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12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. ~ Revelation 1:12-16
We return to the first vision that God gave to the Apostle John who was held as a criminal on the isle of Patmos for his love and loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ. John, at this point, had his back to the voice that was now speaking with him. And, in v.12 we read, "Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands."
This lampstand is like the Menorah mentioned in the Tabernacle in the book of Exodus. It is a picture of the ministry of the glorified Son within His people, the church. The voice is of the risen Christ. Instead of seeing the risen Christ, John first sees seven golden lampstands which are described in Revelation 1:20 as the seven churches. So, this is a vision of the Lord Jesus in the midst of the seven churches.
These first golden lampstands provided light in the Tabernacle. This is a reminder that believers in Christ enjoy His presence and His light as we traverse this wicked world. We do not worship some crucified martyr. We have continual communion with the living Christ. Knowing that He is actually with us everyday and enables us to stand tall in a world that is out to put out our flame for Him.
In v.13 we read, "and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band."
The Lord Jesus is pictured as the king clothed in a garment or a robe reaching to His feet. Kings wore such robes. This is significant because this accentuates the kingly role of the Lord Jesus in our lives. But, if we are not hailing Him as our king, we will miss the point. As our king, the Lord Jesus is over all kings and He is ALL powerful and omnipotent. There is no one more powerful now nor will there ever be anyone who is more powerful than the Lord Jesus whose kingdom will never have an end.
In v.14-16 we read, "14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength."
Here, the Apostle moves from the person of the Lord Jesus to His physical appearance, His head, His hair, His eyes, His feet, His voice, His right hand, His mouth, and then His face. It is at this point that the Apostle John is not seeing His clothing. He’s gone from the lampstands to the clothing to the very features of the One who overcame sin and death. And here, he sees Him primarily in His purifying work among the church.
John saw the wisdom of white-hair and the burning penetration of Christ's eyes, and he saw coming from His mouth the invincibility of the word of God, represented in the two-edged sword. He saw the Lord Jesus ministering to these churches, correcting them, counseling them, and encouraging them. God must first work in our lives, forging the depths of His wisdom into our lives before we can be used in the lives of others in this world.
The Lord Jesus is pictured here as the warrior who wins the war. Christians everywhere ought not to be overwhelmed by fear, whatever the circumstances, because it is not up to us to win this war. The battle is the Lord's, and all we have to do is to abide in Him and to be faithful to His call on our lives.
The word white in v.14 gives the picture of a blazing fire, so hot it is pure white. John, the Apostle, sees the glory of the Lord here and is captured by it. This is a symbol of eternal purity which demonstrates the utter dependability of His truth. In the end, He will conquer and vanquish all enemies to His holy and totally good kingdom.
And then at the end of v.14 we read, "and His eyes like a flame of fire." John saw the blazing, white, shining glory of Christ, and coming out like two lasers, one from each eye. John is describing the holy, exalted Lord with searching, penetrating gaze, looking to the depths of His people. When Christ moves through His church in His holy glory, His penetrating eyes see absolutely everything. And His vision is perfect and accurate. There is nothing hidden from Him whatsoever. And, think of it, He knows us better than we do ourselves and He still loves us and He still likes us.
In v.15 we see His feet are like like burning bronze when it has been caused to glow in a furnace. This is a very clear reference to His judgment. Anytime anybody came before the king, the king always, in ancient times, sat on an elevated throne. And when a criminal came in to be sentenced, he was always below the feet of the king. He would bow down and look up to the feet and then the throne and the body and then the head.
The feet of the king was the symbol of his authority. And here, we find the Lord Jesus with red-hot feet, moving through His church to exercise His sanctifying authority and judgment.
And, when He spoke, according to the latter part of v.15, it was like the crashing of the surf against the rocks of an island. This is not a helpless lamb who has come for the slaughter to pay the price for mankind's sin, this is a warrior who will come to demolish the unwilling and rebellious rejectors of His kind grace.
In v.16 we read, "He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength."
The right hand is the hand of power, might, and authority. And, He controls the seven stars which represent the leadership of the each church in His hand. And, this all powerful One is there to protect His church for the sharp two-edged sword signifies His judgment.
In Revelation19:15 we read, “Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.” The Lord of all has a sword, and He wields it in defense of His church. And He fights the battle from the inside out. As always, He starts with the heart and He uses His word to do the work of eternity in the hearts of all.
At the end of v.16, John now sees the Lord Jesus as the blazing sun. The point is that the Lord shines in His church and He shines through His church. We who love Him reveal His glory to the watching world. In fact, in Judges 5:31 we learn that the faces of those who love the Lord will shine like the sun and this is linked to the idea of judgment in the very same verse which supports the interpretation of the two-edged sword as a sword of judgment to protect the church from destruction by its enemies.
Finally, James Stewart once said, "Behind Calvary's cross is the throne of heaven." The beauty of it all is that the same sovereign God that could have prevented all evil is the very sovereign One who sustains the soul in it. He sustains us so that we may enter into a personal relationship with the know Him and to make Him known.
