Vol. 8-43 – 10-22-2023 – In Front of the King of kings
Standing in Front of the King
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time, and now, and forever. Amen. –Jude 24-25
Not only are these verses a familiar benediction, but they are also remarkable in their content. The truth is that everyone will stand before the King of kings. We already know from passages of Scripture what that will be like. Also, we know that there have been individuals on this side of heaven who have seen God, His glory, and have seen Jesus, the Christ, and have lived.
- Jacob saw God, thankful for his spared life—Genesis 32:30
- Moses saw God; hid his face and was struck with fear—Exodus 3:6
- The Israelites were confronted with thunder, lightning, and the smoke that accompanied the presence of God. So fearful, they cried out to Moses to prevent God from speaking lest they die—Exodus 20:19
- Isaiah saw God high and lifted up, with His train filling the Temple. Isaiah cried out woe is me, I am ruined—Isaiah 6:5
- Ezekiel saw the presence and the glory of God; God spoke to him directly—Ezekiel 1:4-28; 2-10
- Paul was caught up; he knew not how, but he knew where and who—2 Corinthians 12:1-4
- John was caught up; he was in the presence of Jesus, the Christ—Revelation 1:1-3
There were 100s that saw Christ following the resurrection. And many that are not mentioned above. This offers evidence of not only the living Christ but also places validation of His eternality. We will, each one of us, see Him at the judgment seat. There are no exemptions.
Have you ever given serious consideration to what your meeting will be like? It seems odd. That we would stand before Him, believers, yet unworthy. Yet we are told in the Scriptures that Christ is able to keep us from stumbling and present we who believe without fault and with great joy (Jude 24). That is remarkable, considering our faults. Paul writes there is no condemnation for those in Christ (Romans 8:1). Peter says it is not a matter of seeing Him first because the requirement is the belief that results in the salvation of the soul (1 Peter 1:8-9).
When we think of how Jesus forgave Peter, we cannot help but consider what the King of kings has done for us. Peter denied Christ three times while warming his hands in the courtyard over a charcoal fire. Then he meets Christ after the crucifixion, and after Christ’s resurrection, on the shore, next to a charcoal fire. Jesus is roasting fish. Peter is taken back to the courtyard. There are only two places in the NT where charcoal is mentioned. Charcoal has a unique smell. Peter could not ignore where the smell took him.
Jesus tells Peter to feed His sheep. Tell them what they need to hear so they can respond. The King of kings restored Peter to follow after Him.
John 10 instructs us to understand that the Father gave the believers to Christ. No one can remove them from His hand. And no one can remove them from the Father’s hand. Jesus and the Father are one.
I wonder if the King of kings, Jesus, the Christ, the Lord of lords will say upon our arrival in eternity, welcome, I have been waiting for you.
Blessings
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. –Revelation 1:3
Most are unaware of the sevens in Revelation. There are many sevens noted. One list is regarding the Seven Beatitudes, blessings:
- Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear (1:3)
- Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them (14:13)
- Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping their garments on, that they may not go about naked and be seen exposed (16:15)
- Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, these are the true words of God (19:9)
- Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with Him for a thousand years (20:6)
- Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book (22:7)
- Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates (22:14)
[If you have an interest in the “sevens” email me and I will forward you, my list. I may not have seen all of them, but there are many and they are of interest.]
I have a “habit” of prolonging my reading of the Scriptures. I usually want to search what others have written. Sometimes I walk briskly to a room at the other end of the house. That is where I have bookcases set up for my hard copies of books. I do not think there are more than two novels in that row of bookcases. They occupy one whole wall. Commentaries. Academic works. Subject-related studies. Leadership. Evangelism. World religions, cults, and occult studies. Reference books. Teaching principles. Miscellaneous. About 1200 books in all. On my laptop, I store nearly 4000 books for my study, all searchable. I work within a goal of reading seven books a month. Seven is a good number.
I stay focused, however, in reading the text of my study Bibles first. (Notice that i put an “s” on the end of Bible. I have five “go to” Bibles for my study.)
Our Community Group has finished our study on Ezekiel and Daniel. Our next trip is through the Book of Revelation. Actually, we have traveled through 20 studies in Revelation. We are only in the beginnings of chapter 4. The other two books have been preparatory for us. I am thinking that the Revelation study will take us about 2-1/2 years. I have written a 368-page study in preparation to teach. I may have to pare back that study some. We will see.
Life Application
I do not know what your goals are for reading the Scriptures. One ought to travel through the whole of the Scriptures at least once a year. My plan includes reading more than one version. It is helpful. Bible reading keeps us continuing with familiarity of the Scriptures in total. Ho, it is spending time in study that is most helpful for our growth and spreading its message to the unsaved and helping believers through rough patches/seasons of life.
If you tackle the Book of Revelation, as with any other biblical book, you will need to connect with the other Scripture books in your reading. You should plan on reading it several times. You will discover sounds. Sights. John’s pauses. Angels were shocked and almost admitted they never thought of that.
Can it be said of you that you were blessed reading aloud the words of this prophecy? If you have never read Revelation through, you should. And it would be beneficial to read it through in one sitting. Set a calendar date for reading it through. Make a pot of coffee (or tea if you must). Get a scratch pad to record the sections that you want to go back to and study in depth.
You can really plan ahead and get some Krispy Kream donuts. Be sure to get some napkins to keep your sticky fingers off the pages of your Bible. You could choose to read the letter of Jude in preparation.
I hope when you read the short passage of Jude, you thought of the time you placed your faith in Jesus, the King of kings. God planned for you to come to Him for salvation. He extended His love, grace, and mercy in order that you would submit to His plan for your salvation. Having received His salvation, you will stand before the King of kings, faultless and with great joy. It will be a greater day than you can imagine.
Close your eyes for a moment and picture it. It is OK if you cry. I have.
The truth of the Word of God helps us see the God we have. Live today in your belief in Him.
