Jesus speaks to His Church!

He is in the Midst!

Revelation 1:1–20 NIV84

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. 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, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 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. 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. So shall it be! Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” 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. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud 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.” I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” 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. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Note the context in which John wrote:

Revelation 1:9–11 “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. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud 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.””

John describes himself as being “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day”, which is another way of saying he was worshipping Jesus on a Sunday morning and he finds himself filled with the Holy Spirit of God and seeing and hearing things of supernatural origin which are going to be written down by him and posted to “the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.””

Central to the vision of what he sees and hears, John sees the risen and glorified Jesus and He sees Him “among the lampstands”(v13) and he helpfully tells us that “the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”(v20):

There is also mention of “the seven spirits before His throne” which echoes Zechariah 4:1-6 where reference is made of a Lampstand which would stand and give light to the Tabernacle and the Temple and would draw attention to the Ark of the Covenant and the throne of God and the altar of sacrifice.

Zechariah speaks of the “the seven lights on it and the seven channels to the lights” which results in the declaration, “the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.”

By “my spirit" we are meant to understand, the Spirit mediating the presence of God and Christ, and enabling the light to shine and this aligns with the seven churches which are pictured as ‘seven lampstands”(Rev 1:12, 20).

So the message we are getting here is that Jesus is in the midst of His Church

This is confirmed by Jesus Himself in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

But this evidently came as a surprise to those churches and even more shockingly for them in this Revelation is that they are about to discover that He also knows an awful lot about them - their “deeds” their true spiritual condition and this won’t be easy for them to hear and it will demand repentance.

So, Jesus is going to be addressing them directly, and though it won’t be easy listening, He will time and again say to them, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”(2:7,11,17; 29;3:6,13,22)

Over the next few weeks we are going to be looking at each of the seven letters to the seven churches and thinking about the specific issues that Jesus addresses with them, for the purpose of critically examining ourselves in the light of this teaching.

But today, we are going to set these letters to the churches within the context of the whole book and in particular, in the light if what is said in chapter 1 with regards to the unveiling of the glory of Christ

1. A Revelation Revealed - Revelation 1:1-4,19-20

Revelation 1 introduces the apocalyptic - The word the revelatio, that gives us our title is Latin and refers to either the act of revealing or making known, but the Greek word that it translates is ἀποκάλυψις which literally refers to the “uncovering” or “unveiling” of something, most commonly the lifting or removal of a veil to uncover the hair of a woman.

So the Revelation given to John is an uncovering of mysteries given to “Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.”

And note that phrase “what must soon take place.” because it indicates that the scope of the prophecies in Revelation are historical and they include applications in the immediate present (e.g. the seven churches of Asia Minor as they existed during the time of John) but also they offer a window into the past and prophetic aspects of the Old Testament as well as also informing us of the future, prophetic element which speaks of things to come which are “sealed” (Revelation 5 & 7) until their appointed time until finally we are out of time, in “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away”(Rev 21:1).

Revelation is a book full of mystery and vivid imagery with descriptions of war in heaven and on earth, showing the past and present in a new way(Eugene Petersen: Thunder) as well as showing us the future with a certainty that no matter how bad it will get, God has it under control and Jesus will ensure ultimate triumph over the Devil and his angels.  

Martyn Lloyd-Jones once asked the the question “Why was the book of Revelation written? “ His answer, “It was not written primarily, let me assure you, in order that people might be able to work out the date of the end of the world! That is a very grievous misunderstanding of that book. The book of Revelation was written in order that God’s people who were passing through terrible persecutions and terrible adversity might be able to go on rejoicing. It is a book that showed them the ultimate victory of the Lord over Satan and all the other forces of evil. They were to rejoice. It was written for men and women who had been in trouble, and it was meant to help them, not only people who would live 2,000 years later. And so it has been a help to Christian people in every age and every generation. If your understanding of the book of Revelation does not help you rejoice, you are misunderstanding it. (True Happiness, p. 88).

2. A Vision of the Victorious Christ - Revelation 1:5-18

This Revelation is bound up with and given to “Jesus Christ”(v1) and it is the Risen and Exalted Jesus Christ that John now sees in His vision

He see Jesus as the One who is Almighty and the One whom as the “Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the End”(Rev 1:7) is the guarantor of everything that is promised here and will certainly come to pass!

What John realises as he receives this vision of someone “like a son of man, 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. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”(Rev 1:13-16) is that the Christ, he knew on earth is no longer the possessor of a earthbound; time-bound body subject to the limitations of time and space!

He has a glorified body “like a son of man” which has echoes of Daniel chapter 3 and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace - but who is clearly much more than a mere man - 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. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”

This vision also reminds us of Daniel 7:9 in which Daniel sees a vision and says, “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. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.”

This shows us two, of a number of direct quotations from the Old Testament which refer to God and are here deliberately applied to the Lord Jesus Christ, giving us a fresh insight into those scriptures and proving beyond doubt that Jesus is not simply a mere man, but that He is very God, of very God!

To briefly comment on the detail of the glorified and Risen Christ as described by John

“a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.”(v13) - The golden sash and “The robe reaching down to his feet is the mark of a person of distinction”(Morris)

“His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.”(v14) - “White hair conveys ideas like wisdom and the dignity of age..’ but also is can be ‘the symbol of holiness’…and this is reinforced by adding the comparison to snow.”

“and his eyes were like blazing fire.”(v14)” - The contrast between the white hair and the blazing eyes is stark - “White hair by itself might leave the impression of calmness and dignity, but not of energy and spiritedness. This is rectified by the information that his eyes were like blazing fire (cf. 2:18; 19:12; Dan. 10:6).”(Morris).

“His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace”(v15) - “The feet are likened to chalkolibanon…The chalko-points to an alloy of copper (chalkos = copper), but the evidence does not permit us to say with any certainty which alloy. The reference to the furnace strengthens the conviction that something metallic is in mind.”(Morris)

“his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.”(v15) - This description points back to Ezekiel 43:2 - “and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory” - again further demonstrating the deity of Christ.

“In his right hand he held seven stars” - The seven stars are explained as representative of ‘the angels of the seven churches’ (v. 20). Note: These “angels” have been variously interpreted as being, literal angels - with each church having a spiritual guardian in the same way as Jesus says each child has(Matt 18:10), and Daniel may suggest that each nation has(Dan 10:13); the leaders of the churches - its presiding elder or bishop, who pass on the message (Grk: ἄγγελος - lit messenger)

They are held “in his right hand”. indicating His protection of them, something that is needed in the light of the strong criticisms that He will make of most of those churches. They, like all churches, have their defects, but they need to know, as we need to know that the Church is upheld by the Son of God, who promised “I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it”(Matt 16:18).

“and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword” - The fact that this weapon of offence comes “out of his mouth” shows that He is going to wound with words and people will bow to His declarative will! It reminds us of Hebrews 4:12–13 “For the word of God is living 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. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

“His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” - Revelation describes the Heavenly Jerusalem in Revelation 21:23 “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” Heaven’s brightness reflects the glory of Almighty God and so it is hardly surprising that the Angels who come down from Heaven, reflect that brightness, as “shinning ones” in Revelation 10:1 “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.” and Jesus describes in Matthew 13:43 how “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Now the importance of focusing our attention on the detail of the Risen and Ascended Jesus in all His splendour and glory is to have a Heavenly perspective of just who He is and what He still is to us as we negotiate our journey through this difficult world

In 1 John 4:4 we are told, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

We “overcome” through faith in Jesus, whatever the obstacles and difficulties in our way. We overcome because Christ is for us and therefore nothing that is against us will ultimately prosper!

3. A Call to Faith not Fear! - Revelation 1:17-20

The overall appearance of the Lord is so awesome that John, even though he was his beloved disciple and servant, could not stand the sight, but fell at his feet as though dead, such was the physical effects of the tremendous vision.

But wonderfully, John was comforted by Christ himself, who put his right hand on him - remember that we have already been told that Christ held the stars in his hand (v. 16) and we are told so again (v. 20). but we “should not preoccupy ourselves with the question of how he could do both these things with the one hand. John is talking in symbols and it is the symbolism that is important, not the possibility of our reconstructing the picture. At one and the same time Christ has the whole church in his hand and he takes action for the needs of the individual. Both truths are important.”(Morris).

The words Do not be afraid are words he had heard Jesus speak many times whilst on earth but never did he need them more than now!

“Do not be afraid!” - He had heard these words before as recorded in Matthew 14:26-27 and John 6:20, when Jesus walks on water, and the disciples are terrified. Jesus says, "It is I; do not be afraid" to reassure them. 

However, John has reasons to be afraid! He is in exile on a small island and unable to preach the gospel. He is getting old and he is now the last of the original twelve Disciples to still be alive and the church is under extreme pressures from the Roman authorities and at a local level from its enemies. What will become of him? What will become of the church? Will it survive? Will the world win in the end? John is scared!

Jesus says, Do not be afraid - You have nothing to fear because:

I am“the First and the Last”(Rev 2:8; 22:13) the equivalent of ‘the Alpha and the Omega’ used of God in Rev 1:8 and directly quoted with reference to God the Redeemer of Israel, in Isa. 44:6; 48:12.

This is an important reminder that we need a power far greater than ourselves to keep us in this world. Our Saviour is “A God who is not the transcendent origin of all things… cannot be the ground of ultimate hope for the future of creation. It is the God who is the Alpha who will also be the Omega” (Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation, p. 51).

Do not be afraid - Because I am “the Living One’ who “was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!” Christ has defeated death and as a result, He can now rightfully “hold the keys of death and Hades.” (see on John 1:4; 14:6; see on Rev 4:10; 10:6 cf. Dan. 12:7, another example of the use of identical qualities of the Father and the Son). Note: Hades is the place of departed spirits as in Acts 2:27, 31 it is not the place of torment (‘Gehenna’), but in this book it is always linked with death and regarded as something of an enemy. “But keys symbolise authority and Christ holds the keys of death and Hades. He has the power to send people to death and to Hades or to deliver them from them. He is supreme, and a supremacy over the spirit world and over death itself is a supremacy such as the tyrants who persecuted John’s readers never dreamed of.”(Leon Morris).

Christ is in control of history and therefore of our present troubles. We are assured of His power and encouraged to remain faithful amidst trials, knowing that His ultimate victory is assured and we are safe in Him!

All of this serves to remind John as it does us, that Christ and not the rulers of this earth are in control of history and its present troubles.

We need to grasp that Jesus Christ as the Living One, who holds the keys of death and hades, is in control of our death and that hades will not hold us, but will be forced to give us up and set us free, because Jesus promised that “Because I live, you will live also”(John 14:9).

Please draw strength from this, embrace Jesus Christ, the living one who holds the keys of death and Hades.

So in this series, “Jesus speaks to His Church”, we are going to hear some tough stuff about the defects of individual churches and we are going to humbly listen to application which may challenge us to repent and be better by the power of the Spirit of Christ in us but the BIG TAKEAWAY from what He is saying to us today may be summarised in the words of Jude 24 “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—”

Jesus has the right, and the authority and the power to keep us from falling so that whatever weapons are formed against us by the Evil One, he will not prosper and that should encourage us as we think of how it impacts our faith every day!

And so we should be primed and ready and wait in expectation upon Him for “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. So shall it be! Amen.”(Rev 1:7 see Dan 7:17).

So be faithful John! Be faithful Church and DO NOT BE AFRAID!

Christ's ultimate victory is assured and therefore so is ours and we can say with Paul: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,d neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”(Romans 8:31-39).