In today’s devotional, we will seek to comprehend the magnificence of Christ and His relation to the Church in His full glory. I chose to cover the whole description together, because I believer that it is important for us to have a fuller picture of the image of Christ’s magnificent glory in one piece, and from that see our relation to His full glory as His Church. We already saw that we are to be partners together with the apostles in tribulation, in God’s kingdom, and in patient endurance that we have supplied to us in Christ. We are to be in this world, but by no means of it. Rather, we are to suffer for the kingdom with patient endurance. That is the plight of all true believers. If we are truly saved, then none of this can be avoided, since it fits us for heaven and evidences that we are truly His citizens.
Having laid out the gospel and the nature of our true partnership in it, John continues:
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 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. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 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 (Rev. 1:12-16).
The seven golden lampstands represent the seven churches (see verse 20), and Christ Himself is seen standing in the midst of them. He is at their center, and they are unified for Him, for He is the One who determines whether or not they burn before Him (see the threats for those churches that do not keep Him as their first love in chapters 2-3). Take note of the many descriptors being used of the Christ, since many of these will be repeated again in conjunction with the seven messages to the seven churches. (1) The “son of man” is Jesus’ most common title for Himself, and it refers not only to His human nature and to His perfect representation of a man before God (the Israel of God), but it also points to His deity (see Dan. 7:13-14). (2) The “long robe” in ancient times represented kingly power, with its length at times seen to correspond with the size of that power. God, for instance, is described in Isaiah 6:1 as having a tremendously long robe: “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” A long robe like this is only fitting for the Lord, “high and lifted up.” In our particular context, His robe was literally “to the feet,” which was the common attire of kings. (3) The “golden sash around His chest” was not one simply of interwoven gold (as the high priests’ in Exodus 28:8), but of pure gold, denoting great power and rank. Yet, it cannot be denied that both the long robe and golden sash also fit a high-priestly office, although one of a status even above a high priest (those who sinned and died). He is the Great Priest-King. (4) Jesus having “The hairs of his head . . . white, like white wool, like snow” matches the description of God in Daniel 7:9, “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.” This is a direct allusion. These denote Jesus’ divine purity and holiness, and Him as the only wise God. All the majesty and glory of God is found in Christ, and will be manifested to all at His return. Hence, Christ, as God, cannot tolerate sin or impurity any more than God the Father Himself. Thankfully, all who believe in Him are clothed with His own righteousness! (5) “His eyes were like a flame of fire” is described by the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary as “all-searching and penetrating like fire: at the same time, also, implying consuming indignation against sin, especially at His coming ‘in flaming fire, taking vengeance’ on all the ungodly, which is confirmed as the meaning here, by [Revelation] 19:11, 12,” where the description of Jesus’ eyes of fire appear again. Compare also what was said about Jesus above to Daniel 10:5-6, “I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.” The same man (Christ Jesus) is being described in both passages. The responses in both was also great trembling (Dan. 10:7-8; Rev. 1:17).
There are more descriptors of Christ that help us to understand His true glory. (6) Jesus’ feet are described as “like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace,” denoting not the bronze colour of the cooled metal, but a particularly white heat of super-heated bronze or super-heated white brass. The feet in the Bible often refer to one’s ways or footing. If this is what is meant, then Christ’s ways and footing is the most-sure and divinely perfect. (7) For Christ’s voice to be “like the roar of many waters” makes Him like God, Whose voice was described as thunder in Exodus and both thunder and many waters in Revelation 14:2. “Many waters” also commonly described in the Bible the tumult and strength of different powers, whether of the nations, the sea, or God’s sovereignty over creation. So, His voice as many waters would be an expression of His great power, and that being connected with His voice, the power of His words. (8) The “seven stars” represent seven messengers or angels (verse 20). Jesus may have held them in His hand like a royal diadem or emblems of the churches. There is significance to Him holding them in His right hand, which represents His favour towards them, treating them as something precious and chosen for His honour, protection, and strength. (9) The “two-edged sword” without a doubt represents the Bible: The Word of God. The Bible is elsewhere referred to as a two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12), and the “sword of the Spirit” is the only offensive weapon of the Christian (see Eph. 6:17). The “two-edged sword” also comes out of Jesus’ mouth, showing this weapon to be as His tongue, producing Words. Jesus, as the Word of God, is the source of all biblical revelation. The weapon that He wields is His own words, which have been recorded in the Bible, and have been used to create the universe. Hence, the Bible is the standard of His judgement, and the source of the Bible is Christ Himself. Interestingly, the sword referred to in Ephesians 6:17 is a short sword of Roman legionaries, while the one described from Jesus’ mouth is a heavy broadsword. Christ Has the perfect power and use of His Word, being its source. Our power in using His Word comes from Him (as little Christs). (10) While Moses’ face glowed for a time so that he had to cover his face with a veil until it faded (this happened when he came into God’s presence), with Jesus the brightness of His face shines as the full strength of the sun (also seen in the transfiguration: Matt. 17:2, representing His true glory; cf. 2 Pet. 2:16-18). It cannot fade, and represents the full reflection of the glory of God, lacking nothing. It is so bright that it cannot be looked upon, except by those with unveiled faces (see 2 Cor. 3:7-18), “we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). We are being made into people who can see the face of God and live.
I will save some application from this passage for the next part, since the next part helps to show us how we relate to Christ in His full glory. For now, we should focus on how Christ has the full glory of God. He cannot tolerate sin, and has great wrath against all sin and death. He is no different from how God has been described in the Old Testament, except for the gospel. The gospel—Jesus’ death and resurrection that paid for the sin of all who believe in Him—puts us in a place where we can again relate and even correspond to the Great and Magnificent God of Glory as His people. So, the same God of the Old Testament is found in Christ. Nothing is diminished in His divinity, and His humanity is exalted to the perfect level of a human being. As we go through our week, it is very important that we see Christ in this way. This is Christ in His true and exalted form. He retains a perfect humanity, and, in His humanity, remembers and can relate to our weaknesses. Yet, for who He is, we are taking Him very lightly if we do not see principally His great glory, purity, holiness, and hatred of sin, all of which are an expression of His great love for the church to make us fit for relating to Him intimately and closely, even while being in otherwise unapproachable glory.
Next time we will examine what Christ said about Himself, which affirms and complements His appearance in glory.