John turned to see the person who had given him his commission. These verses describe what he saw.
1:12 When John turned to see the person who spoke to him he saw a majestic figure clothed in a long robe standing among seven lampstands (cf. Ezek. 25:31-40; Zech. 4:2; Matt. 18:20). This person would have been a priest in Israel ministering in the tabernacle or temple. The seven lampstands represent seven churches (v. 20).48
1:13 The man looked like "a son of man."This expression refers to the divine Messiah in Daniel 7:13-14 (cf. Acts 7:56). "Son of Man"was Jesus' favorite title for Himself according to the writers of the Gospels (cf. Mark 13:26). The person John saw looked like a human man. His clothing was that of a priest: a long robe with a golden sash around it.49Jesus Christ's present office is that of our high priest (Heb. 4:14). However this long robe (Gr. poderes) was also a sign of rank or dignity in those who wore them (cf. Ezek. 9:2; Dan. 10:5).50
"In Rev. 1:13, Christ is seen dressed in the type robe worn by both a priest and a judge; but the position of the girdle about the breasts rather than the waist indicates that Christ, in this passage, is exercising a judicial rather than a priestly role. A priest would be girded about the waist, signifying service; but the girdle placed about the shoulders or breasts indicates a magisterialfunction (cf. John 13:2-5; Rev. 15:6)."51
"The titles of Jesus Christ found in the introductions to six of the seven messages in chapters 2 and 3 are drawn largely from this vision of 1:12-20 and its descriptive phrases. Only the message to Laodicea (3:14-22) is devoid of one of these. One of the titles is used in two messages (cf. 2:1 and 3:1) . . . It is apparent that the appearance of Christ in this vision is designed to emphasize the aspects of His nature that are most relevant to the needs and circumstances of the seven churches who are the primary recipients of this book."52
1:14 His head, even His hair, was very white, as Daniel described the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9 (i.e., God the Father).53White hair often represents wisdom and the dignity of age in Scripture.54John referred the images of God the Father in the Old Testament to Jesus Christ thus granting to Jesus the attributes and titles previously reserved for the Father (cf. v. 18; 2:8; 5:12; 22:13).55This is one way of stressing the equality of Jesus with the Father, here specifically His eternal pre-existence.
His eyes were similar to blazing fire, evidently an allusion to His piercing judgment and omniscient understanding (cf. 2:18, 19:12; Dan. 10:6; Mark 3:5, 34; 10:21, 23; 11:11; Luke 22:61).
1:15 His feet looked as though they were bronze glowing in the reflection of a fire. This is probably an allusion to His purity as He moves among the churches (cf. Luke 1:79; Acts 5:9; Rom. 3:15; 10:15; Heb. 12:13)56or perhaps as proved during His earthly walk that made Him a sympathetic high priest (Heb. 4:15; cf. 2:18).
His voice sounded like a rushing river such as the Niagara at its Falls, namely, authoritative, powerful, and irresistible (cf. 14:2; 19:6; Ps. 93:4; Isa. 17:13; Ezek. 43:2).
"Perhaps two ideas are suggested here: (1) Christ gathers together all the streams of revelation' and is the Father's last Word' to man (Heb. 1:1-3); (2) He speaks with power and authority and must be heard."57
John would have hardly ever been away from the sound of waves beating on the shore while he lived on Patmos.
1:16 In His right hand, the symbol of official honor and sovereign control, He held seven stars protectively (cf. 9:1; 12:3; Job 38:7; John 10:28), the angels or messengers of the seven churches (v. 20; cf. 2:1; 3:1).
A sharp double-edged sword (Gr. hromphaia), the type the Romans used to kill with (2:12, 16; 6:8; 19:15, 21), proceeded from His mouth. His word will judge His enemies (Isa. 11:4; Eph. 6:17; 2 Thess. 2:8; Heb. 4:12; Rev. 19:13-15). This sword was tongue-shaped.58
His face shone like the unclouded sun, a picture of pure holiness and righteousness (Judg. 5:31; Matt. 13:43). John saw Jesus at the Transfiguration with such a shining face (Matt. 17:2).
". . . Christ was presenting Himself to John in a character that would prepare the apostle for various aspects of the vision to follow."59
"This first vision of John, then, included an indication of Jesus' Messianic office with its associated functions: judgment of the unrighteous and comfort of the suffering righteous, His high rank that fits Him as an agent of imposing divine wrath, His activity in imposing that wrath, His preexistence along with God the Father, His penetrating intelligence that enables Him to perform righteous judgment, His movement among the churches to enforce standards of moral purity, His identification with the Father in the power of His utterance, His authority over the seven messengers and the churches they represent, His power to overcome His enemies and pronounce judgment upon them, and His return to earth to implement judgment upon mankind."60
It is primarily as Judge that Jesus Christ appears in Revelation (cf. Matt. 3:11). He judges the churches (chs. 2-3), the whole earth (chs. 4-16), Babylonianism (chs. 17-18), world rulers at Armageddon (19:19-21), and Satan (20:1-3, 10). He also judges the earth during the Millennium (20:4-6), the rebellious earth at the end of the Millennium (20:7-9), and all the unsaved dead (20:11-15). The first 20 chapters of the book deal with judgment and the last two with the new creation.
