Overview:
Drawing from Revelation 1:9–20, Pastor Chuck Swindoll analyzes the supernatural vision given to the apostle John.The revelator had walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry, was charged to care for Jesus’ mother, Mary, and came upon the empty tomb with Peter! Now, take in the special sights and sounds of eternity that John conveys. At the center of John’s vision, discover the central figure, Jesus, who reveals His accomplished work on the cross and His victorious rule.
Message Summary:
In this message centering on Revelation 1:9–20, Chuck Swindoll introduces the Apostle John’s dramatic vision of the glorified Christ. Swindoll begins by emphasizing the penetrating power of the Word of God, describing it as a surgeon’s tool that performs surgery on the soul to reveal who we truly are. He sets the scene on the island of Patmos, where John is exiled not as a bitter prisoner, but as a “brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation.” Swindoll notes the humility of John, who, despite his apostolic authority and intimacy with Jesus, identifies himself simply as a co-sharer in the endurance found in Jesus [10–13].
Swindoll guides the listener through John’s experience of being “in the Spirit” on the Lord’s Day, where he hears a voice like a trumpet commanding him to write on a scroll. Turning to see the source of the voice, John witnesses Jesus not as the earthly carpenter, but as the unveiled Deity standing among seven golden lampstands. Swindoll details the terrifying majesty of this figure: hair white like snow, eyes like flames of fire, feet like glowing bronze, and a voice thundering like “many waters” [16, 20–21, 26–28].
The message culminates in John’s response to this overwhelming glory: he falls at Jesus’ feet “like a dead man.” Swindoll highlights the tender response of the Lord, who places His hand on John and says, “Do not be afraid.” Swindoll draws two primary lessons from this encounter: first, the better we understand who Christ really is, the quicker we will submit to Him; and second, the greater our willingness to submit, the deeper the truths He will reveal [31–32, 35–37].
Message Key Facts:
- John’s Difficult Task: Swindoll acknowledges the immense challenge John faced in communicating 21st-century realities (or eternal visions) using 1st-century vocabulary. He notes that John wrote this nearly a century before the Maya monuments and long before electricity, yet had to describe things that transcended his time [8–9].
- The Context of Patmos: John was exiled to a small, 6-by-10-mile island called Patmos because of his “unequivocal, faithful, uncompromising commitment” to the Word of God. Swindoll notes that Emperor Domitian demanded to be called “Lord,” and because John refused, he was sent to a penal colony to break rocks.
- Vision vs. Dream: Citing Merrill Unger, Swindoll distinguishes between a dream (which happens during sleep) and a vision (a supernatural presentation while awake). John was fully awake when he was transported to a plane of existence beyond the familiar world [18–19].
- The Seven Lampstands: Swindoll clarifies that the “seven golden lampstands” are not a single candelabra (menora) but seven separate stands holding oil to fuel light. As interpreted in verse 20, these represent the seven churches [24–25].
- The Seven Stars: The text identifies the stars in Christ’s hand as the angelos (messengers) of the churches. Swindoll interprets these not as literal angels (who do not need letters written to them), but as the human messengers or pastors of the congregations [28–29].
- The “Romphaia” Sword: Swindoll explains that the sword coming out of Christ’s mouth is not a small dagger (makaira) but a romphaia—a large, two-edged battle sword used for decapitation. This symbolizes the lethal power of His judgment.
- The Divine Outline: Swindoll identifies Revelation 1:19 as the outline for the entire book:
- “The things which you have seen” (Chapter 1).
- “The things which are” (Chapters 2–3).
- “The things which will take place after these things” (Chapters 4–22).
- Perception Leads to Humility: Swindoll contrasts glancing at something (blepo) with perceiving the reality of it (horao). When John truly “saw” (perceived) the glory of Christ, he fell. Swindoll argues that arrogance is a sign that a person does not truly know the real Christ [36–38].
Message References:
- Revelation 1:9: John introduces himself as “your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and Kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus”.
- Revelation 1:10: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet”.
- Revelation 1:12–16: The description of the glorified Christ, including the white hair, eyes of fire, feet of bronze, and the sharp two-edged sword [2–3].
- Revelation 1:17: “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man”.
- Revelation 1:18: “I am the living one and I was dead and behold I am alive forever more and I have the keys of death and of Hades”.
- Revelation 1:19: The command to write the things seen, the things which are, and the things which will take place hereafter.
- Hebrews 4:12: Referenced regarding the Word of God being “sharper than a two-edged sword” and a “discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart”.
- 2 Corinthians 4: Referenced regarding the concept of being “troubled on every side yet not distressed” (tribulation).
