Prayer: Lord, we worship You for Your New Testament economy. How we thank You for the book of Revelation that conveys to us the picture of Your economy. Lord, we also thank You that You have opened Your Word to us. Thank You that You are speaking among us. Thank You that You do have an oracle here on earth for You to speak Your Word into all our hearts. Lord, we trust in Your cleansing blood that we may enjoy You and that we may enjoy Your anointing. Grant us the abundant and rich anointing. Anoint our mouth and our ears. Anoint our speaking and our listening. Lord, we are looking to You that You would move on and on among us in Your recovery until You reach Your goal. Lord, do cover us with Your prevailing blood against all the attacks, the frustrations, and the disturbances from the evil one. Lord, in these days of fighting destroy the power of darkness. We claim Your victory that You have gained on the cross over the enemy. We pray that You would shame Your enemy. May we all be filled with Yourself, filled with Your glory, filled with Your anointing, and filled with Your rich grace to meet every need. We bring every need to You. Lord, speak a particular word to meet every need. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Amen.
The book of Revelation is very complicated. It covers many fields and many aspects. Unless you have a thorough study of this book, it will be hard for you to have a bird’s eye view. In this chapter I would like to present a very simple and brief picture or view of the book of Revelation. You may have picked up many points in your reading of this book, yet I would ask you, at least temporarily, to drop all the impressions you have received in order to receive a fresh, clear view of this book.
First, Revelation is a book revealing Christ as the all-inclusive One, and this all-inclusive One is the focus of God’s New Testament economy in this book. This book of consummation is focused on Christ as the all-inclusive, excellent, marvelous, mysterious, and wonderful One. We also must see, on the other hand, that this book not only presents us with a focus but also with a view. A view is different from a focus. The focus is the central point of a view. In the past three chapters we mainly covered the focus of the book of Revelation, and the focus is a Person. We need to see the view that has this wonderful Person as its focus.
The book of Revelation presents us a view of God’s universal administration. In this view, there is a center. The center is not the focus. The focus is a Person, but the center is the throne. The throne in this book is a great item. The first three chapters in the book of Revelation are on the churches. Immediately after this section on the churches, John saw a throne at the beginning of chapter four. John was in his spirit and he saw a view in the heavens concerning the earth. The heavens were opened to him and he saw that there is a throne in the heavens. This throne is the throne of God for His administration and is the center of God’s universal administration. Revelation 4:2 says, “Immediately I was in spirit; and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and One sitting upon the throne.” Of course, the One sitting on the throne is God, “and He Who was sitting was like in appearance to a jasper stone and a sardius” (4:3). Remember that the view that John had is a heavenly view, but it is concerning the earth.
In the center of such a view there is a throne with One sitting on the throne. There are also seven lamps of fire burning before the throne (4:5). The seven lamps of fire burning before the throne are burning horizontally. These seven lamps are the seven Spirits of God. They are sent forth into all the earth (Rev. 5:6) to carry out God’s administration by their burning. In the Bible fire first implies judging. The fire came down upon Sodom to judge it (Gen. 19:24). Also, fire implies purifying and refining. There are many oil refineries in Texas to burn out the dross of the oil. Finally, the burning of fire also implies bringing forth.
The seven Spirits of God burning before God’s throne as a flame of fire are judging the entire world, both the believers and the unbelievers. According to 1 Peter 4:17 this judgment begins from the house of God and will spread to the unbelievers, the entire earth. The seven Spirits are sent forth unto all the earth to judge the earth, to purify the earth, to refine the earth, and to bring forth the pure golden lampstands, shining in this dark age as the testimony of Jesus. The seven Spirits do not burn without a goal. There is an intent, a purpose, for the burning of the seven Spirits, that is, to bring forth the golden lampstands, the churches. If we are shortsighted and do not have the foresight, we will be very much disappointed by today’s world situation. Today’s world is full of darkness, corruption, and immorality. Thank the Lord, however, that His Word is like a lamp shining in a dark place (2 Pet. 1:19), and His Word is as a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psa. 119:105). Because we have the foresight, we would not be disappointed. Many Christians and all the people of the world do not know what is going on behind the scenes in today’s world situation. We realize, however, according to His enlightening Word, that the seven Spirits today are burning to judge, to purify, and to refine with a purpose. The burning of the seven Spirits of God before God’s administrative throne has a purpose to bring forth the golden lampstands, the churches, for the fulfillment of God’s New Testament economy.