THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION
[p. 130] THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Revelation 1: 10 - 11 (first sentence); Revelation 2:7 (first sentence); Revelation 14:13; Revelation 22: 16 - 17 (first sentence)
I desire to speak about the Spirit of God. The subject is very extensive, for the Spirit of God is mentioned in the first chapter of the Bible, and in the last, and throughout all Scripture. It will be observed that He is alluded to in all the passages which I have read, and in at least six others in the Revelation: these six, however, are found in chapters 2 and 3, and are repetitions of verse 7 of chapter 2, and thus the four scriptures read convey the setting of the subject in this book.
The first scripture involves christianity. The book itself does not treat of christianity characteristically, nor does it treat of the church characteristically, although both christianity and the church are in view throughout. Nor does the book treat of the Holy Spirit in His normal functions: it treats of Him in relation to the book itself, which is a book of distance. It is sobering to accept the terms implying distance in this book, for they enable us, whatever our inward experiences and relations with God, to take our place in the public position becomingly. We have our part in it, and God values this, and the feelings that go with it. We are very barren in spiritual feelings, dear brethren, and God would lead to a deepening of these. I believe the acceptance of the public position, involving the judgment of God, and involving distance, would lead to deepened feelings. You find these exemplified in the writer of the book throughout; and I believe the intent is to bring us into becoming feelings, that we might sigh and cry, as they did of old, for the abominations that are practised. If we are at all with God we shall not be indifferent to these abominations. We shall feel with God about them, and these feelings will lead to prayers, and prayers [p. 131] will lead to divine intervention, so that in the midst of the conditions described there will be something for God in each locality — for the idea of locality is another feature that the book would impress upon us. The book contains messages to the seven assemblies, and then the whole was sent to each; there would thus be universal intelligence, each assembly would know what were the conditions of all. Hence the book, whilst emphasising the locality, leads us out of undue occupation with that which is local into occupation with and concern for what is general. The book, therefore, has a very direct bearing upon us; but I want to speak about the Spirit, and perhaps the remarks I have made will help you to see more clearly what I have in mind.
The first mention of the Spirit in the Revelation indicates an outlet from all the harrowing conditions; and no one can really view them aright, or face them, unless as experiencing in some way this outlet. We may ignore the conditions; we may shut our eyes to them; but that is not an outlet from them: that is very objectionable and displeasing to God. On the other hand, we may become so taken up with them as to be damaged by them, affected and coloured by them. So the outlet is of immense importance. As availed of, it enables us to come into these conditions as from God, in a spiritual manner. We see all things clearly. It is an important matter, not only to see a thing, but to see it clearly. In the gospel of Mark we have the second touch of the Lord to the blind man, which enabled him to see “all things clearly” Mark 8: 25. So that there is no despondency or discouragement, but deepened feelings and corresponding prayers. What our hands find to do we do with our might; we do not let our hands hang down; we see that there is possible result, that our labour is “not in vain in the Lord” 1 Corinthians 15: 58; and so we move on with encouragement and with the approval of the Lord. The prophet John here speaks about the outlet: he says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” Revelation 1: 10. He gives us also his geographical position, and why he was there; “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” Revelation 1: 9 he was in the isle that was called Patmos. But although isolated in that way, he had an outlet into what was of God — into the spiritual realm.
There are two great realms. One is the mediatorial realm, out of which, as I apprehend, we shall never go; being finite, we cannot get beyond that. Into it God has come in all that He is, and in such wise as to be known in all the blessedness of His nature, but yet in the mediatorial area. Corresponding with that area is the area of the Spirit — the spiritual realm. The Spirit is here mediatorially, as Christ was, and in Him there is an outlet you see, not only from the physical limitations imposed upon us, as in John’s case, but also from the limitations incurred by the failure of the assembly. It were utterly unintelligent to assume that there are no limitations accruing from the failure of the church. There are, but the Spirit is the outlet from all these things. This outlet is what the apostle calls here “in the Spirit” — so that we may understand that that is available to us. It implies that there is at least a spiritual basis in us, but it is not within the range of the natural man: he understands not the things of the Spirit of God.
By way of illustration I would allude to the Acts, in which we get precedents and examples of things — not exactly doctrines, although they are there, but examples in the things themselves being presented. You find such a precedent in Philip: one who set out very simply to serve the Lord, without having ostensibly any commission, except that he was a deacon. But he moved out to serve the Lord and the Lord blessed him. He affords a good lead for those of us who desire to preach: we go and do it, and it soon becomes evident whether we are effective in it. In connection with Philip, he was directed by an angel to go into the desert, but, as in the desert, he is directed by the Spirit. I speak of this so that we may see how we come into the outlet. The way [p. 133] in which he moved in obedience to the angel brought in the action of the Spirit. He is directed by the Spirit to join himself to the eunuch’s chariot. One of the greatest things is an opportunity, and opportunities lost may never be regained: but an opportunity availed of may lead to others. It is a great thing to discern an opportunity, and to avail oneself of it. The opportunity was there in the eunuch in his chariot, reading the Scriptures. One of the functions of the Holy Spirit is to indicate to what we are to join ourselves. We should be very careful to what we join ourselves. I would not join myself to one reading a novel, one of the things this world produces as food for men; but a man reading the Scriptures is another thing. The Holy Spirit said: “join thyself to this chariot” Acts 8: 29, and Philip was ready — he ran and did it. And then he was equal to the service, going the whole way, down into the water with the eunuch, Philip and the eunuch together — a fine spectacle for heaven! Afterwards the passage says: “the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip” Acts 8: 39. I am showing you how the outlet is reached. One comes to a point where the Holy Spirit can take charge, so to speak, and not only take charge, but He caught him away. We have the two thoughts — we have not yet been caught up: we are looking for it. Being caught away is very like being caught up. But the Acts, indeed, prepares us for the great event ahead of us, for it gives us the spectacle of a man going up! Hence the going up will not be new to those who saw Jesus go up. There is nothing for faith in that which man can do in the air at the present time — much as it is. The Lord will come and take us, and we shall go up: the experience of going up will be ours.
Then there is the idea of rapture, or catching away. The apostle in writing to the Thessalonians speaks about our being “caught up” 1 Thessalonians 4: 17 — the power is from above, it is not something inherent. That is what we speak of as ‘the rapture’, but that will not be new to Philip,
[p. 134] and it is recorded, not as a mere matter of history, but so that the possibility of it may be impressed upon us. It is mentioned not as something very extraordinary, but in the simplest way, the Spirit of the Lord caught him away. He was sent by an angel from a most successful work, and he obeyed; now he has again completed a most successful piece of work, and has commended himself, so that the Holy Spirit takes complete charge of him.
The brethren may praise us in serving — and they should, surely — but it may go too far. It does go too far, and there is too much comparison with one another. It is unprofitable, as we read those “comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (2 Corinthians 10: 12). We have to consider whether the Holy Spirit is pleased. We speak of the Lord being pleased, but the Holy Spirit is intimately acquainted with what is going on in our service. So here it was the action of God, of the Spirit of God. He was so intimately acquainted with what was going on in Philip’s soul in his work and manner of service, that He raptured him, “the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip” Acts 8: 39. He came back again to his ordinary conditions and preached as far as to Caesarea. He evidently knew where to stop, for Peter was to come in at Caesarea and open the door of grace to the gentiles. If Philip had been at all on natural lines, or elated with his success in service, he would have conveyed a false impression to the eunuch, and maybe have suggested to him to take him in the chariot with him: he might have become a very distinguished man in the kingdom of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians. But the very idea of a king having a chaplain or a chapel is ruled out entirely in the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit says, as it were, ‘I want this man’, and the eunuch goes on his way — he “saw him no more” Acts 8: 39.
Now we may see how these spiritual movements provided the basis for the spread of the testimony at that time. Peter is at Joppa, in the house of one Simon [p. 135] a tanner, by the sea. These details are not for nothing — his occupation and the position of his house are mentioned, for heaven is moving. No one can read the Acts without being struck with the way in which heaven dominates the situation. The word to Cornelius is that he is to send to Joppa for one called Simon, whose surname is Peter; you have the person designated from heaven, with a sort of dual condition: he is Simon — his responsible name — but his “surname is Peter” Acts 10: 5. It is a question of bringing into evidence and activity the spiritual side of the man, and ignoring the natural, for Simon would be occupied with the Jewish features and prejudices of the moment, as indeed he was, for he says: “I have never eaten anything common or unclean”. Acts 10: 14. He was a good Jew, but what about the other side? What about this other thing that is named — this Peter? Without Peter, the spiritual element in us, God can do nothing with us in His testimony. As professing to be in the testimony, the point is Peter. Now will Peter show itself, or will Simon predominate?
Well, the first thing you get is that he goes up to the housetop to pray at the sixth hour. That is not Simon — that is a fine movement! There was a current moving out towards the gentile world, and the great vessel had already been secured — though as yet in obscurity — but a vessel, Paul. The current was moving, and what will Peter do? Will he move with it? The divine current is always moving. Let us be on our guard against ignoring currents, for a current is always moving while the Holy Spirit remains here. There could be nothing finer than the movement of Peter here in going up to the housetop to pray. And while they made ready a meal, an ecstasy comes upon Peter. Now, you see, the Peter element comes into evidence. An ecstasy does not belong to the natural man: it is a spiritual man that becomes in ecstasy. Peter is in touch with heaven, and heaven will instruct him. He has found the outlet — outside of judaism, outside of everything on earth.
[p. 136] It is not now a multitude of the heavenly host saying certain things, but it is something in the great sheet that conveys the mind of heaven. I would urge the cultivation of spirituality, so that we do not miss the mind of heaven for the moment. Heaven comes down — the mind of heaven, and the voice explaining what was in the sheet. While Peter is pondering on these things, three men knock at the door. We may find these three men knocking for us, and we may not be ready to go, we may not be moving with the current. But heaven prepared Peter, and he was ready to go. The Holy Spirit says to him: “go with them, nothing doubting, because 1 have sent them” Acts 10: 20. Peter is now in such a state that the Holy Spirit can speak directly to him. His mind was set at rest, and he went with them, imbued with the mind of heaven. He had an outlet, in the power of the Spirit, into heavenly things, and instead of going by commandment as a prejudiced Jew, he goes happily under the influence of the Spirit.
Now you see all this enters into this first scripture. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” Revelation 1: 10; as though the state of John opened up to him all that the book contains. He heard a voice behind him saying: “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last”. What an inspiration! that One is speaking to you who is “the first and the last”. How stimulating! Then He says to him: “What thou seest write in a book, and send to the seven assemblies”. Revelation 1: 11.
The next references to the Spirit are the seven times He is mentioned in chapters 2 and 3, a word for every saint: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches”. Revelation 2: 7. The Holy Spirit is alluded to in these chapters as speaking, not as having spoken. The chapters tell us what the Lord said, but they do not tell us what the Holy Spirit says. The Holy Spirit being here, a divine Person, is a great reservoir of divine things. We have little idea of the magnitude of the thought of a divine Person here. The Father would send Him, in the Lord’s name, and He would tell them all things, and bring to their remembrance all that the Lord has said to them. That plainly indicates that all the thoughts and words of Jesus, and all the doings of Jesus are carried through: nothing has fallen to the ground. If none of the words of Samuel fell to the ground, you may be sure that none of the words of Jesus will. It is not that all the words of Jesus are written in the gospels. One of the most beautiful touches is that saying which is not recorded in the gospels, but in Acts 20: 35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. The Holy Spirit has all these things treasured up, and brings them out from time to time. Nothing of the secret history of the Lord in His relations with His Father is lost: His words, His prayers and then all His public ministry — all is treasured up by the Spirit. How important, therefore, it is to listen to “what the Spirit saith unto the churches”. And that implies the idea of localities. If I have an ear I would seek to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. You may ask me how it is that the Holy Spirit speaks? It is a very simple matter. The Holy Spirit is not incarnate, as Christ was. He is here in the church, and He employs members of the church. He has His own way. He makes His own selection, and He makes sure that His voice is heard. He is saying something: let no one assume that He is quiescent, or silent. It is therefore incumbent upon everyone with an “ear to hear” to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. If I hear this, it gives me an understanding of the universal work of God.
Passing on from that, I would refer to chapter 14 by way of encouragement. “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth”. Revelation 14: 13. Dying in the Lord would link on with calling on the name of the Lord. Dying in Christ is not quite the same. Every true believer dies in Christ, for “the dead in Christ” 1 Thessalonians 4: 16 includes all believers. But dying in the Lord alludes to my position in relation to the Lord, to His will, and to [p. 138] His testimony here. So you see that, as it is still the period in which believers are falling asleep, the great point is to die in the Lord; for the word is: “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth”. Revelation 14: 13. And then the Spirit adds: “Yea, ... that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” Revelation 14: 13. How encouraging for those who are workers — and we should all be workers, surely! The Holy Spirit has intimate knowledge of everything done — first-hand knowledge. Is that not a great incentive to toil, to labour? “Yea”, says the Spirit, as though He were affected; as if His feelings entered into it. There is the love of the Spirit, as well as the fellowship of the Spirit, and how He takes note of the emotions of the hearts of the saints. “He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8: 27). He makes intercession for us “with groanings which cannot be uttered”, and so you can understand how He takes account of the labours of the saints, in the Lord; how His feelings are brought into it as they “die in the Lord”. The saints die with flags flying, with no lowering of the standard, for the principle is that you serve by the standard of your father’s house; that is the local idea; that is never to be lowered; and you die in the Lord. It is the testimony, and the Holy Spirit is keenly in that: “Yea, saith the Spirit, ... and their works do follow them” Revelation 14: 13, in rejoinder to the voice from heaven. Not one of these works will be missed out: they follow on.
The final reference is in the last chapter. We began with the outlet — being “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” Revelation 1: 10. The church is moving on with the Spirit. You get a view of the Spirit in the first chapter, and you never lose sight of it. It is the outlet from the whole scene — a scene into which you have to return, but which you can take account of according to God. What could be greater than to be moving on now, under the [p. 139] leading of the Spirit, as Rebekah did. “Wilt thou go with this man?” Genesis 24: 58. It is moving on with the Spirit. She says, “I will go” Genesis 24: 58 — she is resolved to go. If I learn what it is to be in the realm of the Spirit on the Lord’s day, I get a view of the church according to the mind of God, and I will not let that go: it is that which will enable me to go on to the end. One would love to draw the young ones here into the current of these things. Then there is the power that carries you forward, in the camels of Isaac. What you find in Genesis 24 is that Isaac came from the way of the well Lahai-roi: he comes from going there. It is Christ in heaven, in relation to the Holy Spirit, and the great system of the Spirit. That is the thing that sustains the assembly. He came from there, and “he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming” Genesis 24: 62 . She is coming home: it is the end. That is the position. The Lord is standing at the centre of things in relation to the church at the moment. Christ knows the full value of the well: it is the system of the Spirit. In the power of this we can go through to the end, and hence the Lord announces Himself. He says: “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” Revelation 22: 16. That is the announcement. The root of David is John’s gospel, it is the Person of Christ; the offspring of David is Matthew’s gospel. These expressions are perfectly intelligible to the Spirit and the bride. The bride understands, It is a very fine tribute to the work of the Holy Spirit, that He has the bride here in intelligence as to the Person of Christ. Normally, the church cherishes that. The Lord had said: “Whom say ye that I am?” Matthew 16: 15 and Peter knew who the Lord was, and the church knows who He is. These two things put together in our souls keep us right as to the Person of Christ, and we want Him to come. The Spirit and the bride say “Come!”
One might say much about David, for he speaks of all [p. 140] that is best and most refined in Scripture. It is a question now of spiritual refinement: David refers to that, and music is the expression of it. It is he that elaborates the great subject of music, and carries it forward in the service of God. It runs through this book. The harp, a stringed instrument, is presented as used in heaven, and the singing is so select that only one family on earth can learn the song of the family singing above — the 144,000 redeemed from the earth, who are with the Lamb (Revelation 14). Think of the refinement and ability of the family in heaven and of all that the Holy Spirit has accomplished! The church is completely in accord with Him in these instincts and desires, so that “the Spirit and the bride say, Come” Revelation 22: 17.
That, dear brethren, is what one would seek to impress upon us: we are to move on with the Spirit in these circumstances so as to be ready for the announcement of the coming of the Lord, the announcement rather of His Person, which is greater than His coming, and the Spirit and the bride say, Come! We want that Person here.
May God bless the word to us.