Many works of literature are fascinating in part because of
who wrote them. Some of the most interestingly story-lines are usurped only by
the personal stories of those responsible for them. I’m thinking of Ernest Hemingway,
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mary Shelly, Ayn Rand, George Orwell, etc. Some of these
characters are as multifaceted as the works they created. The same is true with
biblical works. Moses, Daniel, Isaiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Paul, and others
all led incredible lives and are as interesting themselves as some of the characters
in the works they were used by the Spirit to produce. Revelation is no different.
Most recognize the incredible beauty, complexity, and sophistication of this work.
Might these qualities betray something of those behind it? Is it possible that
the one responsible for this work is more glorious than what we read about in
these pages? In Revelation 1:9-16 we discover the answer as John makes his next
introduction—the introduction of the production staff.
1. The
Writer-John-1:9-11
In his introduction of the producers of this text John
identifies the writer first (himself). The
way in which he describes himself is telling for several reasons—"I, John,
your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and
perseverance which are in Jesus” (1:9a). His name—John—reveals once again, in
case people were wondering or didn’t believe him the first time (see verse 1),
that famed apostle of Jesus Christ penned the following words. With yet another
triad, John reveals that he is connected to his audience on at least three
levels. First, he is a part of the same family of God—“brother.” Rather than
elevate himself above his audience by means of exposing his unique status as
apostle, he places himself on the same level as his readers. Second, he betrays
that like his audience, he too is a “fellow partaker in the tribulation and
kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus” (1:9a). in other words, like many
reading this in the first century, John too was suffering under the oppressive
Roman regime in an anti-Christian climate. Third, like his audience, he knew
that he was, although suffering at present, a citizen of another kingdom—the
Kingdom of God. With this shared hope in mind, and in spite of the current
context, John, like the church to which he wrote, was persevering. All of this
John endured along with the church “in Jesus.” The church suffers with Christ
in tribulation, is established as a kingdom with Christ as King, and perseveres
with Jesus as its ultimate hope.
Roman 8:16-17-“The Spirit himself testifies with our
spirit that we are God’s children and if children, heirs also, heirs of
God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may
also be glorified with Him.”
Philippians 3:20-“For our citizenship is in heaven,
from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;”
2 Tim. 2:12a-“if we endure, we will also reign with
him…”
John writes as one who shares the experiences of the church
members who received this and these shared experiences they have in common with
Christ.
However, several details set John apart from most in his
audience, He “was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and
the testimony of Jesus” (1:9b). Governors of various Roman provinces often punished
political antagonists and those of higher social status received lighter
sentences than others. These more recognizable delinquents were exiled to
islands in the Aegean Sea instead of executed. Patmos, John’s final earthly
home, was an Island of about 50,000 and was fully equipped with a gym and a
temple of Artemis (the island’s patron deity) (Keener, IVP BBC, 729 & Wilson, ZIBBC,
255). John was exiled to Patmos “because of the word of God and the
testimony of Jesus Christ.” In other words, his testimony of Christ was not
well received in his day. Beginning with the emperor Nero, Christianity was no
longer considered a sect of Judaism (which was a legal religion in the empire).
Instead, it was looked upon as a menacing cult. Therefore, proliferating the
gospel was a punishable offense. John’s
punishment happens to be exile. As such John is comparable to Old Testament
prophets like Daniel who were exiled to Babylon. Both Daniel in the Old
Testament and John in the New Testament write against worldly systems as those
displaced from their homeland anticipating a great return for their people.
While in exile, John says “I was in the Spirit on the lord’s
day, and I heard behind me a loud voice the sound of a trumpet” (1:10). This is the first of four times in Revelation
when John finds himself “in the Spirit” and on each occasion an angel summons
John to see a vision (see 1:10, 4:2, 17:3, 21:10). As best as can be determined
to be “in the Spirit” as far as John is concerned means to be in a condition
where “the natural senses, mind, and spirit are not operative in relation to
and responsive to the natural world.” In such a state “God brings a man’s
spirit into direct contact with the invisible spiritual world…” (Thomas, Revelation I, 90). Technically speaking,
this was not a revelation given by a dream because, John is never said to sleep
during the process of transmission. He is wide awake in a different realm
actively witnessing and taking in everything so that he can write it down.
While in this state John reveals, “I heard behind me a loud
voice like the sound of a trumpet” (1:10b). Very much like Ezekiel’s experience
in Ezekiel 3:12, John is startled by a trumpeting voice that highlights the
significance of what is about to be revealed. In fact, a loud voice/sound
consistently indicates an important forthcoming message throughout the book
(5:2, 12; 6:10; 7:2, 10; 8:13; 10:3;
11:12, 15; 12:10; 14:2, 15, 18; 16:1, 17; 19:1, 17).
Following the call of the trumpet John is mandated to do the
following: “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” (1:11). John is commanded to write what he sees;
he is not merely requested. His exile is interrupted by the Spirit of God and
the apostle is given a task to perform and this he does by recording the vision
disclosed to him and distributing it to seven different churches. W. M. Ramsay
theorized that the order of the seven churches represents a circular postal
route that a courier would usually follow along the existing Roman roads. Also,
the mention of only seven churches (among many in this region in John’s day) might
indicate some symbolic significance beyond these literal destinations. After
all, the entirety of the book was obviously passed around and disclosed to all
of these individual churches as it was circulated and was disseminated beyond
that. If the 7-fold Spirit (1:4) is understood as a fancy way to identify the
complete Spirit of God, it might well be that though each of these churches is
given an individual message, the whole message of Revelation is also intended
for the entire universal church.
All of this establishes John as a primary member of the
production staff of this book. He is
called to write down the vision that he sees while in the Spirit and then
commanded to distribute it to the churches accordingly. However, even though he
has a big role to play as writer, the content is not determined by him, but by
the revealer described in verses 12-16.
2. The Revealer-Jesus-1:12-16
Upon hearing the trumpet, John says “Then I turned to see
the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden
lampstands,…”(1:12). A seven-branched lampstand or menorah was one of the most
common symbols for Judaism and synagogues in antiquity. By identifying the
churches as lampstands, John seems to see a very real continuity between
Judaism and Christianity as least concerning its source (Keener, IVP BBC, 730). Because Revelation
portrays heaven as a sanctuary (see 4:6-8; 5:8-10; 7:9-12; 8:3), the lampstands
may also allude to the spiritual representation of the churches in heaven.
That Christians and groups of Christians (i.e. churches)
would be associated with light is consistent with what is portrayed elsewhere
in the New Testament.
Matthew 5:14-16-“You are the light of the world. A
city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it
under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the
same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good
works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Ephesians 5:8-“For at one time you were darkness, but
now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”
The symbol of the church as a lampstand is not too difficult
to understand. God has established his churches as lights shining in the
darkness, indicating through their proclamation of the gospel, the way to
salvation in Christ.
In the middle of these lampstands stands the inspiration
behind the Book of Revelation and the second (more important) member of the
production staff—“and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of
man,…” (1:13a). His position betrays his rightful place among the
churches—centralized—and his description harkens back to the figure witnessed
by Daniel in Daniel 7:9-14 and 10:15-19. Though John’s first inclination is to
assume that this is an angelic being of some kind, what becomes obvious in the
description is that this is none other than one glorious picture of the
“Ancient of Days”—Jesus Christ. Elements of the description found in the next
few verses are repeated later and used to introduce Christ’s message to each of
the churches in chapters 2-3. As God saw fit to describe Christ in this
especially glorious way here and repeats each trait in his message to churches
he singles out later (in chapters 2-3), let’s read through this carefully so as
to gain a better appreciation of who Jesus is and will prove to be in glory.
The first element of this description is his title—“Son of Man.”
This is an apt title to endorse here at the beginning of Revelation as it is a
label related to Jesus’ capacity as judge. In fact, John makes this connection
in his gospel.
John 5:22, 27-“For not even the Father judges anyone,
but He has given all judgment to the Son… and He gave Him authority to execute
judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”
Certainly Jesus will satisfy this office in the judgment he carries
out in the remainder of the book.
However, “Son of Man” also was used by the early church as
Christs’ title whenever the suffering of believers and Christ’s suffering and
glory were in view (These themes comingle in the rest of John’s apocalypse also).
The first thing John notices about this Son of Man is his apparel—“clothed
in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash”
(1:13b). Though some associate this fashion statement with Jesus’ office as
highest high priest, the weight of evidence favors the more general meaning of
dignity when the same two Greek words come together in Ezekiel 9:2.
Ezekiel 9:2-“Behold, six men came from the direction
of the upper gate which faces north, each with his shattering weapon in his
hand; and among them was a certain man clothed in linen with a writing
case at his loins. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.”
The man so clothed in Ezekiel 9 is tasked with marking some
of the Jerusalemites before the destruction of the rest. This setting of
impending judgment from Ezekiel fits one of the principal themes of the visions
to follow in the Apocalypse. In both contexts the “son of man” is understood as
possessing great dignity and high rank and the robe helps illustrate this
prestige (Thomas, Revelation I, 99).
The robe comes complete with “golden sash” “girded across
His chest” (Rev. 1:13c). Again, while some want to connect this to Jesus’ high
priestly office, a better interpretation of this accessory is reached when one takes
into account something similar in Daniel 10:5.
Daniel 10:5-“I looked up and there before me was a
man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist.”
In this Old Testament reference, a divine messenger is in
view. The similarity of the words both in both in Daniel and Revelation coupled
with the fact that the girdle in the Daniel passage is also made of gold (as
the one is here in Revelation 1) seems to indicate that Jesus is not only highly
dignified and qualified to judge, but like the figure in Daniel, he is a divine
messenger sent this time to John with a message for the church.
As the description continues John next focuses on the Son of
Man’s head—“His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and
His eyes were like a flame of fire” (1:14). Interestingly, while Daniel 7:9
employs these features to describe the Father, John uses these same attributes to
describe Christ. This helps demonstrate their equality. The white hair might
indicate any number of appropriate shared divine qualities—holiness, wisdom,
immutability (Thomas, Revelation I, 101).
The second feature of his head mentioned are the eyes. Again, probably borrowing
from Daniel (particularly 10:6), John uses familiar biblical references to
describe the figure that he sees in his vision.
Daniel 10:6-“His body also was like beryl,
his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming
torches,”
In Daniel 10:6 the divine messenger clothed in linen had
eyes “as flaming torches” (see also Rev. 2:18; 19:12). In both contexts the
fiery eyes indicates the penetrating vision that is capable of supernatural
intelligence afforded him by an omniscient gaze.
After describing the dignity of this messenger (clothes) and
alluding to his divine qualities (head), John calls attention to the figure’s
feet—“His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a
furnace” (1:15a). Once again, like Daniel 10, bronze figures prominently in the
description of this diving figure.
Daniel 10:6-“his arms and feet like the gleam of
polished bronze.”
Feet in the New Testament indicate movement. Polished or burnished
bronze feet are strong and pure after being refined by fire. Certainly as the Jesus’
message will be distributed soon to the churches, so too will Jesus’ glorious presence
go with it.
After writing down what he sees, John writes down what he
hears—“and His voice was like the sound of many waters” (1:15b—see also Daniel
10:6c-“ and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult.”).
Inspired in part by what he remembered of Daniel’s similar description and with
the waves of Patmos crashing in the background, John calls attention to the
power of Jesus’ word with this final descriptive phrase.
The cumulative impact of these images is to present the
risen Jesus as the greatest conceivable figure and John uses available biblical
imagery to this end (Keener, IVP BBC, 739).
This Christ that John sees is consistent with what Daniel perceived in his
vision in 600 BC. This proves that not only is Jesus the same yesterday, today
and tomorrow, but that when God reveals more to his church, he never reveals
something that is in conflict with what has already been made known.
After describing the figure himself, John covers some of the
other distinctive features in and around him. Christ is seen holding something –“in
His right hand He held seven stars” (1:16a). This description is the only one
of the ten features that does not draw directly from the Old Testament. Holding
the seven stars seems to point to Jesus’ complete authority and sovereignty. If
he is able to hold seven stars (possess complete authority over things above
the earth), certainly he holds the same sway with things on the earth. By drawing
attention to his authority in things above, his authority in things below is
assumed.
If the image couldn’t get more unreal, John next sees
something coming our of his mouth—“and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged
sword,…” (1:16b). Once again John draws from a prolific theme in the Scriptures.
Isaiah 11:4-“He shall strike the earth with the rod
of His mouth…”
Ephesians 6:17-“…and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God.”
Heb. 4:12-“For the word of God is living
and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far
as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow,
and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Even in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 Paul predicts that upon Christ’s
return he will destroy the man of lawlessness “with the breath of His mouth.”
All of these seem to indicate the awesome power of Jesus’ spoken word. While
the word of God brought the universe into existence as a creative agent (in Genesis
1), and brought salvation to the world as a saving agent (John 1), here the
word is shown to be capable of pronouncing judgment and annihilate the enemies
of God as a destructive agent (Revelation).
Finally, John centers in on Christ’s face—"and his face
was like the sun shining in its strength” (1:16c). This is a clear indication
of Jesus’ unrivaled and unparalleled righteousness and glory. It is this same
glorious visage that the disciples saw glimpses of on the mount of
transfiguration. Just imagine what it must have been like for John to say here
at the end of his life upon seeing this vision “Hey! I’ve seen that face
before!”
So What?
In this passage two members of the team that together
produced this work are identified—John and Jesus, man and God-man, writer and
revealer. John’s lengthy description of Jesus directs our focus today on the
revealer responsible for making what follows available. In this description we
see an unusually high Christology. Jesus is depicted as equal with God the Father
in dignity (clothes and hair), the most qualified divine messenger (sash and
bronze feet), the all-knowing and aware one (fiery eyes), the almighty revealer
(tumultuous voice), the sovereign Lord of the realms (holding stars), the victorious
warrior (two-edge sword), and the most glorious and righteous being (shining
face). This is the Jesus John is shown, the Jesus he describes for the
churches, and the Jesus that we worship today. He is not just a prophecy waiting
to be fulfilled. He is not just a baby lying in a manger. He is not just a
miracle worker and traveling preacher in Israel. He is just a martyr hanging on
a cross. He is the risen Lord standing poised, ready to judge, bring the final
victory, and usher in a new heaven and new earth. And He has decided to
disclose a message for His church—a message given to John to write down—a message
for the seven churches to read in the first century—and a message that continues
to speak today. Only those with a high view of Christ will heed the message he
brings and apply it rightly.
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