To behold Christ is the deepest longing of every redeemed soul. Prior to
salvation every soul is under bondage, blindness and spiritual death. The god of this
world has blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them (2 Cor.4: 4). How
different is the state of one saved by grace! David expresses the longing of the
converted soul. "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will seek after; that I
may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of
the LORD, and to inquire in "his temple"(Psa.27: 4).

Beholding Christ brings in at least three wonderful blessings. Firstly, it brings
us into a realization of who we are. When the self-righteous Job saw God face to
face, all his self-defense crumbled." I have heard of thee by the hearing of! The ear:
but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and
ashes" (Job 42:5,6). Simon of Galilee, after a night of fruitless toil threw his nets
again at the command of Christ! and had a miraculous catch. This incident opened
his eyes to the Peron of Christ and also to himself. Struck by the wretchedness of his
own heart he cried, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 5:8).
Isaiah, the anointed prophet of God, saw the Lord in all His glory. Instantly his heart
was filled with grief for he said, "Woe is me! for I am undone: because I am a man
of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes
have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isa. 6:5). Moses the man of God prayed
thus: II Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy
countenance" (Psa.90:8). Knowing God is knowing ourselves. Outside His revealing
presence we will never know who we are.

Secondly, beholding Christ brings in transformation. John the apostle wrote:
"...we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as
he is" (1John 3:2). To see Him is to become like Him. This is futuristic. Yet, in the
present, the Lord is working in us towards that blessed goal. Paul describes this
ongoing transforming work in the life of a believer. "But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from
glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3: 18) .T o behold Him is to
be changed into His likeness.

Thirdly, beholding Christ brings hope, comfort and strength in our present
trials and temptations. This is exactly what happened to John the beloved apostle in
the isle of Patmos. Exiled by the cruel emperor Domitian, John must have been
discouraged and depressed. The Roman emperor could banish him from the presence
of churches and believers. Yet he could not banish him from the most prized
possession of John-the presence of Christ. Christ was revealed in all His glory and
John penned down that indescribable Image as far as the limited human expression
could capture.

Christ spoke that He was the Alpha and Omega. These two Greek words stand
for the first and the last alphabets. It was like saying, "I am the beginning and the
ending". This in no way suggests that God has a beginning and an ending. Using the
limitations of language of the mortal man, Christ states His eternality. Roman
emperors come and go. Tormentors live today and disappear tomorrow. God
however, is the eternal "I am." He is the One who knows no succession of time. Such
a God is our God. He has the final say of every matter. John's very life was in the
hands of the eternal "I am", and not in the hands of Gentile rulers. As God's children
we are already on the winning side. Aren't we? How about you? Are you in Christ on
the winning side? Our sins were laid on Him, the sinless One. He died as our
Substitute, our Sin-bearer. Have you accepted Him as your personal Savior?

Today with the completion of the New Testament, we have the whole Bible in
our hands. We are indeed blessed to have the Scriptures in our language. Many
language groups are still waiting! The written Word of God leads us to the living
Word of God, Christ. The Lord Jesus said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye
think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39).
The image and beauty of Christ is now seen through the pages of the Bible,
specially the New Testament. The Bible tells us of God's great love for every lost
sinner. It was love that led Christ to the cross where all our guilt and sins were laid
on Him. He was wounded for our transgressions. Sins un-forgiven, un-cleansed and
uncovered would take us to the judgment. Eternal hell is the destination of those
who have spurned the good news. Christ died to bring us forgiveness, fellowship and
freedom. Have you, dear reader, received these blessings? Why not turn to Christ
today?

"Behold Christ for salvation; behold Him for sanctification; behold Him for
satisfaction". Simple, but true! The exiled apostle John in the island of Patmos was
given a special vision of the Person of Christ. Nowhere in the Bible are we given such
a description. To begin with, we are told about His attire. He wore the garment down
to the foot (Rev .1: 13). This certainly suggests the clothes of a majestic ruler. We
are also told about the "golden girdle" worn across the chest. This speaks of His
absolute righteousness. "...Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and
faithfulness the girdle of his reins" (lsa.11: 5), was the prophecy made regarding the
ruler-ship of Christ. The first advent of Christ was in absolute humility. He came to
minister to the needs of the sinful lost world. On the cross He paid the penalty of all
our sins. "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him..."(lsa.53: 5). He "...was
delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Rom.4: 25).

Today, Christ is our living Savior, seated with all authority and power at the right
hand of the Father in heaven. The Scriptures speak of His second advent to this
world. He will come back to rule the world in righteousness. Then the desperate cry
of Eccl. 1: 15 will be answered. "That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and
that which is wanting cannot be numbered". With the second advent of Christ in
righteousness; "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be
brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and rough ways shall be made
smooth" (Luke 3:5).

"His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow" (Rev.1: 14),
symbolizes His eternal antiquity. Daniel saw a similar 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" (Dan.7: 9). God is eternal and He is
before everything. The prayer of Moses emphasizes the everlastingness of God.

"...From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God" (Psa.90:2). As mortals we are like
the "...grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the
evening it is cut down, and withereth" (Psa.90: 5,6). We are now introduced to His
eyes. "...his eyes were as a flame of fire" (Rev.1 :14). Eight significant things could
be said of God's eyes. Firstly, they are SEEING EYES. It was Hagar, the Egyptian
maid, running away from her mistress Sara, who gave God the name "El Roi", after
she confronted God. El Roi means, "Thou God seest me" (Gen.16: 13). The Psalmist
highlights this truth by contrast with the idols. "They have mouths, but they spark
not: eyes have they, but they see not" (Psa.115: 5).

Secondly, His eyes are OMNISCIENT. "The eyes of the LORD are in every
place, beholding the evil and the good" (Prov .15:3). How dreadful is this truth to
those who sin! "For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.
There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide
themselves" (Job34: 21,22).

Thirdly, His EYES are SEARCHING eyes. "The LORD looked down from heaven
upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek
God" (Psa.14:2). God is a seeker. His eyes probe into the secrets of men and
women.

Fourthly, His eyes are HOLY EYES. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil,
and can not look on iniquity" (Hab.1: 13). Sin is su
ch an abomination in His sight
that He cannot tolerate it. He notices all hypocrisy, all pretense in our lives.
Fifthly, His eyes are TESTING EYES. "...His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the
children of men" (Psa.11: 4). "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in
his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we
have to do" (Heb.4: 13).

Sixthly, His eyes are SUPERINTENDING EYES. This fact brings great comfort
to a believer. In Mark's Gospel chapter six, we read about the feeding of five
thousand men besides women and children with just five loaves and two fishes. After
the miracle the Lord constrained His disciples to get into the ship and go to the other
side. The Lord remained on the mountain while He sent the multitudes away. The
disciples had a tough time since the wind was contrary to them. It was a dark night
and the disciples, most of them fishermen, rowed hard for several hours. Mark 6:48
tells us that the Lord Jesus "saw them toiling in rowing". Neither distance nor
darkness could hide His children from Him. How comforting is this thought!
Seventhly, His eyes are WEEPING EYES. At least in three places it is written
that Jesus shed tears (Heb.5: 7; Luke 19:41; John 11: 35). The God of grace and
mercy weeps over the hard, unrepentant hearts of men and women for He is not
willing that any should perish.

Eighthly, His eyes are JUDGING EYES. John the apostle saw the eyes of the
Lord Jesus as a "flame of fire" (Rev.1: 14). Fire is a symbol of judgement. While this
fact of judgement brings great fear to the one who is in sin, it brings hope to every
persecuted saint. Today His eyes are full of compassion. Turn to Him for He is willing
to save you.

John, the beloved apostle of Christ, was exiled by the cruel emperor Domitian
to the island of Patmos. In his loneliness and discouragement God granted His
suffering servant special visions. These visions revealed the beauty of Christ and the
future plan of God regarding the end times. The vision of Christ encouraged the aged
servant and by the commandment of God wrote what he saw. In this study we will
consider the Lord's feet. " And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a
furnace" (Rev.1: 15).

In the Bible, gold stands for Deity, silver for redemption and wood for
humanity. Brass stands in the Bible for judgment. Brass also typifies power. It is
power to withstand judgment. In Numbers 16 there was a riot. Korah, Dathan,
Abiram and two hundred and fifty princes made an 'improper' sacrifice with brass
censers in hand. The fire of God's judgment fell upon them and consumed them but
that which endured the fire were the brass censers. Later this was used to cover the
altar in the Tabernacle.

The 'brass feet' of the Lord speak of the judgment that they went through but
survived. The feet of the Lord in the Gospels were the bruised feet on the Cross. The
earliest prophecy of the Savior in Genesis 3:15 made around 4000 BC, speaks of
the seed of the serpent bruising the 'heel' of the seed of the woman. The Psalmist
spoke of the "pierced feet" in Psalm 22:16. The feet, which bled on the Cross, turned
into the feet of fine brass in Rev.1: 15. In His first advent, the Lord Jesus came as
our Savior, but in the second advent He will come back to be our Judge.
The holy Scriptures speak of at least seven judgments. Of these, six concern
humanity. Of these, two belong exclusively to Israel. Of the remaining four, the
unbeliever faces two judgments. Firstly, the sins of every sinner are judged at
Calvary. The unrepentant sinner rejects the only Savior, the only provision made
for his salvation. By despising the blood of the Son of God, the sinner opts for
condemnation. The sinner chooses to pay for all his sins by refusing the blood of
Christ.

Having despised the judgment at Calvary, the un-forgiven sinner faces the
sure and certain white throne judgment as described in Revelation 20. Here is the
solemn passage to which the whole humanity must pay earnest heed.
"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw
the dead, small and great, stand before, God; and the books were opened: and
another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of
those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea
gave up the dead, which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which
were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death
and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was
not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire"(Rev.20: 11-15).

Combined with the above passage there is another in the book of Revelation,
which describes the dreadfulness of that day. "And the kings of the earth, and the
great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every
bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the
face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great
day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev.6: 15-17).
How dreadful then, must the white throne judgment be! The Bible opens with
the book of Genesis where Adam and Eve tried to hide themselves behind the fig
tree after rebelling against the Lord God. The Bible closes in the book of Revelation
where great men, rich men, chief captains, mighty men, bond and free men hide
from the presence of the One Who was about to judge them. As Adam and Eve could
not hide themselves, no sinner would be able to escape from the searching eyes of
God.

The Bible tells us plainly that judgment, the day of judgment and the Judge
have been appointed by God. "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this
the judgment"(Heb.9:27). "...he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the
world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given
assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:31).

The very Savior Who loved us and gave Himself for us on the cross of
Calvary, would be the Judge appointed. On that day mankind would be forced to
accept His Lordship, but, such an acceptance would not bring deliverance. Today is
the day of salvation. Today is the period of grace. Today the doors of mercy are open
to the faintest cry of every lost sinner. The cry of God goes out to every sin –weary
human being, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest" (Matt.11 :28).