In Awe of The Risen Christ

Reading: Revelation 1

The book of the Revelation is the revelation of the resurrected Christ! It is written by the Apostle John who had a vision of the risen Lord. John was close to Jesus during His life on this earth. He was one of His three closest friends and traveled everywhere with Him. As a young man he saw Jesus with his own eyes, heard His actual voice speak and touched Him with his own hands (I John 1). He wrote the gospel story of what he experienced with Jesus so that we might believe in Him and have life in His Name. (John 20:31)

Now he is an old man imprisoned on an Island and all of the other disciples that were with Jesus have died, most were martyred for their faith. He was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day and received a Revelation of the Risen Lord. In verses 9-20 he "sees" the Eternal Christ. Even though he was so familiar with Jesus when He walked on earth with John, he was awestruck and

"fell at His feet as though dead!"

In our comfort as the children of God, seeing Him as our Father, perhaps we forget the awe and reverence we should feel for the living God and risen Christ. The eternal realm is all around us, though it is is veiled, so we can not see into it. But on rare occasions, an eternal being steps through the curtain and a mere human gazes into the realms of glory. We read about some of these appearances back in December with the vision of Zacharias, Mary and the shepherds. When the curtain was opened and an Angel stood before them, their first response to the amazing splendor of what they saw was fear. Yet each time, they were told "Do not be afraid". I love the way our Risen Lord "laid His right hand on" John and said to him "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last".

As believers we should have a sense of the fear of God. It is that fear, that seeing God for who He is that makes us realize, "He is God and I am not". In that place of reverence I become poor in spirit and realize my need for Him. Apart from Him I can do nothing. (John 15) The journey of reading the Nativity last December kept me in awe of His glory and His tender mercy for us. As Mary said in her Song in Luke "His mercy is on those who fear Him." It is my hope you will be in awe of the Risen Christ and have that sense of the fear of God and His Son Jesus Christ.

 

"Blessed is he who reads and 
those who hear the words of this prophecy, 

and keep those things which are written in it;
for the time is near...
Grace to you and peace from Him 
who is and who was and who is to come...
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, 
the first born from the dead,
and the ruler over the kings of the earth. 

To Him who loved us 
and washed us from our sins with His own blood, 

and has made us kings and priests 
to His God and Father, 

to Him be glory and dominion 
forever and ever. Amen" 

vs 1:3-6

John says in his gospel,  

"No one has ever seen God. 

But the one and only Son is Himself God 

and is near to the Father's heart. 

He has revealed God to us." 

John 1:18 NLT

It is my hope and prayer Dear Reader that you will be in awe of the Risen Christ and that your life will be blessed with the awe and fear of our greatGod.