Revelation 1:12-16

Revelation 1:12-16

And I turned around to see the voice which was calling out with me and after turning around I saw seven golden lamp stands - and in the middle of the lamp stands one resembling the Son of Man, having been clothed down to the feet and having a golden belt around his chest.  And His head – even the hair – was bright as wool and bright as snow, and His eyes were as a blazing fire, and His feet were resembling fine bronze as having been set of fire in an oven, and His voice as the sound of much water, and while having seven stars in His right hand and while having a sharp double-edged broad sword coming out of His mouth and His face was shining like the sun in all His power.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus is at the heart of this passage.  He is the Son of Man.  He is the embodiment of the power of God.  But we’ll get to His power in a second.  Remember, John is exiled to Patmos.  His ministry has been denied to him. So what does John see when this vision begins?  Jesus is standing in the midst of the very churches for which he has been in service.  I think that this is a message first for John, then for his audience.  If John is worried about the Christians in those churches, Jesus is among them.  What reason does John have to worry if Jesus is among them doing His work?  This message is also for us as well.  When we are concerned about our circumstances, we need to remember that God can go anywhere.  God can be in the midst of His people doing His work even if we are prevented by the world from doing it.

Do you ever focus on your presence, forgetting that it is really God’s presence that is important?  Why should we always remember that God can be anywhere at any time?

Second Thought:

When we look at the description of Jesus, we are reminded that he is both priest and king.  Jesus is described as being clothed all the way down to his feet.  In other words, Jesus is wearing robes.  In ancient times, robes were only worn by people who did not need to work.  Robes were worn by people who had other people to labor.  Robes were a sign of the elite and the leadership.  Jesus is also described as wearing a golden belt around his chest.  This type of sash was a sign of the priests.  The fact that this sash was gold elevates Jesus to the ranks of the important priests.  This point merely enhances the thought from earlier.  Jesus is both our priest and king.  He has every means of being among our people and ministering to them.  John does not need to worry about the churches that he cares about.  The greatest priest and the greatest king is among them.

Is Jesus your priest and king?  How do you feel His presence around you?

Third Thought:

When we look at the rest of the description, we can see that John is telling us how it is that Jesus can be successful among His own people.  The white nature of His hair tell us that He is pure and sinless, capable of taking our sin away.  His eyes are like fire, which is a symbol of purification.  When He looks into our life, He can purify us.  His feet are like bronze, which is a strong alloy that endures forever because it does not rust.  Jesus’ strength can be counted on to endure.  His voice, the sound of many waters, is described in a way that the Old Testament often speaks about the voice of God.  He has a sharp sword coming out of His mouth.  He can attack and defend.  Perhaps more importantly, He can separate sin from salvation.

Which of these attributes of Jesus do you find the most meaningful to you right now?  Why would each of these attributes bring comfort to John?  Why would these attributes have brought comfort to the people to whom John is writing?

Passage for Tomorrow: Revelation 1:17-20