42] there comes the wondrous vision of _the
glorified Jesus_, and His personal message to John.[43] He is the Living
One, who _became_ dead for a great purpose, and is now living, never to
die again. He is seen walking quietly among the groups of his followers,
with eyes of flame, and heart of love, keeping watch over these, His
empowered witnesses on earth.

And He tells John that he is to write to the groups of his followers a
threefold message, a description of Himself as just now seen by John, a
description of affairs in these Churches as seen by His own eyes, and an
account of the things that are going to happen on the earth.

Then follows this description of the Churches. It is in a sevenfold
personal message to His followers on the earth.[44] Then the vision of
Himself in heaven as He steps directly into the action of the earth to
take possession of His crown domain.[45] Then comes the account of
coming happenings. It is a sevenfold view of a terrific moral storm on
the earth, that will follow this advance step of His in the heavens. It
is so terrific and includes so much, that it is possible to get a clear
view of it and its sweep only by looking, now at this feature of it, and
now at this; now from this angle of vision, and now from this other.

It is the final contesting of Christ's crown claim as He steps forward
to assert it; the final outburst of evil unrestrainedly storming itself
out. And it is the clearing-up storm, too. There is ever the shining of
a clear light just beyond the outer rim of the terrible blackness of the
storm clouds. This takes up the greater part of the little book,
including chapter six, to the close of chapter eighteen.

And then there is given briefly the actual coming to earth in glory of
the crowned Christ;[46] the new order of things under His personal
reign;[47] a final crisis;[48] and then in a vision of wondrous
winsomeness, God and men are seen dwelling together as one reunited
family, though still with a sad burning reminder of the old
sin-rebellion as part of the picture.[49] And the book closes with
personal paragraphs to John and to the groups of Churches.[50]

Another of the striking things peculiar to this book is the personal
plea that it be read and lived up to. At the very front-door step as one
starts in he is met full in the face with this: "Blessed is _he_ that
_readeth_, and they that _hear_, (or give careful heed to) the words of
the prophecy, and _keep_ the