Revelation 1:17
Over the centuries, perhaps no book of the Bible has been met with more curiosity than the last one, the book of Revelation. And yet the primary purpose of the book is not to arouse our curiosity, but to provoke worship and glad surrender in our hearts. It had been more than 60 years since the apostle John dropped his nets to follow Christ. For more than three years, he had a front row seat as he witnessed Jesus do the miraculous. He witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus as He was instantaneously enrobed in white shimmering light. He was at the foot of the cross as Jesus took His final breaths, and he was witness to the resurrection. John had seen it all and had stories to tell! Yet as remarkable as that was, nothing was as breathtaking as the vision he saw that is recorded in the book of Revelation. At this point in his life, he was in his nineties. He had been exiled for his faith by the emperor Domitian to a prison colony on the isle of Patmos, some 60 miles southwest of Ephesus where he had once been pastor.
In the first chapter, John says that as he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, the veil between heaven and earth was torn. He was invited into the presence of Christ in all of His power and glory. The Lord then tells John to write down what he saw, and the result is what we read in Revelation. John saw a vision of the glorified Christ. This vision of Christ was totally different in appearance from the Savior that John knew in the flesh in His earthly ministry. This was not the gentle Jewish carpenter. John sees the risen, glorified, and exalted Son of God who has authority to judge the nations! John did what any person would do–he fell down at the Lord’s feet in worship.
Do you have a big vision of who Jesus is, one that is informed by the Scriptures and personal experience? Or do you have a shriveled view? Only a glorious vision of the risen Lord will fuel our worship and obedience. May we truly see Him and worship Him as He is!
For more, read Revelation 1:1-20
