Transcript

S. M Lockeridge wrote the following: “The Bible says my King is the King of the Jews. He’s the King of Righteousness. He’s the King of the ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of Glory. He’s the King of kings, and He’s the Lord of lords. I wonder, do you know Him?

No means of measure can define His limitless love. He’s enduringly strong. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. Do you know Him?

He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s Saviour. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Saviour. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory. I wonder if you know Him?

His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. And His yoke is easy. And His burden is light. I only wish I could describe Him to you.

But He’s indescribable! He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible. He’s irresistible. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him. Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him. But I wonder, do you know Him?

As we begin a series about the main characters of the apocalypse, we’ll begin by looking at the Son of man, and John’s glorious description of Him in Revelation chapter 1.

Revelation 1:10-13: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 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.

“And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 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.”

The Apostle John stated in verse 9 that he “was on the island that is called Patmos.”

Patmos is a barren, rocky, volcanic island in the Aegean Sea, located about 40 miles offshore from Miletus, a city in Asia Minor. It was like an Alcatraz Island of the Roman empire, a prison island, functioning as a jail without bars.

On Patmos, John wrote that “I was in the Spirit.” The phrase “in the Spirit” occurs four times in Revelation, and it means John received unique revelation from the Holy Spirit.

And John “was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” Tradition teaches and the vast majority interpret the Lord’s day as meaning Sunday. But my question to that is, what about Monday? What about Tuesday and Wednesday and the rest of the days of the week?

For the believer every day is the Lord’s day. Every day belongs to Him.

This is the only verse where you find this expression of the Lord’s day. And elsewhere in Scripture you never find Sunday being called the Lord’s day, but rather you find it called “the first day of the week.”

The Lord’s day is very simple to interpret in light of the contents of this book. It is the Day of the Lord.

The day of the Lord in Scripture is a title which identifies the time-frame when “the Lord” will directly intervene in the affairs of men. It will be when “the Lord” pours out His wrath, puts down evil and rebellion, and establishes His kingdom of peace.

The day of the Lord refers to an extended period of time of over a thousand years. It takes in the seven-year Tribulation, the Second Coming, the binding of Satan in the bottomless pit, the judgment of Israel and the nations, the millennial kingdom, the battle of Gog and Magog, the Great White Throne, and the purging of the heavens and earth by fire.

We find many of these events of the day of the Lord detailed in this book.

And when John was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day,” this means he was receiving revelation from the Spirit concerning the events of the future day of the Lord.

As John was in the Spirit, he “heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.”

The loud voice John heard was clear and penetrating as the sound of a trumpet. The loud voice belongs to the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. It is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The great voice like a trumpet sound was to indicate to John that the message to be given and revealed was a matter of great importance.

Of this great voice as of a trumpet, Adam Clarke wrote, “This was calculated to call in every wandering thought, to fix his attention, and solemnize his whole frame.”

The sovereign, powerful, majestic voice of Christ said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.” Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. It is equivalent to our A and Z.

Knowledge is conveyed and communicated through the letters of the alphabet. This designation of Himself as the Alpha and Omega affirms that He has all knowledge.

It expresses the extent of God’s knowledge and wisdom and stresses Christ’s omniscience, that He has infinite knowledge and wisdom.

This title stands then as a strong authentication of the book of Revelation because it comes from the Alpha and Omega, the One with all wisdom and knowledge. There is nothing outside His knowledge. He knows all. And He knows the future.

Christ also calls Himself the First and the Last. By saying “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,” Christ is plainly stating that He is God.

The title “First and the Last” is a title that belongs to Jehovah, the Lord God of Israel. In Isaiah 44:6, we read, “Thus saith the LORD [or Jehovah] the King of Israel…I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

The Lord told John here to “What thou seest, write in a book.” He would be commanded to write what he saw eleven more times in Revelation.

After he wrote all he saw, then he was to send the entire contents of the book “unto the seven churches which are in Asia.” God intends for these future churches to have, read, and know the contents of the book of Revelation.

At the very beginning of this book, John wrote that “blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of THIS PROPHECY.” The entire book is a prophecy of the future.

The seven churches are literal churches that will exist and be formed in the future after this current dispensation of grace ends at the Rapture.

These churches are not part of the Church under grace, the Body of Christ. And they are not church ages as many have concluded and spiritualized them to be.

They will be literal assemblies made up of believers that will respond to the gospel of the kingdom that will be proclaimed after the Rapture in the Tribulation.

The location of these churches in Asia Minor are listed in clockwise order of their ancient locations. It begins with Ephesus on the coast, then northward to Smyrna and Pergamos, east to Thyatira, and southeast to Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

These churches are addressed in chapters 2 and 3 in the same order they are listed here.

In verse 12, John “turned to see the voice that spake with me.” At the outset, John had his back to the voice, so he turned to see the voice that was speaking with him.

As John turned, at first, he saw “seven golden candlesticks.” This is an image that immediately conjures up a Jewish image of the golden lampstand that stood in the tabernacle and the temple.

That golden candlestick was one lampstand which had seven branches. It was a single stand with one center lamp and three lamps on each side.

That golden lampstand provided the only light for the holy place where there was no natural light. It foreshadowed Christ who is the light of the world and the only light!

But this is different here. These are seven separate golden lampstands. And we are not left to guess what this means or symbolizes. In verse 20 of this chapter, the Lord told John that “the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

These lampstands are the seven churches that will be located in Asia Minor, after the Rapture, in the future day of the Lord.

These seven individual lampstands are assemblies that will be responsible to shine individually as lights in the midst of the darkness of the Tribulation.

As our Lord instructed Israel, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a CANDLESTICK; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:14-16).

“And in the midst of the seven candlesticks,” John saw “one like unto the Son of man.”

The position of the Lord in the middle of the seven golden lampstands is a striking feature of this vision. Before our attention is drawn to Christ’s glorious appearance, we are first shown the CENTRAL place He has in the life and ministries of these kingdom churches.

In this we see a principle for the local church under grace. Because Christ is to be the center, the priority, the heart of the church as a whole and of each individual local church.

And it is through Him and His working within each assembly of believers that we are enabled to be a light to this dark world.

John wrote that standing in the center of the seven churches there was “one like unto the Son of man.” John at first was uncertain whether or not the One whom he saw was the Lord Jesus Christ.

John had only known the Lord as the lowly and humble Savior who was merciful and compassionate to all who came to Him in His earthly ministry. But now Christ was being revealed to him as the Judge whose appearance is fearsome and glorious.

The title “Son of man” is often found in the Gospels and was Christ’s most often used title for Himself. It emphasizes the true humanity of Christ, that He, the Son of God, came and took on flesh and was and is 100% man, and a member of the human race.

The title is also used to emphasize His role as Judge of all the earth. Because He is both God and man, He is the perfect Judge of all men. Thus, John 5:22,27 reads, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son…And hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man.”

And Christ is seen and described here as the Judge who will execute judgment and pour out His wrath in the Tribulation and at His Second Coming.

John sees Him “clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps [or chest] with a golden girdle.”

Long robes down to the foot were worn by those of dignity and authority in biblical times.

Long garments like this were worn by prophets, priests, and kings in Israel. And Christ is all three: prophet, priest, and king.

But because of the golden sash across the chest, the imagery here is primarily of Christ as the great high priest. A robe with a girdle with gold thread woven in it was what the high priest in Israel would wear. But Christ’s girdle, in His majesty, is made entirely of gold.

This shows how much greater the eternal, heavenly priesthood of Christ is. And gold is a symbol of deity, and Christ wears gold because the Son of man is also the Son of God.

As He stands in the middle of the seven churches, He is portrayed as the High Priest, the One who makes intercession for His own.

Those of the seven churches will find great comfort, hope, and strength that they have this all-glorious God as their High Priest, when they are in the midst of the persecution of the Anti-Christ and the horrors of the Tribulation.

And one of the duties of the Levitical priests was to tend to the golden lampstand in the tabernacle. Every day they had to fill the oil, clean the soot, and trim the wicks. They had to closely inspect and care for the lamps so they’d burn continually before the Lord.

Here we find Christ, the High Priest, in the midst of the 7 lampstands, and He will care for and tend to the 7 churches in the Tribulation, helping them to always burn brightly.

Revelation 1:14-15: “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.”

White is a symbol of purity, righteousness, and holiness. As the familiar passage Isaiah 1:18 states, “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as WHITE AS SNOW; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as WOOL.”

John saw that the Son of man, who is the Judge, is always righteous. In our world there are often miscarriages of justice due to corruption and sin. But God’s judgment is always just and pure. Everything He does is righteous and holy.

Speaking of God the Father, Daniel prophesied in Daniel 7:9, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was WHITE AS SNOW, and the hair of his head like the pure WOOL.”

Christ is co-equal with the Father, and like the description of the Father in Daniel, Revelation 1:14 states that Christ’s head and His hairs were white like wool.

When we see white hair on a person we think that this person has been around a while.

And whiteness of Christ’s head and hair has to do with Christ’s eternal nature as God. As Micah 5:2 says of Him, “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

And when we see white hair, it also speaks to wisdom due to the longevity of years. And Christ, who is eternal God, has perfect and total wisdom.

From His robe, to His hair, John next observes His eyes: “And His eyes were as a flame of fire.” Christ’s eyes display the fire of His penetrating vision, searching righteousness, and piercing judgment into the affairs of mankind. He has perfect and omniscient understanding of all things.

Hebrews 4:13 states, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

Fire is often associated with judgment in the Scriptures. And at the judgment of His Second Coming, John describes Him who sits on the white horse that “in righteousness He doth judge and make war” and “His eyes were as a flame of fire” (Rev. 19:12).

Next, John observes His feet: “And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace.” His feet were like glowing brass, as if they were burning in a furnace.

Brass is a metal connected with judgment and sacrifice. Israel’s altar of sacrifice was made of brass and was called the “brazen altar.”

Brass is a strong metal and feet like brass speak of the strength with which He will judge and crush His enemies underfoot with feet of divine judgment.

And doing so with fine, refined, glowing hot brass, as if they burned in a furnace, speaks to the purity with which He will carry out His fiery, hot vengeance.

When Christ returns at His Second Coming, Revelation 19:13 states that He will be “clothed with a vesture dipped in blood.” Isaiah 63:2-4 prophesies of this:

“Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel…? I have TRODDEN the winepress alone…for I will TREAD them in mine anger, and TRAMPLE them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart.” With His feet of brass, Christ will trample His enemies in His great wrath.

Next, John hears “His voice as the sound of many waters.” Christ’s voice is one of authority. It is majestic, awesome, broad and deep like the roar of the sea and many waters. It had the power and majesty of a mighty waterfall or, in John’s case, the crashing of the surf against the rocks of the island of Patmos.

Ezekiel prophesied of the God’s glory returning to the temple in Jerusalem in the person of the Messiah: “And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and His voice was like a noise of many waters.” This description of Christ’s voice in Revelation reminds us that He is the true Messiah.

This will be important for those in the Tribulation to remember so that they don’t fall for the lies of the Anti-Christ and believe that He is the Messiah and then take his mark.

Revelation 1:16-18: “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. 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:

“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.”

John noted that in Christ’s hand was “seven stars.” Again, we are not left to guess what this means. In verse 20, we read, “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand…are the angels of the seven churches.”

The term “angels” simply means “a messenger.” In this case, I believe “angel” is not speaking of literal angels, but of the leaders or pastors of the seven churches. Each address to the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3 is made “unto the angel of the church of Ephesus,” “unto the angel of the church in Smyrna,” and so on.

Being in Christ’s right hand, these “stars,” or messengers are in a place of honor, and they are also under Christ’s authority, strength and protection.

Next, John notes that “out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword.” This is an obvious reference to the Word of God, which is called the “Sword of the Spirit.”

The Word of God will be the basis of Christ’s judgment in the future. In John 12:48 our Lord said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

And at Christ’s Second Coming, we read that “out of his mouth goeth a sharp SWORD, that with it he should smite the nations…And the remnant were slain with the SWORD of him that sat upon the horse, which SWORD proceeded out of his mouth” (Rev. 19:15,21).

By the power of His Word, Christ will destroy those at the battle of Armageddon. His Word in the day of the Lord will be an instrument of judgment, war, death, and destruction as He pours out His wrath.

John then notes that “His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.” In unclouded power, the light of His glory shone bright as John saw Him. His bright countenance is due to the splendor and transcendent glory of His deity.

The Lord’s shining countenance reminds us of His transfiguration: “And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light.”

And when Paul met the Lord on the road to Damascus he said that “At midday…I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun.”

At the overwhelming sight of Christ in all His glory and power, in fear, John “fell at His feet as dead.”

When unbelievers face His fury and wrath in the Tribulation, they’ll say “to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Rev. 6:16). But there will be no words of comfort for them.

Seeing John, a believer, prostrate before Him in his fear, however, the Lord did give him comfort. First, the Lord comforted him with a compassionate touch, by laying His right hand upon him.

Then He gave him comforting words, “Fear not, I am the first and the last.” He is the great I AM. He is the God of all eternity, the eternal One. He is sovereign God who sees the beginning from the end. He is in control of all things from the first to the last.

He, the eternal One and the Son of man, says, “I am He that liveth” as He took on flesh and lived during His earthly life and ministry. “And was dead” referring to His death at the Cross. “And behold, I am alive forevermore,” as He rose again from the dead.

He is the eternal One and He is the resurrected One, the Living One, who though once dead is now alive forever and ever! And He has the keys of death and hades.

Having conquered death, He has authority over death, as well as the place of the unbelieving dead people’s souls in hades. He has power over the state of death and the place of the dead. He has authority to raise the bodies of all the dead.

By His death for sin and His resurrection, Christ has wrenched from Satan’s hands any authority the devil had over death (Heb. 2:14-15).

Christ lives to never die again. The victory that Christ won over sin and death was a permanent victory. Through Him, we have assurance of eternal life and resurrection.

And for the saints of the Tribulation saints who will be marked for death by the Antichrist, they need not fear death, because Christ has power over it.

He is the resurrection and the life! This will be especially consoling during the time of the Tribulation, because believers will be martyred in great numbers in that day.

Revelation begins with the words, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” In Revelation, Christ is the object revealed; He is the person revealed by the book. From the outset, we are given the most important truth about the Book of Revelation.

This book shows us the Antichrist, it shows us God’s judgments, it shows us horrific calamities to come on this earth, and it shows us Mystery Babylon in vivid detail.

If we catch everything else, but miss Christ in the book, we miss the Book of Revelation. Because most of all, it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.