Introduction:

I’m sure you all herd about Bodega clerk, 61 year old Jose Alba. He was working at his job at the Blue Moon Convenient Store in Upper Manhattan on the night of July 1, this year when he got into a deadly altercation with Simon a repeated criminal. This felon was beating him. Alba was also stabbed by Simon’s girlfriend. Jose was falsely charged with murder and held in Riker’s Island prison for several days until public outrage got him released on $50,000 bond and later completed vindicated. What an injustice; but it doesn’t compare to what happened to John who was send to a different Riker’s Island prison?

This morning I want you to imagine with me for a moment how you would feel if you had just received an unjust sentence —You will be transported to the a sort of Alcatraz desolate island about six miles wide and ten miles long. You will not be permitted to leave that island. There you will be thrown in with hardened criminal and even though you are old and physically weak you will be required to labor in the mines and quarries. Imagine the thoughts that would run through your mind as you stand in the ship with murderers and thieves approaching this island just 15 miles west Ephesus. How long will you hold up to the harsh treatment there? John met the Glorified Christ on this Island and was given hope and given a mission. Something exciting is about to happened on this rocky, desolate, six by ten mile island in the Aegean Sea. God is about to reveal to Him the Glory of Christ to come and the end of all things. What a blessed privilege. Let’s look at…

I. The Objective of the Message vv.7- 11
1. His doxology is followed with a declaration concerning the Lord’s coming, and a description of who Jesus is in verse 8. All of history is moving to a focal point. One day Jesus will break through the clouds and all the world will change. The church has always lived in the anticipation of this event. His coming will impact everything in the world. He will restore the world and establish his kingdom. I Thess. four speaks of the Rapture but this refers to the latter part of His second coming as described in Daniel 7:13-14.

2. All people’s will witness this profound scene at once…today technology we can do this, those that pierced Him refers to the Jewish nation and all people will mourn. — Zec. 12:10

3. Before John describes his first vision or scene he records the sovereign words of the Lord God who will bring it all to pass. He is the Alpha and Omega, the A to Z, the one in control from before the beginning of time until after the end. His eternity is noted in the phrase, who is, and who was, and who is to come. Finally, His power is seen in the title the Almighty, the one whom none can resist. 9 of the 10 times this term appears in the New Testament are in Revelation.

4. John is here on earth when he tells us he is exiled on the isle of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. This was a rugged and bare, deserted island where Roman prisoners were send. The island of Patmos was a like an Alcatraz Island in the Roman Empire. It was used as a prison island and functioned as a jail without bars. The Apostle John was banished to this island because of his faith in Jesus (95- 96 A.D. by the Roman Emperor Domitian. He was the first Roman emperor to demand that the entire empire honor him as “Lord and God.” Great persecution resulted. The Greek word “Patmos” is translated to mean “my killing.” John spent 18 months working the mines and he was near 90 years old before he was released.

3. John was placed in the privilege position to see the Lord’s Day… John says I was supernaturally transported out of the fleshly world and I was in the Spirit. Awake, not sleeping, this is not a dream. But his senses were empowered with clarity to perceive revelation from God. Verse #10 could also be a reference to the Sabbath although it seems a better reference to that great and notable day of the Lord come.
II The Cause of the Patmos Vision vv.13-16
1. John had his back to the voice so in verse 12 he says, “I turned.” And when he turned he saw the vision of the glorified Son. And he saw the Lord of His church and he saw Him in the midst of His church. This tells us where Jesus is now, in the midst of His churches. We find that in the midst of the church was one like the Son of man, much as described by Daniel. It shows Christ in vivid, majestic form, ministering to His church.
2. Verse 13 says, “He was clothed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded across His chest with a golden sash.” Here is a description of the Son of man in 1:13-16. In former times the long robe is a token of dignity and honor. In the OT the high priest was marked by a robe of this nature mentioned in verse 13. So it indicates Christ’s kingly role, it illustrates His priestly role denoting He is a merciful and faithful High Priest. And what does a High Priest do? He intercedes. He is called the High Priest of our confession. — Hebrews 4:14.
3. The golden girdle/ sash is symbolic of service. His head and His hair were white like wool, like snow. That’s an obvious reference to Daniel 7:9 where he is describing God. Here it is describing Christ. He has the same attributes and the same characteristics as God for they are one…
4. His eyes were as aflame of fire (1:14). This conveys all-penetrating intelligence, and power to read secrets, to bring hidden things to light, and to search all hearts at a glance. These are the eyes that will try us at the last day. His feet were like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace (1:15). This indicated the trials He experienced in His earthly life, which made Him an all-knowing and experienced judge. Feet of brass also represent strength and stability. His voice was like the sound of many waters (1:15), which represents His overwhelming authority that begs us to listen like at Niagara Falls. Remember His voice too was described by John as a trumpet.
5. In 1:16 we are told that He had in his right hand seven stars, These seven stars are the angels of the churches (1:20). The word angel means “messenger.” So, these angels are the messengers or pastors of the churches. Being in the right hand has to do with the divine calling of a pastor. It does not mean that a pastor is closer to God, but that he is to lead the church. This is the will of God. His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength (1:16 Remember the experience of Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus in Acts 9:3-9. The effect of this dazzling sight upon John was paralyzing as we note he falls as dead as a…
III The Consequences of the Patmos Vision vv. 17-20
1. What John saw was absolutely overpowering and so his the first reaction was fear. “When I saw Him I fell at His feet as a dead man.” He is overwhelmed, motionless, shock, almost lifeless. One other time, on the Mount of Transfiguration, it says he fell on his face and was afraid. Seeing God is a frightening thing. It fills the heart with fear to see the glory of God.
Remember the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17 verse 2, Jesus was transfigured before them. We read, “His face shone like the sun and His garments became as white as light.” That’s almost a duplication of the appearance of Christ here in Revelation.
This time it’s even worse, he’s like a dead man. The awesome Lord Jesus has been revealed in all His glory. The Lord says, fear not.
2. No sinful mortal can look into the face of God. He immediately was conscious of the burden of his own nothingness, the burden of his own folly, the burden of his own insignificance, his own shortcoming, his own humanity, his own sin and iniquity. In awe, in reverence, in godly fear for his own destruction because of his sin, he fell like a dead man at the feet of Christ.
3. The Lord identified himself as the first and last. John doesn’t need to fear because the living God, the first and the last, says, “Stop being afraid of Me.” Jesus Christ is taking the Old Testament name of God and applying it to Himself. This also is the name God throughout the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 44:6, Isaiah 48:12, in all of those places God says, “I am the first and the last” is saying Jesus Christ the same. The glorified Lord of the church is the eternally living God who was before all gods and will remain after all gods. He is the “I am.”
4. Then He adds this in verse 18, “And I was dead and behold I am alive forever more.” Literally the Greek says, “I became dead and behold I am alive for evermore.” The living exalted Christ says, “I’m the One who controls the door to death and Hades.” I have the keys that open it and let people in. I have the keys to close it. I decide who dies and when. I decide who lives.
Death and Hades in a way are synonyms, although if you want to make a distinction, death is the condition and Hades is the place. Hades would be the equivalent of Old Testament Sheol, the place of the dead. He says, “I have the keys.” What does that mean? Keys mean access, keys mean authority. A key gives someone the power to open and close. And the living exalted Christ says, “I’m the One who controls the door to death and Hades.” I have the keys that open it and let people in. I have the keys to close it. I decide who dies and when. I decide who lives.
Conclusion:
History records in the year, A.D. 96, Domitian died and his successor, Nerva, pardoned John. Domitian died but John lived on and died of natural causes.
Jesus touches us and says, “Stop being afraid, you belong to Me, I the eternal God have determined your destiny. I have paid the price for your sin, you have nothing to fear.”