The risen Jesus appears to John in overwhelming divine majesty while standing among the seven churches. He commands John to write, and He reveals Himself as the living One who died, rose again, and now rules even over death and Hades.

John’s vision makes clear that the risen Jesus is not distant from His churches. He stands among them in divine glory, speaks with full authority, and gives this revelation for suffering believers who must endure faithfully.

John presents himself as a brother and partner with these believers, not as a distant religious expert. He shares with them in persecution, kingdom, and endurance, all of which are found in Jesus. Suffering, belonging to Christ’s kingdom, and patient perseverance therefore belong together. Present hardship does not mean Christ is absent or that His kingdom is unreal. Believers share even now in both suffering and kingdom life, and so they must endure.

John was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. He was there because of faithful witness, not private retreat. Revelation begins in the setting of costly obedience.

He was “in the Spirit” on the Lord’s Day. This means he was receiving genuine prophetic revelation through the Spirit, not merely having an ordinary religious feeling. The Lord’s Day most likely refers to the day especially associated with the risen Lord in early Christian usage, though the exact nuance should not be pressed too far.

John hears behind him a loud voice like a trumpet telling him to write what he sees in a book and send it to the seven churches. The command to write comes before John turns to see the speaker. From the beginning, then, this message carries divine authority. It is not material for speculation, but a commissioned word from the Lord to real churches.

When John turns, he first sees seven golden lampstands, and then one like a son of man standing in the middle of them. The lampstands are later identified as the seven churches. That setting matters. Christ is shown in the midst of His churches, not far away from them. The lampstand imagery also suggests a holy, witness-bearing people, though the text itself specifically identifies the lampstands as the churches. His glory is revealed in direct relation to their life, witness, worship, and accountability.

The title “one like a son of man” echoes Daniel 7, where a heavenly ruler receives dominion from God. But the description does more than say Jesus looks human. John uses a series of comparisons to describe revealed glory. This is not a literal bodily sketch. The imagery communicates Christ’s majesty, purity, authority, and judgment.

Jesus is clothed in a long robe with a golden sash across His chest, showing dignity and majesty with priestly and royal overtones. His head and hair are white like wool, white as snow, recalling imagery used in Daniel for the Ancient of Days and pointing to glory that belongs to God. His eyes are like a fiery flame, showing penetrating and searching judgment. His feet are like refined bronze, suggesting strength, stability, and irresistible firmness. His voice is like many waters, an Old Testament image for the overwhelming sound of divine glory. He holds seven stars in His right hand. A sharp two-edged sword comes from His mouth, pointing to the power and authority of His word to judge, expose, and rule. His face shines like the sun at full strength, displaying radiant glory beyond human endurance.

When John sees Him, he falls at His feet as though dead. This vision is not a tame or sentimental picture of Jesus, but an unveiling of the exalted Christ in eschatological glory. Yet the same Lord who overwhelms John also comforts him. Jesus places His right hand on him—the same hand that holds the seven stars—and says, “Do not be afraid.” His sovereign authority and His pastoral care are held together.

Jesus then says, “I am the first and the last, and the one who lives.” In Isaiah, the title “the first and the last” is used of the Lord Himself, so its use here strongly identifies Jesus within the sphere of divine identity. Yet He also says, “I was dead, but look, now I am alive forever and ever.” His authority over death is grounded in His own death and resurrection. He has conquered death personally.

He then says that He holds the keys of death and Hades. Keys symbolize authority and control. Jesus has dominion over death and the realm of the dead. Suffering believers, therefore, can face death with confidence because death itself is under Christ’s rule.

In verse 19, Jesus commands John to write “what you saw, what is, and what will be after these things.” This gives the broad scope of the book. It includes the vision John has seen, the present situation of the churches, and what follows. It likely provides a general map of the book’s movement, but it should not be forced into an overly rigid outline.

Finally, Jesus explains part of the symbolism. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. This matters for how Revelation should be read. The symbols are not left to uncontrolled imagination. At key points, the text itself explains them. The angels are most likely heavenly representatives of the churches, since “angel” in Revelation normally refers to heavenly beings, though the exact nature of their relation to the churches is not fully explained.

So this passage introduces the whole book by showing who rules over it: the risen Jesus in divine majesty, present among His churches and speaking with full authority. The message of Revelation comes from the One who died, now lives forever, and rules even over death and Hades. Therefore the churches must hear this book with reverence, endurance, and obedience.