Unforgettable Jesus in Revelation 1
IT’S NOT THE END — IT TIES IT ALL TOGETHER
If you’re not familiar with Jesus or Christianity, you’ve still more than likely at least heard of the book of Revelation in the Bible. It’s the 66th book, the last one, and one of the most misunderstood. If you are a Christian, it tends to be either the book we just don’t talk about, or there’s an odd infatuation with it where you trade out much of the true meaning for weird prophecies that only serve to strike fear in people. Then there is option C: taking Jesus for who He is. Everyone is at a different stage in their beliefs, but take some time now to see what Jesus has to say about Himself in this last book. Let’s read two paragraphs from the first chapter of Revelation.
REVELATION 1:7-8 NLT Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for Him. Yes! Amen! ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,’ says the Lord God. ‘I am the One who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.
REVELATION 1:12-18 NLT When I [Apostle John] turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lamp stands. And standing in the middle of the lamp stands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across His chest. His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in His right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from His mouth. And His face was like the sun in all its brilliance. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if I were dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living One. I died, but look—I Am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.
Who can fully explain and describe the awe of these verses? John, one of Jesus’ disciples, wrote the words we just read. John knew Jesus, he walked with Jesus, and he talked face to face with Jesus. And still, when Jesus appeared to him here, he was so floored that he passed out. What was different about this Jesus compared to the Jesus he walked with before on planet Earth? John had known Him as meek and mild, but here He was described as having eyes “like a flame of fire.” Jesus is so awesome, He is not capable of being put in a box and completely described and confined. How great and scary is this? Think of the grace and promises He makes. They are the best gifts able to be given, but they are not something to take lightly as He paid a high price for us to have them. Jesus offers us His gift, but it’s up to us to embrace it. What good are grace and mercy if there is no consequence for rejecting Him? Some say that’s not fair, but the reality is we have no right to decide what directives are fair and which are not when they come from the Creator of the universe. If anything, it’s unfair that He chose to redeem humans who previously rejected Him.
We must realize how desperate we are, or are not, for Him. It’s so much more than intellectual understanding and “making sense” of these things. Read the verses above again and ask God to reveal to you what He’s saying here. This isn’t the end — it’s what ties it all together.