The Stars And The Lampstands

John has seen Jesus in the midst of seven golden lampstands with seven stars in his right hand. (Revelation 1:12, 13, 16) Now Jesus explains this: "As for the sacred secret of the seven stars that you saw upon my right hand, and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars mean the angels of the seven congregations, and the seven lampstands means seven congregations."- Revelation 1:20.

The "stars" are "the angels of the seven congregations." In Revelation, stars sometimes symbolize literal angels, but Jesus would hardly use a human penman to write to invisible spirit creatures. So the "stars" must be the human overseers, or elders in the congregations, viewed as Jesus' messengers. The messages are addressed to the stars, for these are responsible for the oversight of Jehovah's flock.-Acts 20:28.

Since Jesus speaks to only one "angel" in each congregation, does this mean that each congregation has only one elder? No. As early as Paul's day, the Ephesians congregation had a number of elders, not just one. (Revelation 2:1; Acts 20:17) So in John's day, when messages were sent to the seven stars to be read to the congregation (including the one in Ephesus), the seven stars must have stood for all those who served in the bodies of elders within Jehovah's anointed congregation. In like manner, overseers today read to their congregations letters received from the Governing Body, made up of anointed overseers who serve under Jesus' headship. The local bodies of elders have to make sure that Jesus' counsel is followed by their congregations. Of course, the counsel is for the benefit of all those associated in the congregations, not just elders.-See Revelation 2:11a.

Since Jesus is the Head of the congregation, the elders are properly said to be in his right hand, that is, under his control and direction. (Colossians 1:18) He is the Chief Shepherd, and they are under shepherds. -Peter 5:2-4.

The seven lampstands are the seven congregations to whom John directs the book of Revelation: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatria, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Why are congregations symbolized by lampstands? Because Christians, whether individually or collectively as congregations, have to 'let their light shine before men' in this bedarkened world. (Matthew 5:14-16) Additionally, lampstands were among the furnishings of Solomon's Temple. Calling the congregation's lampstands would likely remind John that, in an illustrative sense, each local congregation of anointed ones is "God's Temple," a dwelling place for God's spirit. (1Corinthians 3:16) Moreover, in the anti type of the Jewish temple arrangement, members of the congregation of anointed ones serve as "a royal priesthood" in Jehovah's great spiritual temple arrangement, of which Jesus is the High Priest and where Jehovah dwells personally in the heavenly Most Holy.- 1Peter2:4, 5, 9; Hebrews 3:1; 6:20; 9:9-14, 24.

Next time: The Great Apostasy