January 2 - Revelation. I See Jesus! (pt. 1)

January 2 – Revelation – I See Jesus! (pt. 1)

“On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: ‘Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.’ I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me.” (Revelation 1:10-12a)

John hadn’t seen Jesus in many years. Yet, when the voice spoke to him, the first thing he did in response was to turn around to see who was there.

I found a cassette of one of my mother’s sermons and Max ripped it to the computer so that I could listen to her voice again. After 20+ years, I remembered that voice. It was a powerful link to my memories of her, of all that she taught me. Can you imagine how John must have reacted when he heard the voice of the man who had transformed his life?

What did John see? These next verses are exciting to me (Revelation 1:12-16). They’re very symbolic lead into the seven letters that come in Revelation 2-3.

- Seven Golden Lampstands.
In Exodus 25:31, God gave Moses instructions to make the original lampstand for the Tabernacle. Its purpose was to light the room. There were seven of these and they were all lit. The illumination had to have been staggering.

- Dressed in a long robe with a golden sash.
We find the description for the priestly robes in Exodus 28:31 and in Exodus 28:39, we read that the sash is to be the work of an embroiderer.

In Luke 8:43-48 a woman touched the hem of Jesus’ robe and received healing. He carried so much power that it flowed through his clothing.

- Head and hair were white like wool, white as snow. Eyes like blazing fire.
John knew that passages like this would resonate with his readers. They would immediately recognize the Isaiah passage:

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

Forgiveness and sacrifice all wrapped up in one sentence. Jesus Christ stands as the Lamb of God.

In Daniel 7:9, we find the same words used here, “As I looked, thrones were set in place and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool.”

In Daniel 10:6, he had a vision of a man. “His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.”

Before we finish with this, Deuteronomy 4:24 says, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

His eyes burn like flaming torches. He desires that no one else have our hearts except Himself.

We will finish with the description of Jesus tomorrow. But, today, spend time reading the first chapter of Revelation. Nearly every strange image comes from scripture. These brought comfort to the first century church. Their Messiah would return. Our Messiah will return.