The Churches and the Angels of the Churches

The Churches and the Angels of the Churches

“Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.” Rev. 1:19-20.

In other words, the seven stars in His right hand are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven golden lampstands are the seven churches.

Christ walks in the midst of the seven lampstands and guides the churches with His stars (angels), which He holds in His right hand. He has given these angels power in the church, and He holds them responsible for their own works.

To the angel of the church in Ephesus: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Rev. 2:2-4. This angel had done a great and noble work. He had tested those who said they were apostles and had found them to be liars. He bore much for the sake of Christ’s name and had not become weary. Nevertheless, he had lost his first love—this burning love which was able to draw to Christ and which melted everything and everyone together. He had forsaken the power of this love. Therefore he had also lost some of his power in the church.

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.”

Remember from where you have fallen. When we remember this, it is easier to repent. This is the ongoing repentance that is part of salvation. He continued to do works, but he needed to repent and do the first works. That first infectious fire of love made those works more perfect than the works that followed later, which were so cold and calculated.

“Repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” If the coolness that had entered in continued, the angel’s influence over the church would decrease. The church itself would become like its angel, and it could not remain standing in the full light, where the Master walked among the lampstands.

The first love does not only express itself as love. It works as a burning hatred against all hypocrisy and false teaching. It zealously defends the honest soul and does not hold back its sword from blood. Nothing can resist it in the battle for truth and right, for love rejoices in the truth, and for the sake of the truth it is willing to be led to the wilderness. It brings revelations through the leading of the Spirit of truth.

To the angel of the church in Smyrna: “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”

No one pays much attention to a church that is poor and in tribulation, especially those who sit in the shadow of the rich and consider themselves Jews. Even today people mock poverty and admire worldly greatness, especially if it has a religious tinge. But the Lord says, “You are rich,” and this testimony ten thousand times outweighs the mockery of those who call themselves Jews, but are the synagogue of Satan.

To the angel of the church in Pergamos: “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans.”

“You dwell, where Satan’s throne is.” In other words, he lived where ungodliness sits in the highest seat, where folly is highly esteemed and where a righteous soul is vexed day and night by all the ungodliness he sees and hears. Antipas had already been murdered by these ungodly people, and the angel of the church could be next; but he remained steadfast by the faith of Christ. This was extremely praiseworthy.

Nevertheless, within the church were some who held to the doctrine of Balaam. The angel should have stopped this and wrested their false doctrine from them, or warned against them and kept them on the outside. He was not watchful here. How much wretchedness results from false doctrine—in every area of life! We have seen enough of this in our day. The doctrine of liberty has sanctioned much sin. That is why it is necessary to immediately—mercilessly—take up a battle against devilish doctrines and such teachings that do not lead to godliness. He who does not have the doctrine of Christ does not have God. An angel of the church who is not vigilant over the teaching is without excuse, even though he otherwise has many good virtues. Balaam taught for riches and honor. He gave Balak counsel by which Balak could conquer Israel if he could induce them to commit adultery and eat food sacrificed to idols. Num. 25. The angel of the church had power from God to drive this doctrine out of the church, but for the sake of peace or out of cowardice, he did not fight against it. And God held this against him. God certainly does not love peace when Satan, in the midst of this peace, is allowed to hatch his plans.

“Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.” We do not read that the angel of the church promoted the doctrine of Balaam or the Nicolaitans’ doctrine. Nonetheless, he had to repent. He had kept his mouth shut and ignored these things. In this way he became their protector. He needed to thoroughly repent from this. When the angel of the church will not fight, then the Lord Himself will come—in other words, He will make him incapable of defending those who are promoting the false doctrine; and the Lord will then awaken other people to fight against them.

To the angel of the church in Thyatira: “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” The angel of this church had love, service, faith and patience; he was doing more works than ever before. Nevertheless, he allowed Jezebel to rule. She broke down what he built up, and he allowed it. How many churches have been ravaged by some woman—a Jezebel—who wants to be in charge! And if the angel of the church allows her any control at all, she will soon take the helm from him, and he will subsequently not be able to regain the leadership.

Would it not be better for a man with love, service, faith and good works to lead the church with a firm, unyielding hand, rather than in weakness capitulate to a woman whose works all served to lead souls astray? She no doubt called herself a prophetess; but such prophetesses—with the same mind as Jezebel—must immediately be cut off with the Sword of the Spirit, so that they have no time or peace within the church to bear their children. Such children are doomed. Rev. 2:23.

To the angel of the church in Sardis: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.” This angel was lazy. He had earthly interests that weakened his spiritual life to the point of death. But he continued to have a name that he lived, and he fulfilled his ministry as the angel of the church. However, his works were not perfect before God, because if he is dead, then his works are also dead. “Be watchful!” This indicates that he had not yet entered into a state of spiritual death in sin, but he was dead as a servant of the Lord. His works as the angel of the church were totally ineffective. Nonetheless, God regarded him as the right man for the job and as capable of doing his work. No one else in the church could replace him. God had appointed him to his position, and the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. That is why God speaks only to the angel of the church and tells him to be watchful, because no one else had the power to strengthen the others like he did. Even though the angel of the church was so ineffective, God had a few people in Sardis who had not defiled their garments. Their garments were pure, but they could not be assigned the role of angel of the church. They did not have that calling from God. They were pure, however, and would walk with the Lord in white.

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia: “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”

“You have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” This Word and this name have a remarkable ability to preserve a person. Even when strength is little, the name is strong, and the Word, eternal. This bound the church together. It was not easy for false doctrines to make their way in when the angel of the church held fast to the Word. Even though there was little strength, the Word he had held fast to had the power to separate the pure from the impure. This was very praiseworthy. God wanted to honor him by allowing some people to come from the synagogue of Satan—those who said they were Jews but were not. These people tried with all their wiles to take a stab at the angel of the church who had so little strength; there is a reason they were called the synagogue of Satan. Nevertheless, because he held fast to the Word of the Lord and did not deny His name, they could not overpower him. God would see to it that he overcame them to such an extent that they would worship at his feet and acknowledge that God loved him.

Hold fast to what you have, so that no one can take your crown.

To the angel of the church at Laodicea: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. . . . Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—”

This angel was neither cold nor hot, so the Lord wanted to vomit him out of His mouth.

He said that he was rich and had become wealthy, but he did not recognize his own poverty, blindness or nakedness. Grace had, at one time, bathed him so thoroughly that he considered himself rich. He lived in these glorious memories—all the way into the state of poverty. Instead of taking heed to the voice of the Lord today, he returned again and again to old memories of his conversion and baptism of the Spirit. He neglected to live according to the Word of the Lord today, and he drew the whole assembly into these memories of the past, where they felt rich and powerful. But now poverty reigned, and the shame of his nakedness began to appear.

What he needed was gold refined in the fire. Up to this point, the fire had terrified him. He expected to receive everything without sacrifice, without the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings and without labor; but the Lord gave him good advice: Buy gold refined in the fire.

People say that the condition of this angel aptly describes the condition of the church in our day. Although I do not normally give the slightest credence to such fabricated, cleverly-concocted human “teachings,” especially when the teachers display blatant ignorance regarding the most basic and necessary life-truths, I will admit that for once it fits beautifully. Never have the naked felt so well clothed as they do now; never have people in their poverty believed themselves to be so rich. Without fire, without suffering and without sacrifice, they boast of a tremendous fullness of the Spirit and power. So this analogy fits perfectly for our time. In spite of their ignorance regarding the most basic and fundamental truths, they presume to delve into things that even those who are most mature in Christ must acknowledge that they do not understand. They travel around with the most self-confident airs, and they teach about things they have never seen, vainly puffed up by their fleshly mind. They will get what is coming to them. They live in Laodicea, and the Lord stands outside and knocks. Rev. 3:20.