"John Didn't Miss It"

"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." Revelation 1:1

 

When John was on the Isle of Patmos, he did not get angry with God and turn his back on Him because of all the things he suffered for His sake. Instead, he remained faithful and loyal to Jesus. If he had done what most do when they find themselves in difficult/overwhelming situations that they feel like God should have gotten them out of but didn't. (Which is give up, throw in the towel, get angry with God, turn their backs on God, get bitter and full of self-pity, etc.)- He would have missed out on so much. 

 

He would have missed seeing the "unfolding of the ages". He saw the end of the ages before it has happened. He saw the Lord returning with ten thousands upon ten thousands of His saints in glorious victory! He saw the devil defeated once and for all. He saw the new heaven and new earth. He saw the host of heaven, and the city New Jerusalem.

 

He would have missed fulfilling his destiny. Jesus had prophesied that John would "see His return". (John 21:22,23) And although the gift and call of God is without repentance, John could have walked away from it in his anger and forfeited God's calling. How sad to have missed his purpose after all he had gone through.

 

He would have missed the glorious revelation of Jesus that he received. He never would have seen Jesus in such an awesome way. If you'll remember, John was among the disciples that Jesus took to the Mount of Transfiguration. On that mountain he saw Jesus in His glory as few have ever seen. Yet it was on the Isle of Patmos that he saw Jesus in such a way that was more awesome that anything he had experienced before. This appearance of Jesus caused him to fall prostrate. John was also the disciple that had laid his head on Jesus' bosom and was known as the disciple whom Jesus loved. But this revelation was, in comparison, beyond anything he'd ever seen of Jesus.

 

When we turn our backs on the Lord, there is more to lose than there is to gain. We would miss so much that God has planned for us... not to mention a personal relationship with the Savior and eternal life. Is it really worth it?

 

Have a great day. When we turn our backs on God, we will definitely miss out and be the losers.