He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet
and he wore a wide golden belt around his chest.
14 His head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow,
and his eyes were like a fiery flame.
15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace,
and his voice was like the roar of many waters.
16 He held seven stars in his right hand,
and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth.
His face shone like the sun shining at full strength.
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John begins recounting his vision in an interesting way. He addresses himself to the readers as one who shares in the “persecution, kingdom, and patient endurance that are in Jesus.” The word translated “persecution” is the word often translated as “tribulation” (Greek: thlipsei). For John and the Christians of the first century, “the tribulation” wasn’t some far-off end-of-the-world event—it was the present reality! From the beginning, Christians have been in “tribulation/persecution.” Jesus Himself told His first followers they would experience it (Matthew 24) and John describes life “in Jesus” by bookending “kingdom” (the reigning with Christ that believers experience) with “tribulation/persecution” and “patient endurance.” This introduces another key theme in Revelation—the Christian reigns through suffering, not by avoiding it. This idea will dominate the book for the next 21 chapters!

John is commissioned to write a letter to seven churches throughout Asia Minor which contains the vision he is about to experience. The voice commissioning him to do so turns out to be the voice of “one like a Son of Man”—Jesus’ favorite title for Himself during His earthly ministry. The Son of Man figure in Daniel 7 was the one who came before God’s very presence, was given authority and honor and even worshipped(!), and then executed divine judgment on the nations (portrayed as beasts in Daniel’s vision) who were persecuting God’s people.

The lampstands that John sees (Jewish menorahs) represent the churches—as we will soon be told plainly—and 7 of them likely signify the entire Church worldwide (see the discussion in previous posts on the number 7 in Scripture). The fact that Jesus, the Son of Man, is standing in the midst of the menorahs is quite encouraging because it means that He is in the midst of His people (just as He promised He would be after giving the Great Commission).

But this Jesus whom John now sees is no “Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild” who comes to many peoples’ minds when they picture Him! The Jesus John sees is accompanied by a litany of references from the Hebrew Bible which often referred to God Himself (long robe, fiery eyes, bronze feet, voice like many waters, etc.). What we find out is that the Son of Man is some way, somehow the God of Israel Himself! Jesus’ earthly claims to be God-With-Us (i.e. John 8:58, etc.) are now made clear in a powerful way to John—and in turn, his readers.

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17 When I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead,