professed vs real
"morning star" too
Vision of the Glorious Christ
" When Scripture speaks of the appearing of the Lord Jesus it uses “morning star” and “the sun” as types. The appearing of the morning star is for the saints, while the appearing of the sun is for the entire world. The morning star appears just before dawn; and only the watchful may see it. In view of this, Christians should be most watchful. The sun appears in the day and is therefore seen by all people. The morning star appears first and the sun thereafter. Before our Lord appears to the world He will manifest himself first to those who have loved His appearing. What a blessed hope this is! Yet do we really love His appearing?
“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead” (v.17a). John is called the one who leaned on the Lord’s bosom (see John 13.23-25, 21.20), yet here at this moment when he saw Him who is coming to execute judgment, he fell at Jesus’ feet as one dead because of His holiness, glory, majesty, and power. Oh, the judgment of the Lord is serious. Who can stand such a vision!?! If this happened to the apostle John, what will occur with respect to us? May we not in the least despise the solemnity of this judgment.
If a person does not see the Lord, nothing will happen to him; but once he sees the Lord, he cannot fail to be smitten in heart and fall at His feet as one dead. While Job was arguing with his three friends, he stood up against them on the ground that he was perfect. Later, however, when he saw the Lord God, he acted differently. Said Job: “I had 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).
When the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon the throne, high and lifted up (6.1), he could not but cry: “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, Jehovah of hosts” (6.5).
The prophet Daniel is one about whom the Bible never records any fault; yet upon seeing the Lord in a vision, this is what the prophet’s response was: “There remained no strength in me; for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. . . Then was I fallen into a deep sleep on my face, with my face toward the ground” (Dan. 10.8a).
Again, what happened to the prophet Habakkuk when he heard the voice of the Lord? He confessed: “I heard, and my body trembled, my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entereth into my bones, and I tremble in my place” (3.16).
Paul formerly persecuted and hurt the disciples of the Lord, but on the road to Damascus he fell upon the earth when a light out of heaven shone round about him (Acts 9.1-4).
If we really meet the glory, holiness, and judgment of the Lord, we cannot help but deeply abhor ourselves. How pitiful it is that so many Christians when referring to themselves—and even while confessing their sins—seem to be justifying themselves and parading themselves. And too many Christians harbor secret pride within as well as display open pride without because they have not met Christ: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?” (Jer. 17.9) Before we see the Lord how easy it is for us to believe in ourselves, approve of ourselves, and be contented with ourselves! Only in the light of God can we see our true condition.
Hence all who are self-sufficient and self-righteous have never met the Lord nor encountered His light, for who can meet the Lord and not fall on his face? May the Lord have mercy on any person who is still exalting self and considering himself righteous. May the glory and the holiness of the Lord cause us to abhor ourselves—to fall at His feet and deliver ourselves to death so that Christ may be manifested in our lives."
