Revelation 1:12-17
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In His right hand he held seven stars, from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last…
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. But when you contemplate the picture of the Exalted Christ in this passage, you realize that a thousand words is not nearly enough.
The Son of Man among the Churches, v. 12-13
His Presence among the Churches: The Perfect Prophet, Priest and King
The description, “like a son of man” helps us identify Him. When we come to Revelation 14:14, we will see Him: “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.”
In the Gospels, the title “Son of man” is used eighty-five times (85x). With two exceptions, this title was used of Jesus Christ. All these uses of the term take us back to Daniel 7:13, “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him.” As one commentator noted, “The author of the Revelation is giving notice of an exalted Christology, which is the warp and woof of the book of Revelation.”[i] Will embrace the Exalted Christ by faith and turn from your fear to seek His favor?
Here in Revelation 1, His voice helps us to recognize Him as the ultimate Prophet of God, foretold in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. This is the Prophet who preached throughout His earthly ministry beginning with the words, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
His appearance helps us to recognize Him as the ultimate Priest and King. His sash was not worn around the waist, to gather His robe for running or serving. No, the Son of Man wears His sash around the chest, indicating His regal majesty. This is the One who, even now, intercedes for believers before the throne of the Father (Romans 8:27). When you pray, He is the One who intercedes for you!
This is our Great High Priest who has passed into the heavens (Hebrews 4:14). As we shall see in this study of the Revelation, this is the Lamb, the Lord and the Light. As the Revelation unfolds, we hear Him exalted, “… the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14). You can embrace Him by faith to be “with Him” forever!
So here, near the beginning of the Revelation, we see the perfect Prophet, Priest and King.
Throughout the Old Testament, the people longed for the perfect priest. But even if those priests were not corrupt, they could not continue to be priests because they all died (Hebrews 7:23-25). Aaron died; his sons died, Samuel died and we read in the Book of Malachi that the priesthood was horribly corrupted.
The people confronted Samuel, longing for a king. And though there were good kings such as David, Hezekiah and Josiah, they could not continue because they died. And many of the kingly sons of David were more like Saul, greedy and corrupt. This is the sad story of 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles.
And from Isaiah through Malachi, the people longed for the perfect prophet. But even the best ones could not continue for they died. But here in the Revelation, we have the perfect Prophet, Priest and King who is eternal – He lives forever. Today, you can embrace this Exalted One by faith; turn from your fear and seek His favor.
His Voice among the Churches
When John, who had not seen the Risen Christ for 60 years, turned to hear His voice, notice what he saw first. The first thing he saw was the 7 golden lampstands. In verse 20, we learn that those lampstands represent the churches. When John turned to see the One who spoke, he saw the churches with Jesus in the midst. This is a helpful reminder for us today. The church of the living God is “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). It’s important to note that John saw the church – not other important institutions such as governments, colleges or even families. First and foremost, Jesus is represented as being among the churches and speaking through them.
In John 8:12, Jesus explained that He is the Light of the world; in Matthew 5:14, He described His disciples as the light of the world. As illustrated here in Revelation chapter 1, Jesus is the Light whose light can be seen in the light of the churches.
This next Sunday, Calvary Baptist Church will celebrate its 86th anniversary! How we thank the Lord for keeping our Gospel light burning for more than 8 decades. This should not be taken lightly. The Lord’s message to the church at Ephesus, one of the very best churches, including a warning: “I will come quickly and remove your candlestick out of its place unless you repent” (Revelation 2:5). As we shall see, the Lord gave them this warning because they had left their first love.
The Son of Man: Seven Significant Characteristics, vs. 14-16
The hairs of His head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In His right hand he held seven stars, from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full strength.
- His Hair: white like wool, as white as snow
This description of the Son of Man is similar to the description of the Ancient of Days described in Daniel 7:9. Here we see the physical description of the humanity of the Son of Man revealed with His deity as the Son of God.
Proverbs 16:31 reminds us that gray hair is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness. The white hair of the righteous Son of Man speaks of His purity, immortality, and wisdom. The Son of Man is eternal God – a remarkable combination – as described in Micah 5:2, “But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). The whiteness of His hair reminds us of His purity and His purifying nature. As we read in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” The head of Jesus Christ was pierced by a cruel crown of thorns as He was bloodied for your sins and mine. By the sacrifice of Himself, He offers to take your sins upon Himself and make you white as snow in His sight. And though He was the bearer of our blackest sins, He appears now with His hair as white as snow.
2. His Eyes: as a flame of fire
John saw the Exalted Christ as having eyes as a flame of fire. This pictures His omniscience – He knows everything. It’s important to remember that all of us will see Him this way in the coming Day. Malachi 3:2 asks these piercing questions, “But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap.” Would you stop for a moment to behold the Exalted Christ with His eyes as a flame of fire? You and I will see that we can look into these eyes and know that He knows everything about us. You must meet God at least once with your sins upon your soul. Will you meet Him in your sins now while it is still the time of grace? Or will you meet Him in your sins at the Great White Throne when it will be eternally too late?
Some try to forget His fiery gaze. Ezekiel described those who desperately try to ignore the God who sees everything: “Then said He unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, eThe Lord sees us not; the Lord has forsaken the earth;” (Ezekiel 8:12). If you try to say to yourself, “The Lord doesn’t see me” or “The Lord doesn’t really care” then you need to look into these eyes of fire. He does see and He is paying attention. Hebrews 4:13 assures us no creature is hidden from His sight; all things are naked and open to His fiery eyes. Embrace this Exalted One; come to Him humbly by faith and find His favor.
If you will consider those eyes of fire, it could change your life. He sees every desire and every deed that you want to cover; He perceives everything about you that you would like to discover. Hebrews reminds us “…let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28b-29) Remember Psalm 37:4; delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Remembering those eyes of fire will help you fry off the grease and fat of your self-deception, ambition and evil desires. The remaining passionate desire, tried by His fire, will give you a surpassing zeal and zest for life. Embrace this Exalted Christ!
3. His Feet: like fine brass, burning in a furnace
These feet like fine brass, burning in a furnace, reveal the Lord’s dominance in judgment. This section of Revelation 1 recalls Daniel’s heavenly vision in Daniel 10:6, “His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.” God the Father told God the Son that He would place all things under his feet (Psalm 110:1; 1 Corinthians 15:25-26) including death itself. Today, we can take courage from Scriptures such as Psalm 60:12 and Psalm 108:13, “Through God we shall do valiantly: For He it is that shall tread down our enemies.” What tempting sin is taunting your soul? Ask God to give you courage to ask that Christ would crush those fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Exalt Him! Embrace Him by faith; turn from your fear to find His favor.
4. His Voice: as the sound of many waters
To John the Apostle, The Exalted Christ was revealed as having a voice like many waters. Various commentators have indicated that this sounded like many streams and rivers, or perhaps like the waves upon the seashore. Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord used many prophets to proclaim the coming of the Lord. As Hebrews 1:1-2 explain, God has spoken at various times and by various means by His prophets, but in these last days He has spoken unto us by His Son. The voice of the Son of Man sounded like many waters, reflecting the voices of those many messengers who prophesied about Him. Those who have been to Niagara Falls or to the seashore, have some idea of what this sounded like to John. Like rushing streams, the sermons of the prophets point us to voice of the Savior.
5. His Hand: holding the seven stars
“In His right hand, He held seven stars…” This is a reference to God’s angels or messengers (v. 20), the pastors of His churches. Daniel 12:3 explains, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” W.A. Criswell described this passage as follows: “In the hand of authority, in the hand of command, in the hand of might and skill and strength and power, God holds up, God holds out, God holds fast His servants.”[ii]
6. His mouth: bringing forth a two-edged sword
“…from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword…” This is a reference to the Word of God, as you can see from Hebrews 4:12-13; it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It is the sword of the Spirit, Ephesians 6:17. When the Word of God, the King of kings, returns to earth, His words will be like the sharp sword of judgment. “And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Revelation 19:15) Today His Word tells us of His welcoming grace. But the Scriptures plainly tell us that one day His Word will unleash the wrath of God upon the nations. Even today, He fights against those churches that turn away from the faith (Revelation 2:16).
7. His face: shining like the Sun
Malachi 4:2 tells us of the Sun of righteousness who will arise with healing in His wings. This is the One whom the disciples saw transfigured before them, whose face shown as the sun (Matthew 17:2). On the road to Damascus, Paul saw a bright light from Heaven and heard the voice of the Lord (Acts 9:3-4). This is the Lamb who will be the light of the New Jerusalem: “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23).
Today, if you are living and dwelling in darkness, ask God to give you light. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
The Son of Man: Meet Him with Faith and not with Fear, v.17
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last…
When John, the beloved Apostle, saw the Exalted Son of Man, he fell before Him like a dead man. Seeing this remarkable vision in the Scriptures, you and I understand John’s response. As the old timers used to say, a vision like this will “put the fear of God in you.” Rightly so. Yet Christ placed that hand that held the seven stars upon His servant and said, “Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last…” This reminds us of the psalmist who said that the Lord had surrounded him and laid His hand upon him (Psalm 139:3).
This Exalted One, the Son of Man, the Revealed Christ, surrounds His servants with His favor and says, “Fear not.” He knows the end from the beginning and He is the beginning and the end. In a culture that worships its fantasy super heroes, Jesus Christ is the reality. As the psalmist wrote in Psalm 5:12, He will cover His servants with the shield of His favor. Will you embrace the Exalted Christ by faith? You will find that He will turn you from your fear to rejoice in His favor.
Pastor Gordon Dickson, Calvary Baptist Church, Findlay, Ohio www.cbcfindlay.org
[i] Paige Patterson, Revelation, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, vol. 39, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2012), 68.
[ii] W.A. Criswell, “Expository Sermons on Revelation,” Dallas: Criswell Publishing, 1995 p. 148