Last 5 Days
Jesus is God!
9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
John was being taken captive as a political prisoner to the island of Patmos where he wrote the letter of Revelation. The Spirit of the Lord was on him and he was instructed by the Spirit to write to the seven churches in Asia Minor, pertaining to God’s revelation to them. These seven churches were churches that existed during the first century and they were either facing persecution or distractions, and were struggling to stay true to God and their faith.
John did not just had a specific audience. This audience was familiar with the Old Testament bible and Jewish traditions. Therefore they were familiar with the symbols and numbers which John had referred to in the Book of Revelation. Contrary to some modern interpreters, these symbols were not secret codes that was left to the first audience to decipher. The symbols were understood with ease by the audience of the time. This means that Revelation needs to be read in the context of its time and also in tandem with the Old Testament, rather than some mysterious book with a bunch of secret codes.
John begins with the vision of Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation. His head and his hair were white, like white wool, like snow. This was a description of the Ancient of Days taken from Daniel 7:9, representing Christ’s pre-existence and His sinlessness. His eyes were like a flame of fire, a description taken from Daniel 10:6, representing His insight. His feet were like burnished bronze, as if it had been refined by fire in a furnace. In Daniel 10:6 and Ezekiel 1:7, they both speak about Christ's feet as being steadfast and strong like the precious metal which stands unmoved in the heat of the furnace. His voice was also described like the sound of many waters, like it was in Ezekiel 1:24, where the voice of God was compared to the sound of a thunderous army, full of might and to be revered.
He had seven stars in his right hand. The seven stars which represented the messengers of the seven churches were in his authority and control. The double edged sword from the mouth of Christ represented the word of God. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that His Word is so sharp it pierces through everything. The Word of God is equal and it destroys everything that does not adhere to it. The face of Christ shines like the sun shining in full strength. The prophet Habakkuk describes Yahweh’s radiance as a sunlight (Habakkuk3:4) representing the wonders of His glory. God’s glory is so great that He only allowed Moses to see His back through a cleft of a rock so that Moses will not die from the request of meeting God (Exodus 33:17-23).
These visions of Jesus Christ was not unfamiliar to the first readers who were familiar with the Old Testament. With each description of who Christ was, there was a rich backdrop that points Christ as equal to God the Father and He is a God to be revered and worshipped. There is no other name above the name of Jesus Christ and every knee shall bow, every tongue will confess that He is the KING OF KINGS AND THE LORD OF LORDS!
Dear brothers and sisters, the understanding of who Christ is shapes how we live our lives. Christ is not one of the gods we worship, He is THE KING and THE LORD of all that requires our complete submission and worship. Will you worship Him and Him alone?
