“And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man” (Revelation 1:12,13).

The Apostle John had spent years as a disciple of Jesus Christ. He characterized himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 20:2; 21:20). From joining early in Christ’s ministry to the sprint with Peter towards the grave on resurrection Sunday, John had spent untold hours following Jesus. No person could be more dear in the recollection of this now aged saint than the precious Savior for whom he lived in exile. One is prompted to ask: “John, how come you are so unsure about the identification of this one you now see?”

The answer comes in the following verses. John recognized a resemblance to Jesus who “made Himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). But this Person before him is “clothed . . . with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace” (Revelation 1:13–15). John uses multiple metaphors of brightness to try and convey the fantastic radiance, finally concluding in verse 16 “as the sun shineth in His strength.”

John is so overwhelmed by this glimpse of the glorified Savior that he explains, “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead” (v.17). When an individual in Scripture catches a vision of who God is, there is none of the casual familiarity common today. Small wonder then that when men stand before Him, “every knee should bow . . . and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10,11). DW