CHRIST APPEARS TO JOHN (REVELATION 1:8-20)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Revelation
a) John wrote Revelation while a prisoner on the Island of Patmos, approximately 85-95 A.D. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all Christians to continue watching for the return and triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. It also is to warn of the Final Judgment that nonbelievers will endure on that Last Day.
b) John wrote that Revelation is special because,“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3).
c) A brief view of the Book of Revelation. It gives you some basic understanding of the book of Revelation.
2. The Patmos Vision
Revelation 1:8-20
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 20 As for 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 are the seven churches.
3. Christ Appears To John
Revelation 1:8-20
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 20 As for 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 are the seven churches.
3. Christ Appears To John
a) The first vision which John is given is, appropriately, a vision of the risen and glorified Christ who now lives in heaven (Revelation 1:8-20). The vision shows us that Jesus Christ is still able to be present among his people on earth, because he is seen walking among the seven golden lampstands which represent his churches.
4. The Visions Begin
a) I turned...
i) Though it seems a small thing, that the first vision did not occur before John's eyes where he was looking. The vision began "behind" John (verse 10), and he had to turn around to see it. This is an indication that the visions were not of John’s own making inside his own head. They were an external phenomena from the angel of the Lord. It also points out to me John's carefulness in recording exactly in every detail what happened.
b) Seven golden lampstands...
i) These first objects, among all that will be shown John in the visions, represent the seven churches to whom John is writing (Revelation 1:20). When the Lord gives his message to the church at Ephesus, he threatens to remove their lamstand from its place (Revelation 2:5).
5. The Son Of Man
a) Son of man...
i) The appearance of Jesus Christ to John (Revelation 1:12-18), may be compared with Daniel's vision of the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9-10,13-14). In these visions there is "One like the Son of Man". Yet when he appeared to John, he looked like the Ancient of Days who appeared to Daniel. So here we have a Son of Man who has the glory of God and therefore must be God. The vision of John confirms that Jesus Christ is not only truly a man whose blood was shed, but is also truly God who lives for ever and ever and is worthy to be worshiped.
b) In the middle...
i) Jesus is in the middle of the lampstands. This symbolizes the same idea we get from thinking of Jesus as the Shepherd of the sheep. Jesus "walks among the seven golden lampstands" (Revelation 2:1). His presence sustains and protects the churches.
6. What The Vision Means
a) Clothed...
i) The raiment of Jesus in the vision represents mainly the power of his righteousness. The robe down to his feet represents that he is fully clothed in righteousness. Because of his perfection he was able to be the sacrifice for our sins. The golden girdle across his breast is like the "breastplate of righteousness" in Ephesians 6:14.
b) Head...
i) The head and hair were white like wool or snow. This is again a symbol of the purity of God in whom "there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). In Daniel's vision, "the Ancient of Days" appeared in the same way: "His vesture was white like snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool" (Daniel 7:9).
c) Eyes...
i) The eyes like a flame of fire represent the wisdom and knowledge of Christ. "There is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are open and naked to the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13). Fire represents judgment. Jesus not only sees all, but he forms a judgment of what he sees. The messages to the seven churches show that Jesus knows their deeds and circumstances and judges them.
d) Feet...
i) The feet of Jesus are like shining or glowing bronze refined in a furnace. This reminds us of the saying, "How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news" (Isaiah 52:7).
e) Voice...
i) The voice of Jesus is like the sound of many waters, perhaps of a great waterfall or the mighty ocean waves. This voice is heard again in...
@1. The 5th scene of the 5th vision, the Lamb on Mount Zion (Revelation 14:2).
@2. The 3rd scene of the 7th vision, the announcement of the marriage of the Lamb, (Revelation 14:2 19:6).
ii) In those places, the voice is further described as like the sound of mighty peals of thunder and like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. It is a voice of awesome power, yet of grace. That is what the gospel of Christ is like. "It is the power of God for salvation" (Romans 1:16).
f) Right hand...
i) The right hand symbolizes the fact that Jesus has been "exalted to the right hand of God" (Acts 2:33) as close to God as he can possibly be, and through him each of us can be in close touch with God in heaven. We "have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way..." (Hebrews 10:19).
g) Seven stars...
i) Christ's right hand holds the seven stars. These stars, we are told, are "the angels of the seven churches" (Revelation 1:20). We normally think of churches as composed of human beings. The idea that there is an angel in each church is a mystery to us. Those churches that keep a membership roll don't include on the list "one angel, name unknown" do they? Yet in the vision, each of the seven churches had an angel recognized in the right hand of Christ. This again symbolizes each local church's closeness and connection with God in heaven —even though each church is physically located in an earthly place.
h) Two edged sword...
i) Out of Christ's mouth there came a sharp two edged sword. This sword is mentioned later in the vision, in our Lord's message to Pergamum (Revelation 2:12,16). Because the sword was seen in the vision to come out of Christ's mouth, we understand that it represents his word, "the word of God and the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 1:9). This word or gospel is the main weapon in the battle against good and evil. In the "the full armour of God" (Ephesians 6:13-17), the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," is the last item in the inventory of God's armour, and it is the single weapon of agression (Ephesians 6:17). Of course the word of God is even "sharper than any two edged sword, piercing as far as... and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
i) Face...
i) Christ's face was like the sun shining at noon. This represents the light and glory of Christ. Jesus called himself "the bright and morning star" (Revelation 22:16). Jesus is the light of men (John 1:4).
The End ...
4. The Visions Begin
a) I turned...
i) Though it seems a small thing, that the first vision did not occur before John's eyes where he was looking. The vision began "behind" John (verse 10), and he had to turn around to see it. This is an indication that the visions were not of John’s own making inside his own head. They were an external phenomena from the angel of the Lord. It also points out to me John's carefulness in recording exactly in every detail what happened.
b) Seven golden lampstands...
i) These first objects, among all that will be shown John in the visions, represent the seven churches to whom John is writing (Revelation 1:20). When the Lord gives his message to the church at Ephesus, he threatens to remove their lamstand from its place (Revelation 2:5).
5. The Son Of Man
a) Son of man...
i) The appearance of Jesus Christ to John (Revelation 1:12-18), may be compared with Daniel's vision of the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9-10,13-14). In these visions there is "One like the Son of Man". Yet when he appeared to John, he looked like the Ancient of Days who appeared to Daniel. So here we have a Son of Man who has the glory of God and therefore must be God. The vision of John confirms that Jesus Christ is not only truly a man whose blood was shed, but is also truly God who lives for ever and ever and is worthy to be worshiped.
b) In the middle...
i) Jesus is in the middle of the lampstands. This symbolizes the same idea we get from thinking of Jesus as the Shepherd of the sheep. Jesus "walks among the seven golden lampstands" (Revelation 2:1). His presence sustains and protects the churches.
6. What The Vision Means
a) Clothed...
i) The raiment of Jesus in the vision represents mainly the power of his righteousness. The robe down to his feet represents that he is fully clothed in righteousness. Because of his perfection he was able to be the sacrifice for our sins. The golden girdle across his breast is like the "breastplate of righteousness" in Ephesians 6:14.
b) Head...
i) The head and hair were white like wool or snow. This is again a symbol of the purity of God in whom "there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). In Daniel's vision, "the Ancient of Days" appeared in the same way: "His vesture was white like snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool" (Daniel 7:9).
c) Eyes...
i) The eyes like a flame of fire represent the wisdom and knowledge of Christ. "There is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are open and naked to the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13). Fire represents judgment. Jesus not only sees all, but he forms a judgment of what he sees. The messages to the seven churches show that Jesus knows their deeds and circumstances and judges them.
d) Feet...
i) The feet of Jesus are like shining or glowing bronze refined in a furnace. This reminds us of the saying, "How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news" (Isaiah 52:7).
e) Voice...
i) The voice of Jesus is like the sound of many waters, perhaps of a great waterfall or the mighty ocean waves. This voice is heard again in...
@1. The 5th scene of the 5th vision, the Lamb on Mount Zion (Revelation 14:2).
@2. The 3rd scene of the 7th vision, the announcement of the marriage of the Lamb, (Revelation 14:2 19:6).
ii) In those places, the voice is further described as like the sound of mighty peals of thunder and like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. It is a voice of awesome power, yet of grace. That is what the gospel of Christ is like. "It is the power of God for salvation" (Romans 1:16).
f) Right hand...
i) The right hand symbolizes the fact that Jesus has been "exalted to the right hand of God" (Acts 2:33) as close to God as he can possibly be, and through him each of us can be in close touch with God in heaven. We "have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way..." (Hebrews 10:19).
g) Seven stars...
i) Christ's right hand holds the seven stars. These stars, we are told, are "the angels of the seven churches" (Revelation 1:20). We normally think of churches as composed of human beings. The idea that there is an angel in each church is a mystery to us. Those churches that keep a membership roll don't include on the list "one angel, name unknown" do they? Yet in the vision, each of the seven churches had an angel recognized in the right hand of Christ. This again symbolizes each local church's closeness and connection with God in heaven —even though each church is physically located in an earthly place.
h) Two edged sword...
i) Out of Christ's mouth there came a sharp two edged sword. This sword is mentioned later in the vision, in our Lord's message to Pergamum (Revelation 2:12,16). Because the sword was seen in the vision to come out of Christ's mouth, we understand that it represents his word, "the word of God and the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 1:9). This word or gospel is the main weapon in the battle against good and evil. In the "the full armour of God" (Ephesians 6:13-17), the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," is the last item in the inventory of God's armour, and it is the single weapon of agression (Ephesians 6:17). Of course the word of God is even "sharper than any two edged sword, piercing as far as... and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
i) Face...
i) Christ's face was like the sun shining at noon. This represents the light and glory of Christ. Jesus called himself "the bright and morning star" (Revelation 22:16). Jesus is the light of men (John 1:4).
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