The apostle John was exiled on the island of Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 1:2), and there he saw a vision of the glorious Christ.
The Christ he saw was different from the Christ he knew while on earth. The Christ John saw was a glorious One, the High Priest, the One enthroned in glory. In order for us also to be a constituent of the overcoming bride of Christ, we need to see a vision of the glorious Christ.
In John’s case he was on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean – all the outward things were taken away from him, the world with its attractions diminished, and the glorious Christ appeared to him when he was in his spirit.
In our case, we need to turn to our spirit and be in our spirit, rejecting any outward preoccupation and distraction, so that we may see a vision of the glorious Christ as the High Priest, the Son of Man walking in the midst of the lampstands.
May we be those who hear what the Lord is speaking today to the churches, and may we cooperate with the Lord to be intensified and consummated as the overcomers He needs to consummate His economy and end this age.
A Partaker in the Tribulation and Kingdom and Endurance in Jesus
The John who wrote the book of Revelation is very different from the impetuous and ambitious John who was with the Lord Jesus while on the earth. In the book of revelation he introduces himself as, I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus (Rev. 1:9).
He considered himself as being our brother (not a great apostle), a partaker together with us in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus. He was exiled on a deserted island and his body was outwardly suffering, but inwardly he desired to enter into the kingdom of God, and for this he realised he had to go through tribulation with endurance in Jesus.
We can’t enter into the kingdom of God as a reward to the overcomers merely by knowing about it or understanding this concept. It is through much tribulation that we will enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22), and these tribulations pave the way for our entrance into the kingdom.
As Paul testified, even rough circumstances (such as imprisonment) will work out for our salvation (Phil. 1:21), and they work out for us, more and more surpassingly, an eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:17).
Knowing this, we should follow John’s pattern and not shrink from tribulation or trial but eagerly await the coming kingdom and become fellow partakers of the tribulation and endurance in Jesus. If we do not endure the tribulation, we will be taken away by the flood of corruption and the enticements of the world.
Are we fellow partakers in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus? Or are we passively living our Christian life, not exercising our spirit and not living according to the spirit, and all things seem fine to us? Do we identify ourselves with John’s feelings and experience, or do we choose the broad way and “make our own way into the kingdom”?
We are here on earth for the word of God (which is the revealed Christ) and the testimony of Jesus (which is the testifying church) – see Rev. 1:2, 9-20; 19:10.
We need to have a face-to-face touch with the living Christ, the only One who can meet the requirements of being an overcomer. It is when we touch the living Christ in an intimate, personal, spiritual, and affectionate way that the living Christ in glory will enable us, enliven us, and empower us to qualify us to be His overcomers.
Christ in us can make it through the tribulation; He can endure and He can produce us as the overcomers He needs today. Just touch Christ, enjoy Christ, and as tribulation comes, Christ in us will endure and produce us as His overcomers, and He will give us a rich entrance into His kingdom.
Being in Spirit to Receive the Vision of the Glorious Christ
The key to John seeing all the visions recorded in the book of Revelation was not only him being exiled on the island of Patmos but him being in spirit. Because John was faithful to God’s word and because he was for the testimony of Jesus, he was exiled to a deserted island with precipitous rocks and barrenness on all sides.
Outwardly and humanly speaking, John was in a pitiful and even terrible situation. But to him things were not like this: he turned to his spirit, and in this outwardly terrible situation he received visions after visions of the glorious Christ! Everything else on earth diminished in his eyes, but the heavens were wide opened to him and he could see clearly the heavenly things!
It is in such situations that are outwardly unpleasant and even pitiful that the Lord can reveal Himself to us in a glorious way. Joseph saw something of Christ when he was in prison, Moses saw a glorious vision of the Triune God while being in the wilderness, David enjoyed the Lord greatly when he was in distress, and Paul rejoiced in his chains and saw God’s economy while in prison.
Don’t look at the outward circumstances: turn to your spirit! We are following the same pathway as our forefathers Joseph, Moses, David, Paul, and John. The Lord is faithful to bring us through situations and things that outwardly may not be positive or encouraging, but when we turn to our spirit and are in spirit, He can show us visions of Himself as we have never seen before!
It is only when we are in our spirit that we can receive the vision of the glorious Christ as the Son of Man in the midst of the golden lampstands (see Rev. 1:10, 13; cf. 4:2; 17:3; 21:10). If we are not in our mingled spirit we may think that everything is alright, we are doing pretty good, and there’s not much that bothers us….but when we are in our spirit we will see a vision of the glorious Christ, and we will realize that we need to be intensified and consummated!
Oh, may we be those who have an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the churches! Most Christians today have an ear for something else and NOT for this kind of speaking from the Lord. We need eyes to see the vision of the glorious Christ, ears to hear the Lord’s fresh speaking, and the spirit to turn to with the Lord’s turning in this age!
Lord Jesus, we want to see You in a glorious way as John did! Make us those who turn to their spirit no matter what the environment may be like. Lord, in all kinds of circumstances and things, we want to turn to You and receive visions from You! We are here on earth for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. We are here for Christ and the church. Lord, enlighten the eyes of our heart to see the glorious Christ. Cleanse our ears and keep them open and tuned to Your speaking today. Lord, keep us turning to our spirit and living in spirit so that we may see what You want us to see!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Andrew Yu’s speaking in the message for this week, and portions from, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee (vol. 34, pp. 163-187), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Mending Ministry of John, week 4 / msg 4, The Vision of the Glorious Christ.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; / Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art; / Thou my best thought, by day or by night; / Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. (new song #345)
# Fill all my vision, Savior, I pray, / Let me see only Jesus today; / Though through the valley Thou leadest me, / Thy fadeless glory encompasseth me. (Hymns #381)
# Thank You for our situations and the environments we are in. / That we’d turn to You in all things, and turn away from sin. / We’d drop all our anxieties and put our trust in You. / And experience this living One whose life is ever new. (new song #181)
# In Revelation see / God’s final mystery; / Why God created you and me. / He predestinated me! / Our mutual destiny; / Christ and the churches are for me! / In spirit we must be, / To hear His voice and see. / Turn to the Son of Man / In the golden lampstands. (Howard Higashi song)
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