THE FIRST AND THE LAST
Revelation 1:17-18 NKJV
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.
The book of Revelation, not Revelations, what I called it for years, was the vision given by God to the apostle John. It is one of the most talked about and challenging books of the entire Bible. The book covers messages to the churches and what will take place in the end times. Revelation is the book with the most disagreement as to its interpretation. My encouragement to you is to take verse three by faith. “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” So even if you do not understand the how, who, and what of this prophecy, read it and learn what you can. You’ll be blessed for doing that.
John was on the island of Patmos. He was banished to this barren place for his life and testimony of Jesus. And it was on this island that Jesus revealed this prophecy of the end times. What struck me was how Jesus defined Himself as He spoke with John. John fell at His feet, and Jesus spoke to him. His words hold both mystery and insight.
“I am the First and the Last.” This statement from Jesus contains some mystery for me. I know Jesus was the firstborn from the dead. He is the first of the sons of God. He existed with the Father from the beginning. But the last? This is Alan speculating here, but Jesus was the last and final sacrifice for the sins of mankind. I am sure there is a lot more to this. Feel free to drop me an email as to your thoughts on Jesus being the First and the Last.
I have a better grasp on verse eighteen. I was about to say that I totally get verse eighteen, but God’s word is alive and powerful, and there is always more to see and understand. But I do know that Jesus is alive, although He was dead. He died for our sins on the cross, and they laid Him in a tomb. But on the third day, He was raised from the dead, never to die again. And He is alive forevermore. What a marvelous thought. Jesus is alive forevermore, and we are alive with Him. We may leave our bodies, but we will be present with the Lord to live with Him forever. I think we have barely scratched the surface of understanding what living forevermore means. But what a comforting thought.
Not only is Jesus alive forevermore, but He also has the keys of Hell and of Death. Keys represent authority. We honor individuals by giving them the key to the city. Jesus was honored by being gifted the keys of Hell and Death. Hell and Death do not have dominion over him. Jesus won those keys when He was raised and defeated Satan. Another area where we have barely scratched the surface of understanding is how magnificent and powerful Jesus is.
Chapter one gives us insight into the awesomeness of Jesus. Chapter two begins the messages to the churches.