In I Tim. 5: 21 Paul says, "I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and

the elect angels." This is closely parallel with Rev. 1: 4, 5. While we would not say that

the seven spirits are the angels of the seven churches, Rev. 1: 20 and 3: 1 help us to see

some connection between them. The teaching of Scripture as to the ministry of angels

will prevent us from taking the seven references to the angels of the churches to mean

some office in the church or synagogue.  Angel means angel in its ordinary sense

throughout this book. Angelic ministry follows Israel from the nation's beginning up to

the nation's end (for a time) at the close of the Acts. Angelic ministry, like supernatural

gifts, ceases with the national existence of Israel, but revives when the time for Israel's

national restoration approaches. Our limited knowledge prevents us from saying that the

seven spirits before the throne, the seven angels of the churches, of the trumpets, of the

vials, and the elect angels are all the same, but the contemplation of the picture of the

mighty spiritual myriads, ever doing the Lord's service, as revealed in the Scriptures,

should cause us to glorify Him Who is raised far above all principality and power, angels

and principalities and powers being made subject unto Him.

In our next article we shall endeavour to draw the reader's attention to some of the

glories of the Lord Jesus Christ as set forth in the verses following.

We pass from the seven spirits which are before the throne to the contemplation of the

person and titles of the Lord Jesus Christ. The best manuscripts omit the title Christ in

several of the passages where the A.V. reads Jesus Christ, and the evidence seems

sufficient to prove that in 1: 5 we meet with the title for the last time, unless we include

the last verse of chapter 22: Omitting this last verse, for it does not really come under

this heading, the title Jesus Christ occurs but thrice, viz., 1: 1, 2, and 5. The almost

exclusively Pauline title Christ Jesus never occurs in the Revelation.

The first title that follows is, "the faithful witness." The order of the words in the

original gives the emphasis to the word faithful, "The witness, the faithful one." In

Rev. 2: 13 the A.V. translates the same words, "My faithful martyr." This is corrected in

the R.V., but it is well to remember that true witnessing carries with it incipient

martyrdom. Every witness may not necessarily die a martyr's death, but if faithful to his

trust he will be willing thus to die rather than surrender truth. Such a witness was the

Lord Jesus Christ while on earth. Such was He when from heaven He spoke to John.

The faithfulness of this testimony is emphasized in the Revelation. In 3: 14 the Lord is

spoken of as "The faithful and true witness." In 19: 11 He is called, "faithful and True,"

while in 21: 5 and 22: 6 faithfulness and truth are predicated of the words and sayings

of this book. When the Lord stood before Pilate He linked His kingship with His

testimony to truth:--