One thing is clear though; he comes in the power of and represents the Eternal One. This event is happening in the spiritual on the island of Patmos and so, this is the spiritual image of the Son of Man. Contrast with chapter four where John was taken beyond his spiritual origin where he was not able to see the Divine or Primordial Spiritual form of the Son of Man.
When John saw the Son of Man, the experience overwhelmed him, for his spirit could not stand the radiance of unshielded Divine presence. The Lord placed His hand on John in blessing indicating acceptance of his worship and thereby imparting courage and strength. This should be contrasted with when John attempted the same with the Angel (Rev. 22.8) who could not accept his worship, but gently rebuked him. Worship belongs to God alone.
The Lord then further reassured John by asking him not to be afraid – he had died but he is alive forever. He is the Living One who holds the key to Life (eternal life) and to death and judgment (Hades). This will suggest that He is the Judge of the Living and the dead. The first part of verse 18 “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever!” is another basis for the conclusion that the Son of Man meant is Jesus but see above (discussion on Rev. 1:4-6). We must remember that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are One and that Jesus clearly stated that he did not come as a judge.
John is now again commanded to write what he has been allowed to see of the present and the future. The earlier command to write The Revelation (Rev. 1:10-11) was given by the voice like a trumpet and here he is again commanded to write, this time the message of the Son of Man to the seven churches, a declaration of imminent judgment. These specific messages to the churches are given in chapters two and three.
It is important to note that the message to the seven churches is for the present and the future and it is too restrictive to limit this message to the small communities in Asia Minor (that no longer even exist as such) and to the oppression of the church by Roman Emperors of the time.
We are now given an insight into the profound meaning of the seven stars and the seven golden lampstands; a meaning that suggests that these seven churches represent a comprehensive aggregation of human spirits before the Eternal One.
The seven lampstands before the Son of Man are the seven churches. This fact supports the view that these are not just churches in the earthly province of Asia; churches that were indeed dying or dead at the time of writing the Revelation, but that they represent something of much more significance. They are the seven Universes of the Material planes of Creation represented before the owner of Creation as lampstands. The Lord walking amongst them has the angels of the churches in the hollow of his right hand i.e. under his authority and protection. The seven stars are the angel guardians of the communities or Universes. These guardians are probably also the seven that sound the warnings to the Universes in the Trumpets. It is also likely that it is the voice of one or all that spoke to John like a trumpet earlier. They are responsible for the seven communities in the presence of God and it must surely be their place to bring the final warning. From chapter 8:1 we see that these are indeed high beings who stand in the presence of God.
The Son of Man is not described as standing or sitting amongst the lampstands, but as indicated in Rev. 2:1 walked amongst them. This suggests that the Lord was on a judgment tour of the Universes. From transmitted scripts available from the Grail foundation, when the Son of Man approached each community the light from the stand flared, glowed or dimmed according to the spiritual movement within the specific church. They judge themselves in the presence of the Son of Man.
CHAPTER TWO: ADMONITIONS TO THE SEVEN COMMUNITIES
Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7)
21 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.7Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
The Son of Man who is Lord of the angels of the churches (holds the seven stars in his right hand) and who walks among (travels through) the Universes (on an inspection or judgment tour of the church communities) speaks to the guardian of Ephesus. Ephesus as one of the seven Universes (or spheres) of Material Creation is, according to the Grail Message, the world community or Universe to which we belong and the admonition is particularly relevant to us today. Although addressed first here, Ephesus is actually the last Universe visited by the Son of Man. Its first position in Revelation is probably an indication of the fact that the revelation is primarily focused on Ephesus.
Irrespective of what we accept as the meaning of the seven churches, it is important as indicated earlier to realize that the admonition to the various communities has relevance to each particular individual depending on his level of maturity and his disposition. This is because as we rise or fall in our spiritual movement through our experiences in the World of Matter, we move up or down the characteristics that mark each community of believers and so fall into one or other of the seven churches. Thus, although, we may be in Ephesus, the admonition to say Laodicea may be more relevant to one as an individual because of his state of maturity, although, collectively the message to Ephesus applies to all.
In this regard, it becomes relevant to note that we are not all required as seekers, believers or servants of the Eternal One to fit the same pattern. Our strengths are different as are our weaknesses and so, we must tolerate each other and more importantly learn from each other – one group from another, Ephesians from Laodiceans etc. This is possible because for the spirit, the worlds are not really separated, the distance in space and time being only a function of the density of matter and our physical bodies.
The Lord is talking only to those who have been found worthy and starts by commending striving human spirits in Ephesus about their perseverance. This pattern is followed in all the other admonitions, first, a commendation followed by warnings. The admonitions also always end by demanding that those who are still alert must listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. This will suggest that in whatever form He is introduced; it is always the Son of Man, who comes with the judgment, who speaks. ‘Listen to what the Spirit says to the churches’ is an admonition to listen to the Truth brought by the Spirit of Truth promised by Christ, the Message or little scroll brought by the Son of Man with His incarnation (Rev. 10:2).
We first see this scroll as a book with seven seals in the hand of the Son of Man at the summit of Creation (Rev. 5:1). The only one worthy to do so, the Son of God, Jesus, the Love of God, then opens the seals. Each seal unveils epochs of human experiencing in the Worlds of Matter. Finally, the open book, now in a form that is accessible to human spirits, was brought and offered to deserving human spirits as part of the work of the Son of Man in His judgment tour through the seven Universes.
To those who are open to it, the Message is the enablement to overcome, the last hope of salvation. To the others, the Message remains the book with seven seals. Thus, the book was described as sweet in the mouth,