Revelation 1:9-17
Read Revelation 1:9-17
Helpful Background Information:
Revelation was written by the Apostle John in exile on the island of Patmos, sometime shortly after 90 AD. The church was experiencing harsh persecution under the Roman Emperor Domitian, with many Christians being forced to participate in emperor worship. If Christians refused, they would be sentenced to death in the most brutal of ways. Hence, the focus of the book is to reaffirm the sovereignty and glory of Christ even during suffering and tragedy, and to encourage believers to stay faithful.
An important “key” when reading Revelation is that much of the imagery and symbolism John uses throughout the book comes directly from the Old Testament. Revelation either directly quotes or hints at passages and descriptions found in the Old Testament over 400 times, developing many key theological themes and applying them to Christ and his church.
In Revelation 1:9-17, we find John doing exactly this. John, in verse 10, describes himself as being “in the Spirit”, using similar language to Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 2:2). Thus, John places himself on a level with the Old Testament prophets. This emphasizes that John is not making these things up; he is a trusted authority for the church. John had been entrusted by Christ with testifying to his glorified state because he had been a faithful witness to Christ’s earthly ministry.
Then, Jesus speaks to John, instructing him to write down the heavenly visions that John is seeing. John, then, turns around and physically sees Jesus in his glorified state. And in describing what Christ looked like, he uses almost word-for-word the same description that Daniel uses to describe the heavenly figure in Daniel 10:5-6.
Reflection Questions:
Note the similarities between the description of Christ in Revelation 1:9-17 and the description of the heavenly figure in Daniel 10:5-6. Also note how John and Daniel act when they see the person who is speaking to them. What does this tell us about who Daniel saw?
What do the descriptions of Christ symbolize or communicate about him? For example, the imagery of the sharp two-edged sword coming out of Christ’s mouth is based on prophecies such as Isaiah 11:4, showing that Christ is the supreme judge over the world and that his word is powerful. Try and do this for as many descriptions as you can! (Note, if you need help, look for similar imagery in the rest of the Bible, and allow the other parts of the Bible to inform the interpretation.)
Remember, John is writing to Christians who are suffering severe persecution from the Romans. How would this description of Christ be comforting to those believers? How does John’s description of Christ comfort you? How does this description of Christ deepen your view of who he is?