And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid. I am the Frist and the Last, and the One who lives. I became dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Hades." Rev. 1:17, 18.
One day a very strange thing happened to me and to my family. My wife and I had spent the afternoon shopping with our children. As we were about to turn into our house we noticed with alarm that all the lights in our house were turned on and that a large and unfamiliar pickup truck sat parked in our driveway. We sat frozen in place for at least a minute, uncertain what to do. With fear and trembling I decided to leave the wife and kids in the car and walk right in to confront whoever it was.
I was no less shocked, but considerably relieved, to discover that the "invader" was none other than my wife's father. Grandpa had decided on the spur of the moment to surprise us by driving 800 miles to Michigan from his farm in North Dakota. And surprise us he did! When he didn't find us at home, a neighbor woman helped him break in and get settled.
Now, Grandpa's visit wouldn't have been so unforgettable if he had lived across town. At that time my father (who did live on the other side of town) often dropped in without warning to check on things or fix something while we were out. But we thought our other grandpa was 800 miles away! We never expected him to show up unannounced. The incident has helped me understand a little of John's reaction when he met Jesus of the island of Patmos.
You see, John had known Jesus pretty well in the flesh (see 1 John). But that had been 60 years ago. And Jesus wasn't in North Dakota--He had ascended to some other part of the universe. The prophet certainly wasn't expecting Christ to show up in his back yard any moment.
Not only that, this Jesus had the kind of dazzling qualities that John would have associated with God Himself. He is the "first and the last," terms that describe the great Lord of the Old Testament (Isa. 44:6; 48:12). Jesus comes to John as the deity of the Old Testament, the one who made the world, gave the law on Mount Sinai, and filled the Temple with glory on Solomon's day. It must have been a staggering shock for John to take in. As a result he goes down like a dead person would if someone had stood them up on their feet. Thud! It was more than he could handle.
This is the revelation of Jesus Christ. He is more than a man--He is the God-man. When, like John, we recover from this realization, we can be comforted to know that He is will able to provide everything we need, including eternal life.
Lord, give me a glimpse of Your greatness today. I want to walk in true humility, a humility that comes from a sense of Your surpassing greatness.
One day a very strange thing happened to me and to my family. My wife and I had spent the afternoon shopping with our children. As we were about to turn into our house we noticed with alarm that all the lights in our house were turned on and that a large and unfamiliar pickup truck sat parked in our driveway. We sat frozen in place for at least a minute, uncertain what to do. With fear and trembling I decided to leave the wife and kids in the car and walk right in to confront whoever it was.
I was no less shocked, but considerably relieved, to discover that the "invader" was none other than my wife's father. Grandpa had decided on the spur of the moment to surprise us by driving 800 miles to Michigan from his farm in North Dakota. And surprise us he did! When he didn't find us at home, a neighbor woman helped him break in and get settled.
Now, Grandpa's visit wouldn't have been so unforgettable if he had lived across town. At that time my father (who did live on the other side of town) often dropped in without warning to check on things or fix something while we were out. But we thought our other grandpa was 800 miles away! We never expected him to show up unannounced. The incident has helped me understand a little of John's reaction when he met Jesus of the island of Patmos.
You see, John had known Jesus pretty well in the flesh (see 1 John). But that had been 60 years ago. And Jesus wasn't in North Dakota--He had ascended to some other part of the universe. The prophet certainly wasn't expecting Christ to show up in his back yard any moment.
Not only that, this Jesus had the kind of dazzling qualities that John would have associated with God Himself. He is the "first and the last," terms that describe the great Lord of the Old Testament (Isa. 44:6; 48:12). Jesus comes to John as the deity of the Old Testament, the one who made the world, gave the law on Mount Sinai, and filled the Temple with glory on Solomon's day. It must have been a staggering shock for John to take in. As a result he goes down like a dead person would if someone had stood them up on their feet. Thud! It was more than he could handle.
This is the revelation of Jesus Christ. He is more than a man--He is the God-man. When, like John, we recover from this realization, we can be comforted to know that He is will able to provide everything we need, including eternal life.
Lord, give me a glimpse of Your greatness today. I want to walk in true humility, a humility that comes from a sense of Your surpassing greatness.
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