Messengers Not Angels In Revelation 1:20

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Hidden In Him

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Marks posted something over the weekend that I thought was exceptional. Not often will you see something that contradicts commonly held translation and interpretation, and yet proves itself to actually be true on further examination.

I'm speaking specifically about the translation in Revelations that the Lord Jesus was writing "to the seven angels of the seven churches" in Asia Minor. The word in Greek is Αγγελος, which can be translated either "angel" or "messenger" depending on the context, since this is what one class of angels are.

But aside from only a few, nearly all translations of the Bible read "angels" in Revelation, Chapters 1-3 instead of messengers. Only the International Standard and God's Word translations render it accurately as follows:

"The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in My right hand and the seven gold lamp stands is this: the seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches." (Revelation 1:20)

By "messengers," the text is referring to the leaders of the churches, who would have not only been the ones to receive this letter but also been its readers to their congregations as well.

As shared in our discussion, while the letter reads several times, "Let him who has an ear to hear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the seven churches," the excerpts themselves were actually addressed to these seven leaders. As Jesus told the leader in Sardis, "You (singular) have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy." (Revelation 3:4). Because it is in the singular, these words were clearly addressed to an individual, not the congregation itself in Sardis *(though they were indirectly addressed as well, through the reader). The only question is, was it an angel the Lord was talking to or a messenger; a leader who would be charged with reciting this letter to the congregation?

I can make no legitimate sense of these letters being written to seven angels. Since when does the Lord write a letter to angels when He wants to address a church? But I throw this out there for anyone who wishes to present a case for the common translation. I'm personally at a loss, however, for how it makes any logical sense.

God bless, and thanks for reading.
Hidden In Him
 

Rita

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I have always viewed the letters in context that they were to the churches and that the Lord would speak to them through a person. A message would be conveyed that they needed to ‘ hear ‘ .......
Not sure I can debate it though, these chapters have often been laid on my heart to reflect on. Rita
 

Hidden In Him

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I have always viewed the letters in context that they were to the churches and that the Lord would speak to them through a person. A message would be conveyed that they needed to ‘ hear ‘ .......
Not sure I can debate it though, these chapters have often been laid on my heart to reflect on. Rita

I'm sure if I go digging long enough, I can find a position that in essence says this while still arguing for the proper translation of "angels"...

I've also assumed that "angels" could be assumed based on the fact that the Lord also compared these men to "stars," which were symbolic of angels in other places in scripture. But the context here truly doesn't fit it, and immediate context is always king.

Thanks for the response, Rita. Hope you are blessed. :)
 
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justbyfaith

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I have known for quite time that the term "angel" does in fact mean "messenger"...

And the idea that the angels of the churches are the pastors of those churches is not very far from the truth of the matter.
 

marks

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Angel is a transliteration, while messenger is the translation. Personally I like to see translation over transliteration, except in names, and then I'd love to see the translation of the name included also.

I love the harmony it shows where these human messengers are seen as stars held in Jesus' hand.

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness as the stars of heaven forever!

. . . until the day dawn, and the morning star rises in your heart . . .

. . . God . . . hath shined in our hearts . . .

. . . til Christ be formed within you . . .

. . . Christ in you, the hope of glory . . .

. . . and one star differs from another in glory . . .

Just rambling here . . .

Much love!
 

Rita

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I am not so sure I see the messenger as the pastor. When I reflected on the passages I had an image of someone within the gathering being open to receive the message and convey it and the church being open to take it seriously. We often imagine the churches through the eyes of the way we do things now, not sure that was the case back then. Sadly I am not sure the churches did listen, which is a stark message for us today.
There is something about that whole chapter that intrigues me. Rita
 
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Hidden In Him

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And the idea that the angels of the churches are the pastors of those churches is not very far from the truth of the matter.

Ok, this part you would have to explain. In what sense would angels be pastors?
Angel is a transliteration, while messenger is the translation. Personally I like to see translation over transliteration, except in names, and then I'd love to see the translation of the name included also.

Yes. Transliteration doesn't always work even with ancient Greek words still in use, since meaning and usage change over time.
I am not so sure I see the messenger as the pastor. When I reflected on the passages I had an image of someone within the gathering being open to receive the message and convey it and the church being open to take it seriously. We often imagine the churches through the eyes of the way we do things now, not sure that was the case back then.

Absolutely. This is why several epistles are addressed directly to congregations, not any pastor, or one leader in particular. Revelation seems to break with this trend, which is an interesting aside. It appears that by the late NT era, the church was already moving in the direction of more assigned leadership in the churches rather than the Holy Spirit alone presiding. But maybe that was to be expected, since more time had passed, allowing those who were approved of God to rise to positions of authority.
 

marks

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This is why several epistles are addressed directly to congregations, not any pastor, or one leader in particular. Revelation seems to break with this trend, which is an interesting aside.
I never thought about that before. I wonder why that would be so? Unless it simply supports the idea that the letters were firstly to the one person.

Much love!
 

justbyfaith

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Ok, this part you would have to explain. In what sense would angels be pastors?
I'm not sure that I can explain it...except to say that the word for angel can mean messenger and therefore the human messengers spoken of may indeed be pastors who would relate the messages of the letters to the seven churches.
 
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Randy Kluth

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I have always viewed the letters in context that they were to the churches and that the Lord would speak to them through a person. A message would be conveyed that they needed to ‘ hear ‘ .......
Not sure I can debate it though, these chapters have often been laid on my heart to reflect on. Rita

I've gone back and forth on this one. Angels are everywhere inferred to be actual angels throughout the revelation. But all of your arguments are good. The only way to make sense of it being letters given to angels is if this is viewed as apocalyptic language, being sent by spiritual protection. But otherwise, I know what you mean! It's probably just human messengers, though they aren't identified as men either. It may be just assumed.
 

Hidden In Him

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I'm not sure that I can explain it...except to say that the word for angel can mean messenger and therefore the human messengers spoken of may indeed be pastors who would relate the messages of the letters to the seven churches.

Yes, or simply leaders in general without necessarily being pastors; possibly teachers, like Apollos was, or possibly a prophet, or simply a very strong elder.

There is the remote possibility that it could be a spiritual allusion, i.e. comparing those who truly walk in the Spirit to angels. This teaching took hold later in the early church era, and I've been studying it some. Especially as related to sexuality and walking in the flesh, there was this idea that the saints had become like angels, walking only in the Spirit now.

But it would be a bit of a stretch to apply that interpretation to Revelations without some sort of additional support.
 

jaybird

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i always believed angels to be messengers from the heavens, a class of sons of the Most High.
 

Hidden In Him

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i always believed angels to be messengers from the heavens, a class of sons of the Most High.

So do you think the letter was addressed to angels, then? It's an interesting concept, I suppose, but sort of "out there" if you will as far as actually thinking that God gave those messages to angels, and then those angels literally manifested before congregations and spoke the messages to them.

Possible, but not likely, as it seems to have no precedent, and you would think more would have been said about it.
 

jaybird

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So do you think the letter was addressed to angels, then? It's an interesting concept, I suppose, but sort of "out there" if you will as far as actually thinking that God gave those messages to angels, and then those angels literally manifested before congregations and spoke the messages to them.

Possible, but not likely, as it seems to have no precedent, and you would think more would have been said about it.

isnt that what angels do, deliver messages from the heavens? all those other times in scripture where the Most High sends angels, they are all "out there" concepts?
 

ChristisGod

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I am not so sure I see the messenger as the pastor. When I reflected on the passages I had an image of someone within the gathering being open to receive the message and convey it and the church being open to take it seriously. We often imagine the churches through the eyes of the way we do things now, not sure that was the case back then. Sadly I am not sure the churches did listen, which is a stark message for us today.
There is something about that whole chapter that intrigues me. Rita
In Revelation 1, John the apostle sees the glorified Christ in a vision. Jesus is standing among seven golden lampstands. In His hand, Jesus holds seven stars (Revelation 1:13, 16). In verse 20 Jesus explains, “The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.”

The meaning of the lampstands is plain. They represent the seven churches of Asia Minor. We know that a lampstand is intended to give light. The people of God, both as individuals and as congregations, are to be bearers of light. Jesus told His followers that they were the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Paul told the church in Philippi that they were “seen as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). Since Jesus is the “true light” of the world (John 1:9), it makes sense that He is standing “among the lampstands” (Revelation 1:13)—the light shed abroad by the churches comes from Him. The stars held in Jesus’ hand are also light-bearers.

However, the meaning of the angels is less plain. The Greek word angelos simply meant “messenger”; usually, the word was used for supernatural “messengers” from God. However, sometimes the word was applied to human messengers of God’s Word: John the Baptist is called an “angelos” in Matthew 11:10.

Some scholars interpret the angels of Revelation 1:20 as heavenly beings. Others view them as the human messengers who bore John’s letter. Others identify them as those who actually read the message to the congregations, that is, church leaders such as pastors, elders, or bishops. A pastor of a church functions as a “messenger” for God, delivering God’s Word to the congregation.

If the angels of the seven churches are heavenly beings, then that would perhaps mean that each church had a “guardian angel” or some type of heavenly being associated with each congregation. There is a difficulty with this interpretation. John was writing the letters to them. Why should he write letters to angels—were the letters going to be read to the congregations by celestial beings? That is highly doubtful.

A better view is that the “angels” are envoys sent to John. During the time that the apostle was exiled on the Isle of Patmos, it is possible that local congregations sent delegates to him to inquire of his condition. These delegates could be the “angels” or “messengers” that were entrusted with the letters on their return trip.

Probably the best interpretation, however, is that the seven angels are the human leaders—the bishops, elders, or pastors—in the churches. Jesus used the apostle John to write messages addressed to seven notable church leaders, and these leaders would then share the messages with the rest of the church. The fact that the “stars” are held in Jesus’ “right hand” is significant. The Lord Himself protects, upholds, and guides the leaders of the church with His strength and wisdom.got?

hope this helps !!!
 

Hidden In Him

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isnt that what angels do, deliver messages from the heavens? all those other times in scripture where the Most High sends angels, they are all "out there" concepts?

I don't mean the teachings themselves are too "out there," LoL. I meant that the concept of angels delivering messages personally to seven churches is a little "out there."
 

WaterSong

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Marks posted something over the weekend that I thought was exceptional. Not often will you see something that contradicts commonly held translation and interpretation, and yet proves itself to actually be true on further examination.

I'm speaking specifically about the translation in Revelations that the Lord Jesus was writing "to the seven angels of the seven churches" in Asia Minor. The word in Greek is Αγγελος, which can be translated either "angel" or "messenger" depending on the context, since this is what one class of angels are.

But aside from only a few, nearly all translations of the Bible read "angels" in Revelation, Chapters 1-3 instead of messengers. Only the International Standard and God's Word translations render it accurately as follows:

"The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in My right hand and the seven gold lamp stands is this: the seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches." (Revelation 1:20)

By "messengers," the text is referring to the leaders of the churches, who would have not only been the ones to receive this letter but also been its readers to their congregations as well.

As shared in our discussion, while the letter reads several times, "Let him who has an ear to hear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the seven churches," the excerpts themselves were actually addressed to these seven leaders. As Jesus told the leader in Sardis, "You (singular) have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy." (Revelation 3:4). Because it is in the singular, these words were clearly addressed to an individual, not the congregation itself in Sardis *(though they were indirectly addressed as well, through the reader). The only question is, was it an angel the Lord was talking to or a messenger; a leader who would be charged with reciting this letter to the congregation?

I can make no legitimate sense of these letters being written to seven angels. Since when does the Lord write a letter to angels when He wants to address a church? But I throw this out there for anyone who wishes to present a case for the common translation. I'm personally at a loss, however, for how it makes any logical sense.

God bless, and thanks for reading.
Hidden In Him
It has always been my understanding that that particular passage in Revelation 1 , the seven churches, refers to those actual 7 churches that did exist at the time of John's penning the inspired text from Jesus. The churches were to receive those scrolls, letters, at the time. Not in future as we often think the Revelation passage pertains to.
Therein the emissaries, or messengers, were those who would carry those scrolls/letters to those 7 churches.

Hebrew Word of the Day - angel, emissary, messenger - מַלְאָךְ
The name ‘angel’ as a ‘messenger’ is derived from the Hebrew word, ‘ha•lach,’ which means ‘goes’ or ‘walks.’
 

Hidden In Him

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It has always been my understanding that that particular passage in Revelation 1 , the seven churches, refers to those actual 7 churches that did exist at the time of John's penning the inspired text from Jesus. The churches were to receive those scrolls, letters, at the time. Not in future as we often think the Revelation passage pertains to.

This was always my understanding as well, but as Marks and I were discussing, a look at the original text reveals that what He addresses are actually seven individuals, because every time the words are in the singular.

For instance, in Revelation 2:2-3 it states:

"I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."

In the Greek, the words "thy works, thy labor, thy patience..." etc are all in the singular, which means He was talking to a particular individual, and not the church as a whole. Thus, as I was saying, it can only be one of two things: Either an actual angel, or a human messenger of some sort.

It is the same with all the other addresses. All seven are addressed to an individual, in the singular.
 

WaterSong

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This was always my understanding as well, but as Marks and I were discussing, a look at the original text reveals that what He addresses are actually seven individuals, because every time the words are in the singular.

For instance, in Revelation 2:2-3 it states:

"I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."

In the Greek, the words "thy works, thy labor, thy patience..." etc are all in the singular, which means He was talking to a particular individual, and not the church as a whole. Thus, as I was saying, it can only be one of two things: Either an actual angel, or a human messenger of some sort.

It is the same with all the other addresses. All seven are addressed to an individual, in the singular.
Indeed. The scrolls or letters John is directed to write are meant for the individual emissary or messenger who is already in the church in Smyrna, etc...
8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write the following....."

The question then becomes one of, how would those scrolls/letters find those emissaries within those 7 churches abroad? When John was in exile on Patmos?
 
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Hidden In Him

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The question then becomes one of, how would those scrolls/letters find those emissaries within those 7 churches abroad? When John was in exile on Patmos?

They were copied and sent abroad to the various churches by individual members who were traveling to other congregations. This is what was referred to by Paul in Colossians when he said, "hold fast the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increases with the increase of God."

He meant that the words being spoken by leaders in the church were being transmitted throughout the body by letter, so that like ligaments in the body they were tying the whole thing together and keeping it united in doctrine and Spirit. Messengers (like Timothy was for Paul in 1 Thessalonians 3:1-2) were being sent to various churches carrying letters received by the apostles and leaders in the various churches.
 
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