Gr. aggeloi, literally, “messengers,” whether celestial or human. Aggeloi is applied to human beings in Matt. 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24, 27; 9:52; cf. 2 Cor. 12:7. It has been suggested that the “angels” of the seven churches are their respective elders, or overseers, in John’s time, and that the Lord was addressing the messages to them for transmission to their respective congregations. However, except for possibly the “angels” of the seven churches, the word aggeloi never refers to human beings in some 75 instances where John uses it in the Revelation. Whether it does so here is not clear from the context. However, it seems unlikely that God would send messages to literal angels through John, and the identification of these “angels” with the leaders of the churches is therefore to be preferred (cf. GW 13, 14; AA 586).

 See on vs. 11, 16. The present verse is a bridge between vs. 12-19 and the messages of chs. 2 and 3. It explains the symbols of vs. 12, 16 and prepares the way for the messages to the individual churches.

 Gr. mustērion, “a secret,” “a mystery,” from a word meaning “one who has been initiated” (see on Rom. 11:25). In early Christian usage the term “mystery” did not mean something that could not be understood, as it does today, but something that could be understood only by those who were initiated, that is, those who had the right to know. Thus Christ told His disciples that it was “given” unto them “to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” but not to the multitudes (see on Matt. 13:11). Paul speaks of the resurrection as a “mystery” (1 Cor. 15:51), and often so refers to the plan of salvation itself (see on Rom. 16:25, 26).

The Jewish background of this expression appears in a passage in the Dead Sea Manual of Discipline (see Vol. V, pp. 91, 92) that speaks of salvation: “The light of my heart penetrates the mystery that is to be” (1QS xi. 3; in Millar Burrows, The Dead Sea Scrolls, p. 387). The term “mystery” appears repeatedly in the same document. The expression was also common in pagan mystery religions.

 Here the term “mystery” is used of the seven “stars,” a symbol thus far not explained. But now this symbol is termed a “mystery,” in view of the fact that its interpretation is about to be made known. Thus, in the book of Revelation, a “mystery” is a cryptic symbol about to be explained to those who consent to “keep” (see on v. 3) the things revealed in this book (cf. ch. 17:7, 9), or one which God wills to make known to them. The symbols of the Revelation are also referred to as wonders (see on ch. 12:1) and signs (ch. 15:1).

 See on v. 12.

 See on vs. 4, 11.