Revelation 1:9-20 - Unveiled Glory

Introduction

Last month when everyone went into lockdown over the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people started working from home. And that meant that a lot of couples got to hear their spouses in full “work-mode” for the first time. One woman, after hearing her husband on a conference call, posted online, “Turns out he’s a ‘let’s circle back’ kind of guy—who knew??” Another man said, “My wife works from home full-time, but I remember the day I realized she was the ‘one more question’ person at the end of meetings. I was shook. Another woman said, “My husband is pleasant and PATIENT on the phone. It’s like invasion of the body snatchers. I know him as the guy who can’t sit still at red lights and won’t buy more than three groceries at a time... Why can’t I have the patient guy?” (Retrieved 05/14/2020 from https://www.workingmother.com/spouses-share-hilarious-things-theyve-learned-about-their-partner-working-from-home)

It can be disconcerting to see someone you know so well when they are operating in such a completely different capacity—like the guy who said he heard his wife discussing fundraising strategies for brain cancer research and said it made him realize how far out of his league he married! But can you imagine what it must have been like for the Apostle John to see Jesus the way he did here in these verses?

Think about it—the New Testament tells us that John was Jesus’ closest friend on earth. In his Gospel account, John calls himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23). He was the one who leaned up against Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper to ask who would betray Him—along with Peter and James, he was one of the only three Jesus took to be with him when He prayed in Gethsemane the night before His execution (Matt. 26:37). John had seen a tiny piece of this kind of glory when he went up on the mountain where Jesus was transfigured—the passage we read earlier from Matthew 17:1-8.

But he had never seen Jesus like this—he had only ever seen Jesus while His glory was veiled—but here he sees Jesus with His unveiled glory—the glory that He had with His Father before the foundation of the earth (John 17:6), the glory and honor and authority that He claimed after His resurrection and ascension with the clouds into the throne room of Heaven. In fact, we read in Revelation 1:17 that the sight almost killed him! He “fell down as though dead” before Jesus’ unveiled glory!

But the truth is that John needed to see Jesus in His present unveiled glory, because that was the only way he would be able to stand in the persecutions that were on the way. In verse 9 John says to the churches that

Revelation 1:9 ESV

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

In other words, tribulation (trial, hardship, danger) was coming—and Jesus was preparing John to withstand it by revealing Himself to him. And just as John needed to have a vision of Jesus’ present glory, so you and I need that same vision today. Because we live in a world where we will have tribulation (John 16:33). —we need the same vision that John had of the unveiled glory of Jesus Christ. Because

We can endure for the sake of Christ’s Kingdom as He reveals His glory to us in worship.

Look with me at verses 9-11 of our text—the way John describes himself in these verses bears some important resemblances to our situation today. John’s banishment to Patmos reminds us of our own plight in the 20th Century:

I. Our Plight: Exiled for the sake of Christ (Rev. 1:9-11)

John writes of himself in verse 9:

Revelation 1:9 ESV

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

The island of Patmos, a small island in the Agean Sea just off the coast of modern-day Turkey, was the site of a Roman penal colony in the Apostle John’s time. It’s unclear whether or not John had actually been imprisoned there; more likely he had been banished there by the Imperial Roman authorities to keep him (and his troublesome preaching of Christ) out of the way. This is what he means when he says he was on Patmos “on account of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus”.

John was

Committed to God’s Word

That is, he sought to stand wholly on the authority of the Scriptures in defiance of Roman culture and religion. And his experience here shows us that when you insist on the truth and relevance of God’s Word in a wicked and corrupt society, you will be sidelined, won’t you? You will be shouted down, ridiculed, scoffed at and ignored. You won’t be invited on all of the big talk shows and news programs to explain the significance and authority of the Scriptures in current affairs, you won’t have “a place at the table” in the cultural conversation. A wicked and corrupt culture will always “exile” people who faithfully stand committed to God’s Word.

John was banished there to Patmost “on account of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus”—he was

Committed to the Gospel

What is the “testimony of Jesus”? It is what Paul identified in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Depend on it—the voice that stands without compromise on the Gospel of Jesus Christ—that He died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried and raised the third day according to the Scriptures, and that there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12), that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, the life, and that no one can come to God except through Him—that message will get you sidelined in this world!

John was exiled for the sake of Christ because he was committed to God’s Word and the Gospel. But that exile did not prevent him from being

Committed to worship

John writes in verse 10:

Revelation 1:10 ESV

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet

It didn’t matter if he was exiled or not, it didn’t matter what his external circumstances were—john was committed to worship on the “Lord’s Day”—the New Testament name for the first day of the week, which we call Sunday. We read in verse 10 that John was “in the Spirit” on that particular Sunday—many commentators believe this indicates that John was especially “caught up in the Spirit” in a mystical trance-like state in which he was shown these visions.

And while that may be a helpful way to understand what John was experiencing here, it is important for us to understand that, as Christians, all of our worship is conducted “in the Spirit”. Jesus Himself, in John 4:24, said to the woman at the well that

John 4:24 ESV

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Beloved, when we gather here to worship on the Lord’s Day, we gather to worship in the Spirit and in truth. We gather in the Name of Jesus Christ, and we gather as a body of believers that is in Christ. When we say the words, “Let us turn our attention to the worship of our Triune God” and we are formally summoned by the Call to Worship in from the Scriptures, that is not just a catchphrase and ritual that means the announcements are over—that is the moment when we are brought by the Spirit of God into the Throne Room of Heaven itself to be presented before the risen and exalted Christ! Christian worship is worship performed in Heaven itself through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us!

What John experienced there in his exile on the island of Patmos, being ushered into the presence of the risen and exalted Christ in His present, unveiled glory, you and I experience every time we gather to worship. Only you and I do not see the unveiled glory of Jesus Christ the way John did—visibly and immediately. You and I are given a vision of the unveiled glory of Jesus Christ in the Book that He commanded be written for us!

Verse 11:

Revelation 1:11 ESV

saying, “Write what you see in a book 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.”

When we gather to worship in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, we are drawn up by the Spirit into the presence of the unveiled glory of Jesus Christ through the written word given to us by the Apostles. This book—the Old and New Testaments together and the Book of Revelation specifically here—is the means by which Jesus Christ has ordained that we should be given

II. Our Vision: Christ’s unveiled glory (Rev. 1:12-16)

In the following verses we are given a magnificent picture of the present glory of the risen Christ—not the humble carpenter with “dirty feet and rough but gentle hands” of the Gospels, but the overwhelming splendor and terrifying brightness of King Jesus, the Resurrected and Reigning Eternal Son of God!

Follow along from verse 12:

Revelation 1:12–16 ESV

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Now here is a good place for us to understand that in the 404 verses of the Book of Revelation there are no less than 285 Old Testament verses referenced, and as many as 550 Old Testament connections through images, phrases and ideas. We see such a reference here in the description of Jesus’ hair being “white like wool, like snow” (v. 14). We read earlier the description of The Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9 that “His clothing was white as snow and the hair of His head like pure wool”.

Jesus’ appearance here is a reminder of His

All-seeing judgment (cp. Heb. 4:12-13)

When we come into the presence of the unveiled glory of Jesus Christ in worship, we come into the presence of the One who has the ultimate power and right to see our deeds. In Chapters 2 and 3 Jesus addresses the seven churches of Asia Minor (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.) And each one of those letters starts the same way: “I know your deeds”. He sees what we do well, He sees what we have done wrong, He sees our faithfulness, and He sees where we have been faithless.

And not only does Jesus see the deeds of every church, He has the ultimate right to judge those deeds. The church at Ephesus (Rev. 2:4-5) was judged for their lovelessness, and called to repent so that He did not take away the lampstand of their witness to their community (cp. 1:12-13). He judged the church at Pergamum (Rev. 2:16) for their compromise with false teachers that led them to committing sexual sin—warning them that He would “war against them with the sword of my mouth” (cp. 1:16)—the sharp two-edged sword of the Word of God. As the writer of Hebrews puts it

Hebrews 4:12–13 ESV

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

In Rev. 2:18, the church in Thyatira is warned that Jesus is the Son of God “with eyes like flame” (cp. 1:14), before whom their moral compromise and unrepentant immorality is “open and laid bare”. In Rev. 3:14, the piercing sight of Jesus Christ witnesses (cp. 1:9b) against the complacent, lukewarm life of the church at Laodicea, calling them to repent of their “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked” condition and come to Him for restoration.

When we are brought up by the Spirit into worship on the Lord’s Day we come into the presence of the unveiled glory of the risen and reigning Christ—where He sees us and has the authority to judge our deeds. And not only that, but when we are brought into His presence in worship, His unveiled glory reveals

Blood-bought encouragement (Rom. 8:32)

We see this in the way Jesus is dressed in these verses: “clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around His chest” (v. 13)—the clothing of a priest, who offers sacrifices for sin before God. Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, didn’t just offer the blood of bulls and goats to temporarily cover our sins before God—He sacrificed Himself once for all time, so that our sins are gone forever by His blood!

And since Jesus us our Great High priest, we have eternal confidence in the midst of persecution and trial—as the writer of Hebrews says

Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

And in the letters to the seven churches, this vision of Christ extends that that blood-bought encouragement to the churches that are struggling and groaning under the tribulation and trials of the wicked world around them. Jesus reminds the church in Smyrna that He is “the first and the last, who died and came to life” (cp. 1:17-18)—so they need not fear when they suffer execution for the sake of their faith!

He tells the church in Sardis—a church that is dying away—that He holds “the seven spirits of God” (cp. 1:4) —the Holy Spirit—who can raise them to life again so that they can complete the works that God has given them to do. And He encourages the weak and helpless church in Philadelphia that He “holds the keys of David—the keys of the kingdom” (cp. 1:18, the keys of death and the grave), and when He unlocks and opens a door for them, no one will be able to shut it on them (Rev. 3:8).

When we gather here on the Lord’s Day to worship in Spirit and in truth, we are brought, week by week, up into the Throne Room of Heaven itself, into the presence of the Resurrected and Exalted King Jesus in His present unveiled glory. And week by week we come into the presence of the glory of His all-seeing judgment that sees our deeds and calls us to repent of our lovelessness, compromise and complacency, and the glory of His blood-bought encouragement that gives us courage to face persecution, revives our dying lives and strengthens us in our helplessness!

And in that weekly vision of the unveiled glory of Jesus Christ we find

III. Our Hope: Christ’s powerful presence (vv. 17-20)

Look with me at verses 17-20:

Revelation 1:17–20 ESV

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

When John was brought into the presence of the unveiled glory of Christ, he “fell at His feet as though dead” (v. 17). He was completely undone by the vision of the holiness and power and authority and judgment of Christ—this one who was His best friend on earth could not even stand on his feet when he saw Him in His rightful glory.

But what did Jesus do? Did He scowl down at his friend and say, “That’s right—you better cower, you lousy rotten sinner!” No—He did what He always does—He reaches down with His mighty right hand and raises John up again!

Our hope in Christ’s powerful presence is our

Hope in His power over death (vv. 17-18)

Jesus Christ reigns over life and death—He died, and He is now alive forever. Death no longer holds any power over Him! And when you belong to Jesus Christ by faith, that means that death has no power over you! Your life belongs to the One who conquered death! He holds the keys of Death and the grave (Hades)—do you know what that means? That means that no one enters death or the grave unless Jesus Christ grants it! That is your hope, Christian—that the mighty right hand of the risen Christ stretched out to raise you up from the death of your sin to new life in Him, and you are held moment by moment in His mighty grip, and nothing will pull you away from His powerful presence!

We hope in Christ’s power over death, and in verses 19-20 we

Hope in His presence through trouble (Rev. 1:19-20)

Jesus promises that He stands with His Church through any trial or trouble:

Revelation 1:20 ESV

As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

The word “angel” here is the Greek word for “messenger”, and while we most often associate the word with the heavenly messengers God sends His people throughout the Scriptures, the word is used for human messengers as well (it’s the word used to describe John the Baptist in Mark 1:2, for instance). Here in this context it refers to the pastors of the churches—men who do not speak on their own authority, but men who have been specifically commissioned to announce what God has told them to say (in His Word).

And Jesus says that He “holds them in His right hand” as He stands among the lampstands, which are the churches. Jesus gives John this wonderful picture of His presence with the churches as they face the coming persecution and dangers of the wicked empire that is seeking to destroy them. King Jesus does not just send word to His churches from a distance, He stands in their midst! There is no tribulation or danger, no threat or loss, no hatred or hardship that our church can suffer, but that He is standing right with us, holding us in His hand, and nothing will ever tear this church away from Him!

We can endure for the sake of the Kingdom of Christ as He unveils His glory to us in worship. When we gather together on the Lord’s Day, we are drawn up by our worship in the Spirit and in truth into the Throne Room of Heaven itself, where the Risen and Reigning Jesus Christ speaks to us with the double-edged sword—the Word of God—that comes out of His mouth. He holds His ministers of the Gospel in His right hand as He preaches through them, and His church hears His voice and is transformed by it!

So when you come to worship on the Lord’s Day, come expecting to be drawn up into the presence of Christ by His Spirit. Come to tremble at the roaring waters of His voice, like standing at the base of Niagara Falls to hear Him speak through this Book. Come to be pierced by the sword of His Word, come to have the innermost thoughts and motions of your heart opened and laid bare before His piercing gaze, fall down in repentance in response to His holy judgment, and be raised up by His mighty right hand with the blood-bought encouragement of your great High Priest!

And in that strength, go from here into a world that is dying in the darkness of its sinful rebellion to speak what you have heard in His presence! Standing firm on the Word of God and the Testimony of Christ, that He has died and risen again, that He has defeated death and conquered the grave, and that everyone who calls on Him for forgiveness will be saved, that there is no other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved than the Name of Jesus Christ!

BENEDICTION

Hebrews 13:20–21 ESV

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

How has the church’s voice been sidelined in our current cultural context? Why are convictions about the relevance of God’s Word and the testimony of the Gospel so unwelcome by so many?

What do these verses show us about the nature of worship? Where does worship take place, according to Revelation 1:10? How should this truth shape the way you approach the Sunday Morning Worship Service at Bethel Baptist Church?

Read through the description of Jesus’ appearance in Revelation 1:12-18 again. What parts of this description is the most encouraging to you? What parts of this description might lead you to repentance over sin and draw you to greater faithfulness to Christ?

Take the time this week to read through the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. Keep track of where descriptions of Jesus’ appearance in Chapter 1 are mentioned in the letters. Which of those churches do you particularly identify with? How does the vision of Jesus’ unveiled glory convict or encourage you?