The last book in the Bible is a book of gold. At the beginning there are the seven golden lampstands, and at the end the golden city, the New Jerusalem. What is mentioned at the beginning and at the end of any book is always the main content of that book. There are the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls mentioned in this book, but these are not in the beginning or at the end. At the beginning are the seven golden lampstands, and at the end is the golden city. We also are told clearly that the seven golden lampstands are the seven local churches. We are also told that the golden city is the bride of Christ. Therefore, at both ends of this book, we see the church. First, there are the local churches, and then eventually, there is the ultimate consummation of the churches, which is the New Jerusalem. Therefore, we must have a thorough look into the local churches, for as we have seen, this book is a book of the seven Spirits for the local churches.
The Bible is a volume of sixty-six books, with over one thousand chapters. There are many subjects, many doctrines, and many things covered in this book, but the main figures are only four. In the whole Bible there are only four main figures.
In a painting of a tiger, there may be many things in the background, but the main figure in the painting is the tiger. In the background there may be mountains, woods, and many other items, but it is principally a portrait of a tiger. Our attention must be focused upon the tiger.
The Bible is also a painting. It is a divine painting, a spiritual painting, an eternal and heavenly painting with thousands and even millions of things in the background. But what are the main figures? At the very beginning of the first page, it says, “In the beginning God...” (Gen. 1:1). God, therefore, is the first figure. We all must say, “In the beginning God...” Then after this, the Bible tells us how God created the heavens and the earth and how He did many other things.
But even in the Old Testament there is another figure presented by types and prophesies. This is Christ, the second main figure in the Bible. Christ is typified and prophesied in the Old Testament. The Old Testament is simply God as well as Christ typified and prophesied, but Christ has not yet come.
Then at the beginning of the New Testament, this wonderful One came. The first page of the New Testament speaks of Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Christ is the second figure of the Bible.
What is the third main figure after Christ? In Matthew 16 the Lord Jesus asked His disciples to tell Him who He was. Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). But this is not all. The Lord then said to Peter, “And I also say to you...” (v. 18). To only see Christ is not enough. There is the also. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” So we have the church as the third main figure in the Bible.
We see Christ in the four Gospels, and from the four Gospels to Acts, we see the church. But is this all? No, as we go on to the Epistles, we see that the church becomes the churches (Rom. 16:4, 16; 1 Cor. 7:17; 11:16; 14:33-34; 16:1, 19; 2 Cor. 8:1, 18-19, 23-24; 11:8, 28; 12:13; Gal. 1:2, 22; 1 Thes. 2:14; 2 Thes. 1:4). Even in Acts we can see this taking place. There is one at Jerusalem (8:1), another at Antioch (13:1), and another one at Ephesus (20:17). There are churches in many different cities (9:31; 14:23; 15:41).
Then as we come through all the Epistles to the last book of Revelation, we see that this book is mainly about the churches. So the fourth main figure of the Bible is the churches. There is not only the church but also the churches.
The main figure in the painting we referred to as an illustration is the tiger. If we can see the tiger, we can forget about the things in the background. There are thousands of Christian books written today. They speak mostly about the “mountains,” the “trees,” the “grass,” and so many other things, but they have forgotten about the “tiger.”
What does the Bible speak about? If we were to ask the wives, they would tell us that the Bible says in Ephesians 5 that the husbands must love their wives. Do you see how shortsighted we are? All the wives see is that their husbands must love them. To them, this is the main thing of which the Bible speaks. They feel the Bible is wonderful because it tells us that husbands must love their wives.
Then if we were to ask the husbands what the Bible speaks about, they would say that it says the wives must submit to their husbands. We all have been blinded by our natural tendency and concept. We only see some little things in the background according to our concept, and we miss the “tiger.”
Have you seen the four main figures in the Bible? Have you seen God, Christ, the church, and the churches? The sisters must forget about their husbands, and the brothers must forget about their wives. We must forget about all our preoccupations and see God, Christ, the church, and the churches. Hallelujah!
We need not try to remember all the items in the background. We need to just remember the “tiger.” The “tiger” must be deeply impressed into our mind. We must only care for God, Christ, the church, and the churches.