We took two weeks to lay the groundwork — what the book of Revelation is, and how to read it. Now we start moving. Over the next three weeks we will go from Revelation 1 to Revelation 5: this week the revelation of Jesus Christ Himself, next week an overview of the seven churches, then the throne room, then the seven-sealed book. We will get right to the point where the Lamb is ready to open the first seal — and then leave it closed while we go back and spend a lesson on each of the seven churches, because I believe the most practical teaching for us as believers and as a church is in chapters 2 and 3. After that we open the seals and do not turn back.
The book of Revelation is all about Jesus. It is not a secret predictive code about the end times; it is an apocalypse, a prophecy, and a letter to the churches. Revelation 1:19 gives the book a past, a present, and a future, and if the book is about Jesus you can outline it very simply: His glory (chapter 1), His grace to the churches (chapters 2–3), and His government (chapters 4–22). So today: Jesus Christ, His person, and His appearance.
His person: who Jesus is
If I wanted to describe someone to you, I could tell you his height, his glasses, the color of his hair, the polo he usually wears. That describes him, but it does not tell you who he is. If instead I told you he always has a smile, always has a positive attitude, loves the Lord, and is growing — now you are getting to know the person. That is where we start with Jesus.
The faithful witness
Revelation 1:5 — from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness. This title was first given to Him by the prophet in Isaiah 55:4: Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Jesus said the same thing about Himself standing before Pilate in John 18:37. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. That is His whole life and ministry in a sentence. Jesus was the truth and a faithful witness to the truth — He never lost courage and He never compromised.
The first begotten of the dead
Jesus died, and then He rose. First begotten of the dead means He is first in rank of anyone who has been or ever will be raised. Remember the wave offering: before the harvest, a few sheaves of grain were brought into the tabernacle and waved before the Lord as the firstfruits, a picture of the great harvest still in the field. When Jesus rose, He was the firstfruits of an enormous harvest of souls — millions, possibly billions — who will be raised to life evermore. Lazarus was raised; we will be raised to meet Him in the air; but no one raised from the dead will ever outrank Him.
Not everybody believes that today. But one day everybody will confess it. Philippians 2:8–11: He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. People bow to idols, to Muhammad, to Buddha, but not to Jesus — yet there is a day coming when every knee, from the youngest to the oldest, from the most “righteous” to the most debased, will bow. Satan himself, the angel who wanted to exalt himself above God and tried to make Jesus worship him, will bow and admit that Jesus Christ is first and foremost. The devils recognize His authority; they just will not confess Him to salvation. One day they will all say: we were wrong, God is right.
The prince of the kings of the earth
Earthly rulers appear powerful. They step on one another climbing to the top, and the goal of every dynasty and kingdom is to have the most and stay on top the longest. From a human perspective they are strong. But Jesus reigns over them all. Revelation 11:15: The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. There are powers in place today that seem impossible to overthrow, corrupt to the core — and Jesus reigns over every one of them, and in the end He alone will reign.
Just a few of the things the Bible says Jesus is King over. The King of heaven — and it was Nebuchadnezzar who said it, in Daniel 4:37. The King of the Jews — and that came from Herod’s court, in Matthew 2:2. Two men of great power, whether they believed it or not, recognizing that Jesus Christ is King. The King of Israel (John 1:49). The King eternal (1 Timothy 1:17). The King of glory (Psalm 24:7). The King of saints (Revelation 15:3). And the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).
Alpha and Omega
Revelation 1:8 — I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Revelation 22:13 says it again: the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Jesus stands at the beginning and the end of everything, and everything in between. How does the Word of God open? In the beginning God (Genesis 1:1). And at the very end, Revelation 22:3: the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him. Time and Scripture are bookended by Jesus. When He walked out on the water to the disciples panicking in the storm, He said two words: I am. That alone was enough to calm the sea. I was, I am, I always will be — and everything in between is under My authority.
His appearance: what John saw
So that is who He is. But what did John actually see? These are sensational, so let’s take them one at a time.
His head and hairs white like wool, white as snow
Revelation 1:14: His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire. This matches the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9 — a garment white as snow, hair like pure wool, a throne like the fiery flame. It speaks of His eternity, His purity, and His wisdom. And notice verse 13: He is clothed with a garment down to the foot, girt about with a golden girdle — the garments of a judge. I was in a courtroom this year, and the judge came out in a long robe. That is what Jesus is wearing, because all judgment has been given to Him. John 5:22–23: The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.
Jesus has, in a sense, already judged sin. On the cross He became sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him — and His judgment was mercy and forgiveness. Not everyone accepts that judgment. Those who do not will be judged according to their works and their sin, and the wages of sin is death. Every one of us will stand before Him, and there are only two verdicts: righteous, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, and eternity in heaven — or guilty, and eternity apart from God in a lake of fire that was made for Satan and his angels.
His eyes as a flame of fire
Deep discernment; He sees the innermost; nothing escapes His sight. Think of Nathanael in John 1:47–49. Philip brings his brother to meet Jesus, and Jesus greets him like a long-lost friend: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael asks, “How do you know me?” And Jesus says, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. We do not know what happened under that fig tree — maybe he was crying out to God, maybe it was something nobody else could have known — but Jesus saw him before Nathanael ever saw Jesus. And Nathanael’s answer is immediate: Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. That is what eyes of fire mean. If Jesus shook my hand He could tell me anything about me, and when I asked how He knew, He would say: I saw you.
His feet like fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace
Revelation 1:15. In the tabernacle, wherever there is brass it speaks of judgment and justice, so the very foundation Jesus stands on is righteous judgment. They are also beautiful feet — Romans 10:15, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace — because He not only carries the gospel, He is the gospel. And they are the feet that tread down abominations and those who reject Him when He returns. Go back to Genesis 3:15: the serpent’s head will be crushed by the heel of One to come. Jesus’ feet of brass crush the serpent’s head once and for all.
His voice as the sound of many waters
Power, authority, and majesty. If you have stood at Niagara Falls, or Tahquamenon Falls, you know the deafening roar. Years ago Brother Michael Williams, who was discipling me, took me to the falls in the dead of winter when the park was closed, and we just stood there. He went off and did his own thing, and I stood there ten minutes with that roar in my ears, looking at the majesty and the beauty, and it points you to God. That is the voice of Jesus. It cannot be drowned out; next to it Niagara is a trickle from your gutter. Thunder that shakes the house is nothing compared to the power in His voice and His name. All who are in the graves will hear it. When He speaks, every man and every king will stand at attention — the unbeliever will hear Him in judgment, and His sheep will hear Him and find comfort and joy.
Seven stars in His right hand
Revelation 1:16 and 20 — the seven stars are the seven churches. Every church, every minister, every leader receives his orders from Christ. People say it must be nice being a pastor, being your own boss. I set my own schedule at times, but I am certainly not my own boss, and my Boss knows when I clock in and clock out and when I do something wrong. God wanted me to be the pastor here, and nothing on this earth was going to stop that. When God wants me done here, nothing I do will keep the next man from coming in; I can white-knuckle the pulpit, but this is His church, not mine. The seven stars in His hand mean that Jesus is the Pastor and Shepherd of the church.
A sharp two-edged sword out of His mouth
The Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 — quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword. When Jesus speaks, it is the Word of God, and that Word is His only weapon. He needs no other. His word spoke everything into existence, and at His word it can all go out.
His countenance as the sun shining in his strength
You are not supposed to stare at the sun. Jesus here is the sun at full force. John had seen this before — on the mount of transfiguration, Matthew 17:2, his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. The churches are lamps, but Jesus is the light. And this is not the humble carpenter of Galilee. This is the glorified King of kings.
John’s response
Revelation 1:17: And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. You see all of that and understand what it means, all at once, and it is overwhelming. It is the only response. Then Jesus lays His right hand on him: Fear not; I am the first and the last. He wants a relationship with us. But when we truly see who He is and what His appearance means, we fall at His feet.
Where we go from here
Next week: Revelation 2 and 3, an overview of the seven churches — the pattern Jesus uses in every letter, and the different ways Christians have understood the seven churches as a picture of the church age from Pentecost until now. Where there are differing views I will lay out the main ones, tell you where I land, and let you weigh it by the Spirit. Then the throne room in chapter 4, and the seven-sealed book in chapter 5.