JESUS WINS THE SERIES VOL.1

1

Jesus Wins

(Revelation 1:1-8)

Beasts! Dragons! Ten-headed monsters! Forget your computer games! What more could you want than this? This is big! This is Revelation! But this is going to be hard. Because when it comes to interpreting the book of Revelation there are many different schools of thought, all of which claim to be right. There are Preterists, Historicists, Futurists and Idealists. There are the pre-tribulation, post-tribulation and mid-tribulation views. And to top it off we have the different millennial views: A-mill, Pre-mill and Post-mill. In fact, you might want to pulp-mill the whole thing after you see how Christians are divided over these issues!

Isn’t it ironic that a book called ‘Revelation’ (revealing) is a book that seems so hard to understand and causes so much debate over what might be hidden in its prophecy? The first words of the book are ‘The revelation’! But is it a revelation or a frustration?

There are devout Christians throughout the ages who have held to all the four major interpretations as well as other variations. Perhaps the Lord put this book at the end to test us not so much on whether we have the right view, but how we handle something the Lord values more highly—unity.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35).

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarrelling over disputable matters (Rom. 14:1).

Love for one another is placed higher on God’s agenda for his people than whether we have superior knowledge on disputable matters. But Christians have been anything but unified over this book.

So why write another book about Revelation when it has been the subject of so much division in the church? The more I studied the differing views of Revelation and the conflicts they have caused (some people have even used their view of Revelation as a test of whether you are a faithful Christian—or not!), the more I thought ‘this is not worth it!’ I have too much to do in the work of the gospel to be adding to disagreements among Christians. I’ll just skip it! Is it worth causing possible contention and distracting us from the gospel? I was ready to shelve this work until something hit me in fresh way. Right in the opening passage we read:

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy (1:3a).

Jesus gave this revelation and says those who read it will actually be blessed! Wow, how could I hold back a blessing from you, even if I only get you to read the book of Revelation? But wait! There’s more.

... and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it ... (1:3b).

You are even more blessed if you hear it and take to heart what is written in it. Do I want you to be blessed? Yes! Then let’s get into this book! Right from the opening words this book says it’s ...

The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants

what must soon take place (1:1).

Who are his servants? His people. Not just the super-theologians, but all his people! But how could it be a blessing to all his servants when they come up with different views? Could a child get anything out of it? American theologian Vern Poythress thinks a 12-year-old could. He told a story that has been repeated so many times in so many variations that I’m not sure of its origins, but it goes something like this: Some theological students saw a janitor reading the book of Revelation and thought they could help him, so they asked him if he understood it. He said, ‘Yes.’ Astonished they asked, ‘Well, what does Revelation mean?’ And he replied, ‘Jesus is gonna win!’¹

The four major views of Revelation are so different, but they all have this central theme: Jesus wins. If you get that, you will know more than a whole lot of theologians who haven’t figured this out yet.

Revelation is also filled with word pictures. It’s good for children. It stimulates the imagination like no other book in the Bible. It is about Jesus, the conquering King. We are going to see that picture from the start, when Jesus’ eyes are like a blazing fire and his face shines like the sun. Later in the book he is mounted on a white horse and coming with the armies of heaven. There are cosmic wars with beasts, demons, and all kinds of creatures. And we are going to peer into the very throne room of God himself. This book is amazing and has everything. It’s a blessing to everyone who reads it! We can’t lose! As Poythress says, the big picture is, ‘Praise the Lord, cheer for the saints, detest the Beast and long for the final victory.’²

This is the most exciting book ever written! It starts by saying ... The revelation from Jesus Christ ... It’s a revelation. It is unveiling and revealing things. Think about how the book of Daniel reveals to us spiritual powers behind the scenes of history that aren’t visible to us. Or in Job, where we find it is Satan behind Job’s catastrophes. In Daniel and Job, we see spiritual powers of darkness opposing God. Ephesians teaches there are invisible principalities and powers at work opposing God. We think it is a battle against people (flesh and blood), but it’s spiritual warfare. We thought it was Judas who opposed Jesus, and it was, but Satan entered him. We thought it was Pilate and Herod who conspired against Jesus, and it was, but there was spiritual warfare behind that. Well, Revelation, like no other book, pulls back the curtain on this reality. We see what is going on behind the scenes. But there is also something else behind it. Someone above it! Far greater than all. Jesus! Jesus is not losing this battle. Jesus wins.

The apostle John is writing Revelation from prison on the Greek island of Patmos. I will argue later that the best evidence for the date of writing is during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, from AD 81-96. Domitian was an Emperor who demanded people call him lord and god. What did that mean for Christians? Well, this book is written to strengthen them when they were under great persecution, when even their lives were on the line. The persecution against Christians had intensified by this time because Christianity was no longer considered to be a sect of Judaism. Now they were an illegal religion, so they were not only under persecution from the Jews, but also from the Roman Empire.

This is a letter to those Christians. And its message? Hold on! Don’t give up! There is a bigger picture. Jesus is on the throne. He is reigning now, and he wins! Hold fast to your testimony! This is what the book of Revelation tells us. Even though it looks like evil is winning, Jesus is in control! He is reigning. But more than that. He has a plan. Jesus is coming back! So be ready.

But how is this relevant to us now, we who read and hear and take it to heart? We should see new revelations in here too. Revelations of Jesus, and Jesus himself revealing what the Father gave him.

And are we supposed to take Revelation literally? That’s one of the big questions we are going to look at. What is to be taken literally and what is not? Here is your first test! When it says in the first verse God gave this revelation to show what must soon take place, do we take that literally? Did that have any meaning to those first readers? Did any of this really take place soon for them? Or is it all at least a couple of thousand years off? Are there things we should be able to see unfolding near to their time as well as ours?

The book itself says it’s a prophecy (1:3), which means it is predicting things of the future. But it’s also a letter to a specific people. Ancient letters had the writer’s name at the start, followed by the recipients, rather than signing at the end of a letter. (They were obviously smarter than us, as we haven’t figured out how illogical it is to fumble to the end of a letter to see who it’s from.) So after the opening prologue, this letter starts with the writer ...

John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne ... (1:4).

This verse tells us the letter is from John, and he is writing it to the seven churches in Asia Minor (western Turkey). So this letter must be relevant to these seven churches. The Book of Revelation was written to them. Also, the consensus among the early church fathers including Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian is that the John writing this is John the apostle. Justin lived in Ephesus where John ministered, and he also lived among people who would remember John. Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp (Bishop of Smyrna) who was a disciple of John. And he says John the apostle wrote Revelation.

John doesn’t even begin by saying John, an apostle, as Paul might. He doesn’t have to. Everyone knows who he is! He is the last living apostle and it is unnecessary to identify himself any more than simply ‘John’. Pardon the analogy, but when we say ‘Elvis’ we don’t ask ‘Elvis who?’ Not if we have any culture about us.

John is writing to the seven churches. Is the number seven to be interpreted literally? Of course. But is he only referring to those churches? Is it only a blessing to them, or to all who read it? We will investigate that later as well. However, we can start with the knowledge that John is writing to Christians going through persecution. They are being challenged to remain faithful as witnesses and follow the example of their king ...

... and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness

, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth ... (1:5).

This verse reminds the first readers that their King has gone before them as the faithful witness and conquered. In the original language, the Greek word for witness is similar to our English word martyr. Jesus is that faithful witness who gave his own life. He is also the beginning of a new creation as the firstborn from the dead, reminding all who faithfully follow him that they will also be raised from the dead. This verse also tells Christians that as they (including you) go through persecution, don’t forget this one thing—Jesus is also ruler over the kings of the earth!

In Ephesians 1:21-22, we learn Jesus is head over everything for the Christian church. It doesn’t simply say he is the King who will judge at the end of history, but that he reigns throughout history, in this present age. Jesus is Lord. He is the one who is calling the shots—now! This is what 1:5 says. Jesus is ruler over the kings of the earth! It is present tense. He rules them now! And Christians going through persecution don’t forget this ... he rules over Emperor Domitian. When it looks like evil is winning ... hold fast! Your king still reigns.

Even today the church in many parts of the world is going through serious persecution. But what about us in the Western world? Our church is looking dilapidated. Persecution in the West? Nah, we don’t have it. But in fact, the church in the West is being persecuted so subtly it’s crumbling before our eyes and we can’t even see it. Attacked by a far subtler enemy. Worldliness has walked right into the church and taken over. Later in this book of Revelation we will learn just how that has happened. But don’t worry. Jesus’ church will not fall. Jesus will keep her. Don’t look to the left or to the right at the unfaithful—hold fast! Your king still reigns. Jesus wins! And that thought makes John burst into praise.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

...

(1:5d).

He freed us. How? By his blood. The cross! Praise God. Until you have believed in the cross you are not free. You are enslaved. Headed for the very judgment described in this book because your sin is still stuck to you. But if you have believed in the cross, you are now free to serve him. How?

... and has made us to be a kingdom and priests

to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen (1:6).

This is a quote from the Old Testament (OT). Revelation relies a lot on the OT. John is a devout Jew. He knew his OT Scriptures. We need to know them as well if we are going to understand Revelation, because there are many references to it. The words a kingdom of priests mark a very famous turning point in the OT, where God addresses his people, Israel.

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests

and a holy nation ... (Exod. 19:5-6).

God’s plan way back at the Exodus was that his people would be a kingdom of priests. Now here in 1:6 John is saying something very similar to the churches—you are now a kingdom and priests. We will also explore this later.

But if Jesus is winning now, how come there is so much evil going on? How come it seems like Jesus is not winning in a lot of places? Well, Revelation answers that too. We are going to learn that Revelation teaches no one gets away with anything! There is an end coming, and evil was not being ignored at all. Indeed, every deed will be examined.

‘Look, he is coming with the clouds’, and ‘every eye will see him, even those who pierced him’; and all the peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.’ So shall it be! Amen (1:7).

Coming with the clouds is typical OT language for God coming in judgment. Revelation here is drawing on the book of Daniel.

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man

, coming with the clouds of heaven

. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him (Dan. 7:13-14a).

Who was coming on the clouds in judgment in Daniel 7:13? One like the Son of man. It’s Jesus! That’s what 1:7 is saying. Look he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him

; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn

because of him. The piercing and mourning is also drawn from the OT, from the Book of Zechariah.

‘And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced

, and they will mourn for him

as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son’ (Zech. 12:10).

How can they look on me, the one they have pierced? In Zechariah it is God speaking! God will be pierced and mourned for as an only son? Now we know it is Jesus, God the Son, who was pierced. He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and mourn because of him.

Every eye will see. They will mourn. Not only those at the crucifixion, who rejected their own Messiah, but all those throughout history who have rejected the Son of God. Those who called him a mere man, a good man, a great teacher, or a prophet, but no more. Those who claimed to love him but continued to rule their own lives. They will mourn when they see him. They will look!

‘Look, he is coming with the clouds

,’ and ‘every eye will see him

,’ (1:7a).

Look! There is that shock! The clouds of judgment. If you are old enough to remember the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when the Al Qaeda terrorists flew planes into the twin towers in New York City, it was quite surreal to watch it on television. Perhaps we have been conditioned by so many violent movies that it seemed hard to believe it was really happening. The United States was under attack! But it seemed like it was just some action movie. Yet the terrifying, gut-wrenching thing was—it was real! When 9/11 hit, wherever you were, whatever you were doing, you stopped and looked at the screen. It sent shockwaves throughout the world.

Even though only about 3000 people died out of seven billion on the planet, it affected every one of us. In fact, our lives haven’t been the same since. You can’t go through airports without that security check. The whole world has changed since that day. But compared to the twin towers, you ain’t seen nothing yet! What is it going to be like when the Lord comes on the clouds? The shock! Can this be real? There is no escaping. How long before this happens? Whenever it is, it’s a whole lot closer now than it was when John wrote this 2000 years ago, and this book is leading up to just that!

Every eye will see him. In 1:14 it says his eyes are like blazing fire. It’s not just that every eye will see him, but he will see you. He will look right into your heart. This is how Jesus describes it:

There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory (Luke 21:25-27).

With the 9/11 terror attacks, the whole world was in shock. Terror and perplexity at our vulnerability. What kind of terror will be struck in your heart when you look up ... if you are not ready to meet him? The terror will be so great that men will faint. How many macho men do you know who faint from terror? How terrifying must it be when men faint from terror?

There is a close to history. This is Revelation! What we are introduced to here in the opening is just a taster of where we are headed. No matter how much it looks like evil is winning, Jesus wins. He will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing. And it might seem surreal like the twin towers collapsing, but it will be really happening. Every eye will see him. How will every eye see him from all parts of the world at the same time? We don’t know, but ...

... as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man (Matt. 24:27).

If the creator of lightning can make it shoot across the sky from east to west, then he can make himself visible blazing across the sky and every eye will see him (1:7). So, blessed are those who read this book and take it to heart (1:3). Not just read it and hear it but take it to heart. There is an urgency about this. Jesus will return. Every eye will see him. Not just a couple of planes flying into buildings. The explosions. The collapse of buildings. But the whole world! Every eye. Terror! A fearful day for those who did not know him. It’s described in more detail later in Revelation ...

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?’ (6:15-17).

Nowhere to run! Nowhere to hide! Look! On the clouds. Every eye will see. A day of terror. How will you survive? This is how. It’s right here in the opening ... To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ... (1:5b).

His blood represents his death on the cross. All who have repented of their sin and trusted in what Jesus has done on the cross to take it away are free. On Judgment Day he sees you as spotless. How? Judgement Day for your sin has already passed for you. When? At the cross. That’s why you are free. Because God is just, and you can’t be punished twice for the same crime. If your sin has already been punished on that cross you are free by the blood of Christ, and your perseverance in the faith will be worth it. That’s the book of Revelation. Persevere in faith. Hold fast against evil, because in the end, Jesus wins.

The book of Revelation is also a warning. God is love. He sent his Son to save us. He took the harshest of all torture, the cross. But if you reject that pardon after so many warnings and say, ‘No, he will not be my king, not over my life’, then what happens? Then you must take the penalty yourself.

Revelation tells us it all happens so quickly. How would your life be different if you knew Jesus was coming back in one month? What would you change? What would you quickly want to get rid of, or start doing? Write that down. Be like the shrewd manager. Think about those things you are clinging to that you know you need to change. How do I speak to my spouse? Is there anyone I haven’t forgiven from the heart? Any habits of the eyes you need to change, or covetousness? How much time will you spend in front of the TV, computer, and phone over the next month? Will you find time to pray and read your Bible? How am I serving Jesus in his church? Am I a part of Jesus’ commission in discipling? Whatever you can write on that list might be reasons why you are not taking this to heart (1:3). And the time left might not be a month!

Surely you are not one of those scoffers, who say, ‘When is this coming?’ No, you say. But if you are holding something in the closet, if there is some deliberate sin on your list, then you are, in effect, a scoffer. ‘He’s not coming back yet, I’ve got time to change that later.’ That is like the foolish virgins or the lazy steward. But God is not mocked. If you are not doing something about it now, it might not be any different when every eye will see him!

So here we are, at the start of Revelation. The scene is set. Jesus is revealing things. It’s going to be a blessing to all who read it and take it to heart. It’s going to make sense of what is going on in the world. It will give you reason to persevere in your struggles, your pain and trials. Whatever you are going through, your fight against temptation, heartache or loneliness, Jesus will show you what is happening, why it is happening, and what is going to happen. It’s a prophecy. And the point of it all is this: in the end, Jesus wins. Are you with him or not?

‘Look, he is coming with the clouds,’ and ‘every eye will see him, even those who pierced him’; and all peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.’ So shall it be! Amen (1:7).

Study Questions

1. How can people with different views of Revelation all be blessed?

2. Who was Revelation written to and for what purpose?

3. What ways could you defend the deity of Christ from 1:1-8?

4. From the description of Jesus in 1:5, name four characteristics that should encourage readers in their walk both in the first century and today.

5. Rev. 1:5 says you are freed from your sins. In what way are you freed and what are you free to do?

6. What is the significance of 1:6 calling the readers ‘a kingdom and priests’?

7. Will knowledge of the OT be of significance in understanding the book of Revelation? Why?

8. How can every eye see Jesus on his return when our planet is a sphere?

9. What things would you change if you knew Jesus was coming back in one month?

2

The First and the Last

(Revelation 1:9-18)

When John was writing Revelation, the Roman Emperor was Domitian. He was regarded as a ruthless ruler, tyrannical according to his own Senate. The Roman historian Suetonius says Domitian, unlike his predecessors, demanded he be addressed as dominus et deus (master or lord and god).³ This might be why there was such intense persecution of Christians under Domitian. Christians would be required, like others, to call the emperor lord and god. And if they didn’t? Well, John wouldn’t do it. So here he is, in a prison on the island of Patmos, and the reason is given ...

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

(1:9).

John, an old man now, is imprisoned in a cave on the island of Patmos. He has outlived all the other apostles. Today Patmos is a small island with a population of about 3000. But in John’s day it was more like an Alcatraz, a small prison island. It has a rocky shoreline, and there was no possibility of escape by swimming anywhere. Patmos is about 60 miles (100kms) off the coast of Turkey.

John had testified about Jesus throughout his life. It’s now late in the first century, in the AD 90s. When John first met Jesus, he was only a young man. He was the disciple whom Jesus loved. He laid his head on Jesus’ chest at the last supper. How do you picture John? Leonardo DaVinci’s Last Supper portrays him as an effeminate fellow, which the book The DaVinci Code picked up on, suggesting he was really a woman. Perhaps you picture John with his head lying on Jesus’ chest, and you think ‘there’s a nice young fellow’. But when John left his fishing business to follow Jesus, he was an aggressive young man. When the people of a Samaritan village wouldn’t welcome Jesus, what do you think the reaction was from this ‘nice young man’ John, and his brother James?

... but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them

?’ But Jesus turned and rebuked them ... (Luke 9:53-55).

John’s loving Christian reaction to these people who wouldn’t welcome Jesus was—smoke ’em Lord! Burn them alive! Let’s get them! This is John. Is it any wonder Jesus nicknamed John and his brother James the ‘sons of thunder’? This is John, the proud, aggressive young man. Remember it was John and his brother who came with their mother to request they could sit one on the right and one on the left, when Jesus came into his kingdom. John wanted to be up there, exalted! And what was Jesus’ reply to him? ‘Can you drink the cup that I will drink?’ ‘Yes, we can drink it.’ ‘Yes, you will drink it,’ said Jesus.

And through the years, sure enough, John learned to drink the cup of his master. He learned the way of suffering. He learned humility rather than aggression. You see it in his other writings. He learned the way of love. It’s John who records Jesus’ words, ‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another’ (John 13:35).

Jesus told John and his brother when they wanted to be in those exalted positions, ‘Whoever wants to become great among you, must be your servant’ (Matt. 20:26). The way of a servant, the way of suffering, was the cup the Lord would give John. Now here is John on Patmos, and instead of bravado and self-exalting, now he speaks to Christians about patient endurance and being a companion in the suffering in the face of persecution, and that these things are ours in Jesus.

Perhaps John reflected there in that cave, decades after Jesus told him, ‘you will drink my cup’, as he outlived and out-suffered his fellow apostles. He had been concerned about ‘sitting above’ them ... and now he was sitting above them, but Jesus’ way! The way of suffering. Can you drink the cup John? Yes, he said. And he did. He lived longer to suffer longer than any of them.

Now, a much humbler John writes to encourage his younger fellow Christians to enter the ‘cup of Jesus’. This is what Revelation is about. It’s written to Christians facing persecution under Domitian, suffering for Jesus as a companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus. What is ours in Jesus? John is saying, ‘Fellow Christians, we’ve got the kingdom, we’ve got the king of the kingdom who gave his life for us, and we’ve got forgiveness.’ That’s great John. But what else have we got in the kingdom? An added extra bonus feature. We’ve got suffering! Are you jumping for joy over that one? Because that’s also what we’ve got. And we’ve got patient endurance. Suffering and patient endurance. Christian, are you listening to this, says John? You want the kingdom, you love Jesus, and you want all the beauty of that kingdom. Have you been feeling sorry for yourself? Why do I have to go through all this suffering and endurance? Well, John says, ‘I’m your companion. If you will come with me in Jesus’ kingdom, you will have to suffer.’ Do you really want all you get in the kingdom? Do you really want all of what you have in Jesus?

Don’t listen to those false teachers who tell you, ‘Come to Jesus and it will easy.’ If you want to be John’s companion it’s going to take suffering and patient endurance. Have you been thinking there is something wrong with you because you’ve been suffering? Others don’t seem to go through what you do? But you don’t know their private lives. Finish the race. Don’t give up. John says he is your companion—in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus.

But how will we have to suffer? That’s why it helps to read the letters to the churches in Rev. 2-3. We suffer by being faithful in our witness, by not giving in to compromise. Easy? Not so easy! How much of the world has crept into your life? Are you looking ‘out there’ for the martyr’s stake? Suffering is right in front of you. In the home, at school, at work, in your church, or in your mind! Not giving up, not going the world’s way is tough!

When we maintain a faithful witness and are attacked by the powers of evil, false teaching, or temptation, enduring is conquering. And if you stand for Jesus, you will be isolated. You might even find yourself on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. It’s a two-hour sailing trip from Patmos to the neighboring island of Samos. You can’t swim out from there. They put John in a cave. That’s where he was when Jesus gave him this Revelation. Want to know what this revelation is all about? Being in the kingdom means suffering and patient endurance! Losing is winning. Conquering is testifying to Jesus through your trial and pain. Jesus is conquering to the ends of the earth. He is winning and will win in the end. But you have to get through next week ... in your home, or at work! Revelation will answer that, but first John says ‘listen to me fellow companions’ ...

On the Lord’s Day

I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, ... (1:10).

The Lord’s Day. When John was a boy, the Lord’s Day according to the OT Scriptures was a Saturday Sabbath. But since the Lord rose from the dead Christians began to meet on his resurrection day (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:1-2), which John here calls the Lord’s Day (1:10). It’s the first day of the week, which is Sunday. The first day of the week was when the disciples first saw Jesus raised. Then Jesus appeared again to the disciples exactly one week later, on the Lord’s Day, in the morning and evening. Then the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. He came down in power when? Pentecost was on the Lord’s Day (Sunday, the first day of the week). This is why Christians set aside Sunday for worship. So here is John, worshiping Jesus, in a cave, on the Lord’s Day.

Now immediately John anticipates a message from God because he says I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet. In the OT when there was a great pronouncement they got the trumpets out. But John thinks, wait, this is a voice. A loud voice! How loud? Like a trumpet! When John was worshiping in that cave he might have been thinking of his fellow Christians in those churches (many scholars believe John ministered in Ephesus and the surrounding areas), and how they were holding up under the strains of persecution. Perhaps he was praying for them. We know John’s greatest joy in his salvation was to see his children walking in truth (3 John 1:4). But while he was worshiping, he would have got a shock as he heard this great voice. Like a trumpet!

... 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’ (1:11).

John knows the selection of these churches is not coincidence. These were the churches in that area of Ephesus where he had been their Pastor. He knew them well. And John immediately recognizes the order of the churches because he knows the geography of the area. If you see them on a map in Asia Minor they follow in a line. A circuit. If John writes to these seven churches as instructed, the order would make it possible for the postman to deliver them all in a row.

But in the midst of this encounter John is still wondering, who is this telling me to write? Dare he look around at a voice so loud and powerful, like a trumpet? Torn between finding the courage to look and being compelled to look John says ...

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ... (1:12).

Immediately these sights would have been familiar to John from when he was a boy schooled in the OT Scriptures. Seven golden lampstands. He would understand the connection. The OT temple! This was like the rebuilt temple mentioned in Zechariah.

He asked me, ‘What do you see?’ I answered, ‘I see a solid gold

lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven

lamps on it, with seven

channels to the lamps’ (Zech. 4:2).

Then John sees someone in the midst of those lampstands ...

... and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man... (1:13a).

John immediately connects this with the son of man from the book of Daniel 7:13-14. There the son of man comes with the clouds and approaches the Ancient of Days. But there is more to connect this son of man with Daniel ...

... dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash

around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire

. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace

, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters

(1:13b-15).

John would be wondering where he has seen this kind of garb before. Look at the sash around his waist. It is like what the high priest was required to wear, but it’s golden. This is greater than the high priest. John would recognize this as coming from the book of Daniel. It was one of his favorites he studied as a young Jewish boy in Sunday school (sorry, Saturday school). At least Daniel is one of Revelation’s favorites ...

I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist

. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches

, his arms and legs like the gleam

of burnished bronze

, and his voice

like the sound

of a multitude (Dan. 10:5-6).

Now John realizes this same figure from Daniel is right before his eyes. And just like Daniel’s figure, his ...

... eyes were like blazing fire

. ... His feet were like bronze glowing

in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters (1:14-15).

A voice like the sound of rushing waters? John would have recognized two of the great pictures of the OT from Ezekiel’s vision of God.

When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters

, like the voice of the Almighty

, ... (Ezek. 1:24).

A voice like the sound of rushing waters? That’s the way John could best describe the voice he now hears (1:15). It wasn’t just the similarity to Ezekiel for John. He was well familiar with the sound of rushing waters crashing against the shore while living in his little prison cave there on Patmos. But this is a voice!

In fact, in this there is so much brilliance that these precious metals, fiery eyes, and a face shining like the sun are only trying to describe in human terms the indescribable. Eyes like blazing fire, that is, eyes that can look right into your heart! Bronze glowing in a furnace. And his head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow. Again, John remembers ...

As I looked, ‘thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool

(Dan. 7:9).

The Ancient of Days takes his throne and his hair is white like wool. Daniel’s vision is of God himself on his throne. Now the son of man in John’s vision has hair like the Ancient of Days. And that’s not all.

In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth

was a sharp double-edged sword

(1:16).

Roman soldiers had a short, tongue-like sword, but John recognizes this sharp-double edged sword as God’s judgment sword. Again, John remembers his OT Scriptures ...

... He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth

... (Isa. 11:4).

Isaiah is referring to God as judge! But wait! John is seeing these features in the son of man. He is Judge. The Ancient of Days has the white hair, stately and from eternity. But now these are attributed to the son of man. Daniel’s prophecy had laid out four kingdoms. Daniel was seeing a vision of the future when a king, a human being, one like a son of man, would come after the kingdoms of Babylon, Medes and Persians, Greece, and the Romans. This new kingdom would last forever. This king will have all authority and power over all peoples. This one like the son of man from the book of Daniel (7:13-14), who was given all authority, is now before John’s eyes. It’s him. It’s now. He’s here! The King of the kingdom!

But how can this king, this ‘son of man’, have attributes of the Ancient of Days—God the Father—when he is the ‘son of man’? Then John remembers the words of Jesus that John wrote in his gospel, when the apostles were gathered together in the upper room and Philip asked that question.

Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and