“The Eternal God” -- Revelation 1:12-19

There are certain things we can rely on every day of our lives. The sun will always rise in the east and set in the west. Waves will come to shore and return to the sea. The Dallas Cowboys will always think this is their year to make the Super Bowl only to fall woefully short.

We believe these things will always be true, but the truth of the matter is that our world is slowly changing the older it gets. There will come a day when the seas won’t recede, when the globe will cease to rotate and the sun will never rise or set again.

The only thing that we can count on is the constancy of God.

Constancy has two definitions. One is “the quality of being faithful and dependable.” The other is, “the quality of being, enduring and unchanging.” Both definitions accurately describe God, whether we refer to the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit. One of the reasons God has constancy is because God is eternal.

From the moment we are introduced to God, we are told He precedes time: “In the beginning, God” are the first four words of the Bible, and in those four short words, we know that God has always been. He is before time and is, therefore, superior to and above time. Time has no meaning for Him, at least not as you and I count time. Peter tells us, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day” (2 Peter 3:8).

Today’s passage speaks to the eternal nature of God as seen in the person of Christ.

Background

When John was an older man, he was sent to the island of Patmos, sentenced to hard labor working the mines there. He was around 70-80 at the time, and there were no days off on that penal colony. It was while he was on the island that Jesus appeared to him in a vision and gave him the revelation that gives this book its name. Because it was one revelation, the book is called Revelation, not Revelations.

John is careful not to set himself up as a super apostle, referring to himself as “your brother and companion in the suffering and in the kingdom” (1:9). He lets them know he was on the island as a result of preaching and ministering in the name of Christ.

While he was on the island, John writes that “on the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit.” The phrase “Lord’s Day” did not refer to a Sunday or Saturday, but was probably a reference to the Old Testament when the “Lord’s Day” was a reference to the intervention by God in our world in a special way. In other words, it isn’t the case that John was at a place or time of worship when the revelation came to him.

God gave the Revelation not as a road map to the Second Coming. The intent of the letter is to give assurance to the persecuted Church that Christ is in control and that the Church will emerge triumphant when Christ returns. Nowhere does the revelation indicate that God’s people will be spared from suffering. What it does promise is that Jesus will return, that He will bring judgment and that those whose names are written in the book of life will spend eternity with Him on a new earth, one that is free from sin and suffering. This revelation is one of hope, assurance and victory.

As John begins the revelation, he hears a voice from behind telling him to write down the revelation and send it to the seven churches that are mentioned in v. 11 and in chapters 2-3. It is here that we begin our passage, and it is in this passage that we find a description of the eternal Jesus. The intent of these verses is to show us the following:

Central Truth: We can trust in a God who is eternal.

The eternal Christ:

1. Described (12-16)

“I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”

The first thing John does is describe the person whose voice he has heard. It’s interesting that John doesn’t say he turned to see who was speaking to him. Instead, he says, “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me.” Perhaps the voice was familiar to him, so he didn’t need to turn to see who it was; John knew the Shepherd’s voice. He knew it was the risen and exalted Christ who spoke to him. When John turned around, he saw a dazzling presence that inspired the apostle to reach back to Old Testament images.

John first describes the setting—seven golden lampstands. Thee lampstands represent the seven churches (cf. v. 20) mentioned in chapters 2-3. Jesus stood amidst the churches, letting us know that Jesus is present with His Church, both universally and locally.

John says he saw someone “like the son of man.” The “son of man” was first introduced by Daniel in Daniel 7:13. There, the Son of man is given all authority, glory and sovereign power by God, and the Son of man was worshipped by all the people. The Son of man’s dominion was eternal. Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of man in the gospels, usually when He was speaking with His disciples. This was the clearest indication that Jesus saw Himself as the Messiah.

This Son of man was dressed in a long robe with a golden sash around his chest. Some believe the robe reflects the robe worn by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement, indicating that the Son of man John saw was the priest that intercedes for His people before God. Some view the robe and its length as an indication of royalty, since only the rich and powerful were able to wear full-length robes. Those who look to this interpretation see it as symbolizing that Jesus is King of Kings. Some see the robe as representing prophet of God. It is likely that all three elements are present in the description of the robe. In describing the clothing, we are being told that Jesus is the One who reigns for all eternity, that He intercedes for His people ceaselessly and that He presents the message of God to all who will receive it.

The golden sash is wrapped around the chest, which indicates that the wearer is seated, resting from his labors; otherwise, the sash would be around the waist. This lets us know that Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father, having completed the task of redemption once for all.

His hair is described as a brilliant white. This indicates agelessness and wisdom. Lest anyone think that this white-haired man is old and not as active as a younger man, the eyes are described as blazing fire. It reminds us that Jesus’ eyes were penetrating eyes, that He could see to the hearts of people, and that this fire that burns in the eyes indicates a sharp and active mind.

The feet of glowing bronze suggests stability and immovability. Jesus is a steady rock. The voice as a sound of rushing water reflects the constant sound that reached John’s ears as he labored on the island of Patmos, and also harkens back to Ezekiel’s description of God’s voice.

Next, John observes that the Son of man is holding the seven stars, letting us know that Jesus secures the angels that oversee the churches, and that Jesus speaks God’s word as reflected by the double-edged sword coming from His mouth. This sword also suggests judgment that is based upon God’s word.

The last thing John notices is that the Son of man’s face is glowing like the sun. This reflects back to the time John along with Peter and James accompanied Jesus to the Mount of Transfiguration, when Jesus met with Moses and Ezra. It was a time when God reaffirmed Jesus as His Son and proclaimed that we are to listen to His words.

When we read the description of Jesus in these verses, we are reminded that the Son and the Father are One, and that anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father. Jesus, as is the Father, is eternal.

2. Defined (17-18)

“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed His right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.’”

Having described the person John saw, we now hear the Son of man tell us who He is. The words are designed to reassure John and those who would hear the letter written and to those of us who read the letter we call the Revelation.

John’s reaction to seeing Jesus is to immediately fall at Jesus’ feet. It was common for someone to fall at the feet of a messenger from heaven. Many times, people would fall at the feet of angels, only to be told to get up and not to worship them. Here, Jesus affirms His worthiness for worship because He doesn’t tell John to get up. Instead, Jesus offers words of comfort—“Do not be afraid.” These were the words Jesus spoke to His disciples when the Risen Lord stood in their presence for the first time. They are words that are found throughout the Bible, letting us know that those who seek, worship and follow the Lord have no reason to fear anything.

Jesus uses this time to define Himself. The First and the Last was used by God to describe Himself to the prophet Isaiah (cf. Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12), and the words were used to describe His constant presence with His people. It is a part of God’s eternal nature to be first and last.

Jesus calls Himself the Living One. He goes on to explain what that means by saying that He was once dead, but now He is alive forever. The phrase “was dead” in the original language reflects not that Jesus died as you and I will die, but that Jesus voluntarily and temporarily gave up His life. Jesus had told His disciples that He lay down His life for His sheep, and the way Jesus approached the crucifixion reflects Jesus’ control of the situation. His death on the cross was a result of His will, not that of men. And just as Jesus could voluntarily temporarily lay down His life, only to pick it up again, so this same Jesus now lives for all eternity.

Jesus states that He holds the keys to death and Hades. Hades is the Greek understanding of where people go after they die to await their fates. Jesus controls both death and Hades. We know from Revelation 21 that Hades ultimately is cast into the lake of fire as the final judgment for those whose names were not written in the book of life. Because Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades, He alone will decide who will live and who will suffer eternal damnation.

The eternal nature of God lets us know that He is the One who holds life in His palm. He alone is the One who will reward His followers with the gift of eternal life. This eternal life we are given at the moment of our salvation. Jesus tells us that eternal life is to know the Father and the Son, and this is done through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

We worship Jesus because He is eternal, and we reap the gracious gift of life from He who is the Living One.

3. Declares (19)

“’Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place.’”

When God gives us a message, He expects us to share that message with the world. In this instance, the message of assurance and victory is to encourage the churches during a time of severe persecution. As we read through the Revelation, we learn how God will bring judgment, trials and tribulations to a world intent on ignoring Him, while giving His people the grace to endure and find deliverance through faith in Him.

In the next verse, Jesus begins to explain the revelation to John. It’s the same with us. When Jesus gives us a message, He gives us an understanding of what we are to say and how we are to say it. Jesus told His disciples not to worry about what to say when they stand before the powerful people of their day. When they stood before the powerful, the Holy Spirit would speak through them to bring glory to God.

It’s the same today. There are times when we are called to testify about Jesus to others. When that time comes, the Spirit will lead us in what to say and how to say it. The key to this is that we must be in tune with the Spirit’s leading. This comes only as we live the holy lives God calls us to do.

We can share our message with confidence, because the One who calls us to speak His message is the eternal One who is First and Last.

Conclusion

We rely on a lot of things in our world. We rely on our cars to start and to get us safely to our destination. We rely on our electricity coming on when we flip a switch. We rely on our food being safe to eat. Of course, there are times when our reliance on our cars, our electricity and our food falls short—the car won’t start or breaks down; the electricity goes off when our streets are covered with ice and snow; we get food poisoning and find ourselves sicker than we ever thought we could be.

With all the things we rely on in our daily lives, it is good to know that God is constant. He is eternal, and He faithful, dependable, enduring and unchanging. Because God is eternal, we can trust in Him with confidence that He will never fail.