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Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 236

John's vision of the Son of Man, also known as John’s Vision of Christ, is a

vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

described in the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...

( Revelation 1:9–20) in which the

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

, identified as John, sees a person he describes as one "like the Son of Man" ( verse 13). The Son of Man is portrayed in this vision as having a robe with a golden sash, the hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. He holds seven stars in his right hand and has a double-edged sword coming out of his mouth. The vision has the only known description of the Son of Man in terms of identifiable physical characteristics in any form in the Christian biblical canon.

Account

John of Patmos, the author of the

, wrote how on the

Lord's Day In Christianity, the Lord's Day refers to Sunday, the traditional day of communal worship. It is the first day of the week in the Hebrew calendar and traditional Christian calendars. It is observed by most Christians as the weekly memorial of the ...

he was "in the Spirit", and heard a loud voice "like a trumpet" ( Revelation 1:10). When he turned around, he saw this Son of Man figure. In Revelation 1:18, the figure identifies himself as "the First and the Last", who "was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever", a reference to the

resurrection of Jesus The resurrection of Jesus () is Christianity, Christian belief that God in Christianity, God Resurrection, raised Jesus in Christianity, Jesus from the dead on the third day after Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion, starting—or Preexis ...

Connection with the rest of the book

Some of the language used in Revelation 1 is also used in Revelation 19 to describe the Rider on the White Horse. In both places, he has a sword coming out of his mouth ( 1:16 and 19:15) and has "eyes like blazing fire" ( 1:14 and 19:12). The sword proceeding from Jesus’ mouth describes the counterintuitive way God's messiah conquers: by the word of God. The Son of Man is portrayed as walking ( 2:1) among seven lampstands, which represent the seven churches of Asia ( 1:20). In Revelation 1:11, he says, "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches". Chapters 2 and 3 report the content of the letters written to the angels of the seven churches. Throughout the letters he is identified in terms of the vision, such as "him who has the sharp, double-edged sword" ( Revelation 2:12).

Connection with the Book of Daniel

There is a striking resemblance between John's and Daniel's visions of a son of man. In John's vision the Son of Man has white hair, a sword, and lampstands. In Daniel's vision the Son of Man has a body resembling tarshish, which Rabbi

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi (). Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...

explains – quoting Tractate Hullin 9lb – as the man being as large as the Tarshish Sea in Africa. Rashi interprets Daniel's Son of Man to be the archangel Gabriel. In

Jewish mysticism Academic study of Jewish mysticism, especially since Gershom Scholem's ''Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism'' (1941), draws distinctions between different forms of mysticism which were practiced in different eras of Jewish history. Of these, Kabbal ...

, the angels are the heavenly priests of God who serve in his heavenly temple in his heavenly Jerusalem; hence Gabriel wearing priestly robe and sash. Jesus is similarly depicted because, according to the New Testament, he is the eternal high priest of mankind.

Explanation and interpretation

William Hendriksen suggests that the whole of the vision "is symbolical of Christ, the Holy One, coming to purge His churches," and to "punish those who are persecuting His elect." William Hendriksen, ''More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation'' (Tyndale Press, 1962), p. 56.

Significance of the seven stars

John tells us in Revelation 1:20 that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches () In the New Testament, the Greek word for

angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

s (''aggelos'') is not only used for heavenly angels, but also used for human messengers, such as

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

(, , ). Merrill Unger is of the opinion that human messengers is the meaning of the stars. In commenting on this verse, C. I. Scofield states: "The natural explanation of the "messengers" ngelsis that they were men sent by the seven churches to ascertain the state of the aged apostle ... but they figure any who bear God's messages to a church." Several New Testament scholars believe that the angels are not human messengers. Isbon Beckwith says they represent the churches "ideal conception of its immanent spirit". Henry Barclay Swete refers to the angels as the "prevailing spirit" of the church. Domitian denarius son reverse

One aspect of the vision is the portrayal of Jesus holding seven stars in his right hand. Such a motif is also found on coins of the Emperor

Domitian Domitian ( ; ; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty. Described as "a r ...

. Sometime between 77 and 81, Domitian's infant son died. He was subsequently deified, and is portrayed on coins of Domitian, with seven stars. Ernest Janzen argues that the globe on which the infant stands represents world dominion and power, while the stars indicate his divine nature; he is depicted as "the son of (a) god" and "conqueror of the world." Although Domitian's son cannot be said to be holding the stars, some scholars have drawn parallels between the

numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

and biblical evidences. Frederick Murphy notes that "Revelation's image of Jesus with seven stars in his hand may be an allusion to that coin and an implicit critique of it. It is not the Roman imperial family that has cosmic significance, but Jesus." Austin Farrer, on the other hand, takes them to be the seven

classical planet A classical planet is an astronomical object that is visible to the naked eye and moves across the sky and its backdrop of fixed stars (the common stars which seem still in contrast to the planets), appearing as wandering stars. Visible to huma ...

s, and interprets the vision as representing Christ's lordship over time. Austin Farrer, "Inspiration, Poetical and Divine," in ''Interpretation and Belief'', p. 47.

References