A VISION OF CHRIST by Kevin Thacker
Revelation 1:9-18
Imagine for yourself being placed in a cell alone in a prison that is on an island. Well, that is exactly where John is right now. The Isle of Patmos is a small island just off the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea. The Romans have created a fortification for defense and prison on this island to lock away those that they wish to forget, mainly political prisoners. John is a particularly good person for the Romans to lock away on the Isle of Patmos because of the “trouble” he has been starting by preaching about Jesus. But, John is arrested in his later years, probably around 90 years old, and placed on the isle by Emperor Domitian. While he is imprisoned there, John does not lose his spirit. John begins to write and is allowed to do something that no one else has ever been able to do. John is given the opportunity to see many great things and then write them down for us so that we can know about the end. But while is there writing, he is alone in his cell. Or so he thought. While John is there, he was “…in the spirit on the Lord’s day,…” when he was visited by Christ. Now John had been one of the original 12 apostles. He had been with Christ as he ministered to the people. He saw the miracles of Christ, he had heard the teachings of Christ, he sat at the table with Christ at the last supper and he stood at the feet of Jesus at the crucifixion. So when Jesus speaks to John in verse 11, John recognized the voice. I’m sure that John thought how can this be and probably thought he was hearing things. I mean, John saw Christ ascend back into Heaven, how could He be speaking to him from his cell? But John, being curious, “…turned to see the voice that spake…”. When John turned, he saw something that frightened him, in verse 17, the bible tells us that John “…fell at his feet as dead.”. Even though it scared him, I’m sure it also comforted him to know that he was not alone. John knew who it was that was with him because of the description that John gives us. John turned and saw “…one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle”. When John turned, he knew who it was because he called Him the Son of Man. Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man several times in the bible, 85 times to be exact in the New Testament. But John was able to see a vision of Jesus Christ. Tonight, let’s look at the Vision of Jesus that John saw.
1) His Head & Hair – (vs. 14) The first thing that we see that John describes for us is the hair on Jesus’ head. The color white is a symbol of purity. The color white is used as far back as the Old Testament in the building of the tabernacle. The use of the color white shows the purity of the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, and the one that John is gazing upon. But white is also a symbol of other things. White is a color three other things.
a. Righteousness – Jesus is a righteous God. The righteousness of Jesus is the thing that is imputed to us. Upon the acceptance of Jesus as Savior, Jesus imputes (or puts to our charge) his righteousness. Our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), but his righteousness is as white as the snow.
b. Wisdom – White shows us the wisdom of Jesus as well. As we age, our hair begins to turn white (sometimes it falls out), but it shows the wisdom of the person. It shows us the experience of the people who bear the white hair. You should not be ashamed of your white hair as it shows the world that you are wise and experience. Jesus is wise and is experienced. He knows all and has seen all things. He has experienced the same things that we have experienced because he is 100% man.
c. Immortality – The white hair also shows the immortality of Jesus Christ. In Daniel 7:9, he is called the “...Ancient of days…”. His garments and hair as white because he has been from the beginning. There was no beginning for God and there will be no end for God. He always has been and he always will be. The white shows us that he is the wise ruler and judge of all.
2) His Eyes – (vs. 14) The second attribute of Jesus that we are given is his eyes. John describes his eyes “…as a flame of fire…” in verse 14. In Daniel 10:6, we are told again of the flaming eyes. These flaming eyes shows us two things:
a. Judgment – Fire is often used as a symbol of judgment and the flaming eyes point to his role as judge. His eyes can piece into the very soul of every man, woman, and child. The can see every hole and every hiding place that sin can hide in. One day, all will stand in front of Him as judge. The way you will be judged will be up to you. You can either be judged as one who rejected him at the Great White Throne Judgment, or you can stand in front of him as a saved person at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The choice is up to you. I would rather stand in front of him as a saved person and have my works judged than to stand in front of him as a lost person and be judged for rejecting him. His flaming eyes can encourage those who are saved because he can see our weaknesses and then can give us strength. His eyes can also see the sin hiding in the hearts of the lost and then he pours out the second representation of fire.
b. Anger – You may say it’s not nice to get angry, but guess what. God is a loving and kind God, but he is also a God of wrath. When someone rejects him, it angers him. The anger of God is being held back at this time, but one day soon, that anger is going to be released on this world. God’s anger and wrath can be seen in the seven seals, seven trumpets and the seven vials.
3) His Feet – (vs. 15) John describes Jesus’ feet in verse 15 as “…like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace;…”. Brass is an unusual material for John to use here, but not when you look at the characteristics of it. Brass or bronze, the same thing, is used to describe Jesus’ feet in Daniel 10:6. But here, the brass is used to describe to us the strength and endurance of the Kingdom of God. Bronze is a mixture of iron and copper. Iron is strong, but it rusts. Copper on the other hand will not rust, but it’s pliable. When you mix the copper and iron together, then you keep the strengths of both materials. You keep the strength of the iron and the endurance of the copper. John, by using the description of brass for Jesus’ feet, shows us the strength and endurance of the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is founded on this brass base. The Kingdom of God’s strength cannot be matched and its endurance goes on forever. There is no one, no matter how big the army is, that can stand up to the strength of Jesus. No one or no country is strong enough to defeat it and therefore it will last forever. Satan will try in Revelation 19:11-21, but he will not succeed.
4) His Voice – Jesus’ voice is described “…as the sound of many waters.” in verse 15. How many of you have ever been to a large waterfall like Niagara Falls or just a large waterfall itself. The sound of these waterfalls is deafening. You have to yell at the people directly beside you for them to ever hear you. Even small waterfalls can be loud. But this loudness is the description that we are given for the voice of Jesus. It is a symbol of the loudness and ever-present voice of Jesus. His voice is spectacular, just like the waterfalls. His voice can be heard calling to you no matter where you are at. It can be a loud commanding voice, but it can also come to you in a still small voice like that of a small forest stream trickling along. This voice is a voice of authority. When Jesus speaks, he speaks with the voice of the One who spoke everything into existence (creation). He speaks with the voice of the One who will raise the dead (the rapture), and he also speaks with the voice of the One who has authority over all of creation. There are many today who cannot hear His voice today (not because they can’t hear it, but because they choose not to hear it), but there is coming a day when everyone will have no choice but to hear the voice of Jesus. In that day, the voices of worldliness, materialism, science, education, psychology, and all other will be stilled by the deafening, overpowering voice of the Son of God, to whom all people will give heed. However, the church or Christian can hear that voice speaking to them now if they so desire, we only need to listen. Can you hear that voice?
5) His Hands – (vs. 16) John only describes to us the right hand here. The nail scar is still visible in this hand even though John doesn’t describe it to us. But John describes to us seven stars that are in Jesus’ right hand. The meaning of these seven stars is given to us by Jesus himself in verse 20, “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand… The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches:…”. The seven stars are angels or messengers to the seven churches. These messengers are the pastors of the seven churches and by holding them in his right hand, He shows us that he has them in a place of power and protection. But how can he offer protection and power to them, because he is the chief cornerstone. He is the foundation that the church is built on and He is the one that gives the messages to the pastors to give to the people. I read in a book onetime a description of a preacher. It said that a preacher is “God’s man on God’s mission with God’s message for God’s people in God’s time.”. That was true for the pastors of the seven churches and it is the same today for the pastor of a church of today. God holds his people in his hand. John 10:27 tells us that no man is able to pluck his sheep out of his hand. He holds us in his hands because he paid for us with the piercing of his hands with nails on the cross of Calvary.
6) His Mouth – (vs. 16) “…out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword:…” The sharp two-edged sword of the word of God. This represents the power and force of God’s Word, the Bible. Hebrews 4:12 tells us “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”. The word of God, when it is spoken, cuts through all of the worldliness and junk and pierces you right in the heart. When Jesus speaks, he speaks with the words of God. When he speaks to me and you as Christians, he shows me the errors and shortcomings in our lives; but when he speaks to the lost, he shows them the emptiness and the need of savior. The word of God that He speaks is alive. It can fit any situation at any time. Not only is quick or alive, but it’s powerful. It is with the word of God that He will defeat Satan and his armies in Revelation 19:15. All he needs to do is speak with the words of God and Satan doesn’t stand a chance.
7) His Countenance – (vs. 16) His countenance is described to us in verse 16 and it is a description of the Glory of God. It speaks of the divine nature of Christ and I’m sure it reminded John of another event that he got to witness the countenance of God. John as we know was one of the inner circle disciples and in Matthew 17:2, John saw this same countenance. The countenance, or light, that John saw coming from God was as the sun. Have you ever tried to look at the sun? You can’t hold your eyes on it for long before they begin to water and want to shut. That is how bright the countenance of Jesus will be in heaven. Revelation 22:5 tells us “And there will be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light:…”. His glory is as bright as the sun we see in our sky and it will be the light of heaven. But John was not the only one who saw the countenance of God. Go all the way back to Exodus and the time of the Tabernacle. Inside the Holy of holies there was no windows and no candles or lamps, the Glory of God himself lit up the Holy of Holies. Heaven will be exactly the same. He is the light of the world and we are his children and we are the light that this world needs today.
Tonight, this world needs to have a vision of Jesus just like John did. We can be the vision of Jesus that they need if we let them see Jesus in us. What does the world see in you tonight? Do they see Jesus or do they see something else??
