In Revelation 2:1 the Lord says, “These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, He who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.” The seven stars are the leading ones in the local churches. The Lord today is holding the leading ones. He is walking in the midst of the local churches, and He is holding the leading ones.
Then Revelation 3:1 tells us that He is not only holding the leading ones, but He also has the seven Spirits. “These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.” The seven Spirits are not only for the seven churches but also for the leaders of the local churches. All the leading ones of the local churches must be burning with the seven Spirits.
Revelation also tells us that Christ has the keys of David. When He opens, no one can shut, and when He shuts, no one can open. “These things says the Holy One, the true One, the One who has the key of David, the One who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens” (v. 7). The Lord sets before the local churches an open door. I can testify that in the past years the enemy has tried his best to shut the doors to us. But the more he has tried, the more the doors have been opened. The local churches are His testimony. Who can shut them? The key of David is in His hand.
In Revelation 3:14 Christ is the Amen. “These things says the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” When we say, “O Lord, Amen,” we are simply calling on His name. Jah, the last syllable of Hallelujah, is also the name of the Lord. Jah means “Jehovah,” and hallelu means “praise.” So Hallelujah means “praise the Lord.” Therefore, O Lord, Amen, andHallelujah are all filled with the titles of the Lord. He is the Lord, the Amen, and Jah. “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!”
Revelation also tells us that the Lord is the worthy One. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for You have created all things, and because of Your will they were, and were created...And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals? And no one in heaven nor on the earth nor under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it. And one of the elders said to me, Do not weep; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals. And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as having just been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” (4:11; 5:2-6).
There is none in heaven or in earth or under the earth as worthy as Christ. His worthiness is realized in the local churches. We must not forget that this is a book to the local churches. His worthiness is not revealed in other books; it is only in this one to the local churches. This means His worthiness is to be realized in the local churches. One day, throughout the whole United States, so many local churches will be built up. That will be the time when the worthiness of Christ will be revealed. In Christianity the worthiness of Christ can never be shown. The more we are built up in the local churches, the more Christ will be manifested as the worthy One.
To the enemy He is the Lion, and to us He is the Lamb. “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome.” So He is worthy. John came to see the Lion, but he saw a Lamb. To the enemy He is a prevailing Lion, but to us He is the redeeming Lamb. Praise the Lord!
Finally, in Revelation 19 we see that Christ is riding on a white horse for the battle. “I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sits on it called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war...And the armies which are in heaven followed Him on white horses, dressed in fine linen, white and clean” (vv. 11, 14).
This Christ in the local churches is eventually the fighting Christ, riding on a white horse, and we are His followers. We are the heavenly army to fight the battle with Him for the heavenly kingdom.
This is the Christ in Revelation. May the Lord give us the vision to see this Christ in the local churches, a Christ who is absolutely different from the Christ in Christianity.