“And when I saw Him I fell at His feet as dead” (Revelation 1:17).
An encounter with Christ will always produce that powerful aura of the Divine presence that suspends the normal operation of our humanity; Abraham fell on His face in holy wonderment as God spoke to him; Moses hid his face before the presence of God in the burning bush; Paul could not tell whether he was in or out of the body when he was permitted to see the glories of the third heaven; John fell as one dead when he saw Jesus walking amongst the lampstands.
There is a kind of transcendent wonder that strikes man when confronted with the presence of God; a wonder without limit and beyond expression. These are rare occasions, but cherished all the days of this life, nourishing the soul in dry times and dispelling the gloom of doubt whenever it attempts to overthrow faith.
“If you know these things, happy are you if you do them” (John 13:17).
Humanists tell us that the sole aim of life is the pursuit of happiness, yet they never ever find it, for happiness can only be found by moral creatures in obedience to God. It was God’s purpose to reveal this truth in the nation of Israel; Moses understood this, but Israel was deceived into disobedience, worldliness and carnality; Israel fell into apostasy and their witness became negative.
The Church likewise has the same role of bearing witness to the world that obedience to God is the only way to find happiness; but they too, have failed through disobedience, worldliness and carnality; apostasy has overtaken the church and, as a result, it has no witness to give to a world sorely in need of the truth.
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