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Sunday, October 2, 2011

Jesus Christ, Heaven's Chief Beauty

Revelation 1:1a 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ....

As we continue to explore what Heaven is like in the book of Revelation, our line of vision is still arrested by the Person of Jesus Christ.  This is why I find it so remarkable that in the Bible, we find Heaven to be so God centered, and that its glory is Jesus Christ.  We witnessed yesterday the twin truths of Christ's full humanity and undiminished Deity.  As He exists and occupies the portals of glory, Christ is excercising three offices on behalf of the believer.  In Revelation 1:5-7 we find a description of these three offices:

1. Christ is our Prophet
Revelation 1:5a states - "and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead..."  A Prophet in the Bible functions to represent and explain God to the people.  Christ is described in this passage, as well as others, of His capacity and office as Prophet.  Hebrews 1:1-3 describes Him as the "radiance of God's glory, and the exact representation of His being".  That same text also explains how "in former times God spoke to us in many ways but in these last days He is speaking to us through Jesus Christ."  Now Christ never communicates anything apart of scripture - which testifies about Him (please compare John 5:39).  As God, Jesus Christ alone is qualified to reveal God in His fulness.  As man, He enables all true believers to know God and to interract with Him - since He Himself is God.

2. Christ our King
Revelation 1:5b continues -  "and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood . . ."  Now Christ is referred to as King - Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.  John here is demonstrating the authority and Majesty of Christ.  Stretching back into the Old Testament, Isaiah for instance in Isaiah 6 saw a vision of the True King, seated upon His throne.  Who was that King which He saw?  According to John 12:41 it was none other than Jesus Christ.  The John who wrote those words is now writing here, giving us a full length description of the King of Kings.

3. Christ our Priest
Revelation 1:6 says - "and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."  This third office, that of our Priest, is also used to identify the saints.  Because Christ is our Chief Priest - our High Priest - all who are connected to Him by faith constitute a royal priesthood.  That simply means that the Christian has the right to represent people to God in prayer, since Christ most perfectly, and completely does that for Christians.  Just as a prophet represents God to the people, the priest represents the people to God - Christ our Highpriest, and Christians as "a kingdom of priests" serving un Him.

Thus we have witnessed Jesus Christ as God and man, as well as Prophet, Priest and King.  May your heart today desire to see Jesus Christ, and be with Him.