HOW DO YOU SEE THINGS? (PART 2, FINAL PART )
TEXT:
"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, ... hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, ... " (Revelation 5 verses 5 to 6, King James Version).
The knowledge of Christ as the Lamb of God "as it had been slain" which showcases His crucifixion through weakness (2nd Corinthians 13 verse 4), though in essence a very fundamental fact to our salvation and having its proper place in God's salvation process for humanity, was not an end in itself. With Christ's resurrection and ascension, much more had been accomplished for us to excite joy in us and thanksgiving to God. Like Paul, had apostle John refrained from knowing Christ from a worldly perspective (2nd Corinthians 5 verse 16), things could have been different as he stood before God's throne in Revelation 5. For example, there wouldn't have been any cause for him to weep upon finding out that there was "no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon." Had the apostle not stuck to his earthly perspective of the Savior, he would have known like the heavenly elder that Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah "hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." With such knowledge, the apostle's weeping would have given way to praises like it was with the heavenly host in Revelation 5 verses 8 to 12.
The point is that as earthly beings, we are apt to see things from earthly perspectives. The Bible says in 1st Corinthians 13 verse 12 as follows:
"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
This is our dilemma as earthly beings. But heaven on the other hand, sees things the way they really are, with God Himself knowing the end of things even from the beginning. If we are not careful, our earthly perceptions may have the tendency to obscure heavenly truths.
But we are privileged to have God's Word in our possession. From it, heaven's perspective of things is made known to us! Basically, the question still remains, "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" (Isaiah 53 verse 1). The problem with us is that we tend to believe the earthly report of our situation more than that of heaven, which we have copiously spelt out in God's Word.
For example, the earthly report of your health may show how terribly sick you are, but God's report says instead that you are healed. Again, it's the question of "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" This remains the crucial question everyone of us has to answer. While apostle John saw the Lamb "as it had been slain", portraying weakness, the heavenly elder saw "the Lion of the tribe of Juda," that had prevailed. It's like the way most people see the Church, weak and feeble. With some, the Gospel sounds foolish and preposterous. But the heavenly perspective is that the Church is Christ Himself (Acts 9 verses 4 to 5), full of power and that the Gospel "is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;" (Romans 1 verse 16).
Brethren, understand that the Biblical, heavenly view of you is by far superior and true compared to that of the earth, after all, your citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3 verse 20). Truth is, should we believe the heavenly report of us, we would have less problems to cater for.
As a human being, your life in its essence, is like a movie, with you as the star or lead actor. Are you worried and anxious as to how your life will end? One way to know the end of a movie is to have read the script. Likewise, the way to know how you'll end in life is to read the Bible. Have you ever taken time to read what the Bible says about you? As a child of God, do you realize that the Bible is the Script of your life written by God Himself? Is that not the reason why the Bible is called Script-ure? Do you realize that each time you obey or do God's Word, you are in effect acting out God's Script about your life?
Therefore brethren, it's time to graduate from viewing things from earthly perspectives, unto the reality of God's Word.
PRAYER:
Lord, I believe Your report about my life. I see things the way You see them, in spite of what my situation may be on earth. So, help me Father, in Jesus name.