Light Of The World!
"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."
Revelation 1: 20
The first few verses of the Gospel of John
mirror
the beginning of Genesis 1: The entrance of light
into a dark world (Genesis 1:3; John 1:4-5).
Jesus identified Himself as the Light of the World
in
John 8:12 but only while He was in the world (John
9:5). Preparing His followers, Jesus said they would
be the light of the world in His absence in
Matthew 5:14-16.
This was reaffirmed in the vision John saw on the isle
of Patmos. Part of that vision was Christ standing in the
midst of seven lampstands
in Revelation 1:12-13. In His
words to John, Christ identified the lampstands as seven
churches in Asia Minor, representing all the churches
that were and that were to come.
The implication of picturing the Church as
a lampstand is
obvious: The Church is to
be the light of the world until Christ returns.
Reflect
Christ’s light today by saying a
kind word to a stranger or meeting the
need of a neighbor.
"The
light of a holy example is
the gospel’s main argument."
R. L. Dabney
