“It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. “Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen. This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”
Revelation 1:10-20 NLT
When Jesus presents himself to John, John doesn’t recognize him. It can be easy to forget, as our modern world doesn’t know the features of Jesus, that John knew Jesus features intimately well. He should’ve known who he was by looking at him, but instead, John has to hear him speak to understand who this is before him. This was the triumphant Christ. Whereas John had experienced a mortified and humbled version of him, here he would reunite with an unabashed version that was not only glorified but glorious in his own right. Possibly the description is more symbolic than literal, but undoubtedly, it was striking. Whether Daniel’s Son of Man had a literal sword protruding from his mouth cannot be known. Nevertheless, his visage was not of the mortal teacher that John had known. Yet, his words to John stayed true. He begins with his oft repeated phrase of “Do not be afraid.” This theme was a constant starting point for his earthly teaching, and it would’ve snapped John to attention. A new teaching was to be added in John’s late life. This time, he would receive it without a mosaic veil to protect his eyes. This is how we are to receive Christ’s teachings as well. Our version of Christ is to be the glorious Alpha and Omega. Unfortunately, our culture would often rather Christ wear the veil of mortality than shine in the brilliance of his glory. But when he returns, every knee will bow and tongue confess what will be plain to them. They will know as plain fact that Jesus Christ is Lord of all things, great and small.
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