John, the writer of Revelation, had a very close relationship with Jesus. He is known as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20). Jesus was very approachable during His appearances after the resurrection (I Corinthians 15:3-7). However, when we get to the Isle of Patmos, in Revelation chapter one, Christ appears in a glorified and majestic state and John falls down like a dead man! (Revelation 1:12-17) It was not Christ's purpose to frighten him. John was allowed to see Christ in His glory - something a mortal is not prepared to see (cp. Acts 9:1-9). The tone that Christ sets, here and throughout the book of Revelation, is one of authority and power. He is still the merciful Savior to those who turn to Him in faith, but He also is seen as the divine judge of the world (cp. Acts 17:30-31).

The Lord veiled Himself when He became a man. He emptied Himself (made Himself of no reputation - Philippians 2:6-7), so that He could minister to men face-to-face (John 1:14, 18; 14:9; I John 1:1-2; I Timothy 3:16). Now, since His ascension to heaven, Christ is restored to His glorious form, which He had before the world was made (John 17:1-5).

It is good for us to behold the glory of the earthly Christ and gain the life-changing lessons of knowing Him as the loving, compassionate friend of sinners, who sacrificed Himself for us (Matthew 11:28-30; Mark 10:45; John 3:14-17; 7:37-39; I Corinthians 11:23-26). It is also good to see the glory of the victorious, majestic, risen Christ and set our mind, affections and hope on things that are heavenly and eternal Colossians 3:1-4; Titus 2:11-14). Whether it is His veiled glory, or His unveiled glory, we are transformed when we behold the glory of the Lord (II Corinthians 3:18; John 1:14, 16-17; 6:40; 8:12; Philippians 3:8-10, 20-21; II Peter 1:2-4). It is important that our knowledge of Christ grow and progress (II Peter 3:18).

Some dwell on the "Baby Jesus" - a Christmas-time relationship. Some have a Jesus who is forever "meek and mild" - that helps them to be passive and tolerant of just about everything. Some stop at the cross and focus on the "suffering and dying Jesus" - who evokes their pity and produces feelings of guilt when they misbehave. There are proper ways to appreciate these aspects of Christ, but, if we isolate them and do not progress to the power and majesty of the risen Christ, we have a warped and incomplete view of Him.

Our Scripture reading (Revelation 1:1-20) gives us a wake-up call to behold the risen, ever-living, all-knowing, all-powerful Christ and follow Him.

Alpha and Omega - Revelation 1:11

We mention this first because Christ is everything to us. We need a comprehensive knowledge of Him, because He is our "A-Z", the first person we need and the last person we need. We can do all things through Christ and without Him we can do nothing (John 14:6; Philippians 4:13; John 15:5). Christ is all we could ever want (Psalm 23:1-6; Colossians 2:6-10).

First Begotten of the Dead - Revelation 1:5

Someone may ask, "What about Lazarus?" he was raised from the dead before Jesus (John 11:1-46). Or, "What about those saints, at the crucifixion of Christ, whose graves were opened and they walked around?" (Matthew 27:51-53) In either case, they were brought back to mortal life - in which they would die again. The Pharisees made this clear in John 12:9-11. However, Jesus rose from the dead in a new form - eternal (never to die again), glorious and incorruptible (Romans 6:10; Revelation 1:18; I Corinthians 15:20, 39-44). No one else has experienced this kind of resurrection yet. Presently, saints who die are disembodied spirits who are with the Lord (II Corinthians 5:8; Luke 23:42-43; cp. Ephesians 3:14-15). All saints look forward to a new resurrection body (Philippians 3:20-21; I Corinthians 15:35-57; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I John 3:2).

Alive for Evermore - Revelation 1:18

This isn't just about His body. This is about Christ's power and authority. He has risen to subdue all enemies and rule ("…the prince of the kings of the earth…" - Revelation 1:5 cp. 17:14; 19:11-16).

• He has conquered sin and death (I Corinthians 15:55-57).
• He has conquered Satan and his dark kingdom (Hebrews 2:14-15; I John 3:8; 4:4; I Corinthians 2:7-8; Colossians 2:14-15; Revelation 20:7-10).
• He has all authority in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 1:17-22; Philippians 2:9-11 cp. Psalm 2:1-12).
• He has provided the way for us to share His eternal kingdom forever (Revelation 1:5-6; Romans 8:34-39; Colossians 1:13; 2:13-15; I Peter 1:3-5).
• Jesus Christ has authority over hell and death. He is Lord of all - the judge of all men (Revelation 1:7, 18; Acts 10:42; 17:30-31; II Timothy 4:1; I Corinthians 15:22-28).

Later, in the book of Revelation, Jesus says to the church in Laodicea, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). Though speaking to a church, Christ is dealing with people one-on-one. If you know that He's knocking, you need to open up and find fellowship with Him - the Savior of men who died for our sins…The risen Christ who is King of heaven and earth (John 5:24; Luke 24:46-47; Romans 10:9-13; Acts 3:19; 10:34-43; I John 1:7, 9).