by Dave Miller
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If God the Son started history with a light show just wait until we see history move into eternity. Of course we will continue in the rich theology of the Apostle John because he was given a glimpse of the glory to come while exiled on the island of Patmos. Taken by the Spirit to see the end of all things, he wrote of his vision of Jesus on the throne:
‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom of priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth’ (Revelation 5:9-10).
‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.’ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’ (Revelation 5:12-13).
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ (Revelation 7:9-10).
What exactly do you say about a picture of what is to come like that?
Wow. Just wow.
This is Jesus. This is the center of all of history. He is the point, for from him and through him and to him are all things. But just so we can connect these few dots, read what John says in some of the very last words of the Bible:
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. . . . ‘Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end’ (Revelation 22:3-5, 12-13).
The apex, beheld by John, is the throne of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.[1] The servants of Jesus are worshipping him. Our identity will come from him. There is no need of the sun and the night will be no more because Jesus is the light. Just like in the creation account when God said, “Let there be light” and there was light, God the Son is the light of the world (John 8:12).
From creation to re-creation, or restoration, Jesus, God the Son, accomplished all the Father has set for him to accomplish. The day the angel said, ““Why do you seek the living among the dead?” became the day that Jesus proved he was worthy. The resurrection screams the point of the story, Jesus who is the Christ, from eternity to eternity. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last.
The Glory of God stands before and above all else; and taking center stage is the radiance of God’s glory, the God-Man Jesus Christ.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. - Hebrews 1:1-4
The glory of God is most glorious in Jesus Christ. [2]
The glory of Jesus Christ is most glorious in the gospel.
Because Jesus:
though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. –Philippians 2:6-11
To this glorious Gospel we now turn.
[1] The rich biblical storyline of the Passover Lamb, who in Revelation is Jesus Christ, is set deeply in the history of the scriptures. Reaching all the way back to the book of Exodus one can see the salvation of Jesus prefigured in the night of the last plague (Exodus 12). A lamb was slaughtered and the blood was placed on the top and sides of the doorpost. Through the substitute sacrifice, the death angel, who was to take the first born of all of Egypt, would pass over the blood-covered doorposts. Passover became a defining moment for the nation of Israel. Jesus was to die as the last and ultimate Passover lamb when he was crucified during Passover celebration thousands of years later (Luke 22:7-22). Even the prophet John the Baptist exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Now we see the Lamb, risen from the dead, seated upon the throne receiving the glory he is worthy to receive.
[2]Piper, Desiring God, (New York: Multnomah, 2003) 43.
Sentergy: When Jesus, People, Practice and Theology Collide
Chapter 1: The Glory of God
Chapter 2: The Glory of God in Jesus
Chapter 3: The Glory of God in the Gospel
Chapter 4: The Glory of God in Disciple Making
Chapter 5: If You Love Me You Will Obey What I Command
Chapter 6: Monday Morning Disciple Making
Chapter 7: Monday Morning Disciple Making Part 2
Interlude: The Father's Heart
Chapter 8: All Scripture All People All Places by Carter Cox
Conclusion: The Lump In Your Throat
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