I am the first and the last | Revelation 1 | Modern

After receiving the command to write what he sees, John turns to see the voice that was speaking to him. What follows is the first vision of the Book of Revelation and serves as the foundation for everything that follows. Before John is shown future events, he is shown the One who reigns over them. Standing in the midst of seven golden lampstands is One like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and wearing a golden sash across His chest. His appearance is overwhelming: His head and hair are white like wool, as white as snow; His eyes are like a flame of fire; His feet are like burnished bronze refined in a furnace; His voice is like the sound of many waters; and His face shines like the sun in its full strength. Every detail reveals His glory, holiness, authority, wisdom, righteousness, and power. Confronted with such majesty, John falls at His feet as though dead. Yet the One who displays such awesome glory also comforts His servant, saying, “Do not be afraid.” This passage presents the glorified Lord Jesus Christ—alive forevermore, sovereign over death and Hades, and walking among the seven churches, fully aware of their condition. Before revealing the events of the last days, God first reveals the One who rules over them.