Revelation 1:12-16 Those who purify themselves will be like Christ in His glory when He appears
Revelation 1:12-16 Those who purify themselves will be like Christ in His glory when He appears
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. 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.
Background
The Apostle John had always wanted to see Christ as He is. John believes that by seeing Christ as He is, he will be able to purify himself as Christ is pure. At the island of Patmos, John’s desire was granted when Christ appeared to him as He is. John recorded the vision for our benefit so that we may purify ourselves according to the image shown to John. By imagining ourselves in Christ having His dressing, hair, eyes and voice, we may bear His attributes in all that we say and do. Today’s devotion teaches us: Those who purify themselves will be like Christ in His glory when He appears.
Observation
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…
The position of the son of man (Christ) relative to the lampstands (the churches) is of utmost significance. Indeed, Jesus is the bridegroom of His bride, the church. The church in the eyes of Christ comprises all who seek the truth. They may be churched or unchurched. For He has given His life to redeem His bride to make her holy and perfect. He is standing with each truth seeker, and His presence constantly guiding and purifying them. Not only that, Christ is the vision of the church and we will become like Him in every aspect.
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.
The robe and the golden sash speak of righteousness. Indeed, all His ways are perfect and just. For He is faithful to do what is righteous even at the cost of His life. And by His righteousness He overcame death to reign as King over all creation.
His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.
The whiteness of hair portrays Christ as having the same eternity as God the Father. Indeed, Christ and the Father are one. His eyes like a flame of fire describes infinite love that pierces even the most hardened sinner. Indeed, He does not deal with us according to our sins.
His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace
His feet like burnished bronze describes His sanctifying power from His presence that exposes and purifies everything.
and His voice was like the sound of many waters.
His voice like the sound of many waters describes His omnipresence. As pervasive as water, His presence reaches every corner of the universe, bringing life and abundance.
In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword;
The seven stars signifies His authority over the angelic forces. And He executes His will and judgment through the word (two-edged sword). And when He speaks, great power proceeds from His mouth (Hebrews 4:12).
and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
The sun signifies Christ as the source of light and life for all creation.
Truth
Those who purify themselves will be like Christ in His glory when He appears.
The Apostle John wrote, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God.” (1 John 3:1a). In love, God adopts us as His children and gives us the opportunity to manifest His full glory. In the light of God’s love, we now have the potential to become like Christ as He is. John wrote,
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. – 1 John 3:2
At the time when John wrote the epistle, he did not know what Christ will be like when He appears. At the island of Patmos, he finally saw Christ as He is and recorded His appearance. That said, not all look forward to this great hope and opportunity. However, those who cherish this hope purify themselves as Christ is pure. John wrote,
And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. – 1 John 3:3
How do we purify ourselves?
John speaks about fixing our hope on Christ by purifying ourselves according to His purity. And Christ’s purity is now made plain through John’s vision of Christ who dwells in the middle of the lampstands. We only have to etch John’s vision into our mind, and to see ourselves in Him wearing the same robe, having the same hair, eyes and voice. In so doing, we project the image of Christ (from the Christ-Self) into our soul causing us to manifest in our body His glory in every aspect of our lives. Therefore, the process of purification involves visualising ourselves in His full glory as often as we can.
Let us now breakdown John’s vision of Christ and how it applies to us. When we see ourselves clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across our Chest with a golden sash, we see ourselves living a life of uncompromising truth and righteousness. We no longer get upset when people accuse us wrongly, for eventually, our works will testify of our righteousness.
When we see ourselves with hair white as wool and snow, we become poise and wise in every situation. We have eternal knowledge and nothing can unsettle us, no matter how chaotic or threatening the situation may be. Nor will anything catch us by surprise for we have the power to see beyond the current circumstances.
When we see our eyes like a flame of fire, we project love and compassion towards every person we meet. When people look into our eyes, they see empathy and unconditional acceptance. As soon as their eyes meet ours, all anger and resentment melt away.
When we see our feet like burnished bronze, we bring God’s sanctifying presence everywhere we go. Because of holiness, no harm or evil can come near us. In our presence, all darkness and deceit will be exposed.
When we hear our voice like the sound of many waters, we see our good influence spreading in all directions. And our fame and glory will precede us.
When we see in our right hand the seven stars, we begin to exercise divine authority over the angels to rule over the people, to heal their sicknesess and solve their problems.
When we see out of our mouth a sharp two-edged sword, we begin to speak with wisdom and authority. And our words become few and measured, knowing that they carry great power to build up or to uproot.
When we see our face like the sun shining in its strength, we see ourselves as the source of grace and truth for many. We grow a big heart to help all who are in need while asking for nothing in return.
Application
As you read the above scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit to conjure an image of the glorified Christ in your mind. You may use the below illustration as a guide. Visualise yourself in Christ with His dressing, hair, eyes and voice.
Imagine yourself in Christ going places and interacting with people. Through imagination and visualisation, you purify your soul to live the eternal life.
Declaration: I, the Christ-Self project the perfection of the glorified Christ into my heart and mind. I will manifest divine love, wisdom, authority to sanctify the world and to bring salvation to all men.