Being Turned
Revelation 1:12: “Being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks.”
John was exiled to the isle of Patmos. The Jews in exile were taught that they should pray toward Jerusalem according as Solomon had prayed at the dedication of the temple:
28. Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: 29 That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, [even] toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. 30 And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive. (1 Kings 8)
We know that Daniel followed this tradition while Israel was captive in Babylon:
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. (Daniel 6:10)
We can understand then that John was praying toward Jerusalem and the Temple. From the Isle of Patmos, he would have been facing in a southerly direction. Upon hearing the Voice, John turned. He would then have been facing north. It was as he was facing north that he saw the seven golden candlesticks, (AV), or “lampstands,” (RSV). John’s “turning”, then, symbolized turning away from the old Judaism to the Church of Jesus Christ, visually represented by the north polar constellations, sometimes known in Hebrew culture as the Menorah, or seven-branched candelabra of the Temple.
The “seven golden candlesticks” are the seven churches of Asia, Revelation 1:20. These same seven are the seven spirits of God, Revelation 4:5. These seven spirits are the seven eyes of the Lamb, Revelation 5:6. (See Commentary at 1:4 “Asia”.)
In Revelation 1:20 the seven stars are the fire upon the top of the lampstands; these are the seven angels of the churches. These angels are spirits, Psalm 104:4 and Hebrews 1:7, 14. Therefore, in this writing, these are all synonymous and interchangeable to some degree: Lampstands, Churches, Spirits, Eyes of the Lamb, Angels and Stars.
It is probably helpful to understand that there is a natural reality that corresponds to, or is analogous to, the spiritual reality. For example, the “Angels” of the seven churches of Asia are spiritual entities that inhabit the natural pastors or leaders of the earthly churches. However, the earthly churches are merely the counterpart of a heavenly reality, the Eyes of the Lamb and the Seven Spirits of God. As in all use of analogy, the analogy only holds for certain parts of the entities represented. The two figures are not identical in every respect.