Do you see the Jesus that John saw?
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When you pray, how do you picture Jesus? Most of us would probably see Jesus as the man who lived, ministered in the first century with messages and miracles, and then was nailed to the cross, laid in the tomb, and rose again on Easter.
At Christmas, I picture Jesus as the small babe in the manger or held in Mary’s arms. Occasionally, I picture Jesus at age twelve, speaking to the priests in the temple and astounding them with his questions. I wonder what Jesus looked like when he was baptized by John, and the Spirit descended upon him. Sometimes I see him as the risen Christ, proving his true identity to Thomas and the other disciples gathered in the upper room.
But I rarely picture Jesus the way John saw him that day on the island of Patmos. Jesus made certain we would be able to recognize him now. In the book of Revelation, Jesus told John, “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this” (Revelation 1:19).
The Jesus that John saw that day, is the Jesus that all of God’s children will see someday. He is also the risen Jesus that we should envision today.
The Jesus that John saw is the true identity of our Lord right now.
We need to picture Jesus like John saw him
The first time John saw the ascended Christ, he “fell at his feet as though dead” (Revelation 1:17). There was no mistaking Jesus’s glory then, and we shouldn’t miss it today.
Revelation is the only book in Scripture that promises to bless the person who reads, hears, and obeys its words. Revelation 1:3 says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” How would it bless your life today to picture Jesus the way John saw him? How would that change your prayers, your worship, and your witness?
John saw Jesus standing amid lampstands, “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 1:13–16).
John saw Jesus as he is today, wearing priestly garments, crowned with wisdom, strong and immovable. He heard his words and knew he was hearing the voice of God. Jesus held the servants of God in his right hand, and from his mouth came the powerful truth of God. His face shone with the brilliance that reflected the glory of God’s Presence. John saw the risen Christ as we will see him one day, when he returns at the end of our lives or returns that final time for all who believe.
When you bow your head to pray, is this who you picture listening to your every word?
Why do we tend to picture the Jesus who walked on the earth?
It seems more natural to see Jesus as the man who spat in the mud and spread it on the blind man’s eyes so he could see. It’s more comforting to see Jesus preaching the Sermon on the Mount to the crowds gathered there. It’s exciting to see Jesus walking on the water towards his disciples in that boat. And it’s essential we see the bloodied Jesus who was flogged, crucified, and laid in a borrowed tomb. That blood reminds us we have been “washed clean.” When I think of entering heaven one day, that is the Jesus I picture holding out his arms to me. I want to run toward him, hug that Jesus, and hear his voice greet me.
But, is that who Jesus is now?
John saw Jesus as he is today and fell at his feet in terror. Old Testament Scripture tells us that no one can see God and live. But people did see God when they saw Jesus. They just didn’t realize Who they were with.
Jesus reached out that day and touched his best friend John, 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” (Revelation 1:17–18).
Jesus wanted every Christian to know why we should know him as he is today. Those who are saved should have no fear. When we see Jesus, he will be very much alive in heaven. He is still the Jesus we worshipped at Easter, the One who died and rose again to live “forevermore.” We need to remember what he looks like today, standing in heaven, holding the “keys of Death and Hades.”
Why did Jesus want us to picture him holding those keys?
Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life,” and he is the one who will unlock eternity for everyone. Everyone either lives with the hope and promise of heaven, or Jesus will need to unlock the gates of hell for them. Jesus wanted us to know and understand that he holds those keys.
As the book of Revelation continues, the reader is reminded of the number one job for every child of God. Those of us who own the promise of heaven also own the task of being a servant. For now, we serve Jesus by helping others find the hope we have in Christ. The sword we carry is the word of God, and we can teach it to others. The gospel is the “power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Jesus told us to “share the gospel.”
Jesus wanted us to picture him holding the keys because he wants us to remember our most important job while on earth. Jesus doesn’t want to unlock the gates of hell; he wants to invite people to their eternal home and unlock that mansion door instead.
How will you picture Jesus today?
Don’t be afraid to see Jesus as John did. John was told to write it all down to make certain that every generation of Christians could see the risen Jesus as he is now. Jesus is shining with his heavenly glory, which he set aside to be born as a small babe in Bethlehem.
We will spend some time in Revelation in the coming weeks. May we all bow our heads and pray, worship, and seek the Jesus that John saw that day. That is the Jesus we are called to share with the world. That is the Jesus we will see in heaven, and like John, we will likely fall at his feet in awe and wonder. Maybe Jesus will touch our shoulder and speak words of comfort and joy. Perhaps then, we will wrap our arms around him and joyfully thank him for saving our souls and bringing us home to heaven.
Take a minute, bow your head, or look to heaven and see the Jesus John saw.
