Seeing Jesus . . .

Jesus’ disciple, John, wrote, “We are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2) Did he realize that soon after he would see Jesus as He is? Not likely, nor did he know that his vision of Jesus would be terrifying. John was not yet in his eternal state and he would be seeing Jesus through the eyes of a man not yet resurrected, not yet able to take in this vision.

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. (Revelation 1:12–16)

This is not the Jesus depicted in Sunday School illustrations or paintings by artists trying to capture His likeness. This is not the Lamb of God, more like the Lion of Judah, yet beyond most biblical descriptions except perhaps His appearance at the Transfiguration.

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. (Matthew 17:2)

Like that day on the mountain, John didn’t know how to deal with this view of Jesus. He used the expression that this was “like a Son of Man” also used in Daniel 7:13 to refer to Christ. He appeared as a priest in a long robe with a golden sash around his chest. White hair corresponds to “the Ancient of Days” in Daniel 7:9 pointing to God the Father symbolized by the whiteness of His head and hair and signifying that Jesus has the same purity and eternal existence.

The eyes like blazing fire described His piercing judgment of sin, as do His feet like bronze glowing in a furnace and pointing to the bronze altar in the temple, the place of sacrifice for sin and to divine judgment. His voice was compared to the roar of rushing waters. His face glowed with a brilliance like the sun shining.

The seven stars symbolize the angels or messengers of the seven churches, held in His right hand indicating sovereign possession. The double-edged sword coming out of His mouth was ‘rhomphaia’ and used by the Romans in a stabbing action designed to kill. This Jesus Christ was no longer a baby in Bethlehem or a Man of sorrows crowned with thorns. He is now the Lord of glory!

John was terrified and fell to the ground. However, Jesus immediately reassured him:

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:17–20)

John received reassurance from Christ in the words, “Do not be afraid” an encouragement that appears more than one hundred times in the Bible. And why not? Jesus gives reasons . . .  

Jesus Christ is the eternal One, the First and the Last, and the resurrected One, though once dead is now alive forever and ever! He alone has the keys of death and hades meaning He has authority over death and the place of the dead. He is worthy of fall-on-your-face reverence yet those who trust Him can be assured that He accepts them. My death and resurrection are in His hands.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I’ve no idea how You will appear to me when I see You as You are, only that awe-filled fear and incredible assurance will both be there. This revelation of You is important for those who imagine You only as ‘meek and mild’ and for those who forget the awfulness of sin and the awful death You experienced so we do not have to pay its terrible price. I’ve imagined You as a Shepherd, as a Lion (like Aslan in “The Chronicles of Narnia”), as a Friend, even as a Dance Partner in the music of life, but today You give me another image on which to rest my thoughts.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- calm in my heart as I think about this view of Christ.

- assurance of my eternal destiny.

- ability to make progress on an item with a looming deadline.

- hubby helping me with a whopping big cartful of groceries.

- Pane Roma bread toasted with Brie cheese on top, yum!

- pleasant fatigue.

Honoring God’s Name

Perhaps it happens here, but unlike cities in North America, we have not heard cursing in public in the city of Florence, Italy. Does that mean a greater respect for God? Not knowing the language could be the reason, but we have not seen anyone expressing anger and frustration with words, known or unknown.

In our home city, people argue and insult one another in public with cursing and even children take the name of God in vain. It is common in movies, at sporting events, and on street corners. Winners on television shows almost always say the name of God without any thought; their expressions are common-place.

This is distressful to those of us who know the commands of God, and even more to those who also have a saving relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ. We would not curse our dearest friends, and certainly not the One who died to forgive our sin and give us eternal life. Instead, we want to celebrate Him and His precious Name:

“I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations . . . . Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.” (Psalm 89:1; 15)

As a new Christian, I often caught myself saying things that I knew I should not say. This included the Lord’s name said out of the context of praise, worship, or prayer. It was an old habit and needed to be broken. The way to do that was not by concentrated effort, but by a deepening relationship with Jesus. The closer we became, the less I was inclined to make those verbal slips.

As my relationship with Him grows, I also notice a greater ability to control my speech in other areas, such as critical remarks about others, verbal abuse of my own self, or silly statements about anything. God may have had that in mind too when He had Moses write this command:

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)

^^^^^^^^

Dearest Lord Jesus, Your name is precious. Songs have been written to declare it. My heart softens and becomes warm when I hear it. Jesus, name above all names — Jesus, the most precious name I know. Loving You restrains my tongue. Instead of cursing You, taking Your name in vain in other ways, or even thoughtlessly saying it as an expression of my emotions, I only want to use it in praise and whenever I’m having a sweet conversation with You.

Is God scary?

"So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” (Acts 9:31)

I’ve often said that the Lord God is the only one who can love and comfort me — and at the same time give me a swift kick in the backside! In this verse, the people walked in fear of Him, but also in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes I don’t like His correction, but have learned that He does love me and wants me to be a better person, so I do not cower in fear before Him.

Some people think that to fear God is merely to be in awe of Him in the same way we are in awe of the Grand Canyon, or a mighty waterfall, forgetting that getting too close to either would bring disaster.

Others might consider God their best bud and relate to Him accordingly in casual conversations without any awe attached. Jesus is called a friend of sinners, yet the Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. This fear is a deep and profound reverence and respect. It is knowing the power of God for good but also knowing that it is a fearful thing to fall into His hands . . .

“For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:30–31)  . . . . Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28–29)

Yet even those verses are not intended to make God’s people walk around terrified that God will strike us with lightning whenever we step out of line. For me, I am totally aware of the wrath that I deserve, but also the grace that I have received. I’m not to forget His grace, or that He loves me, or take either for granted, nor am I to think that I must earn His favor or work hard to keep it. I cannot do either.

What God’s grace does is change my attitude toward Him. I realize He has saved me for Himself and loves me with an everlasting love. How can I call God my ‘buddy’ without also realizing He is my Savior and the Lord of my life? I belong to Him. He is not my genie in a bottle that I run to only when I need something, but the One I acknowledge has all the power. I do not have the right or the wisdom to tell Him how to run this world, nor to complain about the way He is doing it. He is God and rightly so . . .

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)

Proverbs says many times that fools despise wisdom and hate knowledge, but those who are wise fear God and walk with Him in reverence and awe.

Jesus, I certainly fall short in what the world calls wisdom, yet I also worship You. After many false choices and silliness, I finally understand that You alone are worthy. You created all things, but You also gave me a new heart. With the joy of that new life, I praise Your Holy Name.

Fear and manipulation — or trust without guile?

Isaiah 35:1–37:13, Luke 12:22–59, Job 8:11–22

Some say that Isaiah is not written in chronological order. If that is true, then chapter 35 is like the end of the book compared to chapters 36 and 37. It speaks of how God’s people will experience blessing after all the trials of being chastened and purified . . .

“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.” (Isaiah 35:1–2)

They will see God’s glory because “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.”

Besides all that, “Waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 35:5–10)

But the next two chapters are not so cheerful. Isaiah writes of the King of Assyria’s invasion of Judah and his threats to take the entire land. The king sought God’s will and God told Isaiah, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.” (Isaiah 37:6–7)

The threats continued after today’s reading ends but for me the instructions are plain: seek the Lord Jesus Christ when the peace He gives me is threatened, no matter how those threats are shaped. His promises for the future are anchored in the faithfulness of His character, so I don’t need to be anxious.

Another advice comes from Job. Bildad tries to persuade Job to repent thinking all of Job’s troubles are caused by sin. What he says sounds good, but God said this was wrong: “Behold, God will not reject a blameless man, nor take the hand of evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting. Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more.” (Job 8:20–22)

If Bildad thought Job was innocent, his words would have been an encouragement, but God rejects true statements given with the wrong motivation. This man was accusing Job, even though what he said was true. He tried to manipulate Job using truth in the wrong way.

My instruction here is to watch my motivations because God is viewing my heart. I cannot manipulate people with lies or even with truth. Godliness is about being sincere and without guile.

Fearing threats and being manipulative are symptoms that I’m not trusting God. Jesus tells me, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life . . . And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?  . . . . Instead, seek his kingdom, and (what I need) will be added to you . . . . Fear not . . . it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom . . . . For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12: 22–31, 32–34)

What is my treasure? Is it me and protecting myself from threats by manipulating others so as to be on top of things all the time? Or is it to trust the Lord with all my heart, for everything, all the time?

In God’s Presence

Today’s word is “numinous” – a word I’ve not heard before. It is an adjective, usually about a divine being that arouses spiritual or religious emotions or is mysterious and awe-inspiring. This word describes the early church in their reaction to Jesus Christ . . .  

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4:32–36)

These verses say that they believed in Christ, were united as one, demonstrated their trust in God’s care by not clinging to their possessions, and they were in awe of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. They had this numinous response to Him, which was also a life-changing experience.

Daniel also had a sense of the numinous. He had a vision of a man who was either an angel or a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. When this man touched Daniel, Daniel was set trembling on his hands and knees. When this man spoke, Daniel stood up trembling, then turned his face toward the ground and was mute. The man touched his lips, then Daniel said, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.” (Daniel 10:10–20)

The apostle John also had this same sense of awe in the presence of the Lord. He was in exile on the island of Patmos and “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” when he heard a loud voice telling him what to do. He saw “seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.” And John fell at his feet as though dead. (Revelation 1:9–20)

I’ve known Christians who claim to see the Lord or be given visions of God’s will and God’s thoughts and claim that He is their buddy. They say He laughs and jokes with them.

I cannot pass judgment on these reports except to say there is nothing like that in the Bible. When someone experienced the reality of God’s presence, they fell at His feet trembling and in fearful awe, with a strong sense of their own sinfulness and inadequacy. No friendly banter. No chummy chatting. No teasing and laughing, only the response described by this adjective “numinous.”

In my own experiences with the presence of the Lord, I’ve had a few surprises, but I realize that Jesus does not appear to people without changing their lives in a dramatic fashion. The early church saw Jesus and then banded together in mutual support, speaking the Gospel in great power. Daniel was given a powerful revelation of the future to inform and direct the people of God. John was also given visions that inform, bless and even terrify those who read them.

God’s presence is a comfort, but it is far more. He makes me aware of His majesty, and that I am a created being, a sinful one at that. In the biblical accounts, His presence was also accompanied by a holy fear, a sense of His power, and a life-change response.

In today’s church, that “numinous” response is often missing. God has not changed, but has our definition and description of Him? Being His friend and being able to call Him “Abba” are wonderful, but I don’t want my understanding of who God is to slip from ‘amazed awe’ to an unbiblical familiarity that has no effect on my life except to make me feel good.