Revelation 1:9-20 Lesson 470

Revelation 1:9-20
Lesson 470

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

John's first vision.
Jesus resurrected.
Jesus' instructions to John.

John on the island of Patmos.
By Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516)

Study Tip:

The more we know about the Old Testament, the more we understand the New. Always click on the links
to the Old Testament passages, they are a vital tool that helps us piece together the message of Revelation.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John

The King James Bible

Revelation 1:9-20
The Son of Man

9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Margin notes:

"Companion in tribulation." (1:9) - "Partner in suffering." They were partners in suffering because, like John, early Christians were being persecuted.

"In the isle that is called Patmos." (1:9) - "On the Island called Patmos." Patmos was a small (55 square miles), uninviting, barren island with little vegetation. Patmos was fifty miles offshore from Ephesus in the Aegean Sea and served as a Roman penal colony. Prisoners were forced to work in the quartz and pyrite mines. The aging apostle John was exiled to Patmos for preaching the word of God (Revelation 1:9). Today, the population is 3,000 people, and tourism drives the economy. Christians come to visit the cave where John is said to have had his apocalyptic visions found in the Book of Revelation.

"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." (1:10) - "I was worshipping on Saturday." Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath.

"And heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet." (1:10) - This was the voice of Jesus Christ. Fifteen hundred years earlier, Moses described the heavenly voice of God as a loud trumpet (Exodus 19:16 and 19). The parallels between God and Jesus go back millenniums.

"What thou seest, write in a book." (1:11) - Jesus told John several times to document what he is about to see (1:19).

The seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea." (1:11) - All seven churches were located in what is now Turkey.

"Seven golden candlesticks." (1:12) - The seven candlesticks represent the seven churches (1:20).
However, there is a minority opinion that the candlesticks symbolize the light emitted by God's church.

"One like unto the Son of man." (1:13) - "One who looked like Jesus." John traveled with Jesus for three years and instantly recognized Him. Yet Jesus' heavenly appearance was different, as verses 5:14-15 show. Additional note: Jesus called Himself "the Son of Man" (Luke 7:34; John 5:26-27) to show that He was God's son but also a man. Daniel saw Jesus in a vision six hundred years earlier and also called Him "the Son of man" (Daniel 7:13-14). See "Todays Question" below.

"Clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle." (1:13) - A long robe with a golden belt around the chest was the dress of a Jewish High Priest (Exodus 28:4). Jesus was also priestly dressed in a golden belt in Daniel's vision six hundred years earlier (Daniel 10:5). Jesus is our High Priest.

"His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire." (1:14) - The white hair and flaming eyes represent wisdom. The white hair also symbolizes purity. Daniel gave an identical description of Christ in Daniel 7:9-10.

"His feet like unto fine brass." (1:15) - Feet like "fine brass" forged in a furnace symbolize strength and durability. John's description of Jesus is similar to Ezekiel's description of God (Ezekiel 1:7).
See also Daniel 10:6.

"And his voice as the sound of many waters." (1:15) - "And His voice sounded like roaring water." Ezekiel described God's voice the same way seven hundred years earlier (Ezekiel 43:2).

"He had in his right hand seven stars." (1:16) - This means that Jesus held the leaders (pastors) of the seven churches in His right hand. However, some Bible scholars believe the seven stars are guardian angels watching over the churches.

"Out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword." (1:16) - The two-edged sword represents the power and authority of God. God's word is "sharper than any two-edged sword" and can cut deep into our inner core (Hebrews 4:12).

"His countenance was as the sun shineth." (1:16) - "His (Jesus') face was shining like the sun."

"I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me." (1:17) - Before the crucifixion, John traveled with Jesus and knew Him well. But he was awestruck and frightened when he saw Jesus in heaven in His glorified state, so Jesus reached out to touch and comfort John. Ezekiel fell on his face and had a similar reaction when he heard the voice of God (Ezekiel 1:28), as did Daniel in Daniel 8:17-18.

"I am the first and the last." (1:17) - This means God always was and always will be. The first and the last is how God described Himself in Isaiah 41:4 and again in verse 44:6. Now, Jesus describes Himself the same way.

"I am he that liveth, and was dead." (1:18) - Means Jesus was resurrected.

"The keys of hell and of death." (1:18) - Jesus holds the keys to eternity. Only He can save us from eternal punishment.

"Write the things which thou hast seen..." (1:19) - This verse is a mini-outline of Revelation. The things which "thou hast seen" (in the past) are covered in chapter 1. "The things which are" (the present) can be found in chapters 2 and 3. "The things which shall be" (the future) are in chapters 4 to 22.

"The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches." (1:20) - As alluded to in the margin note for verse 1:16 above, the seven stars are either the pastors of the seven churches or their guardian angels.

New Living Translation

Revelation 1:9-20
Vision of the Son of Man

9 I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God's Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus.

10 It was the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast.

11 It said, "Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."

12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.

13 And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest.

14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire.

15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.

16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last.

18 I am the living one. I died, but look-I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

19 "Write down what you have seen-both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen.

20 This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What is the significance of Jesus being likened to a Son of man? (1:13)

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Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. "John describes Christ like a son of man - a link to the book of Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14; 10:5) as well as to the Gospels. Son of man, a title for the Messiah, alludes here to the glory and power God the Father assigns to the risen, heavenly Christ."

(The "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; page 1775)

Application thought for the day:

What did today's passage teach us?
How can you apply that lesson to your life?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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