John was on the Island of Patmos, a small island thirty
miles off the coast of Asia Minor in the Aegean Sea, used by
the Roman Empire for a penal colony. In the letter he is
writing to the seven churches in Asia, John addresses
himself as, “John, your brother and fellow partaker in the
tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus”
(Revelation 1:9). There was no need for John to identify
himself as an apostle or defend his apostleship because he
was well known in the churches of Asia Minor and accepted as
an apostle.
John “was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day,” and he heard a
loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, write in a
book what you see and send it to the seven churches; to
Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to
Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea” (Revelation
1:10).
John was not talking about being in his own spirit. John was
in the Spirit of the Lord when he saw the seven golden
lampstands and one like a son of man, standing in the midst
of the seven lampstands clothed in a robe reaching to the
feet and across His chest a golden sash. The one like a son
of man standing in the midst of the seven golden lampstands
is standing there not as a priest but a judge. The golden
sash is no longer around his waist where the priest must
wear it as he ministers to God in the holy of holies, but it
is now around His shoulders. His head and hair white as the
snow signifies purity, maturity, and wisdom. His eyes like a
flame of fire signify searching righteousness and divine
judgments upon all that is impure. His eyes that shed tears
of sorrow, compassion, and pity over Jerusalem and at the
tomb of Lazarus are like a flame of fire. They are the eyes
of the Judge who will judge those who rejected Him. The feet
like burnished bronze signify He has stood the test of the
fiery furnace, a test that no other has gone through. His
feet as if burnished bronze symbolizes divine judgment as
embodied in the Old Testament types, the brazen altar, the
lifted up serpent in the wilderness, and other items of
bronze used in the offering of sacrifices for sin.
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquity, and the chastisement of our peace was upon
Him. He suffered as no man had ever suffered. However, some
day those feet of bronze will stand upon the earth and He
will judge all the earth with equity and perfection. In that
day there will be no plea bargaining, no evading that
judgment. There will be no tempering of it. He that is
unjust will be unjust still; he that is filthy will be
filthy still. Those feet of bronze will crush the enemy.
They will destroy the anti-Christ, the beast and the image
and all that is vile in His sight. He will destroy the
church systems that have taken His name only to corrupt it
and crush them along with the antichrist. All the wicked,
the atheists, the agnostics, the modernists, the liberals,
will all be there. He will separate the sheep from the
goats.
The seven stars in Jesus’ right hand represent the angels of
the seven churches. The word angels may refer to superhuman
beings, implying that each church has a guardian angel or it
refers to the human leader of each local church. In His
right hand indicates possession, protection, and sovereign
control.
The sharp two-edged sword symbolizes the Word of God. The
Word of God will judge those who did not do the will of God.
The Word of God will judge the impenitent heart. The Word of
God will judge those who heard and did not listen to what
they heard. The Word of God will judge those who say they
believe the Word of God, but did not live it.
John saw the Judge, the One who suffered and died for us. He
took the wrath of Divine judgment upon Himself; tread the
wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God alone. His
voice is as the sound of a trumpet, like the sound of many
waters. However, to the saint, His voice is a sweet,
smoothing sound. He says, “Do not be afraid; I am the first
and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and
behold; I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death
and of Hades” Revelation 1:17-18). He is the Lily of the
Valley, the Bright and Morning Star. He is the fairest of
ten thousand. Yes, that great day is ready to break and the
Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in His wings.
Do you know that Jesus is revealing the heart-secrets of men
and women in this age in which we are living? Do you think
the corruption in the Christian community in this present
century by its leaders that has remained in hiding for years
is accidentally being revealed? There is a spirit of
conviction at work in the Christian community, like a
flaming sword cutting into the consciences of men. Satan is
also using his seed, who are involved in the corruption to
bring to light the corruption in the leadership of the
Christianity community. His goal, is to undermine the
foundational doctrine of the Church. Corrupt leadership in
the Christian community is responsible for the falling away
from the faith in this present generation.
When John saw our Lord Jesus Christ standing in the midst of
the golden lampstand, he fell at His feet like a dead man.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is coming, with the clouds, and every
eye will see Him. The proud, the boastful, the arrogant,
those who pierced Him with their swords, denied His Deity,
will fall at His feet like a dead man and all the nations
and peoples will declare Him King of king and Lord of lords.
Are you ready for His coming?
