Days of Vengeance - The Preterist Archive

1:16
That all the peoples, nations, and men of every
language might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His Kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed. (Dan. 7:13-14)
I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a
certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with
a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. His body also was like beryl,
His face like lightning, His eyes were like flaming torches,
His arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and
the sound of His words like the sound of a multitude.
Now, I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who
were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great
dread fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves.
So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no
strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a
deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. But I heard the
sound of His words; and as soon as I heard the sound of
His words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my
face to the ground. Then behold, a hand touched me and
set me trembling on my hands and knees. And He said to
me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the
words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I
have now been sent to you.” And when He had spoken
this word to me, I stood up trembling. (Dan. 10:5-11) 29
These and other passages are combined to form the
picture of Christ in St. John’s introductory vision. The
robe reaching to His feet and the golden sash around
His chest 30 (cf. Ex. 28:4; 29:5; 39:27-29; Lev. 16:4) are
reminders of the official dress of the High Priest, whose
clothing was a representation of the Glory-Spirit, a
symbol of the radiant image of God. “Contributing to
the impression of radiance was the flame-colored linen
material prescribed for the ephod, with its band and
breast-piece, and for the bottom of the robe of the
ephod – a shimmering blend of bright reds and blues
with the metallic glint of threads of gold. Highlighting
the fiery effect were the rings and the braided chains of
gold, the radiant golden crown of the mitre, and the
gleam of precious stones set in gold on the shoulder
straps of the ephod and the breastpiece. Artist could
scarcely do more with an earthly palette in a cold
medium to produce the effect of fiery light.” 31
Fiery light: that is exactly the impression given by the
vision of Christ here. The whiteness of His head and
hair (like the Ancient of Days in Dan. 7), 32 the flaming
fire from His eyes (like the throne of Dan. 7 and the
eyes of the Son of Man in Dan. 10), and His feet like
bronze glowing in a furnace (the term for bronze may
refer to an alloy of gold and silver; cf. Mal. 3:2-3) – all
these combine to make the point of Christ’s appearance
in a flashing, brilliant blaze of glory: And His face was
like the sun shining in its strength (v. 16). Compare
with this Jesus Ben Sirach’s striking description of the
glory of the High Priest:
How splendid he was with the people thronging around him,
when he emerged from the curtained shrine,
like the morning star among the clouds,
like the moon at the full,
like the sun shining on the Temple of the Most High,
like the rainbow gleaming against brilliant clouds,
like roses in the days of spring,
like lilies by a freshet of water,
like a sprig of frankincense in summertime,
like fire and incense in the censer
like a vessel of beaten gold
encrusted with every kind of precious stone,
like an olive tree loaded with fruit,
like a cypress soaring to the clouds;
when he put on his splendid vestments,
and clothed himself in glorious perfection,
when he went up to the holy altar,
and filled the sanctuary precincts with his grandeur;
when he received the portions from the hands of the priests,
himself standing by the altar hearth,
surrounded by a crowd of his brothers,
like a youthful cedar of Lebanon
as though surrounded by the trunks of palm trees.
(Ecclesiasticus 50:5-12, Jerusalem Bible)
Completing the glorious picture of Christ is the
statement that His Voice was like the sound of
rushing waters. St. John is identifying the voice of
Christ with the sound of the Cloud – a sound which,
throughout Scripture, resembles numerous earthly
phenomena: wind, thunder, trumpets, armies, chariots,
and waterfalls; 33 or perhaps we should say that all these
earthly phenomena were created to resemble various
facets of the Cloud. 34 The conclusion should be
obvious: The resurrected, transfigured Jesus is the
incarnate Glory of God.
16 In His right hand He held seven stars; St. John
goes on more fully to interpret this in verse 20, but we
should consider first the immediate impression this
sight would give to St. John and his readers. The seven
stars make up the open cluster of stars known as the
Pleiades, poetically thought of in the ancient world as
being bound together on a chain, like a necklace. The
Pleiades, forming part of the constellation Taurus, are
mentioned in Job 9:5-9; 38:31-33; and Amos 5:8. The
sun is with Taurus in Spring (Easter), and the Pleiades
are thus a fitting symbol in connection with the coming
of Christ: He holds the stars that announce the rebirth
and flowering of the world. The other Biblical
references make it clear that the One who holds the
seven stars is the almighty Creator and Sustainer of the
universe.
But there is another dimension to this imagery. The
symbolic use of the seven stars was quite well known in
the first century, for the seven stars appeared regularly
on the Emperor’s coins as symbols of his supreme
political sovereignty. At least some early readers of the
Revelation must have gasped in amazement at St.
John’s audacity in stating that the seven stars were in
Christ’s hand. The Roman emperors had appropriated
to themselves a symbol of dominion that the Bible
reserves for God alone – and, St. John is saying, Jesus
29. Cf. the discussion of this text in relation to Rev.
12:7-9 below.
30. According to Josephus, the priest wore the sash
around his chest when he was at rest and “not
about any laborious service” (Antiquities of the
Jews, iii.vii.2).
31. Kline, Images of the Spirit, p. 43.
32. Note that white hair is glorious, in contrast to
the “perpetual youth” culture of our age.
33. See Chilton, Paradise Restored, p. 58; cf. Ex.
19:16, 19; Ezek. 1:24.
34. See Herman Bavinck, The Doctrine of God
(London: The Banner of Truth Trust, [1951]
1977), pp. 88ff.
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