Continuing thru the book of Revelation…to view previous posts, click here.
Vision of Jesus Christ as He is…
Rev 1:9 I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and testimony about Jesus.
v9 During the time this book was written, the early Christians were under severe persecution for their faith through out the Roman empire. They were socially, politically, economically, and some were even tortured to death. Christians were thrown in arenas to be slaughtered by gladiators, wild animals for entertainment. Emperor after emperors of Rome took their turns on persecuting the early Christians.
John was exiled in a small rocky island in the Aegean Sea, about 50 miles offshore from the city of Ephesus (check out the map from the previous study). Despite of all the Christians and himself are facing, John refused to stop preaching the gospel.
2 Timothy 2:12 If we endure hardship, We will reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will deny us.
Rev 1:10 It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast.
v10 John is in the spirit, he was not affected by time or physical limits, he is able to move upward to heaven and forward in time to the Lord’s day.
Rev 1:11 It said, “Write in a book* everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13 And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest.
v11-13 John recognized Jesus Christ in His glorified body (“like the Son of Man”), because John lived with Him for three years and seen Jesus both as the Galilean preacher and as the glorified Son of God at the Transfiguration (see Matthew 17:1-8).
Rev 1:14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.
v14-15 White hair indicates His wisdom and divine nature; the description of his eyes points not only to Christ’s absolute holiness, but also seeing all things as they truly are, and symbolize judgment of all evil; gold sash across the chest shows that He is the high priest, who goes into God’s presence to obtain forgiveness of sin for those who have believed Him. His voice sounded like the ocean wave, everywhere and powerful.
Check out Daniel 10:4-6, where Daniel also had the same visual of Jesus Christ in His glorified body almost 700 years before John wrote the book of Revelation.
Rev 1:16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.
v16 A lot of symbolic visuals here. The seven stars symbolizes messengers (in Greek it is called “angelos’ which can be applied to both supernatural (angels) or human messengers of God (pastors, elders etc.)).
The sharp two-edged sword from his mouth symbolizes the power and force of his message (Hebrews 4:12, Isaiah 49:2).
Rev 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last.”
v17 Interesting to point out that throughout the scripture, when men encountered heavenly beings, the reaction is falling on their faces as if dead. Example: Daniel, Jesus arrest, etc. (when Jesus said “I am He” John 18:5-6).
Rev 1:18 “I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”
v18 Jesus Christ baring his scars that he carries forever with him from his suffering for us.
Rev 1:19 “Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen. 20 This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”
v19-20 You can be assured that John was faithful witness and wrote exactly what was shown to him, pay close attention, we are living in the last days. The seven lampstands are the churches and the seven stars are the seven pastors of the seven churches.
Closing Notes:
- Trusting God with the future – We may not know every single detail of the future, but we know He does.
- Worship attitude towards Jesus – He is our glorious and majestic Lord and sovereign God who deserves our utmost respect and honor.
- “Seven” represents completeness or totality.
Faithful Walk 