Son of Man
The first vision presents the image of one “like the Son of Man” who was walking among the churches of Asia – Revelation 1:9-20.
The first vision centers on Jesus in
his role as the high priest who oversees the churches. John did not begin his
record by holding up his apostolic credentials. Instead, he identified himself
with the plight of the seven churches. He was a “fellow participant” with them in the “tribulation and
the kingdom and the endurance.”
The vision begins in chapter 1 and continues to the end of chapter
3. It consists of the vision of the Risen Christ walking among “seven golden
lampstands,” and the seven messages from Jesus sent to the “angels”
of the Asian congregations.
“I CAME TO BE IN SPIRIT”
John found himself exiled on the isle of Patmos - “I came
to be on the isle called Patmos.” And there, John found himself “in
spirit”:
- (Revelation 1:10-11) – “I came to be in spirit on the lordly day, and I heard behind me a great voice like a trumpet, saying, What you see, write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
“I came to be in spirit in the Lord’s day.”
The verb ginomai means “to become, to come to be,” signifying a
change in condition or state. The tense is a past action seen in its entirety.
“I came to be” depicts a singular event at a specific point in
time when John found himself “in spirit.”
“In the spirit” refers to an out-of-the-ordinary
visionary experience. Revelation uses the same term twice, and the
similar “carried in the spirit,” also twice, at key literary
junctures - (Revelation 1:10, 4:2, 17:3, 21:10).
Twice in the book, John “came to be in spirit”;
once on Patmos, and once before the “throne.” And twice he was “carried
in spirit”; once to the “wilderness” to see “Babylon,” and once
to the “great and high mountain” to see “New Jerusalem” - (Revelation
1:8-10, 4:2, 17:3, 21:10).
Roman magistrates may have placed John on Patmos, but “in the
spirit,” Jesus placed him “in the day of the Lord” to see things from
a vastly different perspective. Whatever
the “lordly day” refers to is part of the “in spirit”
experience.
There is no evidence that the church ever designated Sunday the
“Lord’s Day” in the first century, a tradition not attested before the late
second century. Elsewhere, the “day of the Lord” refers to the coming
day of judgment on the wicked and vindication of the righteous - (Isaiah
13:6, Joel 1:15, 2:31, Amos 5:18, Obadiah 15, Zephaniah 1:7, Malachi 4:5, 1
Corinthians 5:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:2).
Thus, John was projected into “the day of the Lord.” Revelation
does not use the term “day of the Lord” again; however, note the similar
clauses:
- “The great day of their wrath has come” - (Revelation 6:17).
- “The great day of God, the Almighty” - (Revelation 16:14).
- “In one day, her plagues will come” - (Revelation 18:8).
The great voice “like a trumpet” alludes
to the day when Mount Sinai was covered by a thick cloud from which all of Israel
heard “a loud trumpet’s voice” – (Exodus 19:16-18).
John was commanded to record all that he saw in a “scroll”
and send it to the “seven churches in Asia.”
The order in which the cities are listed is the sequence by which a traveler from Patmos would visit each one after first making landfall in Ephesus.
And “write what you see in a scroll.” This clause alludes
to Habakkuk 2:2 - “Yahweh answered me and said, ‘Write the
vision, make it plain on tablets that one
may read it swiftly.”
The same passage was echoed previously in the prologue - “the
one who reads” the things written in the prophecy. Originally, this was
Yahweh’s response to the prophet’s complaint: How could a just God allow Babylon
to attack Judah?
ONE LIKE A SON OF MAN
Next, John sees a figure he compares to a “son of man.” He walks
among “seven golden lampstands” while holding “seven stars.” The image
further develops the themes of suffering, kingdom,
and priesthood.
The “son of man” represents Jesus, now exalted and
possessing all authority. And the voice “like a trumpet” was his voice.
- (Revelation 1:12-16) – “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands; and among the lampstands, one like a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle. And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like burnished brass as if it had been refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shining in his strength.”
Language from Zechariah is present in the paragraph.
John also sees “seven golden lampstands.” This refers to the type of stands
that held ancient oil lamps. Likewise, the prophet Zechariah saw a “lampstand
all of gold,” however, he saw a single lamp with seven branches
corresponding to the seven-branched lamp in the Tabernacle.
Thus, the seven lampstands indicate a sanctuary
setting. The figure of the “one like a son of man” is from Daniel
and its vision of the “fourth beast”- (Exodus 25:31-40, Daniel 7:13-14).
And he sees the “son of man” walking among the “lampstands”
and maintaining them, just as the priests in the Tabernacle tended the
seven-branched lamp, trimming its wicks and replenishing its oil.
The figure is arrayed in a full-length robe adorned with a golden
belt, all of which points to his priestly office. The description of his glorious
appearance borrows heavily from the tenth chapter of Daniel - (Leviticus 8:1-13, Daniel
10:5-6).
In Daniel, the man “clothed
in linen” revealed what would befall the people of Judah in later days.
Here, Revelation alludes to that passage because of its focus on what will
happen to the “churches” in the “season” that is now upon them.
The “sword” wielded by the “son of man” is
not held in either hand. Instead, it flashes from his mouth. This symbol occurs
later in Revelation and represents the authoritative word of Jesus – (Isaiah
11:4, Isaiah 49:2, Revelation 2:12, 2:16, 19:15-21).
INTERPRETATION
John reacts to the appearance of the “one like a son of man”
by prostrating himself at his feet “as though dead,” which is another
parallel to the vision from Daniel (“Daniel fell into a deep
sleep upon his face with his face to the earth”).
- (Revelation 1:17-20) – “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last, and the Living one, and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Write, therefore, the things which you saw, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass afterward; the mystery of the seven stars in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven lampstands are seven churches.”
The clause, “I am the first and the last,” alludes
to three passages in Isaiah – (Isaiah 41:4, 44:5-6, 48:9-15).
“First and last” parallels the earlier claim of God,
“I am Alpha and Omega.” Here, Jesus lays claim to this high privilege
because of his obedient death - (Revelation
3:21-22).
“I am the living one, and I became dead.” The
statement anchors the visions of Revelation in his past death and
resurrection.
“I have the keys of Death and of Hades.” That is, he
has full authority over death. Hades was the abode of the dead and corresponded
to the Hebrew concept of Sheol. In his resurrection, Jesus
triumphed over death.
“Write what things you saw, what they are, and what will come to pass after them.” What John “saw” refers to the visions recorded in the book.
What they “are” refers to the provided interpretations for
the visions. “Are” translates the Greek verb eimi, here, in
the plural number and present tense. This understanding is demonstrated in the
next verse when John sees the “seven lampstands,” which symbolize the “seven
churches” (“they are [eisin] seven churches.”
Likewise, the “seven stars are [eisin] seven angels.”
This same verbal formula is used elsewhere to provide interpretations
of several visions. For example, the seven "lamps of fire" ARE
(eisin) the “seven Spirits of God”; the “seven horns” and “seven
eyes” ARE (eisin) the “seven Spirits of God,” and the “two
witnesses” ARE (eisin) “two lampstands” - (Revelation 4:5,
5:6-8, 11:4).
“The mystery of the seven stars and the seven lampstands.”
The “mystery” is that the “seven stars” and “lampstands”
symbolize seven “angels” and seven “churches.” Thus, Revelation interprets
its visions symbolically.
The Greek term rendered “angel” may refer to human or
angelic “messengers.” It is not clear which is meant. But the blessing pronounced
previously on “he who reads and they who hear” provides a clue. Did John
send one messenger to read the book in each of the seven churches, or were
seven men dispatched to each city with a copy?
The opening vision will now continue with the seven letters sent
to the “seven churches” with messages for each “angel” from the
Risen Christ.