A Vision of the Son of Man
9 I, John, with you all the way in the trial and the Kingdom and the passion of patience in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of God's Word, the witness of Jesus.
10 It was Sunday and I was in the Spirit, praying. I heard a loud voice behind me, trumpet-clear and piercing:
11 "Write what you see into a book. Send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea."
12 I turned and saw the voice. I saw a gold menorah with seven branches,
13 And in the center, the Son of Man, in a robe and gold breastplate,
14 hair a blizzard of white, Eyes pouring fire-blaze,
15 both feet furnace-fired bronze, His voice a cataract,
16 right hand holding the Seven Stars, His mouth a sharp-biting sword, his face a perigee sun. The Message
(the following is from www.easyenglish.bible)
"Verse 9 The writer again tells the readers that he is John. He describes himself as their brother in the family of God. He did not think that he was better than them. He was just one of them. He suffered with them the same troubles that they were suffering. Jesus said, ‘In the world, you will have troubles’ (John 16:33). This is what Paul wrote to Timothy (2 Timothy 3:12). ‘All who want to live good lives in Christ Jesus will have troubles.’
The kingdom refers to the time when Jesus will come to rule. That will be a time of joy for Christians. John expects to share that joy with them. This kingdom has partly come. But when Jesus comes, it will be completely here.
Until that future comes, Christians have to be patient. They must live through all the troubles. They need to look beyond the present and to live for the future. They must put their confidence in Jesus. And they must trust God. John also trusts God with patience.
John was on the island called Patmos. This was a small island of rocks. It was about 10 miles long and 6 miles wide. He did not choose to go there. The rulers sent him there. It was like a prison. His crime was that he taught the word of God. He preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus.
Verse 10 The church called the first day of the week, ‘the Lord’s Day’. It was the first day because on that day Jesus rose from death. Christians chose the first day of the week in order to respect Christ. They met on that day to praise God together. John was in the Spirit. This means that the Holy Spirit came on him. The Spirit spoke to him and showed him many things.
John heard a voice behind him. The trumpet makes a loud and clear sound. So, this voice was loud and clear.
Verse 11 The voice told John to write what he saw. When he had done this, he had to send it to the 7 churches. These 7 churches were in Asia Minor. Asia Minor was an area that is now a part of modern Turkey. The churches were in 7 cities. There was about 30 to 50 miles between them. The list starts at Ephesus. It follows the road north to Pergamum. Then it goes to the south and east to Laodicea.
John had to send the whole book to each of these churches. In the book, there was a letter to each of the churches. John wrote the letters to real churches. They spoke about the problems in each church. They gave promises for those in each church who obeyed.
In prophecy, the number 7 means complete or the whole number. Here there are 7 churches. So, the Lord speaks to the whole church. What John wrote is for the church as a whole. It is as true for the church of today as it was then.
Verses 12-13 John heard the loud voice. He turned to see who was speaking. The gold lamp holders mean the 7 churches (1:20). People use lamp holders so that the light will shine into dark places. That is the purpose of the church. It is to show the light of God to the people. That light means the gospel of Christ.
A man was moving among the lamp holders. He was like the Son of Man. This person was a man but not just a man. He is more than a man. He is the Son of God. The Son of Man was a name for the Lord Jesus. He was the Son of Man. The Lord Jesus was and is moving in his church.
The clothes that the man wore were those of a high priest. The Lord Jesus is our high priest. He has paid for all our sins. By his death, he has united us with God. And he is always with us to help us.
Verse 14 John then describes the Son of Man. This is not so much a picture as an impression. White hair, to the Jews, shows age and wisdom. They respected old age and gave honor to the wise person. The Son of Man deserves all honor.
We can hide nothing from the eyes of the Son of Man. So, John describes his eyes in a special way. It is as if the flame of fire sees all things. The Son of Man sees all that happens in the churches. He knows all of history from the start to the end. He knows the thoughts and actions of each person.
Verse 15 Bronze is a metal that glows in the fire. People polish bronze so that it shines in the light. It is a very strong metal. The feet of bronze show that the Son of Man is powerful.
The sound of the waters reminds us of their immense power. Such is the effect of the voice of Christ.
Verse 16 The stars mean the angels of the churches (1:20). Christ holds all of them in his right hand. So, he has total control over all the churches. He looks after them. And he protects them, because nobody can take them out of his hand.
He has the sharp sword with two edges. This means that nobody can defeat him. The sword comes out of his mouth. So, the sword means his word. In the end, the word of Christ will defeat all his enemies. He will speak. What he says will happen. The word of God is sharper than any sword with two edges (Hebrews 4:12).
The face of the Son of Man shone with a bright light. The strength of that light was like the sun. There is no greater power than the Lord Jesus Christ."
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