Revelation Chapter One, Christ In The Old Testament

Revelation 1:13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. [14] His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; [15] His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;

Jesus once told Peter, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?” John 21:22. And now, here He is. John receives his first glimpse of the glorified Christ, standing in the midst of the lampstands, which both represent the seven Asiatic churches, or the spiritual state of the church throughout this dispensation, as well as God the Holy Spirit dwelling amongst the saints in an indwelling unique to the church age.

Who stood in the midst of the lampstands? One like the Son of Man. There is familiarity in John’s depiction, but also a distinct difference. The Lord was glorified as John once briefly beheld Him on the mount, Matthew 17:2. This recalls Ezekiel’s experience with the Lord, where we read, “and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man,” Ezekiel 1:26, NIV. The prophet was describing God’s appearance to him by the river Chebar, enthroned in fiery glory with the Cherubim surrounding Him. His visage was awesome, and the prophet continues, stating, “I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him,” Ezekiel 1:27, 28, NIV. So overwhelmed was Ezekiel by this sudden and amazing appearance that he collapsed face down before God, much the same way John was about to do, Ezekiel 1:28, Revelation 1:17. The key difference here is that the voice spoke to John before he saw the Lord, whereas Ezekiel saw the Lord, fell down, and then God addressed him.

Herein we begin to see that Revelation is not just a depiction of the end times and the renewal of creation beneath the beneficence of God’s reign. It is also a clear depiction of who Jesus Christ actually is: He is the Creator God Yahweh, wreathed and crowned in glory, coming in the clouds with the saints and angels to rule the universe. As John continues his description of the glorified Christ this will only become clearer.

The second portion of this verse aligns with a passage from Daniel. We read, “I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. His body was also like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult,” Daniel 10:5, 6, NASB. The result of this sight provoked Daniel to collapse as if dead; a reaction both Ezekiel and John shared when in the same situation. It was when this Man spoke Daniel finally fainted, Daniel 10:9. While there was angelic ministry occurring here (see Hebrews 1:14), it does seem apparent that Daniel likewise beheld the glorified Christ, since this description aligns with both Ezekiel and John’s testimony. 

Couple this testimony with an earlier passage in Daniel and we read, “And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool, His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire,” Daniel 7:9. The fiery throne and the wheels align with the testimony of Ezekiel, from chapters 1 and 10 of his own book. And yet the description of the “certain man” and of God on His throne are incorporated into the image of the one like the Son of Man John was beholding. Christ was clothed with the golden band, whose head and hair were white as wool or snow, while His eyes were flames of fire. His feet glowed like brass refined in a furnace, while His voice was akin to the sound of many waters, powerful and mighty like the trumpet or tumult.

Daniel further sees one like the Son of Man approach the Ancient of Days, and this One was given an eternal kingdom and dominion, so that all nations, peoples and languages should serve Him, Daniel 7:13, 14. What Daniel saw here John sees as well beginning in Revelation chapter 5, when the timetable of Christ’s imminent kingdom resumes after the Rapture of the church. Daniel’s final week will begin. But more on that later.

When Jesus said to the Jews, “I and My Father are one,” this is what He meant, see John 10:30. It is a term of singular essence and equality in stature. Christ possesses all that belongs to the Father, and the Father likewise. This is why, when John sees Christ, he sees in Him the Ancient of Days: a title given to God on His throne as the Son approached to receive His kingdom. This is also why Isaiah could write, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government will be upon His shoulder: and His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace,” Isaiah 9:6. The context clearly connotes that the prophet refers to the Christ. Yet He is also referred to as both the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three persons that comprise one being we know as God. The oneness Jesus refers to is that of an indivisible nature shared in the Godhead. Can this be reasonably explained from a human standpoint? No, I personally do not believe so. One cannot exhaustively explain something’s nature apart from sharing it. Being human, I can explain human nature quite well since it is what, by nature, I share. We don’t need to explain God on that level. This is where perhaps well-meaning but poorly instructed men like Charles Taze Russell erred; he tried to bring God down to human level so he could better understand Him. It failed; his heretical doctrine only engendered further confusion and misunderstanding. God is not human, and His ways and thoughts are infinitely above human ideology, see Isaiah 55:8, 9.

John heard the sound of the Lord’s voice, clear and strong as a trumpet’s command, and turned to see the summation of Old Testament prophecy standing before him. Donald Barnhouse once commented that Revelation is the train station of the Bible; all of the individual routes lead here to this junction. Here the tapestry is complete, the picture filled in, the numerous congruent perspectives brought into sharp and focused harmony. Christ, wearing the glory native to His person, adorned in the imagery that made the prophets of old faint from amazement, stood to deliver the message to the churches, and what would come afterward. He was Ezekiel’s Lord God; He was Daniel’s Ancient of Days; He was Isaiah’s everlasting Father. We know Him as Jesus Christ, our Savior and the world’s Redeemer.