Bow before the King

Revelation 1:10-11, 17-20

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

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.”

The Lord of all creation stands before you. What would you do?

John, the apostle, was a prisoner on the island of Patmos late in his life.  He was exiled by Rome for his evangelical work following Christ’s crucifixion.  Some historical documents reference John being persecuted throughout Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and Rome, including an attempt to boil him in a vat of oil, whereby he emerged unharmed.  This is said to have caused the Roman Emperor Domitian to exile him to isolation in Patmos.

In his isolation, John draws daily on the Holy Spirit and continues to spread the news of Jesus Christ’s divinity and gospel through his writings and conversations.  As captured in Revelation 1, John was in the spirit (prayer and meditation) when he was visited by Jesus Christ, in His full glory.  John sees seven lampstands, representing the seven churches of Asia Minor, and sees Jesus standing amongst these lampstands. John had been the pastoral leader, teacher, and mentor to these church communities and pastors.  John captures Jesus’ vision as the final Revelation to these churches, in a manner to address the growing tension, discontinuity, false teaching, and theological divide that was occurring.

Jesus’ sovereignty, authority, and glory are magnified in this visionary description from John in Revelation 1.  To this point, when John sees Jesus, he is petrified and humbled immediately.  Falling to his face before the Lord out of fear, he lies prostrate at Jesus’ feet.  In all of His glory, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords reduces all mankind to a state of humility and unworthiness.  Prior to Christ’s crucifixion, John (the beloved) walked daily with Him, spoke with Him, loved Him, ate with Him, and I can imagine even cared for Him when He was tired or needed space.  John loved the man, Jesus Christ, as evidenced throughout the gospels, but here He was face to face with the Lord in all of His magnificent glory.

So again I come back to, what would you do?  Do you see Jesus Christ in this light?  Is He to be feared and revered in all of His glory, or do you see Him as a meek, gentle, and peaceful friend/buddy?  Let us not forget that Jesus Christ is God, in human form, but God nonetheless.  God cannot tolerate or condone sinful actions.  As we read through Revelation 1, draw comparisons of Jesus’ words for the seven churches to your church and your walk with the Lord.  

Over the coming weeks, I will be walking through the book of Revelation in my bible study and capturing my highlights and thoughts here.  I hope you will join me in this study and share your thoughts as we progress together. What John records throughout the book of Revelation will unveil the warnings Jesus has for each church.  Please take heed to reflect on these warnings with a focus on turning back to Him.