_ The "One like a son of Adam"
encompasses both the Head and Body of Christ.
This is a beginning of an answer to the prayer of John 17. The relationship becomes closer in the
post-apostolic era, in the taking up of the Assembly, in the transformation of
bodies, and in the New Creation. Here,
at the end of the first forty years of the Assembly, the apostolic era, the
believer, in spirit and in reading John's record, perceives the spiritual
reality of the apostolic dispensation.
Both Head and Body are in view. We perceive the interaction with John in terms
of both.
Rev
1:17-20 NKJV And
when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to
me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. (18) I
am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of
Death. (19) Write the things which you have seen, and the
things which are, and the things which will take place after this. (20)
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 which you saw are the seven churches.
_ It seemed best to add a fair amount of
interpretation in the translation below instead of being overly literal. Most of the additions and changes to
traditional translation make implied meanings obvious in English. Brackets designate unfamiliar or novel
choices in translation and interpretation.
Comments below attempt to explain rather than prove choices,
particularly those bracketed.
Rev
1:17-20 jba When I
saw Him, I fell at His feet, as if dead.
He then placed His right hand upon me, saying, "Do not fear. [I AM the first and the last.] (18)
[I AM] the Living One. I became
dead. But, behold! I am living forever and ever! Amen! I
have the keys [of Death, and of Hades.]
(19) Write therefore the things
you saw, and the things that are, and the things that are about to happen after
these things. (20) The [secret] of the seven stars that you saw [on
my right], and the seven [solid gold] lampstands: the seven stars are [messengers]
of the seven assemblies, and the seven lampstands [] are seven assemblies."
1:17.1 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet, as if
dead. The
epistles of Paul reveal much about the constituent parts of the Head and Body
of Christ. John perceives the whole spiritually
and reports his perception without analysis. It is a terrifying sight to one still in the
flesh of sin. (It is also terrifying to
evil spirits.) See Dan 8.27; 10.8; Heb
12.23; 1 John 4.4; Mat 8.29.
1:17.2 He then placed His right hand upon me,
saying, "Do not fear. The hand that held the seven stars comforts
John, but the stars are also safe. The
angels who explain later visions to John also comfort him as the weakness of
flesh before spiritual reality becomes apparent. They, like members of the Body of Christ, are
fellow servants to John. See Dan 10.10;
Rev. 1.1; 19.10; 22.8-9.
1:17.3 [I AM the first and the last.] The Greek containing the unnecessary first
person pronoun is an indication that the sacred Name, Jehovah or the LORD, is
in view, as it is in Mar 14.61-64; John 8.58-59; 14.6; 18.6; etc. In this sense the Head is the First and the Last
as in Isaiah 44.6; 48.12. But
"first" and "last" may also more directly refer to the
members of the Body. The voice is that
of many waters. The members of the Body are
in view. The members are ordered in several
ways. The fullness that fills all things
in all ways is in view. Rev 1.15; Mat
19.30; 20.8; Eph 1.23.
1:18.1 [I AM] the Living One.
This is where eternal life is, in the
Head, and in the Body.
1:18.2 I became dead.
The Head became dead when He laid down
His soul and handed His spirit to the Father.
By acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior the members of the Body participated
in this death. Baptism represents this
participation.
1:18.3 But, behold!
I am living forever and ever!
Amen! Exclamatory
statements are given exclamation marks. The
completeness of the Resurrection of the Head extends to the members of the
Body. Many of the benefits are yet to
come, but God guarantees them. Exclamatory joy is appropriate.
1:18.4 I have the keys [of Death, and of Hades.] (The Byzantine form text has the death, hades
sequence.) For the Head this is best
demonstrated when Death and Hades give up their dead before the Great White
Throne. Members of the Body through the
ministry of the Gospel have their part in the separation of the elect from the
reprobate. But, in both these cases,
Head and Body act as One. The members
are completely pure and spiritual at the time of the Great White Throne. Rev 20.11,13; 2 Cor 2.16; 1 Cor 15.52-53.
1:19.1 Write therefore the things that you [see],
The contents of the record of revelation
to be written to the seven assemblies are outlined. Writing "things" seems
awkward. But the "things" are
manifested in divinely inspired visions and are being completely and perfectly
described through divine inspiration by the One who brought all languages into
being, the One called the Alpha and the Omega.
First come the things that John is currently seeing. ("See" is aorist. English present is a better default
translation than past. Also, context
fits.) (The statement may also extend to
all that John perceives throughout the revelatory experiences.)
1:19.2 and the things that are,
This seems to pertain to the seven letters to the seven assemblies in Rev 2-3.
1:19.3 and the things that are about to happen after
these things. This
seems to pertain to revelation in Rev 4-22.
Although a major purpose for this hook is to inform the faithful remnant
of Israel of events in the very near future, all the future of the current
creation, its ending, and the beginning of the New Creation are included. This provides context and is a completion of
the written revelation that began with Moses and is a part of the covenant with
Israel. Gentiles are to be grateful for
the food which Israel as a whole rejected, for the crumbs which fell from the
children's table. Rev 1.1; 17.1,10; 21.9-10;
22.6,10-12; 5.5-6; 8.5-6; 16.1; 20.4; 21.1; Mark 7.28.
1:20.1 The [secret] of the seven stars that you saw
[on my right], The
change in the description of the position of the stars is significant. The stars are cherished by the Body, but are
basically heavenly. Things that God kept secret are now revealed.
1:20.2 and the seven [solid gold] lampstands:
The Greek article accompanies the word for "golden" here. The emphasis is on Gold indicating deity. The lampstand in the tabernacle was solid
gold. The new spirits of the begotten
again Christians receive that glory which God intended for Man. Exo 25.31; Rom 3.22-24, 8.10.
1:20.3 the seven stars are [messengers]
of the seven assemblies, The word means messenger, not necessarily an
angelic messenger. The word has a usage
as a synagogue official who is akin to a corresponding secretary. The souls of believers in a locality
constitute a star. They are viewed as
seated at the feet of the soul of Jesus, represented by the sun-like visage. They are seated in heavenly places and are
taught by Jesus. They perceive spiritual
reality, including this revelation given to both Head and Body by God. They constitute the many voices of the
"voice like many waters" as they communicate spiritual reality to
themselves and to others in meetings of their assembly and elsewhere. Luke
8.35; 10.39; Eph 2.6; Rev 1.1,15.
1:20.4 and the seven lampstands [] are seven
assemblies. The spirit
of Christ and the spirits of believers in a locality constitute a
lampstand. The gold of deity is
appropriate to spirits that are righteous and that have eternal life and are in
Christ Jesus. (The Byzantine form text
omits "which you saw".) John 17.20-26; 5.24; Rom 5.1,17; 8.2,4,9,10,16,33;
1.9; 14.17.
I2C C 141120aa C Rev1v17to20 aa docx | I2C |
141204 1312 | C Rev1v17to20 Both Head and Body
