Day 22

“WHEN I SAW HIM, I FELL AT HIS FEET LIKE A DEAD MAN. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” Rev 1:17-18

John had known Jesus pretty well in the flesh (see 1John). But that was sixty years ago. He had ascended to some other part of the universe. John certainly wasn’t expecting Jesus to show up in his back yard at any moment. 

Not only that, this Jesus had the kind of dazzling qualities John would have associated with God Himself. He is the “first and the last,” terms which describe the great God of the Old Testament (Isa 44:6; 48:12). Jesus comes to John as the God of the Old Testament, the One who made the world, gave the law on Mount Sinai and filled the temple with glory in Solomon’s day. It must have been a staggering shock for John to take in. As a result, he goes down like a dead man would. It was more than he could handle. 

Jesus then identifies Himself with the titles of God as e.g. “the first and …the last” (see Isa.44:6, 48:12). The Greek word for last is eschatos, from which we get the word eschatology (the study of end-time events). The meaning of this word shows that the focus of eschatology is on Jesus Christ, who is the last word on final events. He is the one “who lives” and possesses “the keys of hades (the grave) and death” Rev1:18 By His death and resurrection, Jesus has been given authority to open the gates of death (Job.17:16, Ps 9:13). All who trust in Him will rise from the grave to everlasting life (1Cor 15:20-28). 

This is the revelation of Jesus Christ. He is more than a man; He is the God-man. When, like John, we recover from this revelation, we can be comforted to know that He is well able to provide everything we need, including eternal life.