Revelation 1: 9 - 20

 

⁹ I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰ On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, ¹¹ which said: ‘Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.’

¹² I turned round to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash round his chest. ¹⁴ The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵ His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

¹⁹ ‘Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. ²⁰ The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

The First and the Last, the Living One.

John was in exile on the island of Patmos, a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Verse 10 says, “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit.” It was a Sunday, and as John worshipped God, remembering the resurrection of Christ, he found himself drawing near to God in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit filled him and lifted him, and as he worshipped, his awareness of God’s love and his presence was very strong. When we worship God, this kind of experience is available to all of us – but sadly rare. We need to pray that as we seek the Lord, he will come to us in a very real way in the Holy Spirit, and we will experience his presence and power.

As John’s own spirit met with the Holy Spirit, Jesus came to him in an amazing vision, full of symbolism. The lampstands represent the churches, and Jesus is ‘among’ them (v. 13). Today, Jesus is present in and among the churches as we gather (including online)! He is the Son of Man – the name Jesus used of himself in the Gospel accounts, and his appearance in the vision is very similar to that of the ‘Ancient of Days’ in Daniel 7: 9 - 10. His ‘robe reached down to his feet’ (v. 13) because his work was complete – a workman would tuck his robe into his belt to avoid tripping up while working. Jesus is perfectly holy – everything about this vision is shining with a brilliant light: there is no darkness in him whatsoever. In Ezekiel 43: 2, the prophet sees a vision of God, whose voice is like the ‘roar of rushing waters.’ Jesus, in John’s vision, speaks with God’s voice! (v. 15). The seven stars are the ‘angels of the seven churches’ (we’ll come back to them this week) – and they are held in Jesus’ right hand, the place of security in him. In Hebrews 4: 12 it says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword.” And John sees just such a sword coming from Jesus mouth, because he is the Word of God and speaks it too. On the mount of Transfiguration, John (with Peter and James) saw Jesus transformed before them, glowing brilliant white – and now he sees that same face in this vision (v. 16).

Wow! What an experience for John to see Jesus in this way as he worshipped the Lord. And when we read this, it is quite something to try and imagine the picture, and to realise that all of these elements are meaningful for John and his original readers, and also for us today. This is the same Jesus Christ who is our Saviour – risen from the dead and walking with us every day.

 

Prayer

Lord Jesus, when I read the Gospel accounts I see your love and kindness, as well as your power and authority. And here in Revelation I see you revealed as the one true God. I come to you today in worship, bowing down before you, as John did. Thank you that you are the Living One; not dead, but alive for ever and ever! Amen.