in Isaiah 30:8, “And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever.” And Jeremiah was told, “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations.”70 John is part of a long tradition of prophets who are given the word of God’s judgments to the nations and hope for those God has redeemed.
Revelation was to be sent to the seven churches of Asia Minor, both literally seven churches and symbolically for the church universal, represented by those seven churches. The order of the churches followed the circular path of the messenger delivering the letter to these churches, in geographical order. These churches can be understood, then, both as literal churches in a literal location with real problems in the first century and as examples for other churches throughout the ages. The number seven here again stands for completion or perfection.71
In the middle of this trial and persecution and exile, John hears the voice of Jesus and sees images that, it’s clear from the text, bewilder and overpower him. We may think it strange that John writes that he “turned to see the voice” (1:12). How do you see a voice? This may be a simple metonymy, the voice representing the person speaking, thus emphasizing the “voice as expressing an authoritative utterance.”72
Before John sees the owner of this powerful voice, he sees “seven golden lampstands” (1:12). Lampstands appear in the Old Testament in Exodus 25:31–40 and Zechariah 4:1–6. In Exodus 25, God describes how the lampstands of the tabernacle were to be crafted. The original lampstand of Israel’s sacrificial system was in the holy place. It had seven lamps and was made with gold, as is the lampstand in John’s vision. In Zechariah 4:1–6, the lampstand represents the presence of the Spirit (Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”) Whereas Zechariah’s lampstand was one lampstand with seven lamps, John sees seven lampstands, one for each of the seven churches and maintaining the idea of perfection. The lampstand in Zechariah stood for faithful Israel. The lampstands in Revelation are for the faithful people of God from all nations.
Jesus is standing “in the midst of the lampstands” (1:13). Described as “one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest” (1:13), this is the same “one like a son of man” from Daniel 7, who “came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” (Daniel 7:13). The long robe and golden sash are signs of kingly authority and power. In Isaiah 6, Isaiah describes seeing the “train of [the Lord’s] robe fill[ing] the temple” (Isaiah 6:1). From Exodus 28:4, we know that a robe and a sash were a part of priestly attire (see also Exodus 28:31; 29:5; 35:8; Zechariah 3:5).73
What does this picture of Jesus mean for us? Jesus is with us now. Jesus is not some statue or ornament or philosophy. He is real, and he is present. Since he is present with us now, he sees our deeds and knows what we are doing for him, how we are serving him. He also knows what we are not doing for him. We see this in his addresses to the churches when he says, “I know your works” (Revelation 3:15). Since he is present with us, he also sees our hurts and sorrows and fears and loneliness. This is why we can trust the Bible when 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to, “[cast] all [our] anxieties on him, because he cares for [us].” He cares enough to be with us, actually to dwell with us, “taking the form of a servant [and] [. . .] humbl[ing] himself by becoming obedient to the point of death” (Philippians 2:7–8).
We live as Jesus’ church with a King in our midst. People around us are looking for meaning and a real relationship with God. Even if they’re not looking, this is the very thing they need, the only thing that will fill the emptiness inside. Jesus is present with his people. And as the great High Priest, this takes on even more significance. Jesus is the High Priest in that he is our mediator. He is our go-between. He represents us before God’s throne, and he represents God to us. We are a kingdom and priests only by virtue of our relationship with Jesus. First Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.”
In verse 14, John sees Jesus’ hair as “white, like white wool, like snow.” White hair most likely is another reference to the Ancient of Days from Daniel 7. John’s vision of Christ is a reflection of the glory of God because he is the glory of God. His head represents his wisdom and purity, beauty and ancient knowledge. James 1:5 advises, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.” Jesus is the source of wisdom and glory. He is both the guide and the path to real holiness. Remember the pilot of a plane. We want to make sure that the pilot understands the instrument panel and has the wisdom about which direction to fly the plane. A plane from where we live in Makassar, Indonesia to Jakarta, a major city on another Indonesian island, will cross over the sea south of Kalimantan. A foolish pilot would fly it over Australia first, the wrong direction.
As the Son of Man with the Ancient of Days, Jesus is also the divine Judge. His blazing eyes can pierce all. They are flames of fire. He sees. Indeed, he is omniscient. He knows all. The flames of fire remind us also of the pillar of fire in the book of Exodus, the abiding presence of God and his protective power over his people. Daniel saw a similar vision of this in Daniel 10:6. That figure also had eyes like flaming torches, and a face like lightning.
Jesus is the Judge. We are not just trying to sneak an extra piece of cake away from the table and hoping our moms don’t see us. Jesus sees the thoughts of the mind and the motivations of the heart. This is a picture of Jesus that is lost in our society. We don’t serve a tame Jesus or one who is tiptoeing through the churches, making sure he doesn’t disturb anybody. He comes to awaken and expose. No one can escape his eyes of judgment. We must be attentive to accurately portraying this image of our Lord to a people around us who have grown complacent in their sin and their attitude toward God. Jesus walks among the churches with the penetrating gaze of fires fully aflame.
Jesus’ “feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace” (1:15). This is similar to what Daniel saw in Daniel 10 and what Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 1 when he saw the Lord on the throne. This is glory and purity and majesty. “His voice [. . .] like the roar of many waters” (1:15) is similar to the thunder of Ezekiel 1 and the thunder later heard by John in Revelation. Ezekiel 43:2 says, “And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.”
It is hard for us to imagine what John must have seen and heard. If you have ever stood beside a mighty waterfall, like Niagara Falls, you may have an inkling of an understanding of what the voice of Jesus must have sounded like to John. When you stand next to Niagara Falls, you not only hear the falls, but you feel the power of the water as it sprays you in the face, and you feel the wind from the falls whipping your hair and ears. Now, imagine standing in the presence of One whose voice does the same thing. This is power!
Along with this image of power, Jesus is characterized as the protector. John saw Jesus with the seven stars in his right hand. From verse 20, we know that these seven stars are seven angels/messengers for the seven churches. He holds their future in his hands. He has ultimate sovereignty. He has the final voice and decision.
When our children were small, many years ago, I brought a dog home to our house. She was only six weeks old. She was scared and cold. It was February. She had left her mother and her siblings. The home that she left was dirty (urine stains all over the carpet of the house), disorganized, and probably abusive. But this little dog didn’t know me yet. She was afraid. That night, I had to sleep next to the dog on the family room floor because she was so afraid. She needed to know I was her protection, and in spite of her fears, I was going to give her a better home. We often feel that our lives would be better and more secure if we figured them out on our own.
