In the last post, we saw that Jesus is the glorious Christ. We now see that He is also the comforting Christ. Having seen Jesus, John writes,
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last..." (Revelation 1:17)
Even though John knew Jesus loved him (John 13:23; 21:7-19 etc.), he still fell at Christ's feet at the sight of Him. This instructs us some regarding how we should approach the Lord. Yes, we're His friends and His brothers (we who believe in Him), but make no mistake--He is still our Lord, and we are still His servants. He is still fearsome and worthy of our reverence.
Still, we see this: "But He laid His right hand on me" (v. 17). He did this as if to comfort the fearful John. And He even says to John, "Fear not." How kind is our Lord! Though He has the right to demand prostration, He puts His hand on John and says, "Fear not."
And in comforting John, He reminds him who He is. He says, "I am the first and the last" (v. 17). Who dares say that He is the first and the last but God Himself? Our Savior Jesus Christ is fully God and has the right to identify as such. Notice that His being God is meant to calm John down. "Fear not, I am the first and the last." For those who are outside of Christ, being in the presence of God is frightening. But for those who are in Christ, being in the presence of God is comforting. He has brought us comfort. Thanks be to our Christ!