John was very close to Jesus, in fact, in his gospel, he referred to himself as ‘the beloved disciple’ because he was one of Jesus’ closest companions. Here, John meets Jesus again but in a vastly different form than he knew him 65 years earlier. Here, John meets the same Jesus that Daniel saw: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14). When John saw this Jesus, he was overwhelmed by such power and glory, so much so that he could not stand in his presence. It is this Jesus who is the main character in the events about to be described and this is the significance of this vision. John had met the lowly Jesus who had stooped down to love humankind. Now he was meeting Jesus the sovereign Lord and Judge of the earth. The lowly Jesus has come, but now the majestic Jesus is coming. John had nothing to fear, however, because he had responded to the call of the lowly Jesus. So the judge was for him, not against. If you follow the lowly Jesus down into humble service then you will be exalted by the majestic Jesus.
Recommit yourself to the service of Christ.
Read Revelation 1:9-20
