The book of Revelation is written by John who was the “beloved disciple” of Jesus and the author of the book of John and the epistles of John. It is also comprised of many visions that John saw and was asked to reveal to the churches. This was probably also towards the end of his ministry. The purpose of the book is to prepare the church to be ready, by obeying and taking to heart what is written in the book (Revelation 1:3). Revelation contains multiple revelations; revelations pertaining to the state of the churches, revelations specific to the spiritual matters, the things to come and most importantly revelations of Jesus Christ. I had never really seen it before, but the book of Revelation is first and foremost a revelation of Jesus Christ. In it, we get to see Jesus in his glorious state, in his supremacy. Throughout this post, I will be detailing some of the seven glorious facets of the Lord I saw as Jesus gave his message to each church.
The first revelation of Jesus Christ is that he is the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars as explained in Revelation 1:20 represent the angels of the seven churches and the seven golden lampstands represent the seven churches. The fact that Jesus is the one holding the seven stars shows that he is the one holding the fate of the seven churches in his hands. Usually angels are sent to servants of God with a message or an act to perform. In this case, each of these angels had a specific message for each church. Since Jesus held these messages in his hand, it means he had the authority to release them or not release them, and the fact that he releases them shows how much loving Jesus is and how much he cares for the churches. After all, he walks among them doesn’t he? Jesus is with his Bride at all times, very present in her life.
The second revelation of Jesus Christ is that he is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again, the Living One who holds the keys of death and Hades. Jesus is the firstborn of all creation and as he died on the cross, he swallowed up death in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-55) and took his rightful place at the right hand of God the Father who gave him the keys of death and Hades. He is now the one who lives eternally, therefore his kingdom is forever, his dominion will stand the test of time.
The third revelation of Jesus Christ is that he has the sharp double edge sword in his mouth. This simply means that his words are powerful, living and active, penetrating even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). His words are meant to produce an effect, they are there to reprove, to build, to sharpen. His words are not words of condemnation, but they become so for anyone who does not pay attention to them. In fact, the words of Jesus become the very thing by which we are condemned based on our actions.
The fourth revelation of Jesus Christ is that he is the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. Here, we see Jesus supreme, and powerful. The Son of God has the authority granted him by the Father, the fact that his eyes are like blazing fire reminds me of the consuming fire aspect of God. It means that Jesus is ready to consume anything that he sees that is contrary to what the Father likes. Similarly, the feet like burnished bronze in my opinion signify a firm establishment. Overall, Jesus is revealed as one that has authority, a fire and zeal of God and whose authority is firmly established.
The fifth revelation of Jesus Christ is that he holds the seven spirits or the “sevenfold Spirit” of God and the seven stars. In addition to holding the seven stars which we have already discussed, Jesus holds the seven spirits of God which signify the perfect Spirit of God, the Spirit of God in its fullness. That means, Jesus has the mind of God, he thinks and acts like God. He and God are in sync always walking hand in hand. There is not a thing that Jesus does that the Father does not approve.
The sixth revelation of Jesus Christ is that he is Holy and True, he holds the key of David, he opens doors that no one can shut and shuts doors that no one can open. Jesus here is revealed as the very essence of holiness and truth. If one is looking to find truth, one must come to Jesus as that is who he is. If one is looking to be holy, one should look at Jesus who is holiness in display. The other aspect of Jesus here is that what he does stays. No one has the authority to come and cancel his actions. So, if he has declared a thing to be, you better believe that thing to be because it is. He has no equal, no contenders, he stands as is.
The seventh and final revelation of Jesus Christ is that he is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. This is probably one revelation that bring us back to the fact that in Jesus, all the promises of God are yes and amen as he is the Amen (2 Corinthians 1:20). He is the faithful and true witness of the covenant between God and men, that covenant that makes it possible for sinful men to have fellowship with the Holy God because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus is its true and faithful witness. As ruler of God’s creation, Jesus’ reign is established as full and complete over all creation.
Overall, each of these revelations of Jesus Christ must be meditated upon individually for us to have an accrued understanding, respect and reverence for him. The book of Revelation is widely not understood by Christians, but I believe if there is anything we can understand from it is what it reveals about Jesus Christ the Son of God. One way to not be distracted and lost by the powerful imageries of the book is to read it with Jesus in mind; that is to see how he is portrayed, how he is identified in the book, how he is revealed and I guarantee you will come out of the reading very blessed. I pray the Lord empowers you to see Jesus in everything you do and go through.
A Word Aptly Spoken 