and respond to God’s move; only spirit can respond to Spirit.
We must have an ear to hear what the Spirit is speaking to the churches.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him ….and He made it known by signs, sending it by His angel to His slave John, Who testified the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, even all that he saw—Rev. 1:1-2.
…and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, And in the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle—vv. 12-13.
The vision of the glorious Christ and the seven churches:
Christ as the Son of Man is the High Priest—to cherish the churches in His humanity and nourish them in His divinity
I. If we are going to see the vision of the glorious Christ and of the seven churches in Revelation 1-3, we must care for the following things: take the position of a slave, We must exercise our human spirit as the organ for us to see, realize, and respond to God’s move; have an ear to hear what the Spirit is speaking to the churches.
II. The book of Revelation is the unique and ultimate revelation of Jesus Christ.
III. Christ as the Son of Man is the High Priest, “clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle” (v. 13), to cherish the churches in His humanity and nourish them in His divinity.
Key Verses (2)
And His head and hair were as whiteas white wool, as snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; and His feetwere like shining bronze, as having been fired in a furnace; and His voice was like the sound of many waters. And He had in His right hand seven stars—Rev. 1:14-16.
The head, hair, seven eyes, feet, voice of the Lord
Christ is the Holder of the bright messengers of the churches
IV. The heavenly ancientness of the Lord is depicted by His head and hair being white as white wool, as snow .
V. The Lord’s seven eyes are as a flame of fire for watching, observing, searching, judging by enlightening, and infusing.
VI. The Lord’s feet are like shining bronze, as having been fired in a furnace, signifying that His perfect and bright walk qualifies Him to exercise divine judgment.
VII. The Lord’s voice is like the sound of many waters which is a tumultuous sound, the sound of the voice of the Almighty God in its seriousness and solemnity .
VIII. Christ is the Holder of the bright messengers of the churches.
Key Verses (3)
…out of His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword; and His face shone as the sun shines in its power. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead; and He placed His right hand on me, saying, Do not fear; I am the First and the Last, And the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades—Rev. 1:16-18.
Out of Christ’s mouth, Christ’s face
Christ is the First and the Last, and the living One
Christ has the keys of death and of Hades
IX. Out of Christ’s mouth proceeds a sharp two-edged sword, which is His discerning, judging, and slaying word for dealing with negative persons and things.
X. Christ’s face is as the sun shining in its power (Dan. 10:6) for judging enlightenment to bring in the kingdom.
XI. Christ is the First and the Last, assuring us that He will never leave work unfinished, and the living One for the churches as the expression of His Body to be living, fresh, and strong.
XII. Christ has the keys of death and of Hades.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 We need to allow Him to serve us first (Mark 10:45; Luke 22:26-27; 12:37)
(From which three verses can we see that Christ served us in the past, He is still serving us in the present, and He is going to serve us in the future?)
T2 In spiritual things, seeing depends upon hearing (Rev. 1:10-12) (Refer to Outline I. C)
(Please explain that our ears must be opened, be cleansed and be anointed to hear the speaking of the Spirit.)
D2
T1 Getting the revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:1)
(Please explain that although John’s body lost its freedom on the island of Patmos, his spirit was not bound. He was able to fellowship freely with the Lord and receive fresh revelation.)
T2 These seven churches represent the whole church (Rev. 1:11)
(Please explain that these seven churches were real churches existing at that time, and that they represent the situation of the visible church in the ages.)
D3
T1 Being girded at the loins and girded about at the breasts (Rev. 1:13)
(Please explain that Christ takes care of the churches with the girdle not on His loins but on His breasts, signifying love.)
T2 To dress the lamps is to make them proper (Exo. 25:38)
(Please explain how Christ cares for the lampstands by trimming the wicks of the lamps of the lampstand.)
D4
T1 Christ is ancient, but not old (Rev. 1:14)
(Please explain what it means by saying that our Lord has white head and hair.)
T2 The Lord’s eyes being like a flame of fire is mainly for His judgment (Rev. 2:18-23)
(Please explain that Christ’s eyes are for watching, observing, searching, judging by enlightening, and infusing)
D5
T1 The Lord’s feet are like shining bronze, as having been fired in a furnace (Rev. 1:15)
(Please explain that Christ’s perfect and bright walk qualifies Him to exercise divine judgment.)
T2 The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches (Rev. 1:16)
(Please explain what kind of people the messengers of the churches are.)
D6
T1 Christ as God who lives forever and ever (Rev. 1:18)
(Please explain that all the local churches should be living, fresh, and strong.)
T2 Christ has the keys of death and of Hades (Rev. 1:18)
(In the church life, how can we experience that the keys of death and Hades are in His hand?)
