On Wednesday and Thursday we studied the appearance of Christ to the Apostle John. Now let's take a look at what John did when Christ appeared to him. "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead." (Revelation 1:17a) John didn't run up to his friend, throw his arms around Him, and express how happy he was to see Him again. No, this man who lived and worked alongside Jesus for three years, whose heart broke when he witnessed His death, whose soul rejoiced when He saw the resurrected Lord in the flesh, fell at His feet as though dead. He was so overwhelmed by the glory and majesty of the Lord that he fainted.
This is a very serious statement which ought to abolish any idea anyone might have that they will go through this life without Christ and then be able to put on a successful defense before the judgment seat of the Lord. I've actually had people who are rejecting Christ say to me, "I'll just take my chances," as if they will talk their way out of answering for their sins by impressing Almighty God by brilliantly arguing their case before Him. What I'm about to say is coming from a loving heart that doesn't want anyone to have to face a holy God without Christ on their side: If John, who was one of Jesus' best friends on earth, fainted dead away at the sight of Him in His glorious appearance as Lord of lords, how will anyone who has rejected Him find the strength to stand in His presence?
I personally don't believe anyone will speak on their own behalf at the judgment, not because God won't allow it, but because being in the presence of such holiness will render us all speechless. I think that when we see the Lord as He really is, we will see ourselves as we really are, and that realization will cause us face the fact that we have earned any sentence He hands down. But, if we have made Christ the Lord of our lives, He will stand up for us in His role as defense attorney! He will speak on our behalf! You can be certain that Christ will not find Himself unable to speak in the presence of the Judge who also happens to be His Father. And you can be certain that God will accept the testimony of His Son.
When John faints, the Lord revives him and brings him back to his feet by placing a hand on him, and the Lord makes a declaration that never fails to thrill my soul. "Then He placed His right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and hades.'" (Revelation 1:17-18) Having the keys to something means having ownership and authority over it. For example, we have the keys to our dwellings and to our cars. This means we have ownership and authority over them. This means we have the right to use the keys to open the doors. The keys to death and to the realm of the dead are in the hand of our Savior! They are not in the hand of Satan. They are not in our own hands either. They are in the hand of the only One who can be trusted with them.
In some versions of the English translation of the Bible, the last half of verse 18 has been rendered as "the keys of death and hell". This is not an error of doctrine, because of course through Christ we will avoid an eternity separated from God (hell, in other words). But it is somewhat of an error in translation. The Greek word "hades" simply meant the realm of the dead, and it is equivalent to the Hebrew word "sheol" which was believed to be the abode of the dead. The point here is that the realm of the dead could not hold onto Christ. "But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him." (Acts 2:24)
Death could not keep Christ in its clutches. When He rose from the grave, He had the victory over death. Because He triumphed over death, we who trust in Him will share in His triumph, rising someday from the dead ourselves. Like Christ, we will rise in immortal bodies, never to die again. The prophet Isaiah foresaw this awesome victory, saying, "He will swallow up death forever." (Isaiah 25:8a) The prophet Hosea related to the people a promise made by the Lord, who said, "I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?" (Hosea 13:14) These prophecies will come to their complete fruition on this day: "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory'. 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting'?" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
The poet John Dunne was moved to write about the victory we have over death through Christ, and we will conclude with his words which beautifully sum up the way death will be swallowed up forever. "One short sleep past, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more. Death, thou shalt die."
I personally don't believe anyone will speak on their own behalf at the judgment, not because God won't allow it, but because being in the presence of such holiness will render us all speechless. I think that when we see the Lord as He really is, we will see ourselves as we really are, and that realization will cause us face the fact that we have earned any sentence He hands down. But, if we have made Christ the Lord of our lives, He will stand up for us in His role as defense attorney! He will speak on our behalf! You can be certain that Christ will not find Himself unable to speak in the presence of the Judge who also happens to be His Father. And you can be certain that God will accept the testimony of His Son.
When John faints, the Lord revives him and brings him back to his feet by placing a hand on him, and the Lord makes a declaration that never fails to thrill my soul. "Then He placed His right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and hades.'" (Revelation 1:17-18) Having the keys to something means having ownership and authority over it. For example, we have the keys to our dwellings and to our cars. This means we have ownership and authority over them. This means we have the right to use the keys to open the doors. The keys to death and to the realm of the dead are in the hand of our Savior! They are not in the hand of Satan. They are not in our own hands either. They are in the hand of the only One who can be trusted with them.
In some versions of the English translation of the Bible, the last half of verse 18 has been rendered as "the keys of death and hell". This is not an error of doctrine, because of course through Christ we will avoid an eternity separated from God (hell, in other words). But it is somewhat of an error in translation. The Greek word "hades" simply meant the realm of the dead, and it is equivalent to the Hebrew word "sheol" which was believed to be the abode of the dead. The point here is that the realm of the dead could not hold onto Christ. "But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him." (Acts 2:24)
Death could not keep Christ in its clutches. When He rose from the grave, He had the victory over death. Because He triumphed over death, we who trust in Him will share in His triumph, rising someday from the dead ourselves. Like Christ, we will rise in immortal bodies, never to die again. The prophet Isaiah foresaw this awesome victory, saying, "He will swallow up death forever." (Isaiah 25:8a) The prophet Hosea related to the people a promise made by the Lord, who said, "I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?" (Hosea 13:14) These prophecies will come to their complete fruition on this day: "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory'. 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting'?" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
The poet John Dunne was moved to write about the victory we have over death through Christ, and we will conclude with his words which beautifully sum up the way death will be swallowed up forever. "One short sleep past, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more. Death, thou shalt die."
No comments:
Post a Comment