Revelation 1:17
17 And[kai] when[hote] I saw[eido] him,[autos] I fell[pipto] at[pros] his[autos] feet[pous] as[hos] dead.[nekros] And[kai] he laid[epitithemi] his[autos] right[dexios] hand[cheir] upon[epi] me,[eme] saying[lego] unto me,[moi] Fear[phobeo] not;[me] I[ego] am[eimi] the first[protos] and[kai] the last:[eschatos] KJV-Interlinear
17 And 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, NASB
Throughout history, and even in our current day,
there have been many who have claimed to have seen God, but their stories lack
truth because their stories lack the reality of fact.
In past times, all who have come into a face to
face meeting with God have been filled with fear and intense fright.
Here John falls down on his face as though he were
dead.He fainted in other words.
Others have had similar encounters and
reactions.Over sixty years earlier John
had the same exact experience along with Peter and James on the Mt. of Transfiguration,
Matt 17:6.
Likwise
Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, the father of Samson, Job, Paul, people in general
when the sixth seal is opened, have or will have similar experiences of extreme
and intense fear.A type of fear that
neither you nor I, have ever had in our entire lives.
Daniel, Dan 10:8-9; cf. 8:17, Ezekiel, Ezek 1:28;
3:23; 9:8; 43:3; 44:4, Isaiah, Isa 6:5, Manoah, Judg 13:22, Job, Job 42:5-6, Paul, Acts 26:13, sixth seal, Rev
6:16-17.
However, you will hear folks boasting of their
personal wants or desires of a personal relationship with God, or of folks who
want to suffer for God. Go to any
internet chat or posting venue, and you will see the frivolous, false,
boastful, shallow, and often times silly or pretense displays of attitudes,
which are words only or quotes, and no substance or commitment
or obedience to Gods mandate for a daily study.
They just want the emotional or ego high that they get from the safety
of their computer.
But the reality? That is somewhat different from the
imagination or the pretense.
John was a seasoned Apostle. Isaiah was a seasoned prophet. Daniel had sat with lions and lived.
John had lived with Jesus for three and a half
years, had seen the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension, the
transfiguration.Most certainly John had
read all of Pauls letters,
had taught from within his own ministry, had seen all of the history of the
first century.John had written four of
his own New Testament letters, revealed to him by God.
If anyone was prepared to face Christ, it was
John.And yet here John falls flat on
his face, unconscious.
You and I probably think that we can handle a face
to face meeting. After all we have HD
and we have seen the best of the cinema special affects, sooo we must be
prepared!
I don’t think so.
John was better prepared than any of us, and he
fell face down, out cold.And this, at just the ‘appearance’ of Christ.
What does that tell you about those people who will
be forced into experiencing actual divine events, which are about to be
revealed in the subsequent chapters of this book?
Most folks lack the respect and awe of Christ, by
the mere fact that they disobey His mandate to pursue their daily studies. The first priority set before all believers
once they have been saved. To grow up
is your mandate, and that requires a daily commitment of study in an
instructional setting.
Most say they are interested, but most don’t study.
And here is John who is spiritually prepared for
such a meeting, and he is overcome.What
of those who are not prepared?
And the response of
Christ?‘Do
not be afraid.’He touches John on the
shoulder with affection and reassurance.
The scriptures are full of Gods reassurance, Gen
15:1; 26:24; Judg 6:23; Matt 14:27; 17:7; 28:10.
Christ responds with ‘I Am.’ I [ego] am [eimi]. This means the ‘self existent one,’ which
means the infinite one, or the one who possesses eternal support and resources. These are the same words spoken to Moses from
the burning bush, ‘I Am.’
The first and the last, refers to Jesus Christ’s infinite
sovereign control over all that is, even over all that could be, the actual and
the possible.
If God be for us, since God has control over
everything, then who can stand against us, Rom 8:31. Anyone else will not exist (gods), or if they
do, were created by and therefore lesser than, God Himself.
Jesus Christ is our only point of contact with
God.Not angels, not
Mary, not the prophets, not so called saints, not inanimate objects, not
invented gods, nothing, and no one.
Jesus Christ is God, Ex. 3:14, Matt. 24:27, John
8:58, 59, and those who opposed Him, understood His words and claim to deity.
When all false gods, and ideas and philosophies
have come and gone, Christ remains, Rev. 2:8, 22:13, Isa 44:6; 48:12; cf. 41:4.
Jesus Christ is not a dead god, not a fantasy god,
not a fad god, not an invented god, but the living real God, John 1:4; 14:6, Josh
3:10; 1 Sam 17:26; Ps 84:2; Hos 1:10; Matt 16:16;
26:63; Acts 14:15; Rom 9:26; 2 Cor 3:3; 6:16; 1 Thess 1:9; 1 Tim 3:15; 4:10; Heb 3:12; 9:14; 10:31; Rev 7:2
God is infinite, uncaused
(no cause and affect), self existent, with no beginning and no end.
And this same God, who created everything around
us, who created and controls everything around us, who is both omnipotent and
sovereign, reached down and touched John, ever so lightly.
And this same God, who created all that is, has
prepared a plan, a unique plan just as He Himself is unique, for each one of
us.All you have to do is commit
yourself to a daily study and your life will blossom to beyond your wildest
dreams.
It is said that there are those who don’t have
dreams, they have no outlook on life.
Then there are those who have dreams, but do
nothing with regard to them.All talk
and no substance.
And then there are the few, who have dreams, pursue
their spiritual life through their daily study, and God leads them through
their dreams to a life beyond their wildest even enhanced dreams.
Which are you?
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