I’ll use Psalms 31:1-4, 8:1, and 16:2.

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in Revelation. The contrast between the vision of Jesus standing in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks and of Him standing in the midst of the throne and the four beasts intrigued me:

In the midst of the candesticks:

Revelation 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

Revelation 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

Revelation 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

Revelation 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

In the midst of the throne and four beasts:

Revelation 5:6 ¶ And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Along the still waters, I reflected on these magnificent visions of Christ Jesus, our Lord.

In the first vision, Jesus is manifest as the glorious King standing in the midst of His churches on the earth: the vision of the Son of Man. In the second, He is manifest as the Lamb of God in the midst of His Throne in Heaven: the vision of the Lamb of God. The central theme: His exaltation deriving from His death, burial, and resurrection: He was dead, and now He is alive with great power forevermore.

First vision statement of the Son of Man: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8) and “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:17-18).

Second vision statement of the Lamb of God: “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9), and “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever” (Revelation 5:12-14).

In both visions, mention is made of the amazing truth that we are made kings and priests unto God:

In the vision of the Son of Man: “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, nd hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5-6).

In the vision of the Lamb of God: “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10).

In the first, the Son of Man is standing in the midst of His churches, representing the authority of heaven, the prince of the kings of the earth, and the Head of His church (Ephesians 2:12-23, see verses 20-23):

Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Ephesians 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Notice that this glory is His by the resurrection: “Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:20).

In the second, the Lamb of God is standing in the midst of His Father’s throne, identified by the elders as the “Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David,”* but to John, representing the Church in Heaven, He is manifest as the Lamb as it had been slain, yet alive.

In the first, Jesus is standing with His churches on Earth. In the second, the Church is standing with Jesus in Heaven. In both, Jesus is the Head of the Church.

In the valley, shadowed by His  Cross, I turned in my heart to see the Lion King, and when I turned, I saw the humble Lamb, slain yet alive, Whose blood delivered us from the mouth of another lion (1 Peter 5:8). As a king and priest unto God, I must follow in His steps, and die to live (Romans 6:11; Galatians 2:20). I remembered that He used another analogy for the believer: wheat. He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24). No sooner had I said, “Amen,” than Jesus proclaimed in regally magnificent tones: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). I did.

At the table, we talked for a while about the temptation to grasp for glory. It’s what Satan used to tempt the Lord of glory, and it always has the same result: bringing you under the power of Satan. Jesus did the opposite. Rather than grasp His glory, He let it go (Philippians 2:5). Satan could find nothing in Jesus (John 14:30). When he comes sniffing around you, make sure he finds nothing in you.

Then He rose to guide me into the harvest, and as we walked together, He said: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v782l88-shepherds-pasture.html

[*Christ Jesus is the root from which David sprang? Romans 11:18 differentiates the branch from the root: “Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee” (Romans 11:18). The branch springs forth from the root, not the reverse. As Adam’s seed is reckoned, Jesus came into the world through the seed of Abraham, narrowed down to the seed of Isaac, then Jacob, then Judah, and finally David. However, consider Luke 20:41-44, where Jesus challenged the Pharisees about whether David came from Christ or Christ from David. The same truth was raised by John the Baptist, who said that although he came before Christ in the world, Christ was before him (John 1:15, 30). —Selah!]