And unto Sardis.—The Church in the dawn of the Reformation. And unto Philadelphia.—The Church in the period of reformation by sects. And unto Laodicea.—The Church in the time of the Lord’s Second Presence. 1:12. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me.—“The Apostles saw in symbol what the Lord’s people may now see with the eye of faith and understanding. He saw One like a son of man—like a man, like a priest, as implied by the clothes described—walking amongst seven golden candlesticks, caring for them, trimming the wicks, seeing to the supply of oil, etc. Thus our Lord Jesus, our glorified Master, has directed respecting His people’s affairs, inspecting and caring for the Church as a light‐bearer, a candlestick. Alas, how poor the wicks have sometimes been! How feeble the light that has sometimes shone out! How much trimming has been necessary!”—Z. ’16‐344. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks.—“The Golden Candlestick, or Lamp‐stand, which stood opposite the Golden Table, and gave light to all in the ‘Holy,’ was of gold—all of one piece hammered out. (Exod. 25:31‐37.) It had seven branches, each of which held a lamp, making seven lamps in all—a perfect or complete number. This represented the complete Church, from the Head, Jesus, to and including the last member of the ‘little flock’ that He is taking out from among men, to be partakers of the Divine (gold) nature.”—T. 115; Rev. 1:20; Zech. 4:2; Matt. 5:14‐16. 1:13. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks.—“The union, the relationship between them, being supplied by our Redeemer, the antitypical High Priest.”—Z. ’16‐344. One like unto the son of man.—“This symbolical picture has precious lessons for us, more valuable than an attempt to describe to our minds the appearance of our Lord as a Spirit Being, ‘dwelling in light which no man can approach unto,’ and which we cannot appreciate until we shall be changed to ‘be like Him and see Him as He is.’—1 John 3:2; 1 Cor. 15:50‐53.”—Z. ’16‐344; Dan. 7:13. Clothed with a garment down to the foot.—“The glory of Christ was manifested in His own person, in His own ministry, and in that of His Twelve Apostles, His representatives—St. Paul taking the place of Judas; with their death the body of Truth was almost veiled throughout the eighteen centuries intervening, until now.”—Z. ’16‐344. And girt about the breast.—The support of the garment at the breast, instead of the neck, left the arms and shoulders uncovered, representing that the early Church was favored with the light of the true Gospel for a considerable time after our Lord and Head had completed His earthly ministry.