Revelation 1:12-20

Rev. 1:12   Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw  seven golden lampstands;  13 and  in the middle of the lampstands I saw one  like  a son of man,  clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and  girded across His chest with a golden sash.  14 His head and His  hair were white like white wool, like snow; and  His eyes were like a flame of fire.  15 His  feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His  voice was like the sound of many waters.  16 In His right hand He held  seven stars, and out of His mouth came a  sharp two-edged sword; and His  face was like  the sun  shining in its strength. 

Rev. 1:17   When I saw Him, I  fell at His feet like a dead man. And He  placed His right hand on me, saying, “ Do not be afraid;  I am the first and the last, 18 and the  living One; and I   was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have  the keys of death and of Hades. 19 “Therefore  write  the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place  after these things. 20 “As for the  mystery of the  seven stars which 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.

Holy Sepulcher Staircase

Why does John turn? What does he see? (1:12)

John turns to see the voice that was speaking with him (1:12).

He sees seven golden lampstands (1:12).

Describe the one whom John saw in the middle of the lampstands. (1:13-16)

“…one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.”

How does John respond when he saw Him? (1:17)

He fell at His feet like a dead man.

How does Jesus comfort John? How does Jesus describe Himself? What keys does Jesus have? (1:17-18)

• ·       Jesus placed His right hand on John, saying “Do not be afraid . . .”
• ·       “…the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore”
• ·       “the keys of death and of Hades”

What is John commanded (1:19)? How are the “things” described?

• “Write . . .” 
• “. . . the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.”

What interpretation is given for the seven stars and seven lampstands?

• The seven stars in His right hand are the angels of the seven churches (1:20).
• The seven lampstands are the seven churches (1:20).

What attribute of God is emphasized in Revelation 1? Write a prayer in response to Revelation 1?

Divine glory, majesty, and sovereign power. 

Father, You are glorious and Jesus is the exact imprint of Your glory. He is the Messiah, the Son of God and the Son of man. Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with You a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, You highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to Your glory, God the Father. According to the Scriptures, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. And according to the Scriptures, He was raised on the third day. He appeared to the disciples and to more than five hundred brethren at one time, testifying to the power of His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Then, Jesus ascended to sit down at Your right hand in power and majesty, for the work of salvation was complete. You granted revelation of the glorified Christ to John, who once leaned on His bosom. When John saw the fullness of Christ’s glory, John fell at His feet like a dead man. How tender the words of our glorious Savior, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades” (Rev 1:17). Blessed are You, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to Your great mercy have caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for us, who are protected by Your power through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. May You strengthen those whom You love and who are faithful in Christ Jesus, to stand firm in the grace, love, and truth of Jesus, that we may rejoice at His appearing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.