By Mike Conn
“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:13-16).
For all of his wrong impulses and misguided opinions, Peter seemed to be the most spiritually perceptive of the twelve. He seemed to be able to comprehend the identity of Jesus better than the others. Peter correctly responded to the question about the identity of his Master when he said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). “Then Jesus said, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). He was commended by Jesus and was told that this understanding was from the Father by revelation through spiritual understanding.
For this reason it would be well for every Christian to meditate on and attempt to understand how Peter saw his Master. Peter saw Jesus as more than someone who could fill nets with fish, multiply food to feed a multitude, and heal sick people. His words reflect in the Greek that He believed Jesus to be the Jewish God in human form. The term “son of God” in Greek means “God manifest in flesh.”‘ Peter did not envision a plurality of gods; rather he saw the Jewish God of the Old Testament revealed and manifested in the “man Christ Jesus.”
Furthermore, he saw Jesus as a link to the God of his ancestors, someone who would bridge the vast chasm between heaven and earth. Peter evidently saw Jesus as a mediator between himself and an unsearchable God.
During the three and one-half years of Peter’s association with Jesus he observed the Master on a firsthand basis. Many mornings Peter awoke from sleep and saw Jesus returning from prayer. At times Jesus rose to pray “a great while before day” (Mark 1:35), and at other times He spent “all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). Jesus prayed to His Father at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:41), in the Garden of Gethsemane and at other times.
Jesus Mediated For Peter And Others
It is not impossible to think that Jesus could have been asked to pray about someone’s earthly situations. It is not impossible that Jesus received prayer requests from His disciples. We know for a fact that Jesus, on one occasion, announced that Peter would deny his Master three times before a certain night was over (Luke 22:34). Then after Peter’s protests and denial, Jesus revealed the fact that he had prayed for him that his faith would not fail (Luke 22:31-32).
It all happened just as Jesus predicted: Peter denied and miserably failed, but he continued to hold on to what faith he had left. Several days later Peter was gently reproved by a resurrected Christ who lovingly asked, “Do you still love me?” (John 21:15-16).
Jesus Interceded For His Disciples
On the night before the Crucifixion, Jesus prayed for approximately three hours. Much of that prayer was for His eleven loyal disciples. His intercession was fully heard by the Father, and Judas was the only Apostle that was destroyed by Satan. History says the others all died a martyr’s death except John.
“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gayest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (John 17:9-15).
This wonderful example of mediation was something that God wanted every believer to see. Perhaps it can be said that “they are written for our admonition” (I Corinthians 10:11). How else could we understand how mediation worked if we had not seen it firsthand in the Gospels? Jesus’ example of mediation on earth is something that every believer needs to realize is happening, even today. As Jesus was mediator for Peter, He is also for each believer today. The knowledge of this concept is like an “anchor” for the soul (Hebrews 6:19).
Should We Not Se Jesus As Peter Saw Him?
Surely every believer would confess that Peter and the disciples experienced things that every Christian has longed to experience. They saw the incarnate God in the “man Christ Jesus.” These events must have left an indelible impression in their minds. Their memory of the three and one-half years must have remained with them forever.
How did Peter see Jesus Christ? Did Peter see Jesus as Almighty God and that is the end of the story? Or did Peter see Him as both God and man fused as one? The humanity of Jesus was the part that he could relate with more than the diety. Peter saw both the pre-resurrected Christ and the post-resurrected Christ. He beheld as Jesus ascended into the heavens and heard two angels announce His return (Acts 1:10-11).
It seems that Peter continued to see Jesus as mediator. Or is it possible that they were expected to understand a different paradigm after the resurrection’? Did they see Jesus in a different light than before? We have evidence in Scripture indicating that Peter’s understanding of that mediatorship changed. It seems that Peter continued to see the post-resurrected Christ as his mediator. Paul saw Him as mediator and intercessor (I Timothy 2:5; Ron tom 8:34). Did Peter preach after the resurrection (as some today) that the “man Christ Jesus” was somehow no longer in existence as if the Father absorbed the humanity of Christ like a sponge soaks up water? Absolutely not!
Is there a place in Scripture that states that Jesus’ mediatorial ministry ended at the Ascension? No; in fact, just the opposite is true. Many of the writers of the New Testament wrote about the post-resurrected Christ mediating for His people. They said He is our “advocate,” “intercessor,” “mediator” (I John 2:1; Romans 8:34; I Timothy 2:5). In fact, one writer wanted all succeeding generations of Christians to understand that He does not change. He said Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). That indicates that any deviation from the perception of the Apostles is error.
If we do not see Jesus through the eyes of the Apostle Peter then we are not getting the correct picture that came by divine revelation. We need the exact understanding of Jesus that the first church enjoyed.
Michael Servetus (1511-1553)
Throughout history men have affirmed the same position that Peter, Paul and the rest of the first century Christians. Michael Servetus, a Spanish medical doctor who is credited with the discovery of the circulation of blood in the human body, was just such a reformer. He was a brilliant man who understood the importance of the humanity of Christ.
“Servetus, whose biblical scholarship even at nineteen was colossal, knew that nothing of the Nicene Creed was stated or even hinted at in the Scriptures, which he had read in the original Hebrew and Greek….The Trinity was a connivance—sheer mysticism—and Christianity could never be purified until it was stripped away.’
Servetus wrote a book called De Trinitatis Erroribus (On the Errors of the Trinity). He believed that the reformers had not gone far enough in their break with the. Roman Catholic Church. He insisted that their efforts would not succeed until they exposed the Trinitarian doctrine for what it was.
“Without a willingness to attack the fundamental precepts of Catholic dogma, Servetus thundered, no meaningful reform was imaginable—there could be no possible restoration of the simpler, more generous Christianity propounded by Jesus himself. Servetus even came with his own battle plan for purging Christianity of Roman corruption.’ Everything, he insisted, came back to the Trinity.
What exactly did Servetus mean by the statement that everything “came back to the trinity?” It seems evident that in his mind the concept of the trinity had been responsible for suppressing the power of the name of Jesus for 1000 years. The trinitarian doctrine had not only supplanted baptism in Jesus’ name (Acts 2:38, 8:16; 10:48; 19:5), but it had also hindered men’s minds from discovering the power over evil forces through the name of Jesus (Luke 10:17; Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:8-11). Mystery Babylon, with all of its witchcraft and demon power, could never be destroyed without using the power of the “name above every other name” against it.
Servetus made copies of his book and sent it to Calvin, Luther and other reformers in hopes that they would understand that protest against indulgences, papal authority, church corruption, etc. was not enough to reform the Catholic Church. However, the reformers rejected his honk and with it doomed all hope that the Catholic Church would be destroyed by the reformers. Thus the only hope of true global reformation was reduced to ashes by John Calvin when he burned Michael Servetus at the stake in Geneva, Switzerland in 1553.
Servetus Emphasized Jesus’ Humanity
In his understanding of the Godhead, Servetus saw the importance of role of the “man Christ Jesus.” Of him one writer said,
“His own view was a curious blend, remote from the modern desire to make of Jesus a man like other men. His denial was simply of the eternity of the Son of God. The Son, he said, was not eternal because the Son was a combination at a given point in time of the eternal Word and the man Christ Jesus.”
Another account of Servetus’ belief said,
“One thing to him was perfectly plain: Jesus was a man. The Scriptures over and over again refer to him as a man. He is also called the Son of God and even God. But if he were God, he could be God only in a sense in which man is capable of being God.”
Servetus said,
“I do not separate Christ from God any more than a voice from the speaker or a ray from the sun. Christ is in the Father as a voice from the speaker. He and the Father are one as the ray and the sun are one light. An amazing mystery it is that God can thus be conjoined with man and man with God. A great wonder that God has taken to himself the body of Christ that it should be his peculiar dwelling place.”
Servetus gave a very interesting commentary on how the Son will deliver up the kingdom to the Father (I Corinthians 15:25-28). He said,
“The Kingdom of Christ is a thousand times called eternal. Yet in the consummation of the ages He shall restore it to God. Not that the glory of Christ is thereby diminished, for it is His highest glory to have ruled all things well, even to the end, and to have subjected them all as he intended to the Father. This it is to deliver up the Kingdom to God, just as the general of the universal army renders up the palm of victory to the emperor.”‘
Emphasis on the humanity of Christ is nothing new in understanding the relationship between Father and Son in the New Testament.
The Logos
Paul said Jesus was the “fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). This seems to be identical to the Logos that John wrote about. These two Apostles explained how the incarnation of the one true God came about, yet some mistake it for a trinity. However, the reality is Jesus was the Logos (thought, expression, plan) of God. He cannot be separated from God any more than a thought can be separated from the thinker or a word from the speaker.
New Testament Written In Greek
The writing of the New Testament took place in the Greek language instead of the Hebrew language. This may have happened because of several reasons, not the least of which was the concept of the Logos which the Greek language was more capable of expressing than the Hebrew.
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek philosophers lived in a polytheistic society, but they came to the understanding that there was only one God. They were also able to comprehend the fact this one God communicated with His creation through the part of Himself called the Logos. The Logos was a component of God designed to be understood by finite creatures. Those philosophers understood mortals cannot understand the infinite. A human being cannot understand God who is Spirit and is incomprehensible, infinite, invisible, and unsearchable.
This perception of God was incorporated into the Greek language and it greatly enhanced the ability of di, New Testament writers to project the true image of God The language of the Hebrews indicated an understanding of the power of the spoken word, but did not account for the reasoning, thinking, and planning behind the spoken word. Conversely, the Greek language took into consideration the fact there was a thought behind the Word as well as a plan and a reason. Even so this concept is the most misunderstood component about the Godhead that has ever been debated. A misunderstanding of the Logos concept has given rise to a form of polytheism in Christianity called the trinity. Some have mistakenly assumed the Logos was another person, the eternal Son. Another view is that the Logos was a lesser god. This in turn has brought about the rejection of Christianity by many people who have turned to Judaism or Islam.
John said the Logos was “with” God and it “was” God (John 1:1). This means the Logos is the headquarters of God or a place from which the divine essence has chosen to communicate with the creation. Just as human beings are unique (made in the image of God) and have the ability to plan ahead, think of right words to speak and intelligently communicate with the outside world, so it is with God. We are creatures who have the ability to plan before we act, and our words are a product of our thought processes. This is what separates us from all other earthly creatures. The human soul is made up of the mind, the will and the intellect, and it is the essence of our being. With that part of ourselves (the soul) we are able to interact with our environment. Thus, the soul is the bridge, the mediator, the link between ourselves and the creation.
Furthermore, the soul functions as the human headquarters. It is the seat of human intellect that enables us to conceive of a Supreme Being. Without the soul we could never have creative genius. We would never be able produce masterful works of art, music, architecture, literature, etc.
So it is with God. His Spirit fills the universe and His presence fills the heavens. Solomon said the “heaven of heavens cannot contain thee” (I Kings 8:27). He is boundless, limitless, and eternal, yet part of Him condescends to communicate with the creation. It is the Logos. But to say the Logos is evidence of two Gods is similar to saying that the human soul is evidence of personhood, separate from the person, or that words Token by a person constitute a plurality.
We know by Scripture that God created the universe with the power of His words (Genesis 1:3, 6, 14). The words “Let there be light” was sufficient to cause light to come into being. The thoughts and plans behind His words have had the ability to create things that have never before
existed.
“For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9).
His communication with his creation happened through the Logos. It was through the Logos that God’s creative genius was given full expression in the beginning and it is the vehicle through which the recreation of all things is taking place, otherwise known as the plan of redemption. John was expressing the Greek concept when he said,
“In the beginning was the Word [Logos], and the Word [Logos] was with God, and the Word [Logos] was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1-3).
Old Testament Interaction With The Logos
The Logos spoke to Job out of the “whirlwind,” and interacted with him in direct communication (Job 38-41). Moses may have came close to seeing the Logos when he was placed in the “clift of the rock” while God passed by (Exodus 33:22). It was the Logos that had spoken to him the “burning bush” (Exodus 3:4) and promised to be„ present between the cherubim above the mercy seat in the holiest of holies (Exodus 25:22). Ezekiel’s description of the “glory of God” indicates he had a vision of the / enthroned in a heavenly chariot that was fueled by energy of four cherubim (Ezekiel 1).
Many instances can be ascribed to the Logos in Old Testament, but John specifically stated the Logo, God became resident in the “man Christ Jesus.” When the, Logos was “made flesh” (John 1:14), the incarnation of God became a permanent part of the human race.
One source said the Logos functioned as “mediator.”
Entrusted from on high with the creation of the cosmos and the revelation of the Father, the Logos is in some ways closer to humanity than is the Father. The Logos stands on the borderline (methorios stas), so to speak, between the Father and the human race, and so can play the part of a mediator.”
Mediatorship came one step closer to the creation when it became resident within the “man Christ Jesus.” Human beings not only heard words, and saw the “visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15 New Living Translation), but also “handled” Him (I John 1:1).
Few things are more clear in sacred Scripture than that the “man Christ Jesus” is the major vehicle in God’s plan of redemption. He is the headquarters of God because He is inhabited by the Logos.
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).
Ancient Theologians
Many of the church fathers made use of the Logos concept in their writings. During the second century and at the beginning of the third, almost all Christian theologians wrote rote of the Logos. Justin” and Tatian, his disciple, spoke about the Logos. Tertullian’ spoke of the Logos in the Latin language as did Hippolytus who saw a separate stage for the Word incarnate. Clement of Alexandria” and Irenaeus” made use of the Logos to refute Gnosticism.
“Ignatius made use of this gripping expression to describe how, when the Logos comes forward to reveal the Father, he breaks the silence that God had kept for ages past.'”‘
The early Christians, conferred upon the Logos a number of different functions. The chief of these can be described by three words: creation, revelation, mediation.”
Nicean Council In 325 A.D.
Persecutions against Christianity ended when Constantine became emperor of the Roman Empire. Shortly afterward the church faced a threat from within. The problem began in Alexandria, Egypt between a bishop named Alexander and a presbyter named Arius. Arius proposed that if the Father begat the Son, the latter must have had a beginning, and that there was a time when He was not, and His substance was from nothing like the rest of creation. Alexander believed that the Father and the Son were co-equal and co-eternal.
However, there was another view that was believed by several bishops. They believed that the Logos was an inseparable part of the Father and that the “man Chris Jesus” was divine because he was inhabited by that part of the Father.
Emperor Constantine wanted to settle this theological debate so he called a council. There were three principal views concerning the Logos and how it related to Jesus. Sabellius’s oneness view was presented. He taught that the Logos was inseparable from the Father. Arius taught that the Logos was a separate and lesser deity from the Father. This is very similar to the Unitarian, Jehovah’s Witness and Mormon views. Athanasius taught that the Logos was the pre-existent Son of God who was co-equal with the Father. This is the trinitarian view.
Sabellius’s view preserved monotheism and presented the view that the “man Christ Jesus” was the II headquarters of God. Unfortunately Sabellius’s view was rejected and Christian baptism was changed from the name of “Jesus” to the titles “Father, Son and Holy Ghost.” This happened in spite of the fact that Scripture specifically stated that baptism is to be administered in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5).
This was a major turning point in the history of Christianity and it was not a good one. The doctrine of the trinity became the accepted concept of God and it would become the major doctrine that would provide the means for the Roman Catholic Church to come into existence. Prior to 325 A.D, Christianity was more like the description found in the Book of Acts.
The Main Character In The Book Of Revelation
The Logos was united with the humanity of Jesus to form the Son of God. He can be seen in many and various ways in the Book of Revelation. In the first chapter John saw Jesus as the same individual that he had known during the days of His earthly ministry. He saw Him as “the son of man”: he was clothed with a garment down to the feet, the hair of his head was white like wool and his voice was as the sound of many waters.
The Man Christ Jesus In Resurrection Glory
“And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters” (Revelation 1:13-15).
From the “man Christ Jesus” John received seven personal letters to be given to the seven churches of Asia. After the seven messages to the seven churches were finished, John was told to “Come up hither” and he was given a vision of God’s throne in heaven. The fourth chapter of the book gives a description of God enthroned before a group of spirit beings. These spirit beings consist of, among others, “four beasts” and “twenty four elders.”
John’s attention was then focused on a “book” in the right hand of “him that sat on the throne.” It was a book that no one in heaven or earth was able to take from His hand. This dilemma seems to be the source of great emotion, for John “wept much.” However, one of the elders pointed out that a newcomer had just arrived. John looked and was amazed to see a “lamb as it had been slain” in the “midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders,” who proceeded to take the “book” out of “right hand of him that sat upon the throne.”
The “lamb” is then the center of attention for the rest of the Book of Revelation. The “elders” fell down before Him and sang a “new song.” The “lamb” is unmistakably the “man Christ Jesus” for the song that they sang describes their gratitude to Him. They said, “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood mu of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
Before He could open the book it was necessary to loose seven seals, which involved much activity in heaven with dire consequences on earth. It is the “lamb” that was commissioned with this responsibility. The “lamb” is the center of attention and is mentioned twenty-five times from chapter 5 to the end. Thus John saw the “man Christ Jesus” in His heavenly role as the headquarters of God and the arbitrator of the redemption of the human race.
Daniel may have seen the same event that John saw. However, Daniel mentioned details that John may have left out, and vice versa. When both visions are examined they seem to be the same and the two records compliment each other.
Daniel’s Vision
“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:9-14).
What seems to stand out to Daniel was the uniqueness of a “man” that was ushered into the presence of the “Ancient of Days” who was surrounded by millions of angelic beings and ministering spirits. Furthermore, Daniel saw that the “man” was given “dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him.” The presence of a human being at or near the throne of God must have seemed out of place, but He recorded the vision as he saw it. He was seeing the Incarnation of God into the human race.
Trinitarian Dilemma
In a previous chapter we discussed the dilemma of those who believe in two Sons, a heavenly Son and an earthly Son. What must be baffling to the proponents of the trinity is the fact that it is the “man Christ Jesus” (“son of man”) that is brought before the “Ancient of Days.” God the Son is no where to be found. Similarly, in John’s vision the wounded, scarred, and mutilated body of the “man Christ Jesus” (not the second person of the trinity) is presented as being worthy to be in possession of the “book.” This scene is not presenting a plurality of god’s nor does it qualify as a vision of the trinity, but it is a portrayal of the unique relationship between the eternal
Spirit and the “man Christ Jesus,” otherwise known as the Incarnation. It portrays the fact that the “man Christ Jesus” has been exalted to the highest place of honor in heaven and has been entrusted with the responsibility of being the mediator of a covenant between a holy God and a sinful people (Hebrews 9:15; 12:22-24).
Terms Of The New Covenant
As Moses received the terms of the covenant on Mount Sinai and functioned as the “mediator” of that covenant, so Jesus fulfilled a similar role. The “book” that was given to the “Lamb” seems to be similar to the tables of stones that were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. God has charged the “man Christ Jesus” with the responsibility of arbitrating the terms of the New Covenant In order to carry out that responsibility, God “hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). This would be similar to Pharaoh giving Joseph the power to rule the land of Egypt (Genesis 41:43). See chapter 5.
Yet the analogy is not totally complete, for Pharaoh was not able to inhabit Joseph’s body like the Father does the “man Christ Jesus.” He was only able to give him power and glory. It was necessary for Jesus to be inhabited by the Father, for God said, “My glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images” (Isaiah 42:8). Indeed the oneness of God is understood in the four Gospels by the fact that the flesh and the Spirit were distinct yet they were made one in the miracle of the Incarnation.
A clear distinction between the Father and the Son is evident in the Bible. The God of the Old Testament did not slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121:40), He was not a man
(Numbers 23:19; I Samuel 15:29; Job 9:32), neither did he hunger (Psalm 50:12). Yet, the “man Christ Jesus” did all of these things and more. It is evident that His flesh was like ours except it was without the sin nature. He was only different from us in that he was born without sin and God was His father.
Perhaps the Incarnation of God in Christ was seen by the Psalmist when he said,
“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven” (Psalm 85:10-11).
The fact remains that Jesus Christ was and is forever an immortal human being who enjoys greater significance than any other person in history, both in heaven and on earth.
The Temple In Heaven
The Tabernacle worship of the Old Testament states that God was to be found by the Old Testament high priest once a year on the Day of Atonement in the Holy of Holies, above the mercy seat.” How amazing that this seems to I e the exact same place where Jesus is enthroned in the heavenly Temple according to Hebrews 7-9.
“And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel” (Exodus 25:20-22).
Into this heavenly Holy of Holies Jesus triumphantly entered and presented His blood as a sacrifice to redeem the human race (Hebrews 9:11-12). Therefore Jesus is sitting on the “right hand of power” (Matthew 26:64), “right hand of God” (II Peter 3:22), or “right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Hebrews 8:1). The “man Christ Jesus” functions as Jehovah God and we are given “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (II Corinthians 4:6).
Jesus Reigns From The Temple In Heaven
After the earthly Temple, in Jerusalem, was destroyed in Revelation chapter 11 the heavenly Temple was “opened” (Revelation 11:19; 15:5). From the Temple in heaven angels were sent forth to perform specific duties (Revelation 14:15; 14:17; 15:6; 16:2). Twice from the Temple was heard “a great voice” (Revelation 16:1; 16:17). This is evidently the voice of Jesus for in the first chapter it sounded like “many waters.” The “throne of the Temple,” where Jesus sat, was mentioned (Revelation 16:17 New Living Translation). This suggests that “grace” is sent front the “throne of grace” that is located in the heavenly 1 Holy of Holies to help God’s people in times of need (Hebrews 4:16). Decisions are also made there that bring about judgment against God’s enemies.
Perhaps this is a fulfillment of what Jesus said,
“And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1:51).
The Return Of The Man Christ Jesus In Triumphant Glory
Then John saw the return of the “man Christ Jesus” as He leads the armies of heaven in the complete overthrow of the demon infested earthly system.
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he Both judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he bath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:11-16).
Jesus, The Light Of New Jerusalem
Finally, John saw Jesus as the light of the city.
“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did
lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof’ (Revelation 21:23).
Is it any wonder this book is titled “The Revelation of Jesus Christ?”
The above article, “Seeing Jesus Through the Eyes of the Apostle Peter,” is written by Mike Conn. The article was excerpted from the seventh chapter of Conn’s book, New Testament Treasures in Job.
The material is most likely copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
1 thought on “Seeing Jesus Through The Eyes Of The Apostle Peter (Entire Article)”