3.1.12 - Revelation 1:12

I turned to see
John is about to enter into the experience of many other prophets who were given a revelation of the glory of the Lord, usually near the beginning of their prophetic ministry. We think of Moses (Ex. 33:22-23; 34:5-6), Ezekiel (Eze. 1), Isaiah (Isa. 6), Daniel (Dan. 10:5-6), and Paul (Acts 9:3; 22:6). John had been given a previous taste of God’s glory on the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter and James (Mtt. 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:29).¹

St. John Beholding the Seven Candelabra

seven golden lampstands
The symbolism of these lampstands is explained: “the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches” (Rev. 1:20 +). The churches bear light, but are not the source of light (Mtt. 5:14-16; John 1:4-5, 7-9; 5:32-35; Eph. 5:11-13; Php. 2:15).

The “seven candlesticks” . . . are intended to send us back, to the seven-branched candlestick, or candelabrum, which bears ever the same name of λυχνία [lychnia] in the Septuagint (Ex. 25:31 cf. Heb. 9:2); the six arms of which with the central shaft . . . made up the mystical seven, each with its several lamp (λύχνος [lychnos] , Zec. 4:2).³

See Interpreting Symbols. See symbolic meaning of seven.

Notes

¹ Interestingly, John is the only gospel writer who does not record his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration except if John 1:14 be taken as a reference to it.

² Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528). Image courtesy of the Connecticut College Wetmore Print Collection.

³ Richard Chenevix Trench, Commentary on the Epistles to the Seven Churches in Asia (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1861), 23.