The Approachable King

vv. 17-18) Reaction//Assurance

The last couple weeks we saw an incredible picture of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. Hair: white as wool, white as snow. Eyes: a flame of fire. Feet: fine brass, as refined in a furnace. Voice: sound of many waters. Right hand: seven stars. Mouth: sharp two-edged sword. Countenance: the sun in its strength.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Countenance

COUNTENANCE One’s face as an indication of mood, emotion, or character (Gen. 4:5–6; Prov. 15:13; Eccles. 7:3; Mark 10:22). Having God’s countenance upon one is a way of speaking about being in God’s presence (Ps. 21:6). Being in God’s presence may bring peace (Num. 6:25–26), blessing (Pss. 4:6; 89:15), or victory (Ps. 44:3). It may also bring destruction (Ps. 80:16) or judgment for sin (Ps. 90:8).

With this description of Jesus Christ, how did John respond?

Just the sight of the Son left John prostrated at His feet, as if he was dead.

Blessed position! Does the death alarm you? We are never so much alive as when we are dead at His feet.

C.H. Spurgeon

It matters not what aileth us if we lie at Jesus’ feet. Better be dead there than alive anywhere else.

C.H. Spurgeon

What does this tell us about Jesus?

It shows us that John has great reverence for Jesus and ties Him to the Ancient of Days in Daniel. The Son of Man is kingly clothed, presented in holiness, splendor, and awe-provoking glory.

This reaction seems to be the rule for response to appearances of God or the glorified Christ:

Isaiah 6:5 NKJV

5 So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”

Daniel 10:7–9 NKJV

7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. 8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.

Luke 5:8 NKJV

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

This is a rather stark contrast to many contemporary expressions of those who claim to be in God’s presence.

[18] What is Jesus’ response?

With the same right hand, which only a moment before had cradled the seven stars, is now gently assuring John that there isn’t any more need for fear.

What does this teach us about Jesus?

Fear is unnecessary because of the identity of the Son of Man. He precedes all, follows all, lives after having died, and now lives eternally. Additionally he hold the remedy for death and for the grave.

The instruction not to fear forbids the continuation of something already in motion. We see this by the grammar used in the Greek. Jesus is claiming to be the first and the last, which is only appropriate for deity and perfectly explains why John needs to fear no longer.

The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.

Oswald Chambers

The Judge is the Living One who was dead but is now alive forevermore. He has the keys of Hades and of Death, having control over both and uniquely able to raise the dead.

What does it mean that Jesus has the keys of Death and Hades?

He possesses the keys meaning he has access at any time, which in this case is for liberation of those held captive. “Hades” is one of the more difficult concepts in the NT, even though in a broad sense it fairly obvious.

Here it is enough to say that hades represents the unseen, shadowy world of departed spirits and may be rendered grave only if the reader knows that this is not the same as “tomb” or “earthen grave” but more the state of being continually dead.

What are the implications of having these keys?

Christ, through His atoning death and triumphant resurrection, has shown that He holds the power over the archenemy of the human race and He will unlock the prison doors for those who follow Him.

Hades here stands for the soul and death for the body.

The Characteristics of Christ—vv. 17-18

Honor. “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.” All men must someday bow before Him: Philippians 2:9-11

Philippians 2:9–11 NKJV

9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Help. “Fear not; I am the first and last.” His message has always been “fear not.” He is the after all, the “first and the last—the eternal God.

Hope. “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore.” There are a couple passages where Jesus spoke of His eternal existence.

John 3:16 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 11:25–27 NKJV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Holding. “And have the keys of hell and of death.” Jesus has all authority: Matthew 16:16-19

Matthew 16:16–19 NKJV

16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

vv. 19-20) Command//Explanation

We are now introduced, to what is essentially, the outline for Revelation. The Son of Man asks the servant (John) to write three things. He is to inscribe what he has seen. He is further to record “what is now” and then to write of “what will take place later.”

What does the “things which you have seen” mean, and why is it important?

It is a clear command to write the vision that the author has just experienced. The readers in Asia Minor will need to know the source and the reason for the book, and both are stated in this chapter, the initial vision.

What are the “thing which are?” and how is that important?

It is what follows in chapters 2 and 3. The message to seven historical congregations of believers. While the verses contain universally applicable truths for church life in every era, the assessments, promises and warnings in the letters to these churches were addressed to specific situations in churches with which John was familiar with too. Meaning, these chapters have to do with “what is now.”

What are the “things which will take place after this?”

depending on your interpretation of Revelation this will mean different things. For example if you view the book to allegorical you wouldn’t think much of the phrase and that the information given throughout chapters 4-22 as a highly stylized picture of the perpetual warfare between good and evil throughout the course of the present age. A Preterist and historicists treat the expression the same way except that they make some attempt to find historical substance in the remainder of the book.

However, both groups still see the events as an unfolding of the history of the church either in the time of John or else in the succeeding centuries.

My personal view a futurists perspective, preferring to interpret the events of the prophecy as the expectation of the church. Viewing the rest of the book as belonging to an end-time scenario.

When it comes to the means for the “angels,” it really gets boiled down to two. Perhaps each of the seven churches in Asia Minor maybe all NT churches have an angel assigned to the church as a part of God’s providential oversight of the assemblies.

This opinion preserves the most natural reading of the word. Especially in light of the frequency with which such spirit beings appear in Revelation. In addition to that you also have this idea that angels can be assigned specifically to certain tasks on earth.

For example, women who pray or prophesy in church are to have authority on their heads because of the angels: 1 Corinthians 11:10

1 Corinthians 11:10 NKJV

10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

This suggests the presence of heavenly visitors in the worship of the congregation. Care is to be take n with children since their angels “do always behold the face of the Father” Matthew 18:10

Matthew 18:10 NKJV

10 “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

The other view is that this could also refer to essentially the pastor of the church.

What does the lampstands teach us about the role of the church?

Revelation 3. The Glory of Christ (1:9–20)

A more appropriate symbolism for the church is scarcely imaginable. The church is like a lamp, a receptacle that is to give light in darkness. However, like a lamp, the church is helpless to fulfill its mission without fuel. Oil, throughout the Old Testament is used for anointing. Priests, kings, prophets, tabernacle furnishings, and books were anointed. Particularly in the case of Saul, the meaning of this anointing was that of the empowering for an assignment by the Spirit of God (1 Sam 10:1–11). Oil then had become a symbol for the Holy Spirit, a concept observable in the New Testament in James 5:14–15. When the church is filled with the Spirit of God, then she is able to give light to the world. Minus such presence and anointing, despite outer appearances, a church has no real possibility of fulfilling her Great Commission mandate.

HW: Revelation 2:1-7