JesusWalk Bible Study Forum: Q4. The Exalted Christ - JesusWalk Bible Study Forum

Q4. The vision of Christ among the lampstands (1:12-20) is much different than the Carpenter-Teacher who walked the roads of Galilee and Judea. Why? What overall emotions is this vision of Jesus among the lampstands designed to evoke in the reader? Why is this understanding of Jesus important to a balanced faith?

As seen in Revelation, Christ is at the right hand of the Father, He is exalted; before, he was perceived as a simple human being; God's physical being. John is shown Jesus in this light to exemplify Him and describe Him in His true glory. What overall emotions is this vision of Jesus among the lampstands designed to evoke in the reader? Awe. Flatout jaw-dropping, knee-bending reverence! To balance faith, I often think of Jesus as the best, truest friend a person could have. However, Jesus Christ, our Savior, isn't just our "buddy", but the divine Christ, richly deserving of praise and worship.

In our studies,it tells us the seven golden lampstands are the seven churches.Here Jesus appears as the mighty Son of man.Appearing not as being on this earth as a physical being.Jesus appeared in Glory and Splender,reassuring John that he and the believers had access to Gods strength to face trials.The power that was available to John then,is also available to us now.The understanding of everything that Jesus tells us,and "Jesus himself",sets us free from eternal bondage to Satan.Christ restores us and gives us peace.We need that faithful relationship with Christ to balance out our life.

I love seeing Jesus walking the roads of Galilee and Judea. He was hot and dusty. He was thirsty and lonely for His father. He left His kingly crown and His throne to roam with us to be with us to suffer with us. Here we see God as man. Who can comprehend a God like that coming to His lost people. Coming for me and you and all who will receive Him. In Revelation 1 verses 12-20 we see Him as Lord. Lord of His church. We see His purity and His Holiness, His power,His brilliance. We see Him as God. When we read of His brilliance I am drawn back to Matthew 5 verse 6. He is my light and I want it to shine but it seems to often I don't let it rather all people see is me and thats not so pretty. But then I'm the one who is human and He has promised to finish the work started in me. I pondered today on calling God Father and my whole unworthiness of it except through Jesus. When I read this passage of Jesus I want to fall at His feet. I want to worship this Carpenter, this God who came for me.

God Bless
Jen

A. For Jesus is now exalted . He sits on the throne
B. An awesome sight, All Powerful
C. For if we do not know Jesus we do not know God, Our Father.

Jesus said that he would always be with us. Is this vision of Jesus assurance that He indeed has risen? He is Lord? He is always with us and knows our every movenment? Are we not assured of His comfort when we follow Him but also warned that we will suffer consequences for our sinful actions or inaction? As the resurrected Lord, He speaks to John. Does not Christ also continue to speak to us? Is John belginning his writing in this way as a witness that he was not just dreaming, not drunk, not some crackpot? As he goes on with the message to each church, is it not evidence that John knows things about each church that was revealed to him by God. With the communication of the day, how else would John know these things along with his exil? It had to come from God. Will God not also speak to us when we are worshipping and seeking Him? My courage is not such as the disciples and I fear what my responce might be in I were physically persecuted. I'm such a chicken.

Jesus came the first time to save His followers from the penalty of our sins. He came in the form of a man, living the kind of life humans live, suffering the same things we do, from physical things such as hunger, to the attacks of satan, yet He was without sin. But, in Revelations, He is shown as He is in His honor and glory as God almighty! He comes as a conqueror--in majesty and might--the King of kings and Lord of lords! And I can but fall on my face before Him in awe of His majesty and His Holiness! Praise His holy Name!

When Jesus walked on the roads of Galilee and Judea He had not come into the full glory of G-d---He was doing the Father's will and had not completed the fullness of it so had not come into the glory that was for Him as He did the Father's will of completeness....and when He had done this He was in the Father's glory so was entitled to stand among the lampstands and be in the full light and glory that was His. The overall emotion that I feel when I vision Him among the lampstands is that to all the churches He is the light among lights and that the light of the churches (lampstands) should shiine towards and enhance Him; they should light the way for Him and be a beacon to highlight His greatness and worthiness; the light should be what we are aiming for in our life and towards that ultimate goal we are heading towards the bright light in our life.
This is a balance to our faith in that for all the darkness of this world He can be the light to eliminate the darkness if we just realize He wants to be the light of the world; there are lights in this world but they are just lampstands (church) and they should be a small light leading towrds the greatness and ever-reaching light of Jesus.
What an awesome and wonderful thought!!!!!!

Jesus is here shown as the mighty son of God. He is depicted as being wise and having a divine nature. He is in place to judge evil and is revealed as the High Priest who is entrusted to plea for forgiveness of sinners. He is portrayed as having great powers. His appearance reassures us that He has access to God's power and we have nothing to fear. The power Jesus has been given is available to us. All power over death and the grave is ours through belief in Him. We are restored and will be resurrected into a perfect relaitonship with Him.

Jesus in the midst of the lampstands is not the crucified Lamb - although he is that. He is the resurrected Christ, risen and ascended in all his glory. BUT he is in the middle of the churches. He is Lord of the churches. Present with his people - not absent (Matthew 18:20).

We need to have the complete picture of the Jesus we worship. The Jesus who lived among us as one of us. The Crucified Lamb that takes away our sins. The Risen Christ that brings the promise of eternal life. We need all the images for a balanced faith.

Q4 The Carpenter-Teacher was one of no wealth one that was to walk with the common people. He walked and sought out those who would follow him and tough to all who would hear the truth. In the vision that John saw he was in all his glory. He was the light the one that we shall see when we he comes back for us. Holy and Righteous and powerful.
It be an awesome sight to see our Lord. When I think of it I want to cry and laugh at the same time it shall be so wonderful. Oh come Lord Jesus.
This lets us know our walk here by faith is going to give us the reward that Jesus has promised to us. We shall see the King when he comes. Jesus is coming in power we hail the blessed hour, we shall see the King when he comes. Hallelujah

Jesus came down from living in glory to live a simple life. To teach us how to live and to treat each other.
John was seeing Jesus in all his glory, shining around him. Its going to be more than wonderful, when we see him shining in all his glory.
We learn to walk in faith with him knowing someday its going to pay off when he comes to get us.

The vision of Christ among the lampstands is an image of power, might and glory of our risen Messiah. It is a picture of his transcendence. Christ the carpenter-teacher is God with us, the servant who humbled himself taking on humanity. He identified himself with us ... even those who are of the lowest estate of humanity, surely he has borne our griefs. He was tempted as we are tempted and the carpenter teacher is our model of how we can live a life in unity with God's purposes for us.

We must balance these two views in our perceptions of Jesus. if we overemphasize Jesus as carpenter teacher, the man - we lose sight of his transcendent power and majesty. If we overemphasize his transcendence we forget how he identifies with us and is with us. We need both - seeing Christ as the one who is to be feared and worshipped, and Christ as the humble servant who understands us.

' The vision of Christ among the lampstands (1:12-20) is much different than the Carpenter-Teacher who walked the roads of Galilee and Judea. Why? What overall emotions is this vision of Jesus among the lampstands designed to evoke in the reader? Why is this understanding of Jesus important to a balanced faith?'

Here we see Jesus...the eternal Son, in all His Glory. ('And in the midst of the candle-sticks 'one like' unto the son of man....')
Jesus first came as the sacrificial Lamb...At His return, He will appear in all His Glory...as the warrior King.

Just as He, in all His Glory, caused John to fall at His feet as dead, I believe when we see the coming of our Lord, we will do the same...

Balance is important, in our viewing of our Lord; He is a God of love, peace, longsuffering, etc......But He is also a God of wrath and judgement;
I don't like to use the word duality, when speaking of the Lord, but its the only word I can think of to explain the complete picture of this....
We received a small glimpse of the anger of the Lord, when Jesus 'up-braided' the religious leaders, and in His clearing of the Temple, of the money changers. (giving me, the idea that Jesus hates religion!)

There is such a thing as 'holy hatred'....hating the things that God hates,
also 'holy anger or wrath'....The fear of the Lord, (to inable us to keep this balance,) should be evident as well, in us.

Jesus entered the earth as a common man. He walked amongst the common people, listening, observing and teaching God's truth. John's vision displayed Jesus as the Holy one, the Almighty, in all His glory. It also serves as a reminder to us that the Lord is coming back to us someday and that, by our faith in Him, we will know happiness and joy in eternity, at His side. Amen!

Q4. The vision of Christ among the lampstands (1:12-20) is much different than the Carpenter-Teacher who walked the roads of Galilee and Judea. Why? What overall emotions is this vision of Jesus among the lampstands designed to evoke in the reader? Why is this understanding of Jesus important to a balanced faith?

a. The Carpenter-Teacher who walked the roads of Galilee and Judea was a human being, The vision of Christ among the lampstands is a Christ that has been glorified.
b. Because of Jesus' resurrection He has now authority over the Kingdom
He is pure,powerful and awesome. He is the Almighty, the first and the last and He lives.

Jesus was pictured as the Son of God in full submission to His Father who obeyed even to the point of death. In Revelation, as He was seen by John in his vision, Jesus was pictured as the Auhority, the Almighty to whom we are to submit and obey even to the point of death. His life that he lived before is the life that we are to live, His character and virtues that He possesed are the same that we are to posses. He is our model, He is our wat, we walk where He walked, we walk how walked, we talk what He talked, we talk how He talked. That's what we call walking His walk and talking His talk.

We see Jesus in Revelation 1:12-20 we see Jesus dressed in Heavonly garments after He goes back to Heavon. vs. In the the gospels, where we see Jesus as a carpenter-teacher, Jesus is dressed in garments like the people wore.

The overall emotions that a reader can get from reading the vision is a taste of what Heavonly garments are in Heavon.

This shows, that our earthly garments will stay here on earth where sin is. We we get to Heavon, we will have garments that are whole, Heavon is bright, glorious, and Holy..

Kitty

Christ among the lampstands is different because Christ appeared in splendor, reassuring John and us we have God's strength to face trials. He rules at the right hand of the Father with all power. We should be in awe and humble and submissive to his will. He is worthy of all the praise.

Jesus is all powerful, all knowing and all present. Jesus is important to a balance faith because he is the one we should put our faith and trust with all our mind, soul and body.

Whatever we are facing today we can rest assured that we have the same available power that the early church had through Jesus Christ.

Christ among the churches, God who had been human and died who is now and forever alive...glowing with pureness and holiness...He sees and hears and knows all...His voice and His word drowning out the sound of all other voices and words being the final judge, He has authority over all. And to think He came to earth as a poor shepherd boy to walk as a human, to be with us and to show us the way......self sacrafice and love and holiness. Wow.