The Jesus that was here on earth is not the Jesus that we will see someday.
10 It was the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. 11 It said, "Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."
12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lamp stands. 13 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.
14 His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 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.
Without a doubt The Alpha and Omega is coming back, he is all knowing, he is everywhere and he is all powerful, so I know that there isn't anything that can happen to make this fact not come true. That is the message that the early churches desperately needed to hear to encourage them as they endured persecution and they wrestled with the idea of how soon it would come to pass.
John was a very close friend to Jesus, he was in the inner circle of disciples and he was chosen by Jesus to care for Mary, but even John wasn't ready to see Jesus. The Jesus that John knew back then is not the same Jesus that he was about to see in his vision.
There is a lot of symbolism in the way that John describes the things that he saw in the Book of Revelation. John gets to see the risen and exalted Lord and try to find adjectives to help us know what we saw. What an incredibly difficult task that John was told to do, how do you describe such an amazing experience of sights and sounds?
The first sound that he hears is a loud voice that he didn't recognize, it was clear and loud like a trumpet sound, this isn't the voice of Jesus that John knew. John turned to see Jesus and the work that he is doing for the church.
Jesus is now full of glory, the glory that he has always shared with God, he is no longer the humble carpenter that could be ridiculed and rejected. This is the Jesus that everybody will immediately bow down and worship just like John did.
Jesus is coming and He's coming not in humiliation, to be scoffed at and mocked and killed again, He's coming in full glory. And when He comes He will deliver the world, He will deliver the universe from the wicked, from sin, from demons, from Satan and from death.The details of Jesus' features describe him as having snow white head and hair, flaming eyes, a powerful voice and feet that are like refined brass. By this description we know that Jesus is pure, he has laser like eyes that see everything and he has feet that symbolize the elements of the temple that were related to the sin sacrifice. (Daniel 7:9-14)
John got to see the work that Jesus is doing right now while we wait for his return. Jesus is wearing the robe of the high priest and he is working in the midst of the churches (the seven stars according to Revelation 1:20). Our high priest is busy interceding for the church and empowering us for the work that he has given us.
2 Corinthians 3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.Jesus told us that when he goes away he is going to prepare a place for us but he is also preparing us for the place that we are going. He is preparing his bride and helping her be the light of the world. What an amazing sight that we will behold! (John 14:3)
I need to radiate his glory as I become more like him so that the world around me will be drawn to the light.
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