The first day of college I was moving into my dorm room and met a tall dark skinned guy who I would become fast friends with. He grew up in Chad Africa and had come to the United States for his university education. We spent hours and hours together while we were in college.
As you can imagine, after we graduated we didn’t see each other much, since he was from another continent. We lost touch for about fifteen years. Out of the blue, I got a call from him the other day, saying he was in town. I told him to come over, and we had a fun reunion. The years had aged us both, but like a good wine, it had only added a vintage quality to our brotherhood.
Can you imagine what each of the Apostle’s reunions with Christ must have been like. Honestly, we just don’t know what any of those moments were like, because we don’t have a window into heaven. However, we have one description of a reunion of a sort from this passage of Scripture.
In today's study, we dive into the Apostle John's awe-inspiring visions on the island of Patmos, as detailed in the opening of Revelation. Amidst persecution and divine encounters, John is tasked with delivering messages to the seven churches, revealing the majesty of Christ and the profound symbolism of his vision. Join us as we explore the themes of endurance, revelation, and the eternal hope found in Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega.
I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churcheswhich are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys ofHades and of Death. Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are,and the things which will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are theangels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.
1:9 During the writing of the book of Revelation, the Roman emperor Nero was in power. Under his rule, the Christians were persecuted mercilessly. One of the punishments for believers was exile. The Apostle John was one such exile. He alludes to this trouble as he identifies himself asa brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.
He explains that he was on the island that is called Patmos which is a small rocky island in the Aegean Sea. It’s right off the coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Türkiye). He is there because of his ministry work. He had been an influential leader in Ephesus and the surrounding area, not far from the island he was writing about. He was exiled for his ministry of sharing the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
1:10 Like prophets before him, John received visions and revelations from the Holy Spirit. The experience was unique and identifiable since he says that he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. He was neither out of his mind nor unaware of the time. The experience wasn’t uncontrollable disconnection from reality, but coherent and reasonable. So much so that He is able to write it down as it is happening.
He heard behind him a loud voice. John would have known Jesus’s voice well since he had spent so much time with Him during His earthly ministry. Now his voice sounds different. It sounded like a trumpet. The difference in the tone of voice meant that John didn’t recognize who was speaking at first.
1:11 Without yet recognizing the speaker he heard the voice identify Himself with the title John had already revealed in the opening of his letter, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. As noted previously, this is like saying, “I’m the A to Z.” Since the alpha and the omega were the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Here, John gives a slightly abbreviated form of what was said in verse 8, where Jesus also identifies Himself additionally as the Beginning and the End, the one who is and who was and who is to come, and the Almighty.
In the same breath, John gets his orders from the Lord. What he sees he is to write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” These are churches that he would have great familiarity with since he had been ministering in that region for years. He also would have tremendous influence in these churches since he was one of their primary leaders.
1:12-13 As of yet, John may not have recognized Jesus’ voice since it was more like a heavenly brass instrument than what he remembered from His time on earth (vs 10).But when John turned to see who was speaking he witnessed a series of mysterious items. He spotted seven golden lampstands. A few verses later, John will explain what these represent (vs. 20), but John did not understand what they represented at first.
1:13-14 Not yet knowing the meaning of the lampstands, John’s eyes scan across the amazing scene to see that in the midst of the seven lampstands,there was One like the Son of Man. This phrase is the way the prophet Daniel described the then-future Messiah (Daniel 7:13-14). It is also how Jesus described himself during His ministry (Mark 8:38, Matthew 8:20).
During His time on earth Jesus was likely clothed in the garb of a poor carpenter, but his apparel is quite different at this glorious reunion with his old friend John. He was clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire. This has notes of the prophet’s words in Daniel 10:5-6 where He is described with white linen, a belt of gold, and eyes like flaming torches. This is a reminder that Jesus is the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament.
1:15 His feet were like fine brass as if refined in a furnace. When heated to a molten state brass is so bright it is difficult to look at. It is also deadly dangerous to be near.The fact that His voice is like the sound of many waters mirrors the vision of God’s glory entering the temple in Ezekiel 43:2. This is another reminder that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament.
1:16 John will learn the meaning of what he is seeing shortly, but at this moment he sees that He, Jesus, had in His right hand seven stars. One of the reasons we know that Revelation is full of symbolism that all represents real things is because, in verse 20, the meaning of the stars and the lamp stands will be revealed.
In John’s Gospel, he first identified Jesus as the Word (John 1:1). Here he sees how true this concept is since out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, which reminds us that the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). This shows that Jesus’ word is powerful, dangerous, and decisive. He will change the world in the events that are to come with the power of His words. Looking at him must have been difficult since His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. He exudes power from his very complexion.
1:17 It seems that John was so overwhelmed by the vision that he passed out, which seems to be the sense in which he fell at His feet as dead. As frightening as Jesus appears to those who oppose Him, He is as gentle as a concerned friend to those who are His. It was not His left hand, but instead, it was His right hand he laid on John, signifying acceptance and honor. This is the same Right Hand that held the seven stars. Jesus speaks to him, and we may assume that His voice is more familiar now, saying something John had heard Him say before “Do not be afraid.” As evidence of why John need not be afraid, Jesus explains He is the First and the Last. This is something John knew well, as illustrated by his own words, “In the beginning was the Word.” (John 1:1)
1:18 John was one of those who knew Jesus before and after His death. John knew as well as any that Jesus was He who lives, and was dead. In case the notion that Jesus might be able to die again might enter anyone’s mind, He reminds us that He is alive forevermore. Amen.
It doesn’t stop there, though. He is not only alive but he has been given divine authority over the place of the dead since he now has the keys of Hades. Not only does he have authority over Hell, but Death itself. This will remind the reader of John’s other work where Jesus often claimed to be able to resurrect and give eternal life to those who believe in Him (John 3:16, 6:47, 11:24-26).
1:19 John was a fantastic writer. His ability to communicate through the written word with clarity and simplicity may be unmatched in all of history. The Lord had given him this talent for a particular reason, he was to Write the things which he was seeing and the things which would take place after that. Yet again John is being employed as an eyewitness of some incredibly amazing things. One can imagine that John scrambled to his quill and ink well. It seems that throughout the narrative of Revelation, John has his pen ready and is taking notes (10:4). Maybe this was a habit he picked up during Jesus’ ministry, as I believe John wrote his gospel very early from personal notes he had.
1:20 The Lord now reveals something important about the Revelation John would receive. First, he tells The mystery of the seven stars in Jesus’ right hand (vs. 16) and the seven golden lampstands (vs. 12-13). While these were a mystery when John first viewed them, Jesus now reveals that The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands… are the seven churches.
An important lesson is embedded in Jesus’ words. First, the literal meaning of these two mysteries, but second, the fact that these two aspects of John’s vision represent real things. This is a lesson that we can carry throughout the book of Revelation. When we discover mysteries in the coming pages, we can trust that they represent real things. However, many of Revelation’s aspects are not as clearly identified as these are here. Nonetheless, the images in this book represent the actual that is to come, not the ethereal that could mean whatever we want. While we may not always agree on their meaning, we should agree that everything in the book represents something real.
Jesus explained that the seven golden lampstands are the churches. Obviously, he means the seven churches of Asia Minor to whom He was writing (vs. 11). This is not hard to understand, but there is some measure of disagreement on what He means that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. Angels literally means messengers. But who are the messengers to the churches?
There are some who believe the angels are literal angelic beings, but that seems unlikely. In the next chapter, Jesus tells John to write directly to the angel/messenger of each church (Revelation 2:1, 8, 12, 18, 3:1, 7, 14). The most reasonable view is that these are the leaders of the churches to which God’s word has been entrusted. Some have suggested that each angel is the “pastor” of each church. However, having a single pastor is a much later development in history. So, the angels of the churches are those elders (plural) responsible for pastoring and shepherding the church. Although Jesus addresses each angel as a singular entity, it’s most reasonable to think the angel of each church is its elder group.
1:9: How does John's description of himself as a "brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ" on the island of Patmos for his faith impact our understanding of Christian endurance and witness?
1:10: What does John's experience of being "in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day" tell us about the nature of divine revelation and the preparedness of believers to receive it?
1:11: In instructing John to write to the seven churches, what does this directive reveal about the purpose of divine messages and the role of church leadership in disseminating these teachings?
1:12-13: How does the initial mystery of the seven golden lampstands before their explanation in verse 20 challenge our approach to interpreting symbolic language in Revelation?
1:13-14: Considering the contrast between Jesus's earthly appearance and His described glory in Revelation, what does this transformation signify about His divine nature and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy?
1:15: With the description of Jesus’ feet like fine brass and His voice like the sound of many waters, what does this imagery convey about the authority and judgment of Christ?
1:16: Before the explanation of the seven stars and lampstands in verse 20, what does the symbolism of Jesus holding seven stars and a sharp two-edged sword from His mouth suggest about His control over the church and the power of His word?
1:17: Reflecting on John's reaction to the vision of Christ and Jesus’ comforting response, what can we learn about the appropriate response to divine revelation and the nature of Jesus' lordship?
1:18: Jesus proclaims He holds the keys of Hades and Death. What does this declaration tell us about His victory over death and the hope it offers believers?
1:19: Given John's role as an eyewitness tasked with writing down his visions, how does this emphasize the importance of scripture as a witness to divine truth and prophecy?
1:20: With Jesus explaining the mystery of the seven stars and the seven lampstands, how does this revelation guide our interpretation of other symbolic elements in Revelation, and what does it suggest about the relationship between the heavenly and the earthly church?
