Jesus standing among the churches (Rev 1b)

Jesus standing among the churches

Revelation 1: 9-20
Key verse 1:19-20

Where is the church today? How is she doing? The church is growing well in some countries in Asia and Africa. However, overall she has suffered persecution, declining church members, false teachings, and spiritual complacency particularly in the western world. A report has it that 100 million Christians around the globe are currently suffering from persecution. How do you view and understand this trend? What do you think about the future of the church? And what kind of Christians do you think you are?

In today’s passage, Jesus tells something very important to the seven churches, which suffered from hardship and all kinds of issues. What is that? This passage particularly presents the true aspects of Jesus and his relationship with the church. I pray that we all may know who Jesus is standing among the churches.

⁹ 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.

John was on the island of Patmos, which was an Aegean island approximately 24 square miles in area and roughly 40 miles from the mainland of Asia Minor. The island was used by Rome to exile political criminals. Why was John there? John said that he was there because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. He was likely exiled to the island while witnessing Jesus. He said that with his brothers and companions he was sharing the suffering, the kingdom, and the patient endurance in Jesus. He was participating in not only suffering but also hope in Jesus together with them. He took his exile as a privilege in Jesus and encouraged his brothers to do so. Then, one day while he was on the island, he heard God’s voice.

 ¹⁰ On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, ¹¹ 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.”

The Lord’s Day referred to the day when Jesus resurrected; that was, Sunday. He felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in him and heard a loud voice like a trumpet. It commanded him to write on a scroll what he saw and to send it to the seven churches. John would see a vision from God and should share it with the seven churches in Asia Minor, each of which suffered some issues like persecution, false teaching, paganism, and spiritual complacency. The church names were listed here in the order along the route, which a courier from Patmos might have carried the scroll. What did he see?

¹² I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ 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.¹⁴ The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵ His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

When he heard the voice, John turned around to see who was speaking to him and saw seven golden lampstands. And there was someone among the lampstands. He looked like a man but quite different from a normal man. How was his appearance?

He was dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The long robe was the garment used for the mark of high rank. Sash (or girt) was a wide band of cloth or leather worn on the outside of one’s clothing. Both indicated dignity, honor, and authority. This man may be a king and/or a priest. (Ex 28:8; Isa 6:1)

His hair was white like wool, as white as snow. The color white was a symbol of infinite and divine wisdom (Lev 19:32; Prov 16:31; 20:29) and purity (Isa 1:18). This also meant that he was bright, radiant, and resplendent. (Matt 17:2) His white hair signifies God’s majesty and splendor.

His eyes were like blazing fire, which can penetrate all persons and things. (2:18-19, 23) This denotes his omniscience and the divine knowledge penetrating everything. So, nothing can be hidden from his eyes.

His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace. The bronze in a furnace is red hot and refined. It becomes hard when it cools down. This denotes Jesus’ righteousness and strength. His bronze feet can stamp on any enemies and destroy them. (2:18,23,27)

His voice was like the sound of rushing waters. It may sound like the roar of a waterfall like the Negara Falls or ocean. (14:2; 19:6; Ez 1:24; 43:2; Dan 10:6) This signifies magnificence and might.

Interestingly, he held seven stars in his right hand. That meant,

·         They belonged to this man so the man had control and authority over them. (2:1,5)

·         They were important to the man and had some special purposes.

A sharp, double-edged sword was coming out of his mouth. A sharp double-edged sword can penetrate deep. This refers to the word of God. The word of God can search hearts and minds, teaches truth, and exposes sins. (2:12; 19:15; Isa 49:2; Eph 6:17; Heb 4:12)

His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. This was a representation of his whole aspect as God - his splendor, majesty, power, authority and glory.

A long rob and a golden sash	Dignity, honor, authority
White hair	Wisdom, purity, glory
Eyes like blazing fire	Omniscience
Feet like bronze glowing in a furnace	Purity, strength
Voice like the sound of rushing waters	Majesty, might
A sharp, double-edged sword	The word of God
Face like the sun shining in all its brilliance	Splendor, glory

Overall, all these manifested God’s divine glory in the man, particularly using the image of the son of man in Dan 7:1-14. Quoting Daniel’s prophecy, Jesus called himself the son of man. Yes, this man was Jesus Christ, who has all characters of God. He came to us as a humble man full of grace but the Jesus here is quite different. He is so holy and righteous that he will not overlook any sins but will judge the world. This vision showed who Jesus really is.

How did John respond at this vision?

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.

The vision was so grand and illustrious that he could not retain strength. He was overwhelmed in fear of Jesus’ divine power and righteousness so much that he fell at his feet as though dead. When we stand before God, we cannot but collapse as though dead because he is so holy and we are sinful. When Peter, John, and James heard God’s voice at the transfiguration mountain, they were terrified and fell facedown to the ground. (Matt 17:7) When Daniel and Ezra saw God’s vision, they lost strength, fell facedown, and could hardly breathe. (Dan 8:27; 10:17; Ez 1:28) No one can survive God’s holiness and his judgment because we sinners cannot simply bear God’s holiness.

¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

When John was terrified as though dead, Jesus placed his right hand on John and said, “Do not be afraid.” Here, Jesus explained why John did not have to be afraid.

First, Jesus is the First and the Last. This tells us that he is the only God who operates the whole world and history in eternity and can help his people. (1:8; 22:13; Isa 41:4; 44:6)

Second, Jesus is the Living One. He died for our sins and rose from the dead to the throne of heaven. He died to give us life. He forgives our sins through his blood forever and defends us from condemnation. He is our Redeemer and the life-giver.

Jesus also said that he holds the keys of death and Hades. Hades is the place of the dead and the unrighteous. (Matt 11:23; Luke 16:23; Rev 20:13-14) In other words, Jesus has authority over death. He judges us and also saves us from the power of death. Satan and the world threaten us to death, but they do not have any authority over our life and death.

John was terrified by God’s divine power and righteousness in Jesus but he did not have to be afraid because Jesus paid off for his sins by his blood and has risen to give him eternal life. Jesus loves us and has freed us from our sins. To unbelievers Jesus is the Judge but to his people he is the Savior. We cannot but be fearful of God’s holiness and his judgment, but with this Jesus we dare to come to God.

So far, Jesus is described in two different aspects. He is God who is holy and righteous and so will judge the world. But he is also the Savior, which is marvelous grace to believers.

Now as Holy God and the Savior, Jesus commanded John.

¹⁹ “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.

“What you have seen” referred to the vision John saw about Jesus – his glory, holiness, and also his redemption. “What is now” likely referred to the condition of the churches, which are detailed in Chs. 2 and 3. And “what will take place” referred to what Jesus was going to do to with the world and humankind, which is unveiled from Ch. 4. This implied that Jesus operates the world and history according to God’s plan and will. God is in control of history and the world, and Jesus is at the center of his salvation work.

Then, Jesus explained the mystery of the seven stars in his right hand and of the seven golden lampstands.

 ²⁰ 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.

The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. The word angel does not necessarily mean an angelic being, but rather a messenger from God. The seven lampstands represented the seven churches mentioned earlier, but actually these included all churches. (2:7,11,17,23,28; 3:6,13,22) In other words, the seven lampstands referred to the church as a whole.

What did it mean then that Jesus held the seven messengers in his right hand and was standing among the seven churches?

This scene looked like Jesus was closely watching over the churches and protecting them, as they were his own. In fact, the church belongs to Jesus because he has redeemed her by his blood. (1:5b) Jesus loves the church so much. In some sense, they are closely tied to each other. They are inseparable. So, the church will never disappear or fade away though she suffered many issues now. Actually, she will prevail under Jesus’ care and according to his plan. This teaches us how to view the current church, which has suffered scandals, persecution, conflicts, false teaching, and all kinds of issues. We should look at Jesus rather than looking at the problems, which are caused by Satan and sinful people. We should believe that Jesus is with the church forever and she will prevail after all.

Why then did Jesus talk about the church when he was about unveil what would take place? It was because Jesus would save all humankind through the church. Jesus is at the center of God’s redemptive work and the church represents Jesus to the world. In the rest of the book of Revelation, we can see God delivering the message of judgment and grace to the world through the church. Through the church Jesus tells the truth to the world and saves people. Through the church, Jesus is building God’s kingdom on earth. So, John said in 1:6, “[he] has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” This is a truly amazing grace and privilege given to the church. We Christians are priests, who bring people to God. We are God’s people and his kingdom. And we are Jesus’ coworkers. He uses us to expand God’s kingdom on earth. So, Jesus wanted to unveil “what will take place” to the churches though she had problems.

However, the truth of salvation would be preached through not only their mouths but also their suffering. In the rest of this book, you will see the church going through many hardships in the world. Actually, some Roman Emperors and local governments persecuted Christians for their political purposes. Many Christians were tortured and died. For instance, in 64 AD, Emperor Nero put a large number of Christians to death in the most shocking manner. Some Christians, including Peter, were crucified. Some were thrown to wild beasts in the arena. And some were covered with pitch or oil and burned as torches for nighttime. The persecution toward Christians continued about 300 years. But their suffering was not in vain. The world saw God’s divine power and his grace through the Christian’s faithfulness to him despite their suffering. Christians gave up their lives but not their faith in God because they saw Jesus, the Judge and Savior of the world, standing by them, watching over them, and leading them to his kingdom. Jesus did not save them from their suffering but he stood by them and helped them overcome it. While suffering, they also grew more in God’s holiness and in faith so that they became worthy to be called God’s people and his kingdom. As such, the church never extinguished or was weakened. Rather, she grew stronger and widespread through suffering and hardship.

At the last summer conference, we had a special guest speaker, who has worked in Afghanistan for many years. This American woman worked together with her husband, who was a medical doctor. The environment, as you can guess, was horrible and so dangerous. But they served their patients with Jesus’ heart. Then, her husband was ambushed and killed while moving to other place. Nevertheless, this woman did not give up or complain to God. Rather, she thanked God for her husband’s martyrdom and continued to serve the people there in the face of danger everyday. Then, the people began to see God in her serving and some of them came to believe in Jesus.

The church will prevail no matter how hard and difficult this world is, because Jesus stands by her. Jesus has called us as God’s kingdom and priests. We are Jesus’ ambassadors to the world! Jesus wants us to tell them the truth of God, his judgment and his salvation, even in such hardship. That is what the church is and what she is supposed to do. And that is what you and I must be and must do.

But, what if the church fails to reveal God’s holiness? What if we are complacent, proud, self-centered and compromised? Actually, some of the seven churches were compromised and failed to function as Jesus’ church. As we will see in chs. 2 and 3, Jesus rebuked them and urged them to repent. Jesus warned them that he would strike them or even remove their church.

The church should be holy, truthful, and pure as God is. That is what the church is to be and that is what Jesus anticipates from the church. If the church fails to represent God’s holiness to the world, Jesus will take away such blessings. If you and I become unholy and worldly believers, we will no longer be the light of the world and God will take away all our blessings from us. Jesus’ church will not perish as I said earlier, but church organizations or denominations that fail to represent Jesus to the world will perish and disappear. The same is true for individuals. If we are compromised or give up, we are doomed.

¹⁹ “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.

From chapter 4, the grand panorama of God’s redemptive work will be displayed. All the future events will take place to restore humankind and build the kingdom of God on earth. Remember that Jesus is at the center of “what will take place.” Jesus, who is, and who was, and who is to come (1:4,8), will fulfill all these written in this book, and at the center of his work is the church, including you and me. So, our present suffering is so meaningful and also essential for us to grow continually to be God’s holy people and preach the gospel of Jesus. Our Lord Jesus knows your suffering and labor for his kingdom. He will use you preciously and your name will be in the book of life. But our Lord Jesus is also rebuking us for our complacency, halfhearted commitment, worldly desire, and unfaithfulness to Jesus. Let’s stand before the 

Jesus who is absolutely holy and knows everything about us. Lets’ pray that we can grow to be his people and priests for the world and be used as his holy church.

By David Yun