REVELATION 1: 17-18 JESUS, HIS HAND YOUR COMFORT

REVELATION

A Verse by Verse Study

My own personal journey

"A journey of studying what’s revealed to me!"

Jesus, His Hand, Your Comfort

Revelation 1: 17- And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

He Laid His Right Hand on Me

When Jesus laid his hand on John I don’t believe this was in the context of the doctrine of “laying on of hands,” for all the different reasons we practice this in the New Testament Church.  I believe this was in the context of what Jesus said next, “Do not be afraid!” Yes, I know John had fallen down because of the awesomeness of what was happening.  There was Jesus appearing to him!  That same Jesus he had watched ascend into heaven was now back on earth appearing to him.  We’ve described his appearance in other notes so John had every reason to fall on his face!  Jesus laid his hand on him and said, “Do not be afraid!”  When Jesus walks into your living room, there may be at first a tendency to be afraid but when his love overwhelms you, you fear no more!

I don’t believe that was the only reason Jesus appeared to John (to show his awesomeness, make John afraid, and then tell him not to fear!)  I believe (and of course have 22 chapters of proof,) there was more needing to be said.  I also believe there was more to the touch.  I believe this was a comforting touch. In the Old Testament it was identification’s foreshadow.  The person laid their hand on the sacrificial lamb to identify with the one that would be slain.  Jesus was the one slain but here, instead of John identifying with him, he was identifying with John.  He was saying, “I know where you’re at! I’m alive and well and will be for all eternity.”  He was letting John know this wasn’t the end of the story.  Well he also knows where you’re at! He knows your address and this isn’t the end of the story! John was in prison. He had given his all to follow Jesus and it seemed things weren’t ending well.  Jesus was letting John know first of all: the experience was real; second: there was no reason to fear, and third: everything that had happened since John dropped everything to follow Jesus had not been in vain. In fact in our next study we’ll see Jesus telling John to “Write these things!”  He actually had more for John to do when John thought he was through.  You can apply that to your life as well. You may think you’ve done all you can for the kingdom and that your usefulness is through but God has more for you to do. Just as he goes on to tell John to “Write,” there is something he will ask you to do!

Here, Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; I am the First and the Last.  I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. The Amen here literally means to “Stop and think on that!”  Let’s do that. Let’s stop and think on that!  It’s not over.  Jesus may have come and gone from this earth but he’s alive and well!  The story’s not over. He’s alive forevermore and the most exciting times are in the future! Hey!

If you’re in a place where things haven’t gone as expected, take some time with him today. I’m sure he’ll touch you just as he touched John. Let Jesus lay his hand on you today and comfort you.  Let him tell you, “Don’t be afraid.  I am he who lives and I am with you! I am the first and the last and you’re going to make it to the end of this present trial. It’s a good ending. I have the keys!”  He may also let you know, “The best is yet to come! There are exciting days ahead!” “Look to the horizon and you will see we will share an eternity of awesomeness!”  In fact he told John, “I am alive forevermore!” Wow! We have forever ahead of us! 

He Knows “The End” From “The Beginning”

For the body of Christ, that’s good news.  It’s not necessarily good news to those who won’t accept him.  There’s more to this story. We may have reached a climax but we haven’t reached the end.  For those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, there’s a good ending.  Just as in most books you can turn to the last page and know the end before you reach it, so we have been given the bible and we can know the end from the beginning!  Believe me, God knows!

Isaiah 46:9, 10  Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’

God clearly does know the end from the beginning. If any of us were to look back on our lives, we would see that any time we received a sure Word from God it came to pass.  Many things God has told us have not come to pass but if he said it, it will come to pass!  So it is with the end times. It will end just as the back of the book says.

In light of that, I believe the hand on John was a hand of comfort.  When you are troubled, there’s nothing like a friend just laying their hand on you.  Somehow it takes away the fear and some of the pain.  Jesus was letting John know that even though he was in prison, the story wasn’t over.  Think on that. John is in prison no more! He’s in glory. At the time the hand was laid on him, he was still exiled but now at this moment he’s with Jesus before the throne of God!

You may be in the midst of your greatest trial but if you’re in the midst, you haven’t reached the end.  John was in the middle of his trial but now it’s over and the ending was good.  God has a hope and a future for you too! He has good plans for you just as he does for his entire body!

Jeremiah 29:11 for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Things may not go the way you expected them to go just as they didn’t for John and all of the Christians of that day but the ending is good.  He gives us a future. He gives us a hope. He has plans for peace and not evil.  Just as the early church had to endure, so we may have to endure but there is an end and it is good.  It is peaceful.  We have something to hope for as a body and as an individual and it is good!  Just think, in the beginning, God said, “It is good,” and in the end we can say, “It is good!”  In the middle, we can say, “It is well with my soul because I have no fear! God has a hope and a future and it is good! He knows the end from the beginning and he has already declared it!”

Jesus goes on to say, “I have the keys of hell and death!”  For John that must have been a great comfort.  At the moment it seemed evil was loose and he and Jesus were standing together in the place of exile.  Jesus had been killed.  It was true he had risen, but yet, for the moment John was in prison.

Hell is a prison.  Once there a person will not be able to get out. The devil will be thrown there once and for all one day and will not be let out. So will millions that don’t choose Jesus.  For those that have chosen Jesus no matter where their lives are now, they will be free forever. There will never be another tear and there will never be another sorrow.  If there is anything you fear right now, (and John of all people had every reason to fear,) throw it at the feet of Jesus. Let him comfort you. He has the key and the story isn’t over.  He isn’t on the cross and he isn’t bound by chains, gates, bars or a stone. He’s alive forevermore and he has the keys.

He says, “I am the one who lives! I was dead but I’m not dead anymore! I’m alive!”  Jesus is alive and well and able to help. He says, “I’m the First and the Last!”  I can change that to modern English slang and say, “It ain’t over till it’s over!”  It ain’t over folks.  Things may at times look dim and grim.  Even as we move closer to the coming of the Lord we may see dark clouds on the horizon but it ain’t over!  There’s much to be done and we need to know that although we’re in the middle of the story, the story ends well.  Let’s allow Jesus to encourage us with these Words!  Let’s allow him to show us the back of the book.  Then let’s fear not and get on with the business of doing what he’s called us to do until we reach the end of the story.  Turn to the back of the book (the Bible,) and look at what it says:

Revelation 22:20, 21 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!  ²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.

It says I come quickly!  That’s the back of the book my friend, for both the body of Christ and for your trials.  The end comes quickly and so does the eternity of peace, so fear not! Amen!

Revelation 1:9 Beauty in Banishment

Revelation 1:9 Beauty in Banishment

REVELATION- A Verse by Verse Study- My own personal journey

"A journey of studying what’s revealed to me; not a journey to study what isn’t revealed!"

Revelation 1:9 Beauty in Banishment

Revelation 1:9
9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

John, one of the 12 disciples, the one Jesus loved, the one who sat with his head on Jesus heart beating, was in prison for his faith in Christ and for the Word of God.  Sometimes we don't realize the generals in the kingdom of God go through trials too! John was in prison! He was exiled! Why? Because he believed in Jesus and spoke his Word!  Your faith doesn't guarantee that you won't be in trials but it does guarantee you'll go through them.  When you go through something, you come out the other side.  Sometimes the middle is tough.  John was in a trial. He was imprisoned for his faith. He would die there....and live again on the other side!

THE ISLE OF PATMOS

John's banishment to Patmos is interesting. Patmos is a Greek Island. At the time, Patmos was a place for banishment of political prisoners as well as those that practiced sorcery, witchcraft and astrology.  John, being prophetic would have been in that category as some saw prophecy as witchcraft... just as they do today!  Prophecy is not witchcraft when it's from God!  John didn't say he was imprisoned for being a Christian but for God's Word!  I find that interesting and although I can't confirm it, I wonder if John was preaching of future events and proclaiming the living prophetic Word of God!

BANISHMENT CAN BE BEAUTIFUL

We may think of John as being imprisoned and I guess being exiled is imprisonment but if I was going to be exiled anywhere at all, I guess I'd choose an island....a Greek island!  The story is told, the encounter with Jesus that brought the Revelation was in a cave. I don't know if he was held there or if he was free to roam the island but just remember, in the same way God can give you beauty for ashes and joy for mourning, he can give you beauty in banishment. We must have our eyes open as John did.  One version of the text said he "saw the voice of God!" Whether he saw the voice or what the voice was showing him matters not. He saw something with eyes wide open and in the midst of his banishment, he saw something beautiful!


Revelation 1:10-12 I heard a loud voice behind me, trumpet-clear and piercing: “Write what you see into a book. Send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea.” I turned and saw the voice.


It was here, on The Isle of Patmos, John had his greatest encounter of all, out of which came the Book of Revelation which is a glimpse into the future for the body of Christ and the world at large.  Trials can be difficult but there are lilies in the valley!  Sometimes our greatest encounters come at our lowest moments.

IN THE SPIRIT

John was "in the Spirit."  He was praying and as he was praying he heard a loud voice like a trumpet.  Note John didn't lose his faith while in prison. He still continued to pray. How many of us get into a funk when our hopes and dreams don't turn out the way we expected?  Sometimes in a funk, we may stop praying. John may have gotten in a funk but prayer brought him through. Today John isn't in a funk. Today John is in heaven, seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus worshiping, living in the reality of the revealed and tangible presence of God, and waiting to hear Jesus say, "Come on!" "It's time to see your Revelation revealed!"

When we are "in the Spirit," things happen! As we call upon the name of the Lord, he shows us things to come as he did with John.  We must stay "in the spirit," to make it through our own "Isle of Patmos!"  We must stay in the Spirit to receive heavenly vision.  Jesus had already spoken about this in John 16 as he was telling the disciples about the role the Holy Spirit would have in their life. John wrote about it as he recalled the words of Jesus telling them of the revelations the Holy Spirit would bring:

JOHN 16: 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. 

JOHN HEARD A VOICE

Now we've all heard of the experience of Moses on the back side of the desert. He was dilly dallying along, minding his own business, herding sheep when out of nowhere came a voice.  He wasn't seeking God at all. He may have not been in a funk at all since he had fled Egypt long ago. Moses may have been living an entirely new life, married to the daughter of the Priest of Midian and minding his sheep.  Moses had given up on the call of God having murdered a man and gone into hiding.  Then out of nowhere he heard a voice, turned aside to look, and there was a tree burning but not desinigrating. 

John had been sent to the Isle of Patmos to live out the rest of his life.  Imagine the hopes and dreams that were crushed.  Having walked with Jesus in his earthly ministry, having seen Jesus perform miracle after miracle and having heard Jesus speak the Words of life, then to die right before his eyes had to be heart rending.  Then Jesus rose from the dead and restored hope but as they began to spread the good news the opposition was great.

THE TRIALS OF THE APOSTLES

Both the bible and Foxe's Book of Martyrs are great resources for knowing what some of the apostles of our faith went through to lay the foundation for the Kingdom of God!

They were imprisoned, beaten, chained, stoned and killed. Some were boiled and some were burned at the stake.  They were persecuted, harassed, chased down like animals and tortured. Through all of this, their faith did not fail.  The key word is through. All of them went through!  In America, we are fortunate to have religious liberty.  They were not so fortunate.  Some may think those were acts of ancient times but get the publication "Voice of the Martyrs," and you'll know these thing are happening this very day!

Our faith has to go beyond our circumstance!  Our faith has to be forever settled in heaven and on earth. Our faith has to be settled in our hearts, that no matter what we go through, even death, our faith remains strong and our expectation that he will deliver us and do far above all we could ask or think will be realized!  We must in the face of our greatest trial, have our greatest faith! We must remain "in the spirit," and pray!  Just as John and Moses out of nowhere heard a voice, so our encounter with God that carries us to our next assignment will come suddenly!  Although this assignment didn't bring deliverance from Patmos, it brought a message of deliverance for the entire body of Christ!