Revelation Chapter 1 – The Revelation Of Jesus Christ – The Father’s Perfection Part 5 Of 6 Series

REVELATION CHAPTER 1 – THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST – THE FATHER’S PERFECTION PART 5 OF 6

Again welcome to each one as we journey through Revelation chapter 1. Last time we reached the end of verse 16 and now take up the study at verse 17.

Rev 1:17 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man, and He laid His right hand upon me saying, “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last,”

In considering these magnificent truths we are about to enjoy, I will be combining thoughts from this verse with verse 18. This was a natural reaction for John to fall at the Lord’s feet, for the magnificence of the Lord he had witnessed was so overwhelming. Remember John, Peter and James had seen the Lord transfigured some 65 years earlier, but this revelation of the Person of his Lord was just so transcending. When Daniel saw that image of Jehovah, he could not eat for days. This is the same Lord on whose chest John had rested on Passover night but this was also the ascended Lord in glorious revelation. All feeling and rationality had departed from John. He was overcome.

I do wonder what it will be like for us when we see Jesus. He won’t be the carpenter’s son who walked those Jewish streets long ago, or the pale insipid representations of Medieval artists. He won’t be the disgraced and ashamed One standing condemned before Pilate and the hateful priests, scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees. He won’t even be the Lord as He ascended from Olivet. I think He will be transcendent in glory and light like we can’t imagine, and we will see Him as He truly is in such glory that ordinary human eyes can not look on it as Moses was unable to do so long ago. However, in heaven, we won’t have ordinary human eyes. Paul’s friend (or was it actually Paul himself?) when caught up to the third heaven, had a taste of that glory that awaits all His redeemed children. Jesus is the fully glorified One in overwhelming majesty.

Jesus laid His right hand on John “to bring him back to his senses”. You might call this “The Right Hand of Comfort”. Place yourself in that situation – “Do not be afraid”!! That is majestic for all of us who have traumatic and unsettling situations! “Fear not” in the KJV. Commit yourself to the hand of the Lord. Why should we do this? I think this is the answer -

Psalm 118:15 “The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous. The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.” Psalm 118:16 “The right hand of the LORD is exalted. The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.” That is how magnificent the Lord is, but the Lord also ministers to us as this verse confirms - Psalm 109:31 “for He stands at the right hand of the needy to save him from those who judge his soul.” This is the Right Hand of Strength!

This expression, “Do not be afraid” as used in the NASB is used 18 times in the New Testament. I would like to mention two of them –

(a). {{Matthew 17:7 and Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid,”.}} That would be the hand of Comfort! How many times do we need that right hand of comfort? More than we can ever count. Whether it be in a personal tragedy, or the loss of a loved one, or false accusation, or fearfulness of the world situation, we all need so much that hand of comfort. The Lord Jesus Christ is the great Comforter, and if that is not enough, then the Holy Spirit is also our great Comforter. The Father loves us and as the heavenly Father sends His comfort to us, so we are upheld by the comfort of every member of the Trinity.

(b). {{John 6:20 but He said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”}} Such comfort! There is something much deeper in this verse I can’t explore at this time and that is the great divinity of the Lord. When He said, “It is I” the Greek is “ego emi” meaning “I, I AM.” This is the great Almighty God, our Saviour. There should be no cause to be afraid because the whole power and support of God Almighty is protecting and sustaining us.

“I am the first and the last,”. Now we come back to what we read in verse 8. “The Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.” This is to reassure John that his Lord He knew as the eternal God, the everlasting Word that John knew so well on earth, is the same One in this magnificent revelation. All the following statements – “Alpha, Omega”, “First, Last”, “dead, alive” (verse 18), all point to one thing. It is DIVINITY. This One whom John is relating to in this first chapter, is the divine Son of God; God the Son. He is the one in charge of the whole universe which He created, and He will see the whole consummation of it. He is about to step out in judgement, which is what chapter 6 of Revelation onwards is all about. John is seeing this “fearful” One, but the One who is also His blessed Friend and Lord. What a revelation this is. Revelation upon revelation.