- But No Revelation

Remember this, however: If John had been a product of our present-day “accept Jesus and prosper” gospel, he would have seen no divine vision of Christ’s glory and coming triumph; he would have written no Revelation. John could have chosen to compromise his faith. Had he done so, he would have remained at home—balancing his praise between God and Caesar. But then he never would have glimpsed that open door in heaven or the throne with the heavenly rainbow encircling it.

Yes, John could have taken the easier way. Just a little compromise and the important people would begin to say, “This man is really doing good things for the community.” But John was a man of faith. He knew what he believed; he knew in whom he believed. He was willing to take the heat from those who hated the living God and His Christ.

If you are willing to lower the temperature of your testimony, the world will turn off the heat it has been applying. But if you are faithful to God and His Word, consistent and sincere in your testimony to what Christ means to you, you can expect both heat and pressure. John had a strong, uncompromising testimony. It evoked the opposition of the powers, who decided to silence his witness in Patmos’s rocky isolation.

There is a spiritual lesson for us in John’s response to the voice of the living Christ. He says, “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me” (Revelation 1:12). John was not the first person to hear the Lord’s voice behind him. Does this say to us that we are usually facing the wrong way? The prophet Isaiah knew full well that Israel had turned her back on God, departing from His way. He counseled, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’ “ (Isaiah 30:21). Let us be thankful for God’s mercy and patience. He is the only One who is always faithful, always loyal, always compassionate. His voice continues to call, “Come! Turn back! Walk in My way!”
John says he turned and “saw someone ‘like a son of man.’ “ His vision was that of our Lord and His presence in the midst of the churches. In our time we have all kinds of status symbols in the Christian church—membership, attendance, pastoral staff, missionary offerings. But there is only one status symbol that should make a Christian congregation genuinely glad. That is to know that our Lord is present, walking in our midst!