1:1. “And he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” (KJV)

There are some forty-two references to angel/s in the Book of Revelation. It is therefore important to understand the term. The following references will make clear what angels are and what their ministry is:

“And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire,” (Hebrews 1:7 quoting Psalm 104:4).

“But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:13-14).

“Bless the LORD, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word,” (Psalms 103:20).

Angels are spirits and ministers who go forth ministering and doing God’s word. They are mighty in strength, do His commandments and obey His voice. These spirits/angels/ministers are made a flaming fire, which makes them appear as burning stars. Now we see these same relationships exist in the Book of Revelation.

It might help to clarify these relationships as: (1) On the material, physical level they were the Ministers in the literal Churches; (2) On the cosmic level, they were burning stars as lamps of fire in the heavenlies; (3) On the spiritual level, they were obedient emissaries of God to express and interpret God’s will to the physical, material world.

Stars Are Angels

Revelation 1:4. “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne.” (The seven spirits before the throne are the seven lamps of fire, as stated in Revelation 4:5 quoted below):

Revelation 1:16: Jesus is holding the seven stars/seven spirits in his hand: “And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Revelation 1:20. The seven stars are the seven angels: “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

Angels of the Churches

The “angels” of the seven churches were the ministering spirits of those churches. These ministering spirits indwelt the pastors, prophets, and others who were filled with the Holy Spirit. The messages to the Churches are addressed to these “Angels,” for example:

Revelation 2:1: “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; these things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.”

Revelation 3:1: “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.”

Revelation 4:5: “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”

Revelation 5:6: The seven eyes of the Lamb are the seven spirits: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”

1:1. And He Sent And Signified It By His Angel, (KJV)

Why did he send the Revelation by this Angel, and who was the Angel?  This and the next two lessons will answer this question.

This Angel was the interpreter. As in Nehemiah 8:5-8, Ezra read from the Book and the interpreters gave the “understanding,” the “sense.” The Hebrew language of the Scriptures was like a foreign language to them at this time.  In Revelation 1:1, the Angel is the interpreter; he “signified,” or ‘interpreted,’ what God was saying to John.

The “Angels of the Churches” were the interpreters as in the synagogues of that day throughout the Roman world, where the interpreter stood by the reader and interpreted in their mother tongue what was read from the Hebrew text.

Next Lesson: Who Was The Signifying Angel of Revelation 1:1?