"My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored."
~ Julia Ward Howe, from "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," 1861
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored."
~ Julia Ward Howe, from "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," 1861
Kiss the Son
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars... She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.
Revelation 12:1,5 (NKJV)
" 'Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance ...
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.' "
Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
~ Psalms 2:8-12 (NKJV)
John describes Jesus here as a King to rule over all nations with a rod of iron. Psalm 2 describes His rod dashing the nations to pieces.
This is the side of Jesus we rarely think about.
Not unlike the website on royalty etiquette where I found this photo, the psalmist instructs the kings of nations to kiss their divine Monarch in homage, to serve Him with fear, to rejoice with trembling—lest He be angry.
Though I hold reverent fear for my Father's discipline, I am at peace with God. On the day I see Jesus, I do hope to kiss Him. Whether I fall on my face and kiss His scarred feet, or am permitted to kneel and kiss His scarred hands, I look forward to finally expressing, face-to-face, my profound gratitude and love.
Lord Jesus, I long for our first kiss. Don't You? Have Your people not waited sufficiently? Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord!
I appreciate hearing from you. Questions are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments or e-mail me—my address is
buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com.
Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: www1.nst.com.my
Someone once asked me a question that threw me off and I haven't forgotten it. They said to answer quickly...what will you do when you first see Jesus.
ReplyDelete~ Wendy
Anne,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that Wendy introduced me to you just before I left the conference. What a beautiful blog. It's a quiet place. I'll be stopping by here.
Blessings,
Melanie
Wendy ~
ReplyDeleteWhatever I do when I first see Jesus, I can't imagine it not involving a whole lot of tears and joy.
Melanie ~
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased to know you feel at home here. It was wonderful to meet you at ACFW, even for that brief time of encountering your joy and gentleness.
What a breathless first kiss it will be! A nice mental image to end my Monday with. Thanx Anne!
ReplyDeleteI love that hymn. I was listening to it yesterday on my daughter's CD.
ReplyDeleteIn the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me,
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
Our God is marching on.
T ~
ReplyDeleteI thought you might like that image. You're one of the people I had in mind as I wrote it.
Rosslyn ~
ReplyDeleteI can hardly think of being transfigured as Christ was. Can you imagine what the day to day transformation looks like to the One Who most loves us?
I love the entire hymn. I found a copy of it online with a verse I'd not heard before:
He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave
So the world shall be His footstool and the soul of wrong His slave
Our God is marching on
Thanks for such a precious image sis, love you.
ReplyDeleteAww, thanx!
ReplyDeleteDenise ~
ReplyDeleteYou're quite welcome for such an image. I suspect you see it even more clearly than I do.
T ~
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. I'm always delighted to have your face flicker through my thoughts as I think of seeing Jesus. :D