Revelation 1:12-21 - The Son Of Man (Outline)

"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

1.  Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me
2. On turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and
1. Seven churches - Christ in the midst (Paul Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Collosse, Philippi, and Thessolonica)
2. Separate lampstands, not the one lampstand described in OT
3. OT priest would trim, clean, and refill with oil the lamps. Christ maintains the church by trimming out those who do not belong, cleaning out sin, and empowering us with grace.
3. In the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man
1. Description of Christ relative to the needs of the churches, we see Christ like that, the older we get the more ways we've seen Christ, does not mean other attributes are nonexistent, just not in focus.
2. "Son of man" most commonly used name for Jesus by Jesus in Gospels, Daniel 7:13 implies deity in the name
3. Clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.
1. Long robe sign of dignity, common people wore short for mobility, long for those with not much to do
2. Priest wore sash around waist for service (John 13:4, feet), judge or magistrate around the chest for authority
3. Golden sash, not part gold, like that of priest: both priest and king, intercessor and ruler
4. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow - blazing white, purity of Christ, not age
5. His eyes were like a flame of fire, - searching, piercing laser
6. his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and - judgment, stamp out evil, bronze associated in OT with judgment (altar, utensils)
7. his voice was like the roar of many waters. - authority, John on Patmos
8. In his right hand he held seven stars, - sovereign over church and its leaders
9. from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and
1. Big broadsword for destruction, not smaller sword for piercing
2. Not carrying in his teeth, his Word is his Sword just as it is ours
3. Two edges, two purposes, destroy and protect
10. his face was like the sun shining in full strength. - glory of the son, Moses on Mt. Sinai, Transfiguration (Peter, John, James, Mk 9:3)
4. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.
1. Common reaction
2. Even John reacted, after years of knowing Christ
1. Good - Abraham (Gen. 17:3), Ezekiel (3:23), Daniel (8:17)
2. Bad - Gideon (Judg. 6:22-23), Job (42:5-6), Zacharias (Luke 1:2)
3. Comfort or Curse
5. But he laid his right hand on me, saying,
1. "Fear not, I am the first and the last,
2. and the living one.
3. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore,
4. and I have the keys of Death and Hades. - synonyms, condition/place, not Satan
5. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.
6. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. - seven messengers, epistle runners, leaders of the church, guardian angels