This month we are featuring excerpts from Anne Graham Lotz's book The Vision of Glory1 which you can purchase here and watch Dr. John Ankerberg's latest conversation with Anne.
Jesus is the Final Judge
John dropped his astonished gaze from the eyes of Jesus to the feet of Jesus. And John he saw would bring even more discomfort to those who had set themselves against God and against those who belong to Him. He said, "His feet bronze glowing in a furnace" (Rev. 1:15a).
These were the same feet that had walked the dusty roads of Palestine...
The same feet that had walked on water…
The same feet the disciples had neglected to wash because they were too busy arguing about which of them was greatest...
The same feet that were bruised by the serpent while crushing the serpents head...
The same feet that walked out of the empty tomb...
The same feet that walked with the disciples on the Emmaus Road...
The same feet that ascended into heaven ...
The same feet under which God has placed all things ...
John saw these same feet, looking like bronze, glowing in a furnace. These are the feet of the final Judge of the universe!
When John saw the feet of Jesus looking like bronze, he saw feet that were ready to trample in judgment all that had set itself against God and God's people. Feet that were ready to trample anything and everything that had caused human suffering. Feet that are ready to trample in judgment all that has caused your problems and pain and pressures and persecution.
There are three primary sources of problems and suffering: sin, Satan, and self. One day, there will be an accounting when Jesus will judge all three, permanently destroying at their source all problems and suffering for the believer in Christ.
Jesus Is the Living Word
Then John heard the voice behind the pages of Scripture, the voice of the living Word of God.
The same voice that had commanded Lazarus to come forth from the tomb...
The same voice that had turned Mary's tears to joy when it called her by name...
The same voice that had called into being everything and anything that has ever existed ...
This is the same voice that even now sustains all things in the universe." John said this voice 'was like the sound of rushing waters" (Rev. 1:15b)-
Having grown up in the mountains, I have stood many times on the banks of a rushing mountain stream. It is very different from a slow-moving river or even a meandering brook in the valley. The sound of rushing water conveys not only energy; power, and life; if you stand close enough to it, it drowns out all other sounds. Have you ever stood at the base of a waterfall? The sound is so great it fills the air, and you cannot even hear yourself speak.
In this time when so many voices are being raised against Christ and what He has said, we can be assured that one day, they will all be silenced. He will have the last word.
Sometimes when we are depressed, we feel lifeless. It's hard to get out of bed in the morning. We seem to have no energy to do even the most routine functions. If you are depressed by the greatness of your problems, read God's Word! That's where you find help. That's where you find joy. Let the rushing waters of the living Word drown out all other sounds and voices. There is life-giving power in the Word of God!
At the most difficult times in my life — the loss of a baby, the forced removal from a church, the execution of a friend, the robbery of our home — God's Word has sustained me. There have been times when I have only been capable of reading a few verses at a time, yet the supernatural life-giving power of the Word of God has not only helped me maintain my emotional and mental balance; it has given me strength to go on, even if only one day at a time.
There is strength ...
There is peace...
There is hope…
There is power…
There is life in the voice that sounds like rushing water! Read the Word!
Jesus Is the Lord of Lords
"John saw that in his right hand he held seven stars ..." (Rev. 1:16a). From Revelation 1:20 we know that the stars are the angels of the churches. Angels are messengers of God, celestial beings who live to serve Him day and night. In Revelation 2 and 3, they represent the leaders of the churches, who also serve God as messengers, giving out His Word to believers.
I hold in my right hand the instruments I use: my writing pen or my eating fork or my pruning shears. John saw Jesus as Lord, holding His servants in His right hand. The implied promise is this: When you and I face great problems, if we will submit to God's grip in the midst of our pain, pressure, and persecution, He will use us for His glory. And as we serve Him we are secure, knowing that nothing, not even our own mistakes and failures, can snatch us out of His hand. We belong to Him. Praise God! He holds on to us, even when we seem to let go of Him!
Jesus Is the Commander of the Lord's Army
"... Out of his mouth came a sharp, double-edged sword" (Rev. 1:16b). John saw Jesus as the Captain of the Lord's host, the Commander of the armies of heaven.
And the weapon He used to smite His enemies—
The weapon that ensures victory ...
The weapon that "penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit"
... is the Sword, which is the Word of God.23
When confronting great problems, what weapons are you using? Money? Medication? Manipulation? Meanness? Memory? Where is your sword? If Jesus will use it one day to conquer the world, why do you think it is insufficient for you today?
John saw a double-edged sword coming from the mouth of Christ-double-edged because it offers salvation for the believer but destruction for the unbeliever. It is a sword that divides and separates the rebellious, revealing the deepest secrets of the human heart, even while it gathers and unites the redeemed.
Take up your double-edged sword if you have great problems. It offers conviction and comfort, commands and promises, that will not only see you through your darkest hour but will enable you to be more than a conqueror in Christ.
Jesus Is the Light of the World
The glorious vision of Jesus reached its climax when John saw His face, which appeared "like the sun shining in all its brilliance" (Rev. 1:16c). John had become so preoccupied with Jesus that although his circumstances had not changed, his depression had lifted! In the midst of the darkness, John saw the Light! The Light at the end of the long tunnel — the Light that turned John's night into day — was the face of Jesus!
If we had the opportunity to ask John, "Was it worth it to maintain your testimony? Was it worth it to give out the gospel without compromise? Was it worth it to seek to live for Christ in a hostile world? In the end, when you paid the price of exile on Patmos, was it worth it?" I believe John would answer, "Yes! Yes! Yes! It was worth it! I would go back to Patmos any day, just for the vision of Jesus that God gave me there!"
What vision of Jesus are you missing because you are preoccupied with yourself, your problems, your pain, and your circumstances? In the midst of your depression, turn around. Focus on Christ. Why? Because when you are preoccupied with Christ, there is no time to think of your problems.
John's patience and preoccupation with Christ resulted in his prostration before Christ.
1Lotz, Anne Graham. The Vision of His Glory. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009.