A Vision of the Exalted and Glorified Christ

In His clothing He is our priest (v. 13). He is dressed “in a long robe and with a gold sash wrapped around His chest.” This is the clothing of the priest in the Old Testament (Exod 28:4). It signifies Jesus as our great high priest and points to His work of atonement and intercession on our behalf (see Heb 7:25).

In His wisdom He is profound (v. 14). “His head and hair were white like wool—white as snow.” The significance of these words and their Old Testament connections are powerful and must not be missed. John Piper, with great insight, puts it in proper perspective:

This is remarkable, because in that same chapter in Daniel (7) where John gets this picture of “one like a son of man” (vv. 13-14), God the Father is described like this in verse 9: “The Ancient of Days took his seat; his vesture was like white snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool.” In other words John is describing the Son of Man in terms used for God himself. John wants us to see something here about the age of Christ and the wisdom and dignity that come with age—everlasting age!

In American culture today, we respect the process of aging less and less. A person is admired if he can keep looking young, not if he has the dignity of age. The Bible saw it another way. Proverbs 16:31 says, “A white head is a crown of glory,” so much so that in the law God commanded, “You will rise up before the white head, and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God; I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:32).

One of the reasons we don’t want to grow old is that we associate age with the fading of powers that make life worth living—the capacity to see and hear and think clearly and move about and not have pain. But all of those things do not belong to aging as aging. They belong to aging in a futile and fallen world of sin. Once God does away with sin and the curse, and establishes the new heavens and the new earth, aging will not have any of these negative connotations. It will only be associated with growing wisdom and insight and maturity. All the strength will still be there. All the mental powers. All the sight and hearing and agility. Nothing that is great about youth will be left behind. There will only be added all the powers and beauties and depth of age.

This is what John saw in Jesus. He was like the Ancient of Days with all the wisdom of eternity and all the maturity and steadiness of age, but he was not weak or weary or faltering in his step. (“Look at Jesus”)

That His eyes are “like a fiery flame” speaks of penetrating insight and omniscient intelligence. In fiery holiness, the true condition of each church, each Christian is transparent to the gaze of His eyes (see 19:12).

In His strength He is permanent (v. 15): “His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace.” He is strong, solid, and stable (see Ps 110:1; Heb 10:13).

In His announcement He is powerful (v. 15): “His voice like the sound of cascading waters.” It is a voice of awesome power and pervasive authority. It echoes forth His majesty and sovereignty like the waves that continually crash against the rocks of Patmos.

For His servants He is protective (v. 16). The “right hand” is the hand of authority and honor. What is in His hand is His possession and has His protection (see John 10:28). The “seven stars” (see v. 20) are His servants who are protected. They most likely are angels who have a specific relationship to the church (see 1 Cor 11:10), though many believe they represent the pastor of each church. Regardless, they belong only to Him. They are His and under His protection.

In His judgments He is perfect (v. 16). “A sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth” (see Heb 4:12), the Tracian sword—long, broad, and heavy; sharp on both sides (mentioned six times in Revelation: 1:16; 2:12,16; 6:8; 19:15,21). The sword is the Word of God, divine in judgment, power, and authority. It both cuts and cures, hurts and heals.

In His appearance He is praiseworthy (v. 16): “His face was shining like the sun at midday.” This speaks of His brilliance, holiness, majesty, and awesomeness. John saw Jesus as He, the Son of God, truly is. He is an awesome God, a powerful God, a majestic God. He is a God worthy of our worship, worthy of our service, worthy of all we can give Him. He is a God whose presence gives us assurance. The Lord knows what is happening in His churches, for He is continually among them. Our Lord is an awesome God, sufficient for every need we may have.

REVELATION 1:17-20

To see Jesus today as He is (glorified) and us as we are (sinners) is more than we can take. In our sinful condition the magnificence of His glory would overwhelm us as it did John. It would be too much. We would not survive. John nearly died. Verses 17-20, following 13-16, help show us why. This is the Lord, the Savior, King Jesus.

John “fell at His feet like a dead man,” but Jesus laid His right hand on him with gentle authority. He said, “Don’t be afraid,” literally the command to “stop being afraid.” “I am the First (protos) and the Last (eschatos).” This is said of God in Isaiah 44:6 and 48:12 and also of Jesus in Revelation 1:17; 2:8; and 22:13. He is God, absolute Lord both of creation and history. He starts and He finishes. He is before all and He is after all. All is under His sovereign control.

He is the “Living One,” declaring, “I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever.” He was dead (once in the past), but He beckons us to look and see that He is alive forever and ever. He died once and for all on the cross, but He will never die again. Atonement, perfect atonement, has been made. Amen!

“Hades” is similar to the Old Testament Sheol, meaning the grave, the place of all the dead, or (as it is used in Revelation) the place of the wicked dead. “Death” claims the body. “Hades” claims the soul but not unless Jesus says so! He has the keys. He has the authority. Jesus holds “the keys of death and Hades.” He alone opens and closes this door.

I believe this verse unlocks the key to the book of Revelation. It tells us how the book unfolds, and it tells us how God’s eschatological plan will take place. James Hamilton says it “serves as a preview of the overarching structure of the book of Revelation” (Revelation, 51).

As we work through the book, we will see a general chronological progression, not a direct line. At times we step back in history or take some interludes, but all the while the book moves toward the consummation of history and the eternal state.

Jesus now becomes our teacher and interpreter. He informs us that the seven stars are the seven angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches we see in chapters 2–3. Many times, but not every time, symbols will be explained for us. This is a blessing and an act of divine grace. Christ gives us spiritual insight at this point as we prepare to move ahead. Then, as now, He looks for those who have ears to hear what the Spirit says (2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). This Word was made clear in chapter 1; of that there is no doubt. Were we listening?

Revelation, rightly understood, had a word for the first-century church. Rightly understood, it has had a word for the church throughout history. And rightly understood, it has a word for the church today and tomorrow. At the heart of that word, that message, is this: Gaze on the exalted and glorified Christ. He walks among His churches and His people as the glorious Son of Man (1:13). He is, as John Piper well says,

the one with power over the nations and with everlasting dominion and glory. He is the great high priest that has put away the sins of his people once and for all. He is as aged and wise and mature as the great white-crowned Ancient of Days, yet with eyes that are aflame with the fire of youth and energy and hope and exhilaration for his unstoppable plans for you and for this church and for the world.

Gaze upon Jesus and let his royal power and his priestly forgiveness and his ancient wisdom and his fiery hope fill you with confidence afresh that [in the past] has not been in vain, and that [in the future] will be the appointed brush-stroke on the canvas of your life and on the canvas of history till the great mosaic of God’s work is done. (“Look at Jesus”)

So, do not fear time. He is the First and the Last.

Do not fear life. It is He who is alive forevermore.

Do not fear dying. He holds the keys to the grave and death.