The Revelation Of Jesus Christ (part 2)

by Jim Reynolds⁽¹⁵⁾

Towering over John’s sobering end time prophecies is an unparalleled revelation of Jesus Christ. I believe this description, found in Rev. 1, to be the most complete picture of the glorified Christ recorded in the Bible. John did not see the meek and mild Jesus of a manger nor the smiling face of His best Friend. This reigning Christ no longer resembles the collapsed figure on the cross. By describing Jesus as the “faithful witness, firstborn from the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth,” John brought hope and strength to the battered churches.

John further described Jesus as “Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood” ( Rev. 1:5.)

None of the incarnations of Alice In Wonderland have held any charm for me. Even the Disney cartoon leaves me disturbed and unsettled; I can’t watch it without feeling like the side-effects portion of a drug leaflet: “may cause anxiety and jitters.” I also remember having a different reaction to Independence Day than most. My Y chromosome was properly impressed by the special effects and feel-good patriotism, but I could not shake the “reality” of the destruction. I left the theater thinking, “I just witnessed the end of the world as we know it. I watched buildings, roads, and entire cities burn. The directors spared my senses, but I also watched millions of people die. Aliens certainly won’t cause it, but, according to Revelation, that devastation will be real, perhaps in my lifetime!”

I, like you, have read the end of the book and, indeed, “we win,” but the book is also full of nightmare images and baffling symbols. The beasts, numbers, and blood that horses have to wade through are coming. Stars will be thrown, disease will disfigure, and the population at that time will gauge deaths not by number, but by percentage.

It may seem odd to make the leap from world-wide cataclysm to more personal crises, but as I have already said, “Jesus Christ is the only one ‘worthy’ to preside over the end of the world. Therefore… He is imminently capable of handling whatever crisis or trauma you think is ending yours.”

For both scenarios, John reminded his audience: Jesus loves us. That is present tense and active. He loves us – passionately, perfectly, completely, and forever. When your world no longer makes sense and is full of “creatures” you wish would leave you alone, Jesus loves you. His love was ultimately expressed on the cross, thousands of years ago, but is still alive today. If you are feeling shock and disbelief as you wander through the ashes of what was once precious, Jesus loves you. Your apocalypse may indeed be on the horizon, but for now, John wants us to know Jesus loves you.

John also wants us to know that Jesus has freed us from our sins. No wonder, at this point, John’s theology became doxology. Rev. 1:4-7 – “Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne… To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father--to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him… So shall it be! Amen.”

Jesus promises: “I am coming. I am coming to set things right.” As we continue to explore this revelation of Jesus, I find myself asking: can this Jesus handle what we deal with? The Sunday School answer is “Yes, of course.” But what is the real life answer? The “this answer is going to change the way I live and respond answer?” In the divorce, in the unemployment or underemployment, in the middle of the fight, can Jesus handle this? And how can we move through own personal apocalypses?

You already know my answer.

Walk WITH Jesus,

Jim

Article submitted Friday, April 29, 2011 & read 284 times.

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» left by Teresa Ortiz (1 year 19 days ago.)

I love where you are going with this! Keep it coming. Blessings! Teresa

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