Do Not Be Afraid
Today’s passage: Revelation 1:9–20
Focus verse: 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.” (Revelation 1:17)
The apostle John, exiled on the island of Patmos for telling others about Jesus, connects with God on a spiritual level, not the physical realm but the supernatural.
This occurs on the Lord’s Day. We could assume that the Lord’s Day is a reference to Sunday, or perhaps the Sabbath. Or it might be another special day of celebration.
Since “the Lord’s Day” doesn’t occur anywhere else in the Bible, we can’t use Scripture to inform our understanding of what it means. Or maybe we can.
The phrase “the day of the Lord” does appear throughout the Bible, and it references the end of our present age. Perhaps that’s the vantage of John’s vision, as if speaking back to us today from the end of time.
Regardless, John hears someone speaking. It’s Jesus, commanding him—with a loud voice like a trumpet—to record his vision and send it to seven churches, which we’ll learn more about in Revelation 2 and 3.
John turns to the sound and sees seven golden lampstands and someone who is “like a son of man.” (See Daniel 7:13.) John later confirms that this son of man is none other than Jesus.
The description of our Savior fills us with awe: a golden sash, head and hair as white as snow, and eyes blazing like fire. He has feet of glowing bronze and a voice roaring like rushing waters.
He holds seven stars in his hand. From his mouth comes a double-edged sword. We may see this imagery as representing the spoken word of God, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). Last, Jesus’s face shines with the brilliance of the sun.
John takes this in and falls at Jesus’s feet.
It may be that John is simply in awe of Jesus or that he is experiencing a paralyzing terror. It might be both. Regardless, John lies there as if dead.
Then Jesus does the most amazing thing to comfort his overwrought disciple. He places his hand on John and says, “Do not be afraid.”
What a relief. We can feel the tension release from John’s body—and from ours as we live vicariously through the apostle’s experience.
Having gotten John’s attention, and ours, Jesus again confirms he is the first and last. He is the living one. Though once dead—when he died for us—he is now alive for all eternity. He has power over death and hell. How comforting.
How reassuring for those of us who follow him.
He tells John to record his vision of what is and what will be. Then he gives us a key to guide our understanding of the vision: the seven stars that he holds in his hand are angels, his messengers to the seven churches.
And the seven lampstands represent the seven churches themselves. This explanation will help us better understand the next two chapters of the book of Revelation.
Questions:
- Can we connect with God on a spiritual level like John?
- Aside from receiving visions, how can God speak to us?
- What characteristic of John’s description of Jesus do we most connect with?
- When in Jesus’s presence, will we fall at his feet in awe or in terror?
- When we face Jesus, will he need to tell us to not be afraid?
[Discover more about another time when people fall at the feet of the resurrected Jesus in Matthew 28:9–10.]
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Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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