Banished But Blessed

And God started to talk. It was loud. It was awesome. It sounded forth like a trumpet blast. I suspect no one else heard it because their hearts were in no condition to hear it. When God is speaking can I hear His voice? I can if my ear is turned toward heaven. But if the world has my attention, if my heart is set on other things even a heavenly trumpet blast I will not hear. “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

I want to focus just a moment on the first two words in Revelation 1:12. For this also was an important response. “I turned.” Have you turned at the voice of God in your life? Has He spoken and your response was to turn—turn from all distractions and ambitions toward Him—turn from the direction you were intending to go to the direction where He is? Had John never turned, he would have never seen. I personally think it’s interesting that the voice and vision were behind John and not in front of him. Certainly God knew which direction John was facing. Why not make it easy on John? Why not just get right in his face and speak? Has God’s voice ever come from behind you?[6] Are you insisting that it be on your terms or will you turn and do it on His terms?

I’m glad John turned because when he did he saw something marvelous.

III. The CONTENT of the revelation

He saw seven golden lampstands. We are told in verse 20 that those seven lampstands represent the seven churches. A lamp is not the light but the light shines through it. The oil on fire is the light. But the oil on fire is in the lampstand. God has chosen to shine His light through the church. It is a terrible judgment on a church when that light is withdrawn.[7] For a lampstand has only one purpose and that is to carry the light. May the Holy Spirit fire of God burn in our hearts and may we let that light shine to the world around us.[8] Seven is the biblical number of completeness. Although the seven churches named in verse 11 were real local churches they were also in this revelation representative of all churches throughout the church age.[9]

And in the midst of those seven lampstands—in the midst of His church stands Jesus. John sees Him as one “like a son of man” retaining His humanity but in a glorified state. It is no small matter that the eternal God—the Creator of heaven and earth—the divine Son of God—would so identify with you and me that He would not only temporarily take upon Himself the form of man so that He might redeem us but that He would choose to retain that identity forever and ever. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

John sees Him dressed in priestly, royal robes. For He is not only King of Kings but He is also our great High Priest.[10] Now follow this description with me in verse 14 “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow...” Two things are communicated there about Jesus—His holiness and His dignity. He is the Ancient of Days who was and is and is to come. Prov 16:31 says “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.” In our culture we dye gray hair to try to look younger. But in that culture, gray hair was a badge of honor and symbolic of wisdom.