The Man in the Middle of the Churches Text: Revelation 1:9-20
Introduction: The Unveiling
The book of Revelation is just that, a revelation. An unveiling. An apocalypse. It is not, as many seem to think, an exercise in deliberate obscuration. It is not God trying to hide things from us in a thicket of impenetrable symbols. Rather, it is God showing us things as they really are. The problem is not with the text; the problem is with our materialistic, spiritually tone-deaf generation. We have been trained to think that the "real" world is the one we see on the news, the one measured by polls and economic forecasts. But John, on the island of Patmos, is given a glimpse behind the curtain. He is shown the engine room of history. He is shown who is really in charge.
And what is the central reality? It is not the Roman Empire. It is not the Jewish authorities who conspired to exile him. It is not the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the latest political crisis. The central reality, the fixed point around which all of history revolves, is the glorified, risen, and reigning Lord Jesus Christ. And where is He? He is in the middle of His churches.
This vision is given to John for a particular reason, at a particular time. John is in exile "because of the word of God and the witness of Jesus." The churches in Asia Minor are facing persecution, compromise, and the constant temptation to syncretize with the pagan culture. They are feeling small, pressured, and perhaps insignificant in the face of Rome's might. And so God pulls back the veil to show John, and to show them, and to show us, the true state of affairs. This is not a political analysis. This is a theological reality check. The world is not run from Rome or Washington D.C. It is run from the right hand of the Father, by the Son who holds the stars in His hand and walks among the lampstands.
We must get this straight from the outset. If your Christ is small, your fears will be big. If your Christ is subject to political forces, your hope will be fragile. But if you see the Christ that John saw, then everything else, tribulation, persecution, exile, it all gets recalibrated. It all finds its proper size. This vision is meant to fortify the saints. It is meant to terrify the wicked. And it is meant to clarify for all time who is the Lord of history.
The Text
I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the witness of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, saying, “Write in a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 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. And 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, and having in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp two-edged sword which comes out of His mouth, and His face was like the sun shining in its power.
And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not fear; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 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.
(Revelation 1:9-20 LSB)
The Context of Revelation (vv. 9-11)
John begins by establishing his credentials and his circumstances. He is not a detached observer; he is a brother in the thick of it.
"I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the witness of Jesus." (Revelation 1:9)
John identifies himself not by his apostolic authority primarily, but by his solidarity with the churches. He is a "brother" and a "fellow partaker." He shares in three things, and they are all "in Jesus." First, the tribulation. The Christian life is not a playground; it is a battleground. To be faithful to the word of God and the witness of Jesus in a hostile world is to invite trouble. John's exile to Patmos, a Roman penal colony, is exhibit A. But notice, he is not a victim of circumstance. He is there for a reason, a good reason: "because of the word of God and the witness of Jesus." His chains are a badge of honor.
Second, he partakes in the kingdom. This is crucial. Though he is in tribulation, he is simultaneously in the kingdom. The kingdom is not some far-off future reality. It is a present possession for those in Jesus. Christ is reigning now. This is why postmillennialism is not some quirky eschatological option; it is the necessary implication of the New Testament. We are in the kingdom, and that kingdom is advancing, despite and through the tribulation.
Third, he partakes in perseverance. This is the grit required to hold the first two realities together. How do you live as a citizen of the kingdom while suffering tribulation? Through perseverance, which is a gift of grace, sustained by the Spirit.
The vision comes at a specific time and with a specific command.
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, saying, 'Write in a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches...'" (Revelation 1:10-11)
John was "in the Spirit." This is not just a feeling of piety. This is a state of prophetic ecstasy, where the veil between heaven and earth is drawn back. And it happens on "the Lord's day." This is the first day of the week, the day of resurrection. The old covenant had the Sabbath, the seventh day, which commemorated the old creation. The new covenant has the Lord's Day, which commemorates the new creation inaugurated by Christ's victory over the grave. It is the day God remade the world. It is fitting, then, that on this day, John would receive a vision of the Lord of the new creation, overseeing His new creation people, the church.
The voice he hears is like a trumpet, clear, authoritative, and impossible to ignore. This is not a whisper of suggestion. This is a royal command. The message is not for John's private edification. It is to be written down and sent to the seven churches. This is God's Word, for God's people. And though it was addressed to seven specific, historical churches in the first century, its message, through the canon of Scripture, is for all churches in all ages.
The Vision of the Glorified Christ (vv. 12-16)
John turns to see the source of this commanding voice, and what he sees is the central reality of the cosmos.
"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man..." (Revelation 1:12-13)
He sees seven golden lampstands, which we are told plainly in verse 20 are the seven churches. The imagery is drawn directly from the Tabernacle and Temple, where the golden menorah provided light in the holy place. The church, then, is God's light-bearer in the world. But the lampstands are not the main event. The main event is the one walking in their midst. In the middle of the churches is "one like a son of man."
This title comes straight from Daniel 7, where the "Son of Man" comes to the Ancient of Days and is given everlasting dominion, glory, and a kingdom. This is a title of divine authority and messianic rule. This is Jesus, but not the gentle Jesus, meek and mild, of our flannelgraph boards. This is the risen, ascended, and glorified King of kings.
The description that follows is a cascade of Old Testament imagery, each detail revealing something of His character and power. He is clothed in a long robe with a golden sash, the attire of a high priest and a king. His head and hair are white like wool or snow, signifying the wisdom and purity of the "Ancient of Days" from Daniel 7. He is eternal. His eyes are like a flame of fire, piercing, judging, seeing all things as they truly are. Nothing is hidden from His gaze. His feet are like burnished bronze, glowing in a furnace, symbolizing His unshakeable stability and the fiery judgment He will tread out against His enemies. His voice is like the sound of many waters, majestic, powerful, overwhelming all other voices.
In His right hand, the hand of power and authority, He holds seven stars. Again, verse 20 tells us these are the "angels" or messengers of the seven churches. Whether these are heavenly beings or the pastors of the churches, the point is the same: the leadership of the church is held securely in Christ's sovereign hand. He appoints them, He sustains them, and He holds them accountable. Out of His mouth comes a sharp two-edged sword, which Hebrews tells us is the Word of God, able to divide soul and spirit. His Word is His weapon. He doesn't fight with carnal weapons; He speaks, and kingdoms fall. And finally, His face is like the sun shining in its full power. This is undiluted, unveiled glory. To look upon Him is to be overwhelmed by the sheer force of His divine majesty.
The Response and the Commission (vv. 17-20)
John's reaction is the only sane reaction for a sinful man in the presence of unveiled holiness.
"And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, 'Do not fear...'" (Revelation 1:17)
This is not the casual, buddy-buddy relationship with Jesus that modern evangelicalism often promotes. This is terror. This is the proper response to divine glory. Like Isaiah in the temple, like Daniel by the river, John is completely undone. But the one whose glory undoes him is also the one who restores him. The same right hand that holds the stars and wields all power is placed gently on John in comfort. And the first words out of the mouth of this terrifying figure are "Do not fear."
This is the paradox of the gospel. The one who has every reason to destroy us is the one who bids us not to be afraid. And He gives the reason why. "I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Hades." He is the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega, the sovereign God of all history. He is the living one, the source of all life. And He entered into death, our greatest enemy, and conquered it from the inside. He is not just a survivor of death; He is its conqueror. And because He has conquered it, He now holds the keys. Death and Hades are not sovereign forces. They are a locked room, and Jesus holds the only key. He determines who goes in and who comes out. This is the ultimate comfort for the saints facing martyrdom. Their persecutors do not have the final say. Jesus does.
Because of who He is and what He has done, He gives John his marching orders.
"Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things." (Revelation 1:19)
John is to write what he has seen (this vision of the glorified Christ), the things which are (the current state of the seven churches, which Christ is about to dictate), and the things which will take place after these things. Given the repeated emphasis in Revelation on the nearness of these events, this refers primarily to the coming judgment on apostate Israel and the pagan Roman empire, which was fulfilled in the cataclysm of A.D. 70. This book is not a crystal ball for predicting the headlines 2,000 years in our future; it was a desperately needed survival guide for the first-century church.
The vision concludes with Christ Himself interpreting the central symbols. "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." (v. 20). The Lord does not want us to be confused. He defines His terms. The mystery is revealed. The stars are the church leaders, the lampstands are the churches. And where is Christ? He is in the middle, holding the leaders, tending the lamps, the sovereign Lord of His people.
Conclusion: The Center Holds
So what is the takeaway for us? It is precisely the same as it was for the seven churches. Our world is full of intimidating forces. We have our own Romes, our own persecutions, our own temptations to compromise. It is easy to feel that the church is small and fragile, and that the forces of secularism and paganism are overwhelming.
But this vision rips the veil off that lie. The church is not a flickering candle in the wind. It is a golden lampstand, precious to God. Its leaders are not isolated and vulnerable; they are stars held in the right hand of the Son of God. And most importantly, Jesus Christ is not distant and disengaged. He is walking among us. His fiery eyes see our works, our love, our faith, and our sin. His powerful voice speaks to us through His Word. His sharp sword judges the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. And His glorious presence is the central, organizing reality of the universe.
Therefore, we are not to fear. We are not to fear the threats of a hostile culture. We are not to fear the prospect of suffering for the faith. We are not even to fear death itself. Why? Because our Lord was dead, and behold, He is alive forevermore. And He holds the keys. Because He is the center, the center holds. And because the center holds, we can, and we must, persevere in tribulation as citizens of the kingdom, all in Jesus.