Every time I think of Jesus' words to the churches in the book of Revelation (that is, the seven at the beginning of the book), I think of how He looked to John--Majestic. The King of Kings. The Lord of Lords. The Alpha and the Omega. The Judge. The Almighty. The Lord of the Churches.
This is, of course, a huge contrast with His first appearance as a tiny baby, a child, a man, a corpse, and finally a resurrected Man.
What struck me this morning was the simple question, "Why did He appear this way to John, who knew Him familiarly, respected Him as Lord, and followed Him nearly His whole life?" The answer is found in the rest of the book of Revelation.
Once Jesus entered heaven, His true character was unveiled, and the book of Revelation is just that--it's a revealing of Jesus Christ--first to John, then to the churches, and finally to all the world, including those who reject(ed) Him. He wanted the churches to know who He is now, not what He was like in his humiliation. This vision is calculated, too. Jesus Christ's appearance changes significantly over the course of the book of Revelation. In the opening chapters, He's the magnificent Lord. In Revelation 5, He's the slain Lamb. In Revelation 19, He's the Rider on the white horse, who conquers all the armies of the earth with a word. The point is, He's ALL these. He's still the Man who came to earth. He's the Bright and Morning Star. He's the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He's the Lamb. He's the Judge.
He intentionally varies His appearance to communicate Himself to us, so that we can see Him in ALL His glory, in ALL His power, in ALL His greatness. It's almost like a skilled jeweler showing us every facet of a diamond, with the light glinting off it in different ways, yet with the one stone a beautiful, unified whole.
Look for Jesus in the book of Revelation. That's what the book is about, and the judgments, the plagues, the seals, and the trumpets are ways of bringing Him into full view at the end, so that we may understand Him properly, and to prepare us to spend eternity with this Mighty King, this Glorious Lord, this Mighty One, who sits at the right hand of the Father, and that we may rest secure in the fact that He is indeed the final Ruler of the Universe.
As one of the final few verses of the book of Revelation says:
Rev. 22:14 (NASB) Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.
Live forever. With Him. Live undisturbed in the light of His glory for all the days of eternity.
This is, of course, a huge contrast with His first appearance as a tiny baby, a child, a man, a corpse, and finally a resurrected Man.
What struck me this morning was the simple question, "Why did He appear this way to John, who knew Him familiarly, respected Him as Lord, and followed Him nearly His whole life?" The answer is found in the rest of the book of Revelation.
Once Jesus entered heaven, His true character was unveiled, and the book of Revelation is just that--it's a revealing of Jesus Christ--first to John, then to the churches, and finally to all the world, including those who reject(ed) Him. He wanted the churches to know who He is now, not what He was like in his humiliation. This vision is calculated, too. Jesus Christ's appearance changes significantly over the course of the book of Revelation. In the opening chapters, He's the magnificent Lord. In Revelation 5, He's the slain Lamb. In Revelation 19, He's the Rider on the white horse, who conquers all the armies of the earth with a word. The point is, He's ALL these. He's still the Man who came to earth. He's the Bright and Morning Star. He's the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He's the Lamb. He's the Judge.
He intentionally varies His appearance to communicate Himself to us, so that we can see Him in ALL His glory, in ALL His power, in ALL His greatness. It's almost like a skilled jeweler showing us every facet of a diamond, with the light glinting off it in different ways, yet with the one stone a beautiful, unified whole.
Look for Jesus in the book of Revelation. That's what the book is about, and the judgments, the plagues, the seals, and the trumpets are ways of bringing Him into full view at the end, so that we may understand Him properly, and to prepare us to spend eternity with this Mighty King, this Glorious Lord, this Mighty One, who sits at the right hand of the Father, and that we may rest secure in the fact that He is indeed the final Ruler of the Universe.
As one of the final few verses of the book of Revelation says:
Rev. 22:14 (NASB) Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.
Live forever. With Him. Live undisturbed in the light of His glory for all the days of eternity.
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