This is a preview of the first chapter of the Revelation Intensive, which I am working hard to get out this week. The pre-order is still open, and I will be adding an audio option like this as well. When it is done, it will be available immediately to all vault members and pre-order purchasers via a link you will receive via email. thanks
The Jesus in your church's stained glass windows is a lie.
I'm not talking about the color of His skin or the length of His hair. I'm talking about something far more dangerous to your comfortable Christianity: the real Jesus Christ revealed in the Book of Revelation is so terrifying that His closest friend fell at His feet like a dead man.
This is the Jesus your pastor won't preach about. The Jesus who makes strong men tremble. The Jesus whose eyes burn like fire and whose voice sounds like a roaring ocean. The Jesus who holds a two-edged sword in His mouth and whose face shines with the unbearable brightness of the sun at full strength.
And if you've never met this Jesus, you've never truly met Jesus at all.
The Book of Revelation isn't optional reading for serious Christians. It's not some mysterious code that only scholars can crack. It's "The Revelation of Jesus Christ"—not the revelation of St. John, not the revelation of future events, but the unveiling of who Jesus really is when the veil of His humility is pulled back.
The Key That Unlocks Everything
Before we dive into the terrifying glory of Christ in Chapter 1, you need to understand the master key that unlocks this entire book. Without it, you'll wander lost in a maze of symbols and speculation, just like every seminary graduate who trusts his Greek lexicon more than the preserved Word of God.
That key is found in Revelation 1:19, where Christ Himself gives John—and us—the divine outline for the entire book:
"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter."
Three divisions. Three perspectives. One unified revelation.
"The things which thou hast seen"—Chapter 1, the vision of the glorified Christ.
"The things which are"—Chapters 2-3, the Church Age revealed through seven churches.
"The things which shall be hereafter"—Chapters 4-22, everything after the rapture of the Church.
Miss this key, and you'll butcher the book like every Reformed theologian who tries to spiritualize Israel out of existence. Grasp it, and suddenly the most "difficult" book in the Bible becomes crystal clear.
The Chain of Command from Heaven
The book opens with a divine chain of revelation that should humble every preacher who thinks his seminary degree qualifies him to interpret Scripture:
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."
Notice the order: God the Father → Jesus Christ → Angel → John → You.
This isn't John's opinion. This isn't first-century speculation. This is a direct download from the throne room of heaven, and every word carries the authority of the Godhead.
The phrase "must shortly come to pass" has confused many, but it simply means that when these events begin, they'll unfold rapidly. Like birth pangs, once they start, there's no stopping them.
The Blessing Nobody Wants
Verse 3 contains a promise that modern Christianity ignores:
"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."
This is the only book in the Bible that promises a specific blessing just for reading it. Yet it's the most neglected book in most churches. Why? Because the Jesus it reveals doesn't fit the marketing strategy of seeker-sensitive Christianity.
You don't need to understand every symbol to receive this blessing. You just need to read, hear, and keep. But that requires something modern believers hate: submission to the Word as written, not as we wish it were.
John's Exile Becomes Our Revelation
By verse 9, we find John—the disciple Jesus loved, the one who leaned on His breast at the Last Supper—exiled on a rocky prison island called Patmos. An old man now, probably in his 90s, suffering "for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."
But God has a habit of turning prisons into pulpits.
On a Sunday morning ("the Lord's day"), while John was "in the Spirit," everything changed. A voice like a trumpet exploded behind him. And when John turned to see who was speaking, he saw something that would haunt and thrill him for the rest of his days.
The Vision That Destroys All Pretense
What John saw wasn't the gentle Jesus meek and mild. He saw seven golden candlesticks—representing the seven churches—and in the midst of them stood One whose appearance defied human description:
His clothing: A garment down to the foot with a golden girdle, the dress of a priest-king executing judgment.
His hair: White like wool, white as snow—the Ancient of Days in young man's body, eternity wrapped in flesh.
His eyes: Like flames of fire, penetrating every façade, burning through every excuse, seeing what no man can hide.
His feet: Like brass burned in a furnace, ready to crush His enemies into powder.
His voice: Like the sound of many waters, a voice that drowns out all opposition.
His face: Shining like the sun in full strength, unbearable in its glory.
And from His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword—the Word of God that will literally slay His enemies at His coming.
This is your Savior. This is your Judge. This is the Jesus who's coming back.
When Love Meets Glory
John's response proves that even the deepest intimacy with Jesus in His humility doesn't prepare you for Jesus in His glory:
"And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead."
The same John who leaned on Jesus' breast. The same John who stood at the cross when others fled. The same John who outran Peter to the empty tomb. One glimpse of the glorified Christ, and he collapsed like a dead man.
But here's the beauty—the same Jesus who terrifies with His glory comforts with His touch:
"And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
The hand that holds the sword also holds the saint. The voice that thunders also whispers "Fear not." The One who judges also justifies.
The Authority That Changes Everything
Christ's declaration in verse 18 should revolutionize how you view death, hell, and eternity:
"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
Jesus holds the keys. Not Peter. Not the Pope. Not your pastor. Not the Grim Reaper. Jesus alone determines who enters death and who escapes it, who goes to hell and who goes to heaven.
This is why He can promise in Revelation 1:7 that "every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him." He has the power to raise the dead—both saved and lost—and bring them before His throne.
The Mystery Revealed
The chapter concludes with Christ explaining the symbolism:
"The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."
The stars in His right hand represent the messengers (pastors) of the churches—held secure in His power, accountable to His authority. The churches themselves are lampstands, meant to shine His light in a dark world.
But here's what should terrify every pastor and church member: these lampstands can be removed (Revelation 2:5). Churches that lose their first love, compromise with the world, or tolerate false doctrine will have their light snuffed out by the very hand that lit it.
The Confrontation You Can't Avoid
Here's the bottom line: The Jesus of Revelation 1 isn't coming back to have a dialogue. He's not interested in your opinion about His Word. He doesn't care about your denominational distinctives or your theological degrees.
He's coming as Judge. He's coming as King. He's coming with eyes of fire and feet of brass and a sword in His mouth.
And every knee will bow—not because they're moved by a worship song, but because His glory will physically force them to the ground.
The question is: Will you meet Him as Judge or Savior?
The modern church has created a Jesus who exists to meet your needs, affirm your choices, and never challenge your comfort. But the real Jesus—the one revealed in this chapter—demands total surrender, complete obedience, and exclusive worship.
This Jesus doesn't fit in your systematic theology box. He explodes it.
This Jesus doesn't need your defense. You need His.
This Jesus isn't waiting for your acceptance. You're desperately in need of His.
The Challenge That Changes Everything
If this portrait of Christ disturbs you, good. It should. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and you can't truly love Someone you don't truly know.
Stop settling for the sanitized Sunday School Jesus. Stop accepting the powerless portrait painted by modern Christianity. Open your King James Bible—the only Bible in English that maintains the power and precision of this revelation—and meet the real Jesus.
Read Revelation. Study it verse by verse. Let it shatter your comfortable Christianity and rebuild your faith on the foundation of Christ's absolute sovereignty.
Because one day—maybe sooner than you think—you'll stand before the Jesus of Revelation 1. And on that day, all that will matter is whether you knew Him as He truly is, not as you wished Him to be.
The veil has been pulled back. The King has been revealed.
The question is: Now that you've seen Him, what will you do?
Start with Revelation Chapter 1. Read it tonight. Read it in the King James Version. And prepare to meet the Jesus your pastor never told you about.
Because once you see Him as He is, you'll never be the same.
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