Visions of the Glorious Lord (Rev. 1.1-20)

[Rev 1:1-20 KJV] 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand. 4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5 And from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. 12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one] like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

The Vision of the Glorious Lord (1.1-20)

1.1-3 INTRODUCTORY WORD

This section draws attention to several things; namely, (1) the meaning of this revelation, (2) the procedure by which this revelation is given, and (3) the significance of this revelation.

(1) The meaning of this revelation. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”—There is a difference between revelation and inspiration. Revelation is the unveiling of God to men in order to make them see; inspiration is the leading of God within men. The phrase “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” has a dual meaning: (a) it is Jesus Christ himself who unveils the things which must shortly come to pass, and these are the things that are recorded in this book; and (b) this book also reveals Jesus Christ himself—it discloses how He will overcome, receive glory, and become King.

(2) The procedure by which this revelation is given. (a) “God gave him Christ”—Herein are we shown the order in the universe. God is the highest of all: “All things are of God” (2 Cor. 5.18). We are also shown that even though the Lord has ascended to heaven He yet keeps His place as a bond-servant. As He was on earth, so is He in heaven (see John 5.19,20; 12.49,50; Mark 13.32). Not because He is now in glory does He refuse to keep His place. How very different He is from the archangel (Ez. 38.11-19).
(b) “And he sent and signified it by his angel”—Most of the writings of the Scriptures come through the hands of the angels (Acts 7.38; Heb. 2.2); for the angels are ministering spirits (Heb. 1.14).
(c) “Signified . . . unto his servant John”—“signified” means to point out or to perform.
(d) “Who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw”—John records the revelation he has received and delivers it to us. What he delivers is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
(3) The significance of this revelation. (a) “The things which must shortly come to pass”—“Must” means not subject to any change. “Shortly come” speaks of that which is not to be delayed. Yet we are just too neglectful and too procrastinating about these things. (b) “To show unto his servants”—This revelation is not concerned with a few people; rather, it relates to all the servants. The word “servants” is “bond-servants” in the original. We all are the bond-slaves of the Lord because we have been bought by Him with His blood (1 Cor. 6.20). (c) Here is a promise: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein” (v.3). The same promise is given in 22.7, though there is no more mention of “read” and “hear”; for as we reach the time of chapter 22, all have read and heard; hence the primary thing in view there is to “keep”.

“For the time is at hand”—“The time” is that of the second coming of the Lord. A time which touches many aspects (11.15-18). Here, though, it refers primarily to the blessings believers will receive. Since the time is at hand, why do we not see it arriving now? It is due to the fact of the long-suffering of the Lord towards the world (2 Peter 3.8,9). Yet also, it is because the believers are not yet ready. Consequently, the time is still to come. Nevertheless, the conditions of the world as well as of the church at our day reassure us that the time is at hand.

1.4-5a SALUTATION AND BLESSING

“John to the seven churches that are in Asia”—Although each of the seven churches receives its own letter, at the same time John sends the whole book to all seven churches in Asia. “Seven” is a perfect number. The seven churches represent all the churches. Therefore, the message is for us as well.
The words of salutation resemble those used by Paul: “Grace to you and peace”. But the name of the triune God is different here from that in the other New Testament epistles: (a) “From him who is and who was and who is to come”—This is God’s name. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The world is soon to undergo a drastic change, but God never changes. For this reason, grace and peace change not; (b) “And from the seven Spirits that are before his throne”—The “seven Spirits” does not mean that there are seven Spirits (Eph. 4); it merely indicates the manifold works of the one Holy Spirit (Rev. 4.5; 5.6); (c) “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth”—This speaks of the work which the Lord has done on earth, how He has overcome, and what glory He will have in the future. We have such a triune God to grant us grace and peace.

1.5b-7 DOXOLOGY

As John arrives at this juncture in his writing, he cannot help but burst forth in praise. He praises for two reasons: “Unto him that loveth us”—The love of Christ is two-fold: (a) the past—“And loosed us from our sins by his blood”, and (b) the present and future experience—“And he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto his God and Father”: what we now experience will be fully realized in the future. And as we ourselves think of this, we will truly say with John: “To him be the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

When John thinks upon the love which he has received, how can he refrain from praises? Yet in the meantime he envisages the situation of the world at the return of Christ, and so he gives a word of warning in verse 7. “Behold” is a word to call our attention to what is going to be proclaimed. “He cometh with the cloud”—Just as He went up to heaven with a cloud, so shall He come back with the cloud. The word here is in perfect accord with what is said in Acts 1.9-11. Then: “And every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen”—These words agree with Matthew 24.30.

1.8 THE TESTIMONY OF GOD

Here God bears witness concerning himself that He is the One who is the same, and He is the Almighty One. The purpose of such a declaration is to encourage us to wholly trust Him in time of tribulation.

1.9-10a JOHN’S NARRATIVE OF HIS OWN CURRENT SITUATION

(1) Concerning himself. “I John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patience”—Although John has seen such tremendous visions, he still calls himself our brother. How humble he is! At that time he is in tribulation, but he also mentions the kingdom; for through many tribulations must we enter the kingdom (cf. Acts 14.22). Since we have the hope of the kingdom, we must therefore be patient. So then, this patience has in it the meaning of patiently waiting for the kingdom. “Partaker with you” indicates that the kingdom is the portion of all. Hence all must share as well in tribulation and patience.
(2) His environment. “I . . . was in the isle called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus”—He was at that time being
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persecuted for the sake of God’s word and was exiled to an island. Though he was lonely, being shut in from all sides, the Lord was nonetheless with him, the door to heaven was wide open towards him, and he received new revelation. For this reason, tribulation is our great blessing.
(3) The day on which John saw the vision was the Lord’s day, that is to say, the first day of the seven-day week. Some suggest that it was the day of the Lord, which is the day of Jehovah.∗
(4) The spirit of the visioner. “I was in the Spirit—“Though John suffered much in the body, his spirit was strong and active.
1.10b-16 THE VISION OF THE GLORIOUS CHRIST
(1) The voice heard was a great voice as of a trumpet. A trumpet is sounded to gather people together. Here the Lord was especially calling John to write to the seven churches. These seven churches actually existed at the time. They were specially chosen to serve as types of the church throughout the ages.
(2) The sight seen was the seven golden candlesticks (or lampstands), which are the seven churches (v.20). Such are the churches in God’s view, which ought to be their spiritual reality, since the churches are to illuminate this dark world for the Lord. Yet the candlesticks themselves cannot give out light unless they are filled with oil. And hence the churches need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
(3) “One like unto a son of man”—The Son of man was in the midst of the candlesticks to inspect the churches (2.1). What was the likeness of this Man? He looked like a son of man, which is to imply

∗But this is unlikely.—Translator

that He was somewhat different from what He had been on earth. So the word “like” is used. As to His appearance, it was described as follows:

(a) “Clothed with a garment down to the foot—“which signifies the Lord’s glory, the glory that He had before His incarnation (Is. 6.1). He is now being restored to His former glory. The garment not only signifies His original glory, it also indicates His priesthood; for He is now our high priest (Heb. 8.1).
(b) “And girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle”—which attests to His righteousness and faithfulness (Is. 11.5).
(c) “And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow”—which shows how He is in possession of glory (Prov. 16.31, 20.29) and holiness (Dan. 7.9).
(d) “And his eyes were as a flame of fire”—which fire is used for proving (1 Peter 1.7) so that whatever is good or bad may be manifested. With His eyes as a flame of fire everything will be exposed immediately by His look. The fire referred to in 1 Corinthians 3.13 is the fire of the Lord’s eyes. The meaning of 1 Corinthians 4.5 likewise agrees with what is expressed here.
(e) “And his feet like unto burnished brass”—feet are for walking and brass in the Bible typifies judgment. Wherever the brazen feet go, there goes judgment. Since the Lord’s feet are now in the church, the Lord is presently judging His church first (1 Peter 4.17).
(f) “And his voice as the voice of many waters”—which denotes that His voice is full of majesty and power (Ps. 29.4).
(g) “And he had in his right hand seven stars”—which stars are the angels (or messengers) of the seven churches (v.20). Their being
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in the Lord’s hand means that they are being used, controlled, and protected by the Lord.
(h) “And out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword”—which sword is used to deal with the world as well as with the church (19.15-21, 1.16).
(i) “And his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength”—the Lord was manifested in the same way on the mount of transfiguration (Matt. 17.2). The scene on the mount of transfiguration typifies the kingdom, because the Lord is most glorious in the kingdom.

1.17-20 THE LORD’S COMMISSION

Each time the Lord appears to man, it is accompanied by His commission. And this time is not any different from the other times. “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead”—The glory of Christ is such that when John saw it he became as one dead. This was not only true of John, it was likewise true of Isaiah (6.1-5), of Job (42.5,6) and of Daniel (10.2-9).

John was not only a saved person but also one who had been most intimate with the Lord; and yet, when he saw the Lord of Glory he fell as one dead. What, then, would happen to the unsaved or carnal person if he should see the Lord? Hence the Scriptures make clear that the man of flesh cannot inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5.19-21) nor can the unregenerated ever see it (John 3.3). How meaningful this is! A carnal or unclean person is truly unfit to see the Lord of Glory. Indeed, when Christ shall come in the future His glory will be even greater than that of today; no wonder many will faint for fear and cry to the mountains to hide them (Rev. 6.16; Luke 21.26).

“And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not”—How merciful! Though He is in glory, His love has not diminished. If the future glory were not mingled with love we would not be able to be benefited much by it. The hand that on earth once touched many a sick person touches still; the word which once comforted many a broken-hearted one yet speaks. His hand and His word not only comforted John but also gave strength (cf. Dan. 8.17,18; 10.9,10,18,19). Hand to give strength and word by which to feel comforted. When John realized that the Lord’s love remained the same as before, fear naturally left him and strength and comfort became his portion instead.

“I am the first . . . the keys of death and of Hades”—Here we find that the Lord used two ways to reveal himself:

(1) with His glory. As soon as John saw it, he knew.
(2) with His word. This pertains to what is inward, that which John could not see with his physical eyes. Hence the Lord also had to use words to unveil himself. From what He said we can gather three things about Him.
(a) His position. “I am the first and the last”—This is the title of Jehovah found in the Old Testament (Is. 41.4, 44.6, 48.12). It distinguishes Him as the God who changes not.
(b) His life. “And the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore”—This shows that He has the eternal life. Though He once died for the sins of men, yet now is He resurrected; and He will die no more, since He ever lives.
(c) His authority. “And I have the keys of death and of Hades”—Let us look closely at this point. “Death” is related to the physical body, whereas “Hades” is related to the soul. Immediately after one dies, his soul enters Hades. Hades means the nether regions, located at the center of the earth (Matt. 12.40; Num. 16.30-33). Hades is divided into two compartments: one is the place of torture for the unsaved, the other is the place of rest for the saved (Luke 16.19-31). Yet such a division is temporary because eternal separation exists between the new heaven and the new earth on the one hand and the lake of fire on the other. “Keys” are used to open doors, thus indicating that both death and Hades have doors which may be closed (Matt. 16.18; Acts 2.24). Whoever holds these keys likewise has the authority. Formerly the power of death and Hades was in Satan’s hand (Heb. 2.14; Matt. 16.18), but since the Lord was raised from the dead, Hades and death have lost their power, and the keys to them are now delivered into the Lord’s hand. Oh, what a victory this is! For this reason, the Lord is able at the millennial kingdom to release freely those who belong to Him.

“Write therefore the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass hereafter”—The meaning of “therefore” is to continue on with what has been said already. Because of the victory of the Lord, “therefore” these things ought to be written. Moreover, this verse lays clearly before us the division of this book: (1) the things seen (the past), (2) the things which are (the present), and (3) the things which shall come to pass hereafter (the future). The word “sawest” in the original is in perfect form, which indicates that something has already been seen. This refers to the vision which John saw as recorded in chapter 1. The things which are mean the things which are now existing, and hence these are the things that exist during the church age as reported in chapters 2 and 3. The things which shall come to pass hereafter are those things that will continue to happen after the church age. All the chapters after chapter 4 up to chapter 19 are the descriptions of these things which are to come.

“The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks are seven churches”—Even though the book of Revelation contains a large number of mysteries, they become clear revelations as these mysteries are explained by the book itself. The candlesticks are the churches; this is easily acknowledged. And the seven stars are the seven angels. But who are these angels? Some commentators explain that the angels refer to pastors or bishops. If this is so, then what do the churches themselves refer to, since their angels refer to something else? If the churches are churches, then the angels should simply be angels too. Furthermore, the angels themselves are the interpretation of the mystery of the stars. If we were to explain the angels in this manner as referring to pastors or bishops we would be interpreting mystery by means of mystery. We are fairly certain that the Lord does not intend it that way. What, therefore, should we say regarding the angels? The most plausible answer is: these angels are angels, just as the churches are churches.

Yet what kind of angels are they? For according to the Scriptures there are two kinds: angels in heaven (Matt. 22.30) and human messengers (Hag. 1.13). The angels here cannot point to those in heaven because (a) the angels in heaven, though they may minister to the church, are unable to bear responsibility of the church; (b) the angels in heaven are spiritual beings, and thus they cannot receive physical letters; (c) inasmuch as this book is signified to John by the Lord through His angel, how can the angel write about himself? and (d) the Lord calls upon the angel in Smyrna to be faithful unto death (2.10), but this is something impossible for an angel in heaven to experience.

Since, then, these are not angels in heaven, they must be human messengers. The Bible supplies us with examples, such as in 2 Corinthians 8.23 and Philippians 2.25. A further point which we need to notice here is the fact that messengers are representatives. They are able to represent the churches. Thus they are symbolized in the form of stars before the Lord, for stars give light; therefore they show forth the spiritual conditions of the various churches. And finally, the stars being in the Lord’s hand signifies that they are being used by Him and are thus given authority.