The Body lifeAs a sign, the church in Philadelphia prefigures the church of brotherly love, the recovery of the proper church life, from the early part of the nineteenth century to the second appearing of the Lord: Just as the reformed church, prefigured by the church in Sardis, was a reaction to the apostate Catholic Church, prefigured […]
As a sign, the church in Sardis prefigures the Protestant church, from the time of the Reformation to the second coming of Christ: When the church, in her continuous fall, came to the stage of Jezebel, God could no longer tolerate it; the church in Sardis is God’s reaction to Thyatira. Sardis emerges because the […]
As a sign, the church in Thyatira prefigures the Roman Catholic Church, which was fully formed as the apostate church by the establishing of the universal papal system in the latter part of the sixth century. The church in Thyatira tolerates the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess: Jezebel, the pagan wife of Ahab, […]
In Greek Pergamos means “marriage,” implying union, and “fortified tower”: As a sign, the church in Pergamos prefigures the church that entered into a marriage union with the world and became a high fortified tower; these two meanings correspond to two of the parables in Matthew 13 —the parable of the great tree and the […]
The church in Smyrna was a church under the suffering of persecution: In Greek Smyrna means “myrrh,” a sweet spice that, in figure, signifies suffering; the church in Smyrna was a suffering church: This persecuted church suffered in the sweetness and fragrance of Christ. This church was in the tribulation in Jesus and was in […]
With regard to the seven churches, which are represented by the seven lampstands, we should understand three things: These seven churches were real churches existing at that time. These seven churches represent the sevenfold history of the church. The conditions of the churches exist simultaneously in the church’s sevenfold history. Revelation 2 and 3 show […]
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: Paul says that he was a “slave of Christ Jesus” (Rom. 1:1); his use of this term indicates that he […]
With respect to man, the tabernacle was the Tent of Meeting, but with respect to God, it was the tabernacle; the tabernacle is related to God’s testimony, whereas the Tent of Meeting is more outward, external, related to God’s interest on earth and to His move. The first item of the furniture to be put […]
“…See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with understanding and with knowledge and with all kinds of workmanship, to fashion skillful designs, to work in gold and in silver […]
We need to see and experience the redemption of Christ: The one hundred silver sockets, upon which the entire tabernacle rested, signify that the church is built on the basis of the redemption of Christ and rests on the ascended Christ experienced by us. Sockets signify stability for standing; each socket was made of a […]
