(Haggai) Real Revival — Willie Mullan

540, a wonderful saviour is Jesus my Lord, wonderful saviour to me, he hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock where rivers of pleasure I see, 540 please. Many of the gentlemen like to take their coats off, you're free to do so, because I honestly think that the ladies dress far better than the gentlemen, I do honestly.

In this weather, you know, the ladies really dress right, you old fellows with coats and jumpers on. I preached in a very fashionable church once, and there were about two thousand people there, and it was a night like this, and I took my coat off just like this, and two dear old ladies sitting at the front seat, my legs squinted and blinked for a minute or two, and I said at the end of the verse, I said, if I really thought that I was annoying some of you by taking my coat off, I would definitely take my shirt off, and I would be upset with my shirt off, I can tell you.

But if I thought it would annoy you, I would do it. I just want to feel free and easy, and if you want to be like that, you do it, while we're singing this last verse again, and pull out all the stops, and let's really sing to the Lord.

Haggai's Real Revival and the Stirring of God's People

Again this evening, and we're at the first chapter. Look after the prophet, Zegai, and we're at chapter one, and commencing at verse twelve this evening, and going on to the end of the chapter. Just four verses this evening, Markits, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen.

And over this paragraph, I have written two words, real revival, because out of the preaching of the prophet, Zegai, to the England, who had come back from Babylon to Palestine, under Hagar's preaching, there had come a real revival.

You see, we'll take time to study verse fourteen this evening. And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Joseph, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people.

The Lord stirred up the spirit of the people. The Lord really touched their hearts through the preaching of Zegai. This is how revival comes, you know. It's not through banners in the streets, nor through great announcements in the daily paper.

It's our God coming through the preaching and touching the hearts of His people. It's God working in the hearts of His people. God touching hearts. This is how revival comes. Sometimes before God comes to touch our hearts, God has to rest or wake up in the midnight hour and touch our walk like Jacob.

You remember, He touched the hollow of Jacob's heart, and He changed Jacob's walk. Sometimes before He touches our hearts, He has to touch our walk. Sometimes He has to touch our eyes. You remember the Laodicean church.

You remember how they could be so blinded with pride as to say, We have need of nothing. And the master had to look and say, Thou art poor and miserable and blind and wretched and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold fried in the fire and white raiment, and anoint thine eyes with eyesalk.

Sometimes God has to touch our eyes. Let us see our own misery. Let us see His glory. And let us see the depravity of the world around us, for where there is no vision, people perish. God has to touch our eyes and touch our walk.

Sometimes God has to come and touch the preacher's lips. Oh, you remember the angel came and touched the lips of Isaiah the prophet with alive coal from off the altar. But it's only when God really touches hearts that revival comes.

It's when God touches hearts. You remember when old Samuel the prophet anointed Saul the first king of Israel. You remember that day that this statement is found. And there went out with him, went out with Saul, a band of men whose hearts the Lord had touched.

And you know, when God touches your heart, you understand that I'm the king. You're not following a far off anymore. You get up and say the Lord reminds us. And you're walking with the Lord. There went out with him a band of men whose hearts the Lord had touched.

You remember the two on the road to Emmaus? They were down that road that morning, slowly, downcast, depressed, defeated. Why, they had lost everything, it seems. They had believed that Jesus was the one who would have redeemed Israel, but all that seems to have gone.

They don't know where they are. The fog has descended upon them. And they're going home. I think it was husband and wife. It was Cleopas and his wife. And they were going to their little home in Emmaus.

In fact, both of them invited the stranger in at the end of the day, abide with us, as towards evening. It was their home. Friends, do you remember how he got in between these depressed, downcast, defeated disciples?

And putting his arms around them, I think, walked slowly in the burning eastern sun, and beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself, and at the end of the journey, here's the testimony.

Did not our heart turn within us? While he talked to us, by the way, while he opened unto us the sutras. You know, when God touches your heart, you don't go down that road anymore. You turn round, and you get back up again.

Although they had walked eight miles in the burning sun, from Jerusalem to Emmaus, and the day was far spent, and in the far east you don't start the journey over again, yet they were so scared, they turn round, they get back to the assembly, they get back to God's people, they get back with the news, that he's really alive.

It's revival, you know. When God touches hearts, you stand beside the king, you get into the assembly of God's people, and you get back to the house of God, to work by God. This is what happened here.

God stirred them, they began to work in the house of God. It's real revival, that's what it is. Real revival. Now, we want to get down from it this evening, don't we? And out of these four verses in this paragraph, I have worked out for you five headings.

The Results of the Prophet's Reproof

You're going to look firstly at the result of the reproof that the prophet brought last week in the message. And you're going to have a look at the prophet himself, the reputation that he had, and the wonderful reference that's given here, he was the Lord's messenger, that's the reputation, and he was the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message.

That's a great reference. And then we want to look at the reassurance, and the resort. God had brought a great word for these who were restored back to Jerusalem, and he assured them, reassured them, I am with thee.

And then we come to the revival of the remnants. And the last word or two, we'll be dealing with the restart by the revived, they began to work for God. That's a very wonderful passage, although it's a very short one.

I think we need to regather just a few of the threads of last week's message, just in case there should be one or two in the class who were not here last week, and to refresh our own minds. We know that Haggai is one of the post-exilic prophets.

Some of the minor prophets were pre-exilic prophets. That is, they prophesied to Israel before Israel went into exile in Babylon. But Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi are three of the prophets that stood up to preach to the remnant that came back out of Babylon after the restoration.

And so this is a post-exilic prophet preaching to the remnant that came back to their own land after those years of captivity down in Babylon. And you know, he really started talking to the people. Last week we noticed that his first word to the remnant was, Brestu, thou speakest the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say.

That's how he started the message. No flowery introduction. That's what they tell you to do in the college. Well, the prophet didn't go to any college, you see. He was just instructed of the Lord. And there was no mamby-pamby talk about it.

He just swept his eyes around them. And he said, Yes, this people, this people say. The time has not come to work for God. And so he really got about talking to them. No nonsense about it. By the word of truth that came last week, it came like another from above.

The prophet was really talking. You remember how he cried for them to consider their ways. And he let them see that while they'd been looking after their own homes and their own interests, the whole way through they were losing out.

They had got their priorities all wrong. They were putting their home before God's house. And their comforts before God's service. Ah, but the whole thing was a loss. God had blown upon everything that they had done.

And there's a lot of assemblies around, you know. And they put so many things before God's works. They would rather have tennis than church now. They'd rather have balls than Bible. They would rather have praise than praise.

And God has blown on them. And it's inevitable. You just go and find out. They need a prayer meeting, a Bible class. And some of them have nothing. All the pets are there. Not stretching anything to help them out.

They're a poor lot too. Friends, let's face it. When God blows upon a thing, you know, you can't put you first. And your interests first. And your carnal selfishness first. And that's God's blessing, can you?

Just work it out. If you've got any grey matter left. Let me tell you something. It doesn't even matter what you've got. Or what you're coming after. Or what you're leaving after. If you have this God's blessing, you're a prophet.

You can't get on without God's blessing. I need the blessing of the Lord. Or I'm finished. The blessing of God we need. That's why we get on our knees in this place. And the super prophet really talked to them last week too.

And now this is the result of his reproof. This is what really happened. That's where we begin. Now we're just beginning now. Verse 12. Then. You know, I love that verse. And I love the way it just comes in here.

Just then. You know, the prophet appeared very suddenly among them. And they began to talk. And shouts of light came from the anointed lips of this very bold prophet. But you know, the people of God were smitten by the word of the Lord.

And just at that psychological second when he appeared and when he really talked to them. And when they were convicted of God. Then. Then things began to happen. Just then. The way God wants it, you know.

That's what God's looking for. When God comes and convicts you about the prayer meeting tomorrow morning. Then he'll be there. And we'll know God's working with you. We'll know God's working with you.

Some of you old dead fellows that haven't been to a prayer meeting in your life. Get out in the morning at seven and we'll know that God's talking to you. You hypocrite. Yes. Why just then? Just when God's talking to you, you know.

This is really getting you caught up to the word of God. Oh, that God would touch every man, Jacob. Oh, that there would be a spreading away ground in our hearts. Oh, that you wouldn't be able to throw it off and say, that's him again.

He's always hammering. It's the Lord that talks through his words. It's the Lord that desires to see you at the prayer meeting. It's the Lord that made the way into the holiest of all. It's the blood of Jesus that paved the way to the throne of grace.

And it's the Lord's word that encourages you to come to pray. Don't get thrown it off. Throw the blankets off and get out in the morning. Let it really happen to you, see. We'll be on our way to revival.

And I'll tell you once more, if we respond just like that, if through the word of the Lord, the reproof of the Lord, this result is seen, then, then the Lord will come and do. There's a whole lot of places where we have then on the Lord's side, as well as on the people's side.

Let me show you one or two of those. Have a look at this one. This is 1 Kings, and it's chapter 18. Don't want to take too much time here, but I think it's better that you see it. 1 Kings 18, and Elijah is away upon Mount Carmel.

And you remember the scene, without me reading too much. He's got all the prophets of Baal around him. And he's standing alone ranger. And the people of God have got away from God. And they've gone a-whoring after Balaam.

And the prophets of Baal are smiling. And Elijah's all alone. And here's what happened at verse 30. 1 Kings 18, verse 30. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him.

And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. That was the first thing he did. Set the altar up again. You know, I can preach for a long time about altars of dedication that we have in our lives.

And altars of confession that we used to go to. And altars of sanctification. But you know, somehow down through the years, they've got broken down. You don't go and tell gods that you're ashamed of your perilousness anymore.

You've drifted along with the crowd now. You don't go and tell gods the dreadful things you say. And the horrible things that your lips proclaim. No, no, your back biting doesn't worry you anymore. You're used with it now to have it now.

Some of you can stand with old modernists that deny the Lord and His glory. And you give them your money and you're not ashamed of it. God's mighty. God's mighty. Some of you support the devil and give the Lord's children.

It's time you know that we've got things fixed up a wee bit. We've got things put right the way God wants them. He finally did that. That's where he began. He repaired the altar of the Lord. And then what's this?

It says,. And Elijah took twelve stones, verse 31, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, This still shall be thy name. And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord.

And he made a trench about the altar so great that it would contain two measures of seeds. And he put the wood in order and cut the bullock in pieces and laid them on the wood and said, Fill four barrels with water.

Pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar and they filled the trench altar with water.

Some of the critics say, Where did he get the water and the drugs? Well, of course, they've never been on Mount Carmel. That's the trouble. When you stand on the side of Mount Carmel, you're looking dead into the Mediterranean Sea.

That's not many yards away. It didn't go dry, you know. Any amount of water there, any time. Look, ladies. This was the face that the prophet was professing. Now, he was going to trust his God in spite of darkness and everything that darkness could do.

And verse 36,. And as it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, the delight of the prophet came near and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

Hear me, O Lord, hear me. That this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Listen to the next word. Then. Then. Then the fire. A minute before. You know, if we really, if we don't believe in ourselves, we're beginning to get like with God.

The spirit will happen, the fire will fall. Not before it either. You know what God said to Solomon. He said, if my people, Solomon, that are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then, the word is in there, then, I'll hear.

If there's a response from you, you can bank on it, there'll be a response from him. If you draw nigh to God, he'll draw nigh to you, the force on our side. If the lamb is valiant, and if the victory's not daring, it's not God's fault, it's God's.

He couldn't move you with the word of the Lord, you know. Your own ways set ways with some, you'll never come to the prayer meeting if you live as long as the preacher. You'll never come. You're no notion to come with.

You're just an old Baptist, and you were baptized, and your name's on the row, and you have a faith in Christ, and you're born again, and you're washed in the blood, and you know you'll go to heaven, and you don't care two hoots about the glory of the Lord, or the salvation of men.

You're as dead as heck. He couldn't move you, you know. Get annoyed at me, but I'm not worried about you. I'm neither afraid of your fun, nor do I seek your smile. I'm God's man, and I've preached like this as long as I'm here.

I'm not to ask him what to say from any of you. Works well, sir, doesn't it? Face is full tonight. You had your way. It will be empty. Ah, you wouldn't have a Bible class at all, you'd be digging spuds now.

Yes, there was a response, wasn't there? Let's get back to it again. Have a look at this. It went a little bit further than this. It says, then, just at that psychological moment, when the reproof hath borne a result, then shall the Son of Sheol fill, and Joshua the Son of God the date of my peace, with all the remnant of the people, now watch this word, obey the voice of the Lord our God.

What a word is in there. You never know, God does not only immediately obey, but the word of the Lord brought them to dedicate their lives. You know, they began to obey the word of the Lord. Oh, brethren and sisters, I shall never be able to emphasize no matter how I get about it, or what way I put my feelings into it.

I'll never be able to emphasize what it really means to obey the word of the Lord. Mind you, God speaks to some of us. God speaks to us about our carelessness. God spoke the other week about our giving.

And I could tell you what we felt about it since then. The offering of the Lord nearly doubled. Some of you have been stealing a lot for a long time. In there, we need to obey the word of God. This is what I'm preaching, this is God's word.

We need to obey the word of God. Talk to me about holiness, you know, and higher rites, and sanctification. And if you talk to them about obeying the word of the Lord and believing in Nazism, they'd fall out with you.

What do you know? And they can speak to you, but not in a book. Minister in Oregon, or any other where, can find one phrase in this book for him who's preaching the world. Ah, but believers, baptism's in this book.

But some of you never obey the word of the Lord, shall you though? Oh, you're stuck in under potpourri yet, because I hardly talk to you. Ah, but I'll preach the word of the Lord to you. Friends, there's a whole lot of things the Lord talks to us about.

Obedience to the Word of God

My, let our remembrance feast spread every Lord's Day. And the Lord Jesus instituted it too, with his own hands. Break the bread, and said to his disciples, hear, people, this is my body, it's a symbol of my body.

And this wine is a symbol of the blood that I shall shed. Now, I want you to do this. In remembrance of me, it was his almost last request before he went to the cross. Ah, but some of you can wipe your feet from that, you know, that doesn't matter now, that's a sort of brethren thing to some of you, is it?

Happens to be it's a Bible thing, Lord. Faith, God, for the brethren keeping. Friends, in this book, on the first day of the week, the early disciples gathered together to break bread. That's our example, isn't it?

Why are we not following? You're not obeying, are you? You know, this obeying is a tremendous thing. Costs you something to obey sometimes. You remember Saul, the first king of Israel. You remember the Lord coming to him, through Samuel the prophet, and saying, you're going out against the Amalekites.

And when you get Agag, I want you to train him, and all the sheep, and all the oxen. And of course he got Agag, and he spared Agag. He didn't kill him at all. He did the best of the sheep and the oxen.

And then the Lord came to Samuel in the night and said, you know, this king that's on the throne, he openly disobeys my word. Tell him how the word is set. And you know, Samuel came along and said to him, havest thou obeyed the word of the Lord?

And of course he bowed himself to the ground and said, oh yes, I've kept the word of the Lord, just as you gave it to me. And oh, Samuel said, what meaneth then the bleating of the sheep that are here?

And what meaneth the looing of the cattle in my ears? And then, you know, he started to get all frustrated about it, and he said, you know, I'll tell you a thing. He's working his head now. It's all human reasoning.

It's all to get out of doing what God wants, of course. This is human reasoning. You always have your reasonings for not doing what God wants you to do. He said, you know, I'll tell you a thing. You know, we're going to sacrifice the sheep.

So that would please the prophet. And the old prophet said, now I'll tell you this. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Do you know, Saint, if we could only see it. Practical obedience to the word of God is better than all the appeasing obstacles sacrificed that you can muster up for disobeying it.

There'll never be revival, dear, until all of us are prepared to bow before the word of God. And some of you who are saved, you're not prepared for that. It would cost you something. Some of you'd have to leave old, dead churches that you ought to have been out of thirty years ago.

You're fiddling around with it yet. Obey. You have to obey the Lord, you know. Touch not the unclean thing is God's word. Obey it. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness is God's word.

Then obey it. Where there's a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away is God's word. Then obey it. That's what God's asked, eh? It's obedience. It's why we have an assembly here.

We can't put up with pulpit. And we're not going to either. And we're not having any fellowship with them either. Not a bit of us. We're just obeying God's word. We're not trying to be awkward. We're just obeying the word of the Lord.

That's what happens here. Madly began to dedicate their lives to do exactly as God would tell them. And then here's something else that is very nice. It says that the remnants of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of he guy the prophet of the Lord their God hath sent him.

You know, the result of the reproof that came, it was not only immediate, and it was not only to bring them to a place of dedication to obey the Lord, but they began to appreciate the man of God. Still some of them didn't like him when he started.

And I assure you young fellows coming up, you just stand behind the book and be a faithful man of God. And you'll find you're not popular. But you'll get through, son. With the blessing of God in your head, you'll be able to swim it all right.

No weapon that's struck against thee can prosper. You'll go through all right. So the revival came because there was an immediate response. Because they dedicated their lives to obey the word of the Lord.

Because they recognized the man of God. And here's another little thing in this twelve verse. And the people did fear before the Lord. You know, they got down frost in the dust. Now this is how it begins, you know.

You just respond to the word. You just obey the book. You just recognize what that man is saying is the word of the Lord. He must be the servant of the Lord. And you begin to fear the Lord. You know, in the early days of the church, it said, a great fear fell upon all the people.

They were afraid to move in the early meetings, you know. We could learn a whole lot from the old Quakers, yet you know. Although they've gone modernistic, yet you know they used to come in on their toes because the Lord was there.

Sometimes I watch our assembly here. You know, if our queen, our noble queen was here, she wouldn't come here. But if she came, oh, all the old baptists built half an hour before the meeting started, their good clothes on, sitting up like dummies.

Yes. Oh, but when it's only the Lord that's here, there comes trouble in all kinds. He's always here on time, you know. Yes, you want to watch it. Of course we have lost the fear, you know. We lost it.

We don't fear the Lord the way we should. Ah, but it'll have to come back again if there's going to be revival. There'll have to be a response. There'll have to be obedience. There'll have to recognise the servants of God.

There'll have to fear the Lord. Oh, what a change it would make. Yes, that was the result of the reproof that they got last week. And then I want you to notice in this 13th verse, this is a very lovely one, then speaking by the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message unto the people.

The Lord's Messenger and the Lord's Message

You know, this is one of the most beautiful phrases in the entire Old Testament regarding a servant of God. You'll notice the reputation he has. He's the Lord's messenger. It's a very wonderful thing, you know, just to be the messenger of the Lord.

Yes, you know, Paul said on one occasion, we are ambassadors for Christ. You know how Dr. Ivan Sajudis that once, in one of the little sidings in America, he came onto the platform and said to the old stationmaster, when does the next train stop here?

He said, about eight o 'clock on the train, sir. But if you were a very important person, you know, I've got the authority to stop the train. Paul said, the doctor, I'm an ambassador. He was an ambassador, yes.

I'll stop the train. And as the old fellow went to go to the phone, he turned round and he said, of what land, sir? He said, of Emmanuel's land. Oh, he said, that's a valid plan, yes. But the old doctor wouldn't pull any bluff, you know, he walked on behind him into the office and said, I don't think you're getting this right.

I'm a teacher. I'm an ambassador of the King of Kings. Oh, said the old fellow, sure that's better than ever. Let me ring the thing and never get stopped again. So he stopped the train. All to realise that God's servant is the messenger of the Lord.

It's very important, you know, the Lord's messenger. I see him like this. He's just the telegram boy that brings the messages. Sometimes he brings you good news. Sometimes it's not so good, but he's just got to bring what the Lord gives him as if he listens hard enough.

Because he ought to be the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message, or as it could be, with the Lord's message. You know, Dr. Ironside was very good to me in my early days, for what reason I wouldn't know.

But when he was in this country, he talked to a few of us every morning. Had great interest in me. And he'd always come into the classroom and say something. One morning he came in and said, you, looking at me, I was the softest looking, he said, do you know the difference between God's message and God's truth?

I said, no sir, I don't know. He said, if I came to your assembly next Sunday morning and I pitched on the Lord's coming again through the air for his people, would that be the Lord's truth? I said, yes sir, it would be the Lord's truth.

He said, would it be the Lord's message for that meeting? I said, I don't know, sir. Then he said, you're admitting that the Lord's truth is not always the Lord's message. I said, I can see that, sir.

He said, well, if you ever get in the assembly of your own young fellow, you make sure that you take time all week with the Lord, and listen to him all the time, and stay in the secret place of the Most High, and make sure you have the Lord's message.

And I'll tell you this, you'll find in life that the Lord's truth is not always the Lord's message. But once you get the Lord's message, you'll find it's the Lord's truth, and you'll know what it's all about.

But you know, I have had a great experience over the last few weeks here. God has come into our Sunday morning meetings, I suppose in a more ritual way than we've ever known over these past twelve years.

And so many come to me in Sunday evening, or Monday, or even Tuesday, and say, you know, Pastor, last Sunday morning's word, it was just for me. It was just for me. May have only been a simple phrase, you know.

But I'd waited on the Lord, and the Lord had come through clear, and this was his message. And I'd put it into order for the people, and carried it forth like a wee fellow serving the Lord. And it worked!

Oh, I've heard people say, you know, I've gone to so-and-so often. Ah, there's no message there. Oh, they had a meeting, I know. No message. Nothing for the folk. So it's very important that the Lord's messenger has the Lord's message.

And I tell you, we think it's needed, of course. If you're the Lord's messenger, you must be saint. If a man's saint from God, you can't preach except you're a saint, of course you know that. And of course you need gifts, don't you?

University degrees won't work here. I know Chinese that get degrees at the university, and they go back to China and bow down to sticks and stones. It doesn't do anything spiritual for them. There's fellows blind as bats who talk to me about academic standards, because I just really start on you.

I had old fellows talking about academic standards one day, and I just flipped the Bible over the table, I said, just find the academy that Peter James and John went to, and their academic standards and their D .D.'s and M .A.'s and all the rest of it.

Nobody proved to me what you want at your scholarship. God bless you. But don't put the time to bring it in here to rule a meeting, because we'll heave you out. Oh, you're not allowed to do that. You need gifts to minister among God's people.

And we don't even have the right gifts. You're preaching the message that will rule this meeting, you know. God rules it. You need to be sent from God. We have got a sample all over the country of their D .D.'s.

Would you like me to really start on them? Boy, I could really go to town now. Don't hate my breath. Friends, the Lord's messenger must be sent. He must have gifts. If you haven't gifts to teach, you shouldn't be teaching.

If you haven't gifts to preach the gospel, you should leave it alone. If you haven't gifts to minister among God's people, then keep your seat. Because we don't believe in a one-man ministry, nor do we believe in an all-man ministry.

We believe in gifts, and gift is allowed to minister. Here's the wee thing about gifts. Now I want you to get this, you young fellows. Come over to the book of Revelation, and we're at the first chapter, and a very wonderful chapter it is.

The Messenger Held in Christ's Hand

Revelation chapter one. And John is in the Isle of Potmos, and he's seen our Lord here. After all those years, it is almost sixty years since he saw us. If we go by the chronological dates, forty-three and a half years.

And this is A .D. 90 in the Isle of Potmos. Sixty years since he's last seen Him. What a wonderful sight it is to see Him again. He says, verse twelve, I turned to see the voice that spoke with me, and being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks, mark that.

And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one light unto the Son of Man. It's the same Jesus. But what a vision He gives you, I haven't time with it. It goes into His garments, and His head, and His hair, and His eyes, and His feet, and His voice.

And then we come to verse sixteen, and it says, and He had in His right hand the seven stars. Seven golden candlesticks, seven stars. You don't need to ever be puzzled about the symbolism of this book, remember.

Because God interprets it. You're not allowed to use your imagination. God will tell you what it means. Far too many use their own ideas. You're not allowed to do that. What do you know about it? You'll have to listen to God.

And so you knew John would be puzzled by the seven stars and the seven golden candlesticks, and he says, verse twenty, last verse of your chapter, 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. Mark the word angel. The stars are angels now. And the seven candlesticks, which thou sawest, are the seven churches. These were seven literal churches.

They were the churches of Asia. And these stars in His hand were the angels of these churches. Now we've got to get on to the angels. Now when we come to chapter two, it says, the Lord speaking to John said, unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write.