REPRESENTATION
REPRESENTATION
Revelation 1:1 - 13; Revelation 22:16,17
I have the thought, among others, of stressing representation. Only God really is entitled to representation, and this is found in Christ, who is said to be “the image of God”. It is a mediatorial thought, and extends from God to Christ, and from Christ to those whom He may select, and right down even to a righteous man, or to a disciple, for the Lord Jesus Himself says, “And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward”, Matthew 10:42. Such is the extending chain of representation of which Scripture speaks, and I have selected this book because it affords copious material for such an address.
It is the “Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, ... and he signified it, sending by his angel, to his bondman John”, Revelation 1:1. You will notice by the pronoun His, that the angel belonged to the Lord Jesus; it was not any angel, for there are myriads of them; other angels are alluded to in this book. The bondman is His too; it is the bondman of Jesus, and he proves that he is indeed such, in that he “testified the word of God”, as we are told, “... all things that he saw”. The Lord made a selection on the ground of experience, as we might say. Of course He knows all, and needs not in one sense to have any experience in order to know things; but He puts the selection of servants on this basis, and He had that great experience with this bondman. The Lord allowed him to be very familiar with Him. Indeed one marvels at times at the liberty accorded by the Lord to His disciples. John had the [p. 2] liberty of being in the bosom of Jesus and of leaning on His breast. The preposition in implies acceptance. John would not have taken the liberty if it had not been there, it flowed out from what was in Christ; liberty flows out from what is in Christ. Moreover, he leaned on His breast, indicating support, which John also took advantage of. So that trustworthiness in John was of long standing; and if age is of any value at all, it is in this, that it affords long-standing confidence between the Lord and the bondman, seasoned confidence; confidence that has stood the test of every weather. So that the Spirit may well say of John, “his bondman”.
Now as I was saying, the thought of representation is here in that sense, and John in his prefatory remarks, which run on to the end of verse 8, embodies this point, that there was good reason for the use of the word His. He would say, The Lord has indicated to me that I am His, not only through redemption, but through long-standing trustworthiness. So he says: “John to the seven assemblies which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is, and who was, and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; ... and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and has washed us from our sins in his blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father: to him be the glory and the might to the ages of ages. Amen”, Revelation 1: 4 - 6. What richness in the bondman!
Now I wish to point to the book as setting out this great principle of representation. This book is indeed a great holy and spiritual drama; it is unique. And, of course, there must be a personnel to set this out. So John, in order to bring the saints into it, addresses the assembly under the symbol of seven — seven assemblies in a certain province. The whole book is written to them, to those seven assemblies; and the personnel in [p. 3] the scenes depicted is supposed to be understood by them. One would like to be drawn into the current of the book. Although one whole, it is a series of great prophetic subjects largely represented in persons; and what is set out in such a wonderfully symbolical way is already current. Indeed, from the time the revelation was given the actual scenes represented had a certain existence. The assembly is to be in this; it is a question of selected assemblies under a symbolic form, seven of them, designated by the Lord Jesus and made prominent throughout; a letter being written to each of them by the Lord, showing that the saints of our day are included. Thus we all are addressed, and this makes the book of special interest and importance. At any given time, it is the current saints that are in mind in this book. We belong to one of the assemblies, and hence the book is for us.
What John saw was to be written in a book and sent to the seven assemblies; each is to have a copy, as it were. So John puts himself alongside of us, saying in verse 9, “I John, your brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus”, Revelation 1:9. That is how the New Translation reads. John is in isolation, he is on an island; but he is in “the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus”. They are one idea: “the tribulation and kingdom and patience” are all governed by one article; your New Translation will show you that too. It is an idea that attaches normally to a true follower of Jesus, to a true witness of Jesus; although he may be isolated he is in “the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus”; not of Jesus, but in Jesus. These things are in Jesus; they are fixed; they cannot be affected by any public condition. The severest conditions are included in the first word, “tribulation”; and the kingdom in Jesus is immutable. Other kingdoms may fall, and some may rise, but this one never falls; it is immutable; it is in Jesus.
[p. 4] Well, John puts himself alongside of us in that way, and he says, “I became in the Spirit on the Lord’s day”, Revelation 1:10. He is a real christian, a real follower of Jesus, a bondman of Jesus; but he is a fellow-partaker, a companion of the saints in these things. He is assuming that the saints are in these things: “the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus”. It is the tribulation in Jesus, it is the kingdom in Jesus, and it is the patience in Jesus; and he is assuming that the saints are in them all, associated with him in holy bonds never to be dissolved. That is the position in this book.
Then he says, “I became in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” — recognising that the Lord Jesus has to do with time, and that He can select a day to call His own day. His own authoritative day. How can I recognise the authority of Jesus more than by being in the Spirit? He says, “I became in the Spirit on the Lord’s day”. The Spirit here and Jesus on high at God’s right hand are correlative, and John was exactly in his orbit; he could not be more so than he was at this moment. He was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and in his orbit. You say, How could he move? He is limited as on an island, and no doubt in a prison, but he moves spiritually, unlimited by the island, or the prison, or the cell. That is what christianity is. And he says, “I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet”. It is like Samuel called up out of his rest. Samuel complained, asking why he should be called up out of his rest. He came up to speak a word about Saul; he condemned Saul. John is called back here to condemn what corresponds with Saul in our own day, the man after the flesh in the place of rule. This book calls attention to that man and shows how he is to be dealt with finally, as seen in the man of sin; for that is what he is, the full development of sin. He is seen as taken, and the false prophet too, and cast alive into the lake of fire. That is what this book brings [p. 5] out; it is one of the last things you get before you get the heavenly city. John is called out from the holy enjoyment of the Spirit on the Lord’s day, to see all this; very different from what he had been engaged with “in the Spirit”.
That is only one feature of the Apocalypse; the book is enchased by the most glorious representations of divine Persons; also of the assembly and other families of the redeemed. And in this respect it is remarkable that the first thing John sees is the assembly. He says, “And I turned back to see the voice which spoke with me; and having turned, I saw seven golden lamps”, Revelation 1:12. These lamps represent the assembly, Revelation 1:20. Someone may say, You are beclouding Christ; you are putting the assembly before Christ. Well, the Spirit of God does here, verbally anyway. The truth is that the assembly belongs to Christ, and if it is brought into view first, it is that Christ might be there. She is His bride and witness and she makes way for Him. God is bringing out assembly truth, and in order to make assembly truth practical He needs to get assembly material. Assembly truth is one thing, but assembly material is another; and then assembly material must be put into form and built up. When that is done there is a place for Christ.
So John says, “I saw seven golden lamps, and in the midst of the seven lamps one like the Son of man”, Revelation 1:12,13. I need not say more about that, but if there is anybody here who does not understand assembly truth, I would advise you to make inquiry. There are a good many here who could tell you something about it, thank God! The next thing is assembly material, and if you began sincerely to inquire about assembly truth, those who are in the assembly will conclude that you are assembly material, and they will soon make room for you. There is a place for you; it is waiting. Your seat is empty. There is a place for you, and as [p. 6] soon as you take your place you will see something of the Lord Jesus, that is, in the assembly. That is where He is to be seen. Of course, we see Him crowned with glory and honour at the right hand of God, but He is to be seen in the assembly. In this book He is seen in the assembly, not exactly sitting or standing, but walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.
It is important in the understanding of this book to see that the first thing John saw was these seven lamps, meaning the seven assemblies, and in the next two chapters, the Lord writes letters through John to each of these assemblies. They are all written in the same book; it is all one book, but a letter to each assembly is in the book. That brings me to the end of chapter 3. And again I would appeal to any here who may not understand what I am speaking of, to inquire about it. If you are a christian at all, inquire about the truth of the assembly. You see, it is at the very forefront of the book, in the prefatory part, and now it is in the body of the book. In the beginning the first thing seen by the prophet is the assembly; and in the next two chapters it is addressed in the writing of the Lord Jesus to the seven assemblies. I do say, dear brethren and young people here, that this ought to be attractive to you. The holy scenes of which I have spoken are wonderful, and we all, as of the assembly, are essential to them. Why should you not be in this great scene? You are essential to it. The Lord comes to Ephesus and knows every saint that should be at the meeting. He knows every saint in Ephesus. If He comes there and misses certain faces, He takes account of that; they are essential to what He has in mind. Each one is essential to what is in mind, so that if there are those here who do not understand what I am speaking of as to the assembly, I would urge you to inquire as to the truth of it. The Scriptures are available, and the Holy Spirit, as we seek it, guides into all the truth. There are [p. 7] also books which He has aided others to write, which help in the understanding of the Scriptures. The next thing is, are you material? And then, Are you in your place as a stone in the building?
Now that is the end of chapter 3. In chapter 4 we have a new scene, or at least another phase of the book. Then chapter 5 is another one; chapter 6 another; chapter 7 another; chapter 10, particularly, another; chapter 11 another, etc. One scene after another is brought before your eyes in the most holy way; they are presented in persons; certain principles or things represented in persons. In that connection we have the angel of Jesus, and the angel, or angels, of the assemblies; and we have angels otherwise designated. Now that brings out what I am saying in a very specific way — angelic representation. In speaking of the Lord, John says, “his angel”; and He says Himself at the end, “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies”, Revelation 22: 16. Are the assemblies all to be dissolved? No. The final and great result is one great thought, namely, the bride. In all these varied glories in this book the result is that the saints in the assemblies are all saying to the Lord Jesus along with the Spirit, “Come”.
At the end of the book the assembly is brought into view for a purpose different from that at the beginning. It is now the bride. When the bride appears there is no blemish; there is no reproof, there is no criticism on the part of the Lord; but in the early chapters we have criticisms. Nevertheless the assemblies are before the Lord, and He says each one has an angel, “I Jesus have sent mine angel”, the Lord says, “to testify these things to you in the assemblies”. Each of the assemblies has an angel, and that brings up a very important matter, as to whether I am representative of the assembly that I am in. If God be working in the city in which I reside I should come in for that, and for the very best [p. 8] of it. Why not? It is for me. Each assembly has its own distinction; but if that distinction is of any value, it is because of the work of God there. Character in a natural sense taken from the locality is of no value at all. If there is a distinctive characteristic in the town in which I am living, I am apt to imbibe it. That is detrimental. One great thought of the assembly is that it is heavenly, and that is what comes out concretely in chapter 21. It comes down out of heaven from God. I need to get that great thought into my soul if I am to get the gain of what is before us. And so, if I live in this town I must be representative of what is here. If there is anything of God in this town, I do not want to be behind in that; I want to be fully in it. Sometimes we hear brethren referring to those who are leading, those who are holding things for the Lord, as they and them instead of we and us. The sooner you begin to say we and us the more quickly you will come into the front rank in the work of God.
Now, I trust all understand that I am trying to make things practical. The Lord is seeking to bring us into the great idea of the assembly, and this book is remarkable as to how it presents the assembly. It presents it in concrete things; whether it is the local gathering in Ephesus, or whether it is the bride, the ideas presented are concrete. They are not beyond my understanding. A great city is not beyond my understanding; nor is a local company of saints; nor is a bride. These are all spiritual thoughts, but also practical, and I want to be in the current of them. If I am in this town in relation to the local company, I want to be representative of it wherever I go, but representative only of what is of God. What is the good of carrying anything else? Phoebe went to Rome; she had never been there before, I suppose. It was a long way. She went to Rome from Cenchrea, which was near Corinth. She is connected with the assembly in Cenchrea; that is the point the [p. 9] apostle makes. Who is she? She is in a sense the angel of the assembly there. Picture her in Rome, in the house of a spiritual sister, and another sister goes to see her. Will Phoebe bring out the latest social ideas in Cenchrea? No! She will not. She is a servant of the assembly at Cenchrea, and she will talk about the saints in Cenchrea. In Rome she will represent the assembly at Cenchrea; that is what she would wish to do, I am sure. She had the apostle Paul’s recommendation. What better could she have? She was a representative; she was an angel, you might say, in that sense.
You will see what I am seeking to make clear. God intends the heavenly character of the assembly to be reflected in the localities where the saints are, and as each one in a given place reflects that, he is a representative of the work of God there. All that is embodied in the seven epistles. That principle runs through them all. If we link them all together we shall see how the golden thread of angelic representation is unfolded. When the Lord Jesus says, Mine angel, that is a literal angel that represents Him, but when He says “To the angel of the assembly in Ephesus write”: that is the assembly’s angel, — some person or persons in the town that the Lord takes account of in that way. If the representative is poor, then He will rebuke him. If the representative is acceptable and according to heaven, He will praise him. Alas! there are only one or two assemblies free from rebuke! I am speaking of representation, in this way, so that God might have, through His work in His people, representatives on earth at the present time. I believe He has them.
To confirm what I am saying, it is noteworthy that the saints in the beginning had the idea of representation. You see it in the house of Mary when Peter was released from the prison, a most interesting story. James was killed with the sword and Peter was put into prison, and the whole assembly began to pray about Peter. That is [p. 10] one encouraging thing about the present time, that the saints all over the world are praying about the same thing, and you may be sure God will do something about that. The assembly was praying unceasingly about Peter. Presently Peter was released and came to Mary’s house. A maid came to listen and recognised his voice. Peter was there at the door. Those inside thought they knew better than Rhoda; they said, It is his angel. I speak of this in connection with angelic representation. Where did they get the thought? It is plain enough that the thought of angels in those days included representation. The Lord Himself says that even “little ones” have angels representing them in heaven. Rhoda said, It is Peter! Peter has just been speaking to himself; sometimes it is wholesome to talk to ourselves; it is indeed. We are told that he was asleep in the prison and an angel of the Lord came and smote him on the side. Why did he not smite him on the cheek? I suppose the angel was thinking about the side of the Lord Jesus, which had been smitten. Peter would understand that. He awakened Peter, telling him to put on his upper garment and his sandals, and follow; and he did. They passed one guard after another and nobody said anything. They went to the outer gate and it opened of itself; then they went down one street and the angel left him. Peter spoke to himself then. What a scene that was! What an experience! “Peter, being come to himself, said, Now I know certainly that the Lord has sent forth his angel and has taken me out of the hand of Herod”, Acts 12:11. It was an accurate conclusion. He spoke to himself. He just says that and goes to Mary’s door, and the people inside say, “It is his angel”. They did not believe in such an intervention, although evidently they had prayed for it. This reminds us that we might pray for things we do not expect to get. In spite of unbelief God answered the prayers of the assembly, and Peter was at the door. Rhoda insisted [p. 11] that it was Peter himself, and it was. It was not his angel; it was the real Peter, that God had delivered. The Lord Jesus had sent His angel and delivered him out of the hand of Herod and from the expectation of the Jews. What triumphant thoughts these are at the present time! What God can do! Let us therefore continue to pray and expect answers. If we write of the general pressure to brethren hundreds or thousands of miles away, urge them to pray. Young men go up before the Tribunals and say, I cannot take a sword. They urgently need our prayers. That is the word for today: Pray! It is a time of isolation: we cannot move around to see the saints as we used to do, but we can pray. The assembly prayed concerning Peter in the prison, and Peter was delivered.
You will understand that I have spoken of Peter’s imprisonment and deliverance in connection with the idea of representation. Now the Lord in His final word in Revelation 22:16 does not say anything about John. He says, “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies”. I suppose the you there would be the real ones. The Lord would discriminate most accurately in saying, you. “I Jesus ... testify these things to you in the assemblies”. “He that has an ear, let him hear”, Revelation 2:7. Who will hear that word; hear what the Lord is testifying to, giving us a full view pictorially in a most holy way of the prophetic history to come? There are hearers. He says, “I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star”, Revelation 22:16. This is the last word, as it were, as to this whole matter. Let us wake up to the fact that we are right in the midst of all these things now, dear brethren, and that the Lord would say, I am testifying to you. That is a word for us all here. He would say, I have testified unto you, whomsoever it be, by Mine angel; that is, in the indirect way the Lord has been faithfully ministering to us all these more recent [p. 12] years in the assemblies. There are those who cut loose from the assemblies, free-lances, who profess to be servants of Jesus, but the Lord says, “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies”. It is in the assemblies. And then He says, “I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star”. Where are we in regard of all this wonderful testimony that has been going on? The Lord says, I have done it by Mine angel. We are on prophetic lines here; it is not direct ministry to the assembly, such as Paul’s; it is prophetic; but it is, nevertheless, “in the assemblies”. Where are we in regard of it? If prophetic ministry does anything, it separates us from the world, delivers us from ourselves; it makes God everything, so that He has a place amongst us. It makes Christ everything, for in the new man Christ is everything and in all. He says, “I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come”. That is what I wanted to finish with: the thought of the bride in this concrete way. There are seven assemblies, which is very simple; there is the great city coming down, which is in itself comprehensible, because it is measured; it is a measurable thing. It is not infinite, it is finite. Then there is this most precious thought — the bride. The spirit of prophecy says, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come”. If someone has an ear to hear that voice, and say, Come, to the Lord Jesus, that is really the great end of this book; that the Lord has reached the concrete thought of the bride; the saints active in marital affection; and she wants Him to come. It is not simply to come for her, for His glory is her glory, and the come would mean coming out in display, when she is to be in display with Him. That is a great thought in the book, dear brethren, and the Lord would put it upon our hearts that we might be saying day and night to the Lord Jesus — Come!