Revelation 1, Part 2

​11. 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.
He is the Alpha and Omega…the Alpha is the very first letter of the alphabet whereas the Omega is the last letter of the alphabet…so it is an allusion to Christ being the very first and the very last. He has complete and total knowledge of all things from Creation to the last day.
John is instructed to record what he witnessed. John genuinely witnessed these events, not merely imagined or dreamed them.
He is told to send these things to the seven churches which are named. You will want to see that there are many, many instances of “sevens”. Keep your eyes open and as we go through this book, see how many you can find! Not only will you see the word seven as in seven trumpets, seven bowls but look for lists….look for certain words, paragraphs, instances etc in which there are seven or sets of seven.
Also, we will see that there is a reason that the names of the seven churches are in the order that they are given. It is going to show you the history of the church as it moves from one letter to the other. This is just another example that this book, The Bible, was written and inspired outside of time.
 
12. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
 John turned to see who it was speaking….and as he turned, he saw seven golden candlesticks. The word “candlesticks” is more appropriately defined as a “lampstand”. Our modern day candle was unknown at the time.
 
13. 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 first image John sees in the visionary description of the Son of man (vv 12–16) is that of “seven golden lampstands.” The image has its general background in Exodus 25 and 37 and Numbers 8, though it is more specifically drawn from Zech. 4:2, 10, as is borne out by three observations: (1) the mention of “seven spirits” in Rev. 1:4 (Zech. 4:6); (2) the interpretation of the lampstand vision of v 12b in v 20, which follows the same vision-interpretation pattern as Zech. 4:2, 10; and (3) the clear allusion to Zech. 4:2, 10 in Rev. 4:5 and 5:6 in close association with allusions to Daniel.
Doing a little research on your part will help bring clarification and understanding. Remember that there are hundreds of allusions to the Old Testament so we’d better get acquainted with it!
So new Israel, the church, is to draw its power from the Spirit, the divine presence, before God’s throne in its drive to stand against the world’s resistance. This is highlighted in Rev. 1:4 and 4:5, where the seven lamps are identified as the Spirit, as in Zechariah 4 (see on 1:4). This emphatic notion of the lampstand connoting God’s presence with the church is confirmed in Rev. 11:4, where the “lampstands … stand before the Lord of the earth.
Clothed with a garment, outer cloak or covering. The word “pap” is translated as the chest area and the “golden girdle” is a waistband.
 
14. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
 OT allusions in vv 13–15 shows that the main features of the Son of man are drawn from Daniel 7 and especially from Daniel 10. Most agree that the significance of this is that Christ is portrayed as a kingly and priestly figure, since the figure in the two Daniel texts has the same features. Part of Christ’s priestly role is to tend the lampstands. The OT priest would trim the lamps, remove the wick and old oil, refill the lamps with fresh oil, and relight those that had gone out. Likewise, Christ tends the ecclesial lampstands by commending, correcting, exhorting, and warning (see chs. 2–3) in order to secure the churches’ fitness for service as lightbearers in a dark world.
Dan. 10:6 depicts the “Son of man” as having “eyes … like flaming torches, so the allusion here to eyes “were as” a flame of fire. This surely denotes Christ as Judge.
 
15. And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Christ’s feet are described as “like bronze as having been fired in a furnace,” which suggests his moral purity. He is the sinless Son of God. The portrayal of the Son of man’s head and hair (v 14a) is taken from that of the Ancient of Days in Dan. 7:9, while the description of his eyes and feet again follow Dan. 10:6. The mention of the “furnace” (v 15b) again shows the description from Dan. 3:25. Just as Dan. 10:6 ends with mention of the roar of the “Son of man’s” voice, so the portrayal of v 15 where God’s voice is like the roar of many waters is appropriate.
 
16. 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.
Like the seven lampstands, the number of the “seven stars” may also have come from the “seven lamps” of Zechariah 4. In Jewish writings the Zech. 4:2 lampstand is said to symbolize the righteous in Israel and is equated with the wise who will shine like the stars in Dan. 12:3.
The “sharp two-edged sword” proceeding from Jesus’ mouth is based on the prophecies of Isa. 11:4 and 49:2. You can also see Hebrews 4:12.
The last description of the “Son of man” as having a face “like the sun shining in its strength” (v 16c) still follows the Daniel 10 outline, but the actual wording is derived from Judg. 5:31. Also Matt. 17:2 portrays Christ’s face as having “shined … as the sun” at the mount of Transfiguration.
 
17. 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:
The expression “the first and the last” is seen seven times! Three times in Isaiah and four times in Revelation! (another seven). Isa 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Rev 1:11; 1:17; 2:8, 22:13
Do you want to see another “seven”? Look at the descriptive words of Christ…His hair; His eyes; His feet; His voice; His right hand; His mouth; His sun….that equals 7!
John’s response to the vision in v 17a follows the fourfold pattern found in Daniel 8 and 10, the prophet observes a vision, falls on his face in fear, is strengthened by a heavenly being, and then receives further revelation from that being, which is introduced by a form of the verb “to speak”. This is another clue further identifying John and his message with OT prophetic authority.
 
18. 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.
Jesus lives! He has been alive since his first appearance on Earth, He is now currently alive and He will forever be alive. Yes, he did die but He rose on the 3rd day and is coming again soon! He conquered death and hell for all those who put their faith and trust in Him. Verse 18 reiterates the pastoral point already made about Christ’s death and resurrection in v 5b: those who fear death (or suffering) can be assured that their “perseverance in Jesus” will be rewarded with victory over the grave on the basis that he also has entered history, died, and conquered death. In fact, v 18a is repeated in the letter to Smyrna (2:8–11) in order to make this precise point.
 
19. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
What has John seen? He saw THE risen Lord….past tense; He is about to write more for things he is seeing…present tense; and he is going to write things that are about to happen…future tense;
 
20. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven
As we move through this study you will notice that the Bible will interpret itself quite often and that is what we see here.
The reason for addressing the churches through their representative angels is to remind the churches (and us), that already a dimension of their existence is heavenly, that their real home is not with the unbelieving “earth dwellers” and that they have heavenly help and protection in their struggle not to be conformed to their pagan environment. And one of the purposes of the church meeting on earth in its weekly gatherings is to be reminded of its heavenly existence and identity by forming its worship on the angels’ and heavenly church’s worship of the exalted Lamb!
Remember that the lampstand is a light bearer…light giver. We as believers are to be an example and to give light to our surroundings and that of the entire world.