Rev. 1. 1,2 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.

2. "Who bare record of the Word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

The revelation thus brought to notice is the revelation which the One God – doubtless through the Father, the Conceiving Power of the One God – gave unto Jesus Christ for the purpose of shewing unto his people things which must shortly come to pass. The angel by whom the message from the one God through Jesus Christ the Assenting Power of the One God, was communicated to John, with little doubt, is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Fulfilling Power of the One God. By verse 2 the John thus called is identical with the beloved disciple of St. John xxl. 20-25; the sayings “If I will that he tarry till I come” and “This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and, wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true,” corresponding in substance. The text continues:

1. 3. "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."

By one line of scriptural interpretation there are Four Times. These Four Times correspond with the Four Ages of Man. As, therefore, the time for the fulfillment of the prophecy is at hand, so the Fourth or Pisonic age of man is indicated. By a special historic ray, however, the Four Ages are subdivided into half-times (see Gen. xv. 7-10; Dan. Xii. 5-7); of which a time, times and a half time, cover the seven semidivisions from the Euphratic age to the crucifixion, absolute death, and resurrection of Messiah as Jesus the Seed of woman at the dividing of the Pisonic age. This revelation is from God unto Jesus Christ, who sent and signified it by his angel unto John. The last phrase above quoted states, "for the time is at hand." Now, according to the interpretations given in this review, the present age is the last, or fourth time, which by the death of the Saviour was divided into half-times. The first half-time embraced the epoch from Adam until the Messiah was cut off, or a period of about three thousand nine hundred and thirty years: consequently there remains, from the cutting off of the Messiah, an equal number of years, during which the prophecy looks to fulfilment. The text continues:

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;

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first-begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

In these verses John records that Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the first-begotten of the dead, and that he redeemed us from our sins through his blood. The plan of redemption has been made sufficiently clear for all to see that the blood of one who could lay down his life and take it up again was absolutely necessary for its accomplishment. John records that Jesus Christ did this, becoming thereby the first-begotten of the dead. He also states that he hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, which is in full accord with the mysterious working of the great priesthood: for it is written that the priests shall eat the things wherewith the atonement was made, but that a stranger shall not eat of them. Therefore, in partaking of his body, wherewith the atonement was made, we are made kings and priests unto God and his Father. John, in a vision, sees one like unto the Son of man, which presence was in the midst of seven golden candlesticks, and he had in his right hand seven stars. Such a one said unto John, "Fear not; I am the first and the last:

“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

"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."

It is said that the seven golden candlesticks are the seven churches. Now what mystery can there be in these seven churches, if they are of Ephesus and Smyrna, Pergamos and Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia, and Laodicea? Is not their history comparatively well known? more especially, was it not known in their own day? If so, how can there be any mystery to write about? The mystery of the seven churches undoubtedly is the mystery of the seven grand subdivisions of the times, commencing with the first creation of man. These divisions are clearly typified in Gen. xv. 9, 10, in which the heritage is represented by a heifer, a shegoat, and a ram; by a turtle-dove and a young pigeon. The heifer, goat, and ram typify the three first creations, and by Divine command they were divided in the midst, and each piece laid against the other, which is emblematic of the six divisions of these ages; but the fourth age was represented by a turtle-dove and a young pigeon: these make up the eight grand subdivisions of time. Seven of these had passed away when the Messiah was cut off and rose again from the dead. These seven epochs are the seven churches, the mystery of which it was the mission of John to write.

The revelation to St. John brings to light the antiquity of man, whilst the revelation to St. Paul brings to light the mystery of Jesus Christ. On these two special revelations is held the solution of the Scriptures from Moses down, and by which the inspiration, unity, and harmony of the whole are made manifest. The seven angels of the seven churches represent the intellectuality of the churches, as in like manner the four cherubs in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel represented the intellectuality of the four ages.

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