Tonight we are going to get into the “meat” of the book of Revelation. We pointed out last week that the book of Revelation is actually a combination of “types” of books. We see in it prophecy; we see in it an epistle, or letter; and we also see in it a series of apocalyptic visions. In no place in the book is this more clearly pointed out than right here in the very first section. After telling the title of the book and identifying it as an apocalypsis, and a book of prophecy, as we see there in verses 1 through 3, John also introduces himself to us in verses 4 through 7 of chapter 1 and also gives a salutation which we find in other letters in the New Testament. Following this opening of the book, then we read about the vision that John saw: Christ walking in glory in the midst of His churches and sending Messages to the seven churches of Asia, or at least seven specific churches of Asia.
INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION
THE NATURE AND TIMELINESS OF THE BOOK—verses 1-3:
So let’s begin and we’ll read the first three verses and then comment about those:
[verse 1] “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,
[verse 2] who bore witness to the Word of God, and to the Testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.
[verse 3]Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the Words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”
We see here that the book opens by stating the title: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” The word “Revelation” comes from a Greek word, “apocalypsis,” and it occurs only here in this book. It was not necessarily, nor does it have to be, a—quote, unquote—“religious” word. It can mean or signify the “unveiling” or the “revealing” of anything. Of course, in this context, here at the beginning of this book, we know that it certainly has a specific meaning.
It is a “Revelation” given to Jesus and then to John:
Interesting that we see here that there is going to be a “line” through which this Revelation is going to be given—through which it is going to flow. It will be from God, to Jesus Christ, to His angel, to His servant, John, for His servants—not John’s servants, but for Jesus’ servants. So we see this line: God—to Jesus—to His angel—to John, who records these things to be passed on then—to other servants. It will be noted later in the book, however, that the angel does not really figure greatly into this Revelation that comes from Christ.
The word translated “servant”—this is how John is described—is a common word for “slave.” It denotes ownership by Christ and the supremacy of Christ’s Will—in other words, one who is a servant to the Will of Christ.
It concerns things which are “soon to happen;” it concerns a time which is “near”:
It speaks here about things which will “shortly take place.” It tells us what the Revelation concerns, and it concerns things that will “take place.” We’ve discussed a little about this in the Introduction lessons, but there is a lot of discussion and confusion about this. What it has to do with is things that are certain to come to pass. It doesn’t necessarily suggest that everything in this book will come to pass at the same time. It doesn’t suggest at all that these things have already taken place. It doesn’t suggest at all that none of these things have yet taken place and they are all to take place in the future, as some categories of interpretation suggest. This would be the “futurist’s” view of Revelation. However, this expression presents strong evidence that these things will come to pass; some already have; and some are yet to come to pass.
In verse 2, we see that John “bears witness.” He was an “eye witness.” There is, perhaps, the possibility of a double meaning there, when it talks about the “Word of God.” It may be the actual Words that God is saying, that are being passed through Jesus, through the angel, to John, OR it could be that it is the “Word of God.” John is a witness, because he will turn and look at Who is speaking and it is the Son of God—Jesus. Of course, John uses this terminology in his Gospel: Jesus is the Word of God. Do you remember John, chapter 1, verse 1?“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, [and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and Truth.” [John 1:14]. So John may be saying something specifically—literally—here that he is witnessing, that he is looking at, that he is seeing the Word of God—the Son of God. He will be telling or relating the Testimony of Jesus and the things that he will see.
The words “Testimony” and “bore witness” are common words that are found in John’s writings. This Revelation is, likewise, John’s Testimony to that which Christ, through His angel, made known to John. As we have said before, John is relating the things that were related to him—the things that he will see.
The two expressions in verse 2, “the Word of God” and the “Testimony of Jesus Christ,” are synonymous. This expression in various forms is going to be found several times elsewhere as we go through Revelation. It will be seen in chapter 6, verse 9 [“When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the Testimony which they held.”], chapter 12, verse 17 [“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ”], and again in chapter 20, verse 4 [“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their Witness [Testimony] to Jesus and for the Word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”].
It contains a blessing for the reader and doer:
In chapter 1, verse 3 that we just read, we see the first of seven beatitudes in the book of Revelation. Did you know or realize that there are seven beatitudes in the book of Revelation, or did you think that the only beatitudes to be found in the Bible were in Matthew 5 [verses 1-11] and in Luke 6 [verses 20-23]? Well, not so! There are seven beatitudes in the book of Revelation. Remember that the word “beatitude” comes from the Latin word, “beatus,” which means “blessed.”Beginning in verse 3, John states: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the Words.” We’ll see other beatitudes in chapter 14, verse 13 [“Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’”]; chapter 16, verse 15 [“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”]; chapter 19, verse 9 [“Then he said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!”’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’”]; chapter 20, verse 6 [“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”]; and chapter 22, verses 7 and 14 [“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the Words of the prophecy of this book.” “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”]. Along with this beatitude here in verse 3, we’ll see that there are seven beatitudes.
So we see here in Revelation, chapter 1, verse 3, that there is a special blessing upon those who read aloud, and to those who listen, to those who are members of whatever that assembly or congregation is who “hear” the prophetic “Words” of the book. The blessings rest upon those who “hear” and those who “keep” [obey] the Message.
What great value there is in a public reading of the Word of God! Do you ever think sometimes on Sunday morning and Sunday night: “Well, why are we doing this? After all, the preacher is going to be up there preaching in just a little while, and he’s going to have a text that he’ll read and he’s going to read or recite a number of other passages of Scripture during the sermon.” If we didn’t have another reason for reading aloud from God’s Word in our worship service, this would be a good reason to do it! Blessings rest upon those who “hear” and who “keep” [obey] the Message!
In fact, historically, they say that as time progressed (and I don’t quite know a time-frame for this), but one reference that I read said that as time progressed from these early days of the church, perhaps into the 2nd and 3rd
Centuries and so on, the one who was the public reader of Scripture was made an “official”—quote-unquote—of the church. A congregation might have a primary person to do that public reading, because not everyone read and not every one had a Bible. They relied on scrolls that were copied, both the Old Testament as well as the epistles that had been written. Now I don’t think there is anything that is Scriptural about that—the “office of the reader,” as we read about the “office of the elder,” and so on —but nevertheless, that was the importance or significance that the church put on the reading of the Word after the 1st Century. The blessedness of hearing and obeying God’s Word is a beatitude—a blessing—that is proved again and again in the lives of Christians.
THE SALUTATION FROM THE GODHEAD—verses 4-8:Let’s look at the next three verses, beginning with chapter 1, verse 4, and reading through verse 6:
[verse 4]“John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him Who is and Who was and Who is to come, and from the seven Spirits Who are before His throne,
[verse 5] and from Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness, the Firstborn from the dead, and the Ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him Who loved us and washed us from our sins in His Own blood,
[verse 6]and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Verses 4 through 6 form the “salutation,” or the “greeting,” of the letter. A salutation or greeting of this type was common in the epistles—the letters—that we have in the New Testament. They are very nearly all alike. Just take a look at any one of Paul’s epistles, for example. [See Romans 1:1-6; Galatians 1:1-5; Ephesians 1:1-14, etc.]
Here, the salutation is combined with the traditional blessing of “grace” and “peace” with a doxology of praise. A doxology is a “hymn” or a “verse of praise” to God.
The “seven churches which are in Asia” refers to the churches located in the Roman province of Asia. The Asia that is discussed and mentioned numerous times in the New Testament does not refer to what we think of today geographically as the continent of Asia; but, rather, it was a province in the Roman Empire which included a part of what was referred to as “Asia Minor.” This area where these seven churches were located is now in modern day Turkey. These seven churches (that we’ll talk more in detail about when we get to chapter 2) were not the only churches in Asia, or Asia Minor, in that day. There was a congregation at Colosse. There was a congregation at Hierapolis. Colossians 4:13 is where we read about that one [“For I bear him (Epapharas—a member of the Colossi church and a bondservant of Christ] witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis.”]. There was a congregation in Troas, Acts, chapter 20, verse 5 [“These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas.”]. These are all mentioned in the New Testament. And, there were references later in 1st and 2nd Century historical writings to other churches in this area.
Why did the Lord choose these seven churches? Well, we don’t know exactly, but it may be that they were representative of all of the churches. Now, I’m not suggesting here that these weren’t real congregations, and that they didn’t have real problems. There are some who would want to suggest that, in other words, the Lord here wasn’t really “addressing problems that existed,” but He was sort of “addressing these things in a generic way.” I don’t think that is the case at all! What I’m saying is that perhaps these seven churches were representative of the problems and issues that were facing New Testament churches here in the later part of the 1st Century. In a manner of speaking, these seven churches were also located in a fairly close proximity to one another. We’ll see that when we begin to look at chapter 2. [You can see the close proximity of these seven churches if you look at a map of Paul’s Missionary Journeys, perhaps in the back of your Bible.] One could make the journey beginning in Ephesus, and go north up to Smyrna and Thyatira, and then go south down to Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Colosse, ending at Ephesus, and make sort of a “crescent shape,” which would be the distance of about 150 miles.
There may also be something that is significant about the number “7.” You remember last week when we mentioned that there are a number of numbers—of digits—that we are going to run across as we go through Revelation. One of those numbers that is used frequently is the number “7.” If you recall, that is the number for “perfection,” so there may have been some significance there in the Lord’s choosing these specific congregations and limiting the number to “seven.”
In a unique way, this salutation that we have read here comes from the three Persons of the Godhead:
From the Almighty Father:
John will send this greeting, not from John, but from God—God Who is here described as “Him Who is,” Him “Who was,” and Him “Who is to come.”
From the Holy Spirit:
Then, from the Holy Spirit, described here as “the seven Spirits Who are before His throne.”
From Jesus Christ:
And then, of course, from Jesus Christ, the third part of the Godhead. He’s actually described here in three ways, or given three titles, if you will.
First, He is given the title of “the Faithful Witness,” that is, One Who can bear full Testimony because of His first-hand knowledge. You see, in order to be a “faithful witness,” you have to have first-hand information. You can’t be a “faithful witness” if you’ve gotten the information second-hand. Indeed, Jesus has first-hand knowledge!
Secondly, He is also given the title here as “the Firstborn from the dead,” or “Firstborn of the dead.” This is significant because being “the Firstborn from the dead,” He guarantees our resurrection.
And, thirdly, He is given the title, “the Ruler over the kings of the earth.” Through His witnessing leading to the cross, and His resurrection from the dead, He is “the Ruler of the kings of the earth.” And if you remember, from Matthew 4 and Luke 4, Satan tempted the Lord as He was spending those 40 days in the wilderness after His baptism. At the very end of those 40 days, Satan would tempt Him with three major temptations. You will remember that one of those temptations was to show Him all of the kingdoms of the earth and offer Him the rulership, the kingship, of those nations. Of course, He didn’t—He wouldn’t succumb to that temptation! But now, He has achieved that! That was a position that the devil said he could provide Jesus by way of temptation. The Lord refused and He has now—or is now—in that position—“the Ruler over the kings of the earth.”
The beautiful doxology that we mentioned a moment ago closes out the salutation. It’s going to be the first of several that we will see here in the book. We see several things in this verse of praise—this hymn of praise—that are significant and worth mentioning. Jesus is here described as the one “Who…washed us from our sins in His Own blood.” The reference here to baptism is very clear, and it is a reference that, perhaps, we don’t use often as we are talking with people about baptism. But, nevertheless, there is a very clear reference to baptism contained here in Revelation, chapter 1 [verse 5].
Another blessing for the reader and doer that flows through Jesus here is that we have been made a kingdom of “priests” to give God honor and glory. Turn back to Exodus, chapter 19, and let’s look for a moment at verse 6. This, of course, is the occasion when the children of Israel had been led to Mt. Sinai. Listen to what the Word of the Lord says here concerning them: [God said,] “‘And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the Words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” Indeed, they were God’s chosen people and He promised them that great promise. That promise today is transferred to us—to us as Christians who are the people of God. It is important for us to remember and think about our status. We must realize that we are a “kingdom of priests” to God in the New Covenant. [1 Peter 2:9-10: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”]
Let’s take a look at the next few verses, chapter 1, verses 7 and 8. John writes:
[verse 7]“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
[verse 8]‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.’”
In verses 5, 6, and 7, we see three things about Christ. Verse 5 tells of the characteristics of Christ and what Christ has done and continues to do. Verse 6 describes what Christ has made of His followers. Then verse 7 describes what Christ has yet to do. So, what He has done and continues to do—what He has made of His followers—and now what He has yet to do are stated.
Verse 7 announces “He is coming with the clouds” and all “will see Him.” To us as believers—as followers—as Christians—this gives us unspeakable joy! But there is also a warning contained here: Those who have “pierced Him” through the ages in disregard and in open rebellion “will mourn.” That’s the New King James’ translation. The King James’ version says “will wail;” the English Study Bible says “will lament.”
We can go back and look at an Old Testament passage that deals with this. In Zachariah, chapter 12, verse 10, the Lord said through the prophet, “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me Whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” A prophetic statement about the Lord, but here, again, it is repeated: those who have “pierced” Him. No, not just those who were there at the foot of that Roman cross, but everyone of every age who has rebelled, who has disregarded, or who has been disobedient. His “coming” in the “clouds”—this second coming will be occasion for them to “mourn,” for them to “wail,” for them to “lament.”
Verse 8 presents the announcement of the Lord God Himself. It states here, as John has written and recorded, the Words of the Lord. It says: “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” “Alpha” is the first letter of the Greek alphabet; “Omega” is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. This is illustrative, then, of the next statement when He says, “I am…the Beginning and the End.” Those are practically synonymous terms: “Alpha”—the “Beginning;” “Omega”—the “End.” That is what God IS!
The expression “Who is and Who was and Who is to come” is the same terminology describing the Lord as we read in verse 4. The word that is translated from Greek into the English word, “Almighty,” emphasizes God’s sovereign Lordship over all things. [Sovereign: above all others; chief; supreme; supreme in power, rank, etc.; independent of all others; a monarch or ruler] The New English Bible translates this word “the sovereign Lord of all.” This word “Almighty” occurs in the book of Revelation nine times. To see the eternal God holding sway as sovereign Lord over His universe, over His creation, and working out His eternal purpose becomes the background, then, for all the rest of the Message that is contained in the book of Revelation.
THE ACCOUNT OF JOHN’S INITIAL VISION AND HIS COMMISSION—verses 9-20:That brings us next to John’s vision beginning with verse 9.
[verse 9] “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the Testimony of Jesus Christ.”
There are several things to notice here. The writer, John, identifies himself once again. In the very first lessons we had on Revelation, we talked about the fact that there is some controversy about which “John” this was. I think most agree that it is “John, the apostle” who wrote this Revelation. Here, he identifies himself once more and he reminds his readers that he was suffering along with them. He describes himself as a “brother.” He is, of course, writing these letters to the seven churches—he’s writing these to fellow Christians; therefore, they are “brethren.” He is a brother in Christ. He also says that he is a partaker “in the tribulation” and this, no doubt, makes reference to the persecution that Rome had brought on the church at this time.
You recall that in our Introduction lessons, we were reminded of the great persecution that the church was under at this time, brought upon them initially by the Jews, but now, here in the latter part of the 1st Century, by the Romans. John himself, you see, was suffering in that same way, because he had been banished to the Island of Patmos by the Roman government as punishment for his preaching. Now, he would have been enduring not only this banishment—this exile—but also, very austere conditions. His life on the island would not be one of “ease.” There is one historian who describes how those who were banished to these kinds of islands in those days were treated. He said, “It was, in its worst form, a terrible fate, like the death penalty. It was preceded by scourging, and it was marked by perpetual fetters,” (that is, being tied up—being bound), “scanty clothing, insufficient food, sleep on the bare ground in a dark prison, and work under the lash of military overseers.” They say that this Island of Patmos was well known for its marble quarries, and the marble was quarried by those prisoners of the Roman Empire whose punishment was banishment. So, we imagine that John was there and had been banished there because of his preaching of the Word of God. He was suffering mightily right along with his brethren to whom he writes these letters.
Verses 10 and 11:
[verse 10] “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,
[verse 11] saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,’ and, ‘What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos [also, Pergamum], to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.’”
In verse 10, there is a reference to the “Lord’s Day,” referring to the first day of the week as the day that the Lord was resurrected from the dead. The word “Lord’s” here in verse 10 appears only twice in the New Testament. The other place is in 1 Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 20, where Paul is talking about and describing the Lord’s Supper. [beginning in verse 19: “For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper.”] He is presenting to the church of Christ in Corinth what the Lord had informed him about concerning the Lord’s Supper. Paul uses that term—“Lord’s Supper.” That’s one of two places where that word, “Lord’s,” is translated that way. Obviously, that is a reference to Jesus and the supper that He instituted the night of His betrayal. It [the Lord’s supper] was also what was practiced by the church in Jerusalem that we read about in Acts, chapter 2. Also, we see in Acts 20, verse 7, that Christians in Troas came together to break bread on the first day of the week [“Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his Message until midnight.”].
So, this day—the “Lord’s Day”—“Sunday”—the “first day of the week”—is a special day. It is the day that belongs to the Lord. It is the day that He rose from the dead. It is the day when saints—His disciples—His followers—gather together to worship Him and praise Him, and to partake of the Lord’s Supper. We also know from church historians that this was, in fact, the practice of the early church, through the 1st Century, into the 2nd Century, and even into the 3rd Century—to meet on the first day of the week, coming together to observe the Lord’s Supper and to worship. “The Lord’s Day” was the day that John was presented this Revelation while he was “in the spirit,” Revelation 1, verse 10, a Revelation that has come through God, through Christ, through the Holy Spirit to John.
Then in verse 11, the voice once again identified Himself in the same way as He had done before: “saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’” and this time, saying, “the First and the Last.” John here is commanded to “write” what he saw and send it in a “book…to the seven churches which are in Asia.”
We might be reminded that these were real churches. They were real churches that existed in the 1st Century, and they were churches with real problems. Of course, there are cultural differences and approximately 2,000 years of time have passed by, but imagine these seven churches in Ephesus, Philadelphia, and Smyrna, and so on, churches of Christ—our ancient brethren. They were being written to and they were actual congregations—just like ours—and they had problems that were being addressed.
Let’s now read verses 12 through 16:
[verse 12] “Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
[verse 13] and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
[verse 14] His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
[verse 15] His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;
[verse 16] He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.”
John has heard a voice and he turns now to see Who it is that is speaking. The first thing that he sees is “seven golden lampstands.” The description here of “golden lampstands” should remind us of the lampstands that were made for the Tabernacle. Exodus 25 and Exodus 37 come to mind, where a description was given by the Lord—instructions on how to manufacture or make golden lampstands for the Tabernacle. Then, of course, these were also carried over in to the Temple of Solomon.
How remarkable that the first thing that John saw were these lampstands! They represent the churches. Now get the imagery here: picture seven golden lampstands. “In the midst of” these “lampstands,” Christ was seen. He was there “in the midst of” His churches [local congregations of His one church] and this is where He remains even today. He knows His churches; He knows those who belong to Him; and He walks in their “midst.” We believe that as we come together and assemble as a congregation to worship, even on an occasion like this [the Wednesday night worship and Bible study], maybe a little less formal, but we’ve come together to worship, to praise God, and we believe that His Son is here in our “midst.” That’s the imagery that we see and that John saw on that occasion. It is “One like the Son of Man,” we see there in verse 13.
As we go through Revelation, we’re going to see a number of similarities to the Old Testament books of Daniel, in particular, and Ezekiel, and some others. Here is a case where we see something that is very similar to something that Daniel saw in the long ago. Turn over to Daniel, chapter 7 and let’s look at verse 13 and following. This is a vision that Daniel saw, a vision of the Ancient of Days, verse 13: “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.” Then, three chapters over, Daniel, chapter 10, beginning with verse 5, here’s a description of Daniel’s vision of the glorious man. He says, “I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain Man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! His body was like beryl, His face like the appearance of lightning, His eyes like torches of fire, His arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of His Words like the voice of a multitude. And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. Yet I heard the sound of His Words; and while I heard the sound of His Words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.”
Don’t those visions sound very similar to the descriptions that we have seen here in Revelation, chapter 1? “One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band” [verse 13]. Indeed! You might look at Daniel 7, verse 9, because we’re going to see a further reference to this description in that section of Daniel [“I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.”]. This term, the “Son of Man,” was our Lord’s favorite term to describe Himself during His earthly ministry. He never referred to Himself as the “Son of God.” He referred to Himself as the “Son of Man.” So the passages that we have looked at in Daniel have a messianic meaning to them.
The description turns then from His clothing to His person. John describes “His head and hair” being like “white like wool, as white as snow,” [verse 14]. In Daniel 7, verse 9, Daniel will see that as well. These figures symbolize His eternity and His purity. “His eyes” were “flaming”—penetrating—searching. “His feet” were glowing like freshly heated “brass” “in a furnace,” [verse 15]. This shows not only His strength, but also His consuming judgment. His strong commanding “voice” is like the roar of mighty “waters.”In the “right hand” of His ruling power are the “stars,” the significance of which we will see a bit later. And we see there [verse 16] that “out of His mouth” came a “sharp two-edged sword,” showing the power and the force of His Message.
The Roman army had a short sword that was sort of curved, it was double-edged, and it was a very deadly weapon which was used for close combat. This is the description—the implication—of what John gives here. It’s the same as the Hebrew writer gives in Hebrews 4, verse 12 when he talks about “the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, [piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”] That’s the imagery—that’s the implication that we are given here.
And finally, His face shown “like the sun shining in” full blazing glory. We can’t miss here the similarity between John’s description of what he saw on this occasion: “One like the Son of Man,” “standing in the midst of the seven lampstands,” and His face shining brilliantly. John had seen another image like this described in Matthew 17 and Mark 9—that being the transfiguration of Jesus. You recall from that description that His face shown so brightly. [“and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light,” Matthew 17:2; “and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them,” Mark 9:2b-3.] On the occasion of the transfiguration, Jesus’ face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light, a white that no one on earth could duplicate.
Let’s look now at verses 17 and 18:
[verse 17] “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
[verse 18] I am He Who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.’”
There are a number of times that we see in the Scriptures where individuals have prostrated themselves before a demonstration of Divine power and glory. We might remember that Abraham did so, Genesis 17, verse 3 [“Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:…”], as did Ezekiel, in Ezekiel 1, verse 28 [“Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.”]. Also, you recall that Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, Matthew 17, verse 6, “fell on their faces.”[“And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.”] Then we might also be reminded of Saul, Acts 9, verse 4, when the Lord appeared to him as a bright, shining light and Paul would fall prostrate before Him [“Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’”].
“Fear not”are the words that are spoken here [verse 17-King James’ Version—“Do not be afraid,”-New King James Version], and we see that the Lord’s intention is not to strike terror in John, or anyone else; but, rather, to bring comfort and strength. One commentator says this: “The hand which sustains nature, and the churches at the same time, quickens and raises individual’s lives.”
Let’s proceed to the last two verses of chapter 1, verses 19 and 20:
[verse 19] “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.
[verse 20] The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.”
Well, there’s that description of the “seven stars” that we said we would see. So we see here that He repeats the command that He previously gave in verse 11: the command to “write” what “you see.”
He speaks of a “mystery” here. Well, the “mystery” refers to what has been hidden from human reasoning, but is disclosed and revealed by God so that men will know His Will.
The “lampstands” and the “stars” are both interpreted here. He says here that they are “angels of the seven churches,” and “the seven churches.”
We’ve already talked about the “seven lampstands” being representative of the seven churches, but what about these “angels of the seven churches”? Are we to take from this that each church, each congregation, has an overseeing angel? There are some who would suggest—in fact, that there are any number of suggestions here. Some would suggest that, perhaps, this is a reference to messengers who would actually carry the letter or the letters to the seven churches; these messengers were physically there on Patmos, and they would be the ones who would transport the letters. Well, that doesn’t seem to bare up under close scrutiny.
Several commentators that I have read suggest that what this is referring to, rather than being either a Heavenly being that is somehow associated with each congregation, or a human being who is a messenger, this has to do with what is referred to as the “spiritual life” of the church. As the “golden lampstand” embodies the outward appearance if the church, or its visible existence, so do the “seven stars”—the “angel of the…church”—represent the spiritual side, or the spiritual life, of the church. This may be a little difficult for us to comprehend, but as we go through the book of Revelation, we are going to see that there are angels of wind, angels of fire, angels of the abyss, and they symbolize objects, or forces, in the universe. So, this interpretation, or understanding, of the “seven angels” would be consistent with those interpretations, or the other uses of angels here in the book of Revelation. As always, we need to be consistent in our interpretation of any book, and we will certainly try to be consistent here in our interpretation of these things in Revelation.
In this lesson, we have looked at the first chapter of the book of Revelation. We have seen the nature of the book, that it is a revelation, but it is also a letter.We’ve also seen who the author is. We’ve seen the source of this information, and we’ve seen the intent and the purpose for what it is, and to whom it is directed.
In our next lesson we will continue on our study with Chapter 2, and we will begin looking at the seven churches and talk in more detail about them, and about what the Lord has to say to them.