The excerpt below was an excerpt courtesy of John MacArthur’s book Good News, Faithful Editor.
How should we respond to the living manifestation of the holiness of Christ? Juan’s first reaction was fear. Revelation 1:17 says, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if he were dead. ” My friend RCSproul has become famous for his understanding and verbalizing “the trauma of the holiness of God”, and that is what John lives here. Why did Juan fall like a man who had just died? For the same reason that Peter shouted in Luke 5. 8: “Lord, get away from me, because am I a sinner ?! John was terrified when he realized that he was in the presence of the Holy God; if he could see the Holy Christ, then the Holy Christ could see him in all his wickedness. John saw glory; Christ saw sin. And was he terrified? Like Manoah, Job, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel, Peter, and Paul. He was terrified, experiencing some kind of temporary trauma But the experience quickly shifted from fear to safety.
- Revelation 1:17 continues: “But he laid his right hand upon me.
- “Was it a touch John was familiar with? After all.
- We must remember that John.
- In particular.
- Loved being close to Jesus.
- Instead of identifying himself by name.
- In his gospel he describes himself as “who at dinner had lay on the chest of Jesus” (John 21:20).
- He often referred to himself as the disciple Jesus loved.
- He really liked to be close to Jesus.
- So I wonder if he did not already know that comforting touch of the Lord.
- “He put his right hand on me and said.
- “Don’t be afraid; I am the first and the last and the living; I was dead.
- But behold.
- I am alive for ever and I have the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:17-18).
Joo didn’t have to worry. Jesus is eternal, he exists outside the dimension of time, history, and creation, He is above and beyond us in every way imaginable, but he humbled himself, took human form, died, and rose for us. And hell in a keychain that hangs from Satan’s belt?He has no lasting power over us. Only Jesus has these keys, and those who have embraced Him as Lord and Savior have nothing to fear.
In Revelation 1:19, Christ commands John to write down the things he has seen, recording the vision he has had and preserving it for the benefit of believers throughout the history of the church. Is it traumatic to contemplate the glory and holiness of Christ? ? traumatic, but crucial. We will never honestly deal with our sins until we have a vision of the holiness of God and Christ, and on this side of Christ’s redemptive work, we live with the joyous assurance that the one who is so scared is the one who paid the price for our sins. in its entirety, and whose holy justice has been satisfied. And the most incredible thing is that he continues to use us to bring the light of his gospel to a world blinded by sin.
Revelation 1 offers us a rich vision of the Lord of the Church, our Holy Christ, and his ministry to his beloved and redeemed Church. We are his Church and he relates to us. It is for us that it certainly intercedes constantly, cleans us up. It is with us that he speaks through his Word with all authority, protects us. We are the ones who become the reflection of his glory, it is a mystery that such unworthy souls are called to have such a great privilege that we are always amazed by this call to represent the Holy Christ, of whom we are not worthy, but whom we will rejoice forever.
All the Bible has to say about the good news of the gospel is simply a presentation of its main message: Jesus Christ lived and died to save sinners. The gospel speaks of Jesus and it is the true good news that designates him. In this book, Dr. John MacArthur examines the biblical revelation about Jesus Christ and encourages the reader to understand the implications of all that Christ has accomplished for those who believe in Him.
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