“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet dead” (Revelation 1:17).
These three small words “Looking unto Jesus” which we read in Heb. 12:2 contains a great secret. They tell us that first of all, we should see the Lord Jesus now, and then go seeing Him not only upon this earth but throughout eternity. The Niagara Falls in Canada is supposed to be one of the seven wonders of the world. It is a very beautiful sight. In 1928, I stayed there for six days and began to visit the fall at sunrise, mid-day and sunset. I began to see them in a new way. The more I saw this wonderful sight, the more I noticed how exceeding beautiful it was. Nevertheless to appreciate the full beauty of Niagara Falls one needs to see them in winter and summer, and other seasons as well. If it takes so long to appreciate the beauty of the Niagara Falls, which is only a very tiny bit of God’s creation, then it is evident that it will take an eternity for us to appreciate the beautyful of the Creator, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is so glorious and beautiful. When you feel downcast, discouraged and disappointed in your private life or in your ministry, you should pray, “Oh God, give me a new glimpse of the glory of Your Son”.
John the apostle had the privilege of seeing the Lord very closely. He served Him very faithfully. He could as Him any question. In fact, he could even lay his head on the Lord’s bosom. He saw the Lord transfigured; he saw Him rise again and ascend to heaven. But now in the Book of Revelation, John in his old age saw Him in an entirely new way. He knew it was the Lord Jesus Christ. He had no need to ask, “Who are you?” because he heard a voice saying “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last” (Rev. 1:11). John turned to see the One that spoke and straightway he fall at His feet and said, “O Lord, I never knew that you are so beautiful and so great.”
Why did our Lord appear to John that way? The answer is simple. Our Lord was telling John, “I want My people to become like me”. That is why the Lord’s people had to go through extreme suffering at that time. Now, for example, if you want pure shining gold, the gold has to be melted and refined in the fire. The goldsmith makes the fire exceed hot until the surface of the molten metal becomes like a mirror in which he can see his face. The reflection of the goldsmiths face in the molten metal is the test that the gold is perfectly pure. In the same manner, we have to be refined by the fire of suffering till the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ can be fully seen in us.