The First and the Last

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Revelation 1:17-18 NIV

Here John reveals how he fell at the feet of Jesus as though dead. His choice of words can convey fear, astonishment and reverence.

In reading and understanding any scripture, it is helpful to ask, ‘What is happening here?’ We are likely to gain a greater understanding by developing our ability to contend with the meaning of the words.

In these verses, there are contrasting messages of fear and comfort, death and life. Jesus’s word to John reassures him, giving him comfort and demonstrating he has defeated death.

From a linguistic perspective, the pronouns are consistent, the order is correct. The communication language is used appropriately and the rule of the negative is contextually expected. The use of tense is correctly applied and the language flows (‘living’ and ‘alive’). John is also asked to ‘look’ after he had fallen at the feet of Jesus.

The phrase, ‘do not be afraid’ (which precedes the invitation to ‘look’) is the most used phrase in the bible. It acknowledges how others may have felt in the presence of Jesus.

Jesus shows he has power over death (the condition) and Hades (the place of the dead). Christ decides who lives, dies and when.

The message is as relevant today as it was for John at the time of writing the book of Revelation.