Dose of Ravenhill

In contrast, at the end of the book of Revelation it says of the redeemed that they're going to come and they long to see His face. What do you think Jesus will look like? Fanny Crosby, who was the first woman in American history to address the joint session of Congress, was blind for 84 years. Someone once said to her, "It's a shame a great Christian like you is blind. You can't see the sunset. You can't see the lovely flowers. You're at such a disadvantage." "Oh, NO," she said, "I'm at a great advantage over you. Don't you realize the first face I ever see will be His face?!" Do you wonder that she wrote so many hymns about His face? Again, what do you think Jesus will look like? In Australia they show me pictures of Jesus with lovely blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a flaxen beard. And the Chinese have an interpretation of Christ through their artists! And there are some dreadful pictures, I think, that have been done by the so-called great masters. But I'll tell you what -- the Word of God paints a very different picture of Jesus than all of these put together.

The Apostle Paul got a picture of Jesus, not with a lamb in His arms, and not like the stained glass windows where Jesus looks pathetically feminine. He sees Jesus, and he says He's "the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, to whom be praise and glory forever" (I Tim. 1:17). So we're going to see the King of kings. He's the Judge of judges in the Court of courts. There is no tribunal after this. It is finished!

And when I hear people singing "Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the waters," or "Shake hands with Jesus," I say, "Forget it!" Listen, when you see Jesus, you're not going to go up and say, "Hey, buddy, I'm glad You died for me." When you see Jesus, you'll be almost paralyzed with fear unless you have a glorified body and a glorified mind. John was given the book of Revelation as a prisoner on a devil's island -- but he was in the Spirit when this enormous revelation was given to him. The picture of Jesus here is not a picture of a pathetic individual pushed around by anybody who wants to push Him around. I think sometimes we think we're going to march up and say, "Well, Jesus. You know how many years I served You, and how many souls I won for You, and how many sermons I preached for You...!" Oh, no...it won't be like that at all.

Leonard Ravenhill (Your Day in court)