The book of Revelation is about the One we are waiting to return, to see. It reveals who the Lord is in the darkest age. Because of this, there is a need for the local church to rise up and become one of the lampstands we see at the beginning of Revelation [Rev. 1:13, 20]. But itโs not just the churchโit is the real functioning of the church. The church has to be functioning in the age for ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐.
In the opening scenario of the book, the Lord also revealed something for this dispensational change: the Lord gave stars to the churches. Within those stars, you find humanity. You will find that portion that has been allotted to us as the sanctification. That portion sanctifies us from this evil world and those stars deliver us from the authority and the darkness of the Satanic degradation.
๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฏ๐๐, ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ [๐ซ๐๐. ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐:๐๐]. ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ ๐. When you go to those stars, you find your way. Today when we are together, we have certain ones like โangelsโ; they are the stars among the local churches [ref. Rev. 1:16, 20]. Those stars are not bright and shining like the sun. Oftentimes, you might not see the stars because the sun is so bright. Similarly, when the moon comes out, the stars are far away from its radiance. Nevertheless, stars play a crucial role in navigation, guiding us to our destination. Sailors who sail through storms often experience very difficult challenges on the sea. Those who are experienced know how to look for the stars when they have no light. They know how to read stars. Like the sailors, it is important to be able to read the stars among the churches in the era of the Lordโs return.
As the book of Revelation depicts a shift from the epistles to an era of the Lordโs coming, we have a need today for such navigation. Itโs very important to discern the ๐๐๐โ๐๐, the point of changes, through the signs of the times. This requires knowing who the Lord is. If you and I donโt understand or donโt know who the Lord is, how can we expect or await the One who is coming? Today, the Lordโs face is subjective to us. He is not a stranger. We do know the One we are expecting to return.
Knowing the Lord subjectively is the way we are kept on course. Because we know Him, we dare not to be disobedient to that very clear, heavenly vision. We see that because Paul was constrained by this vision, he was a shining star to those around him. ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฒ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ . ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ฒ.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง? ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐๐ญ๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐โ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง. Did you know God also has a face? All the virtues from the attribute of divinity are finding an expression as a face. When we look at the Lord, we are looking at His faceโthe countenance of the Lord. For some reason, God imprinted Himself ๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐. He is finding a face through us to have that lampstand shining forth that glow, that glorious appearance for the current dispensation.
The Son of Man also has an image. But itโs not a literal image. The book of Revelation is not talking about how He has a long beard and is girded with a long rope. This book shows us a virtuous image from Godโs divine attribute. Any physical image that we may imagine will not be sufficient as an image or depiction of God’s divine attribute. Yet, for some reason, this corporate image that we have found ourselves in (for we are partakers of this inheritance) is what saints like Paul and Stephen died for. They boldly lived and served without any shame. Today, we are in this inheritance, this line. We are that corporate expression, the stars in this dispensational shift.
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 4/26/2020, not reviewed by the speaker.)