7 Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven and everyone will see him - even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

9 I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering, and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus.  10 It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshipping in the Spirit.  Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. 11 It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13 And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man.  He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

19 “Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen.  20 This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Revelation 1 vs 7 -20, New Living Translation

What a fright John must have initially got when he saw this awesome vision of the Lord in the amazing glory of heaven (vs 17). Remember - visions and miracles are not everyday events. When they do happen, people were always deeply humbled. In John’s case he says when he saw this vision of the Lord “I fell at his feet as if I were dead.” There was no way he would later boast to everyone about the vision God gave him and appear on all the TV shows. (Ok, there were no TV’s then, but you get what I mean.)

But it’s not so much about John that these verses are teaching, but about Jesus Christ.

1. What do you learn from vs 7?

   Surely it’s that He is coming again one day and, when He does, all those who have rejected Him will deeply mourn.

2. What do verses 13-16 tell you?

   We learn that Jesus is dressed once more with the glory He had in heaven before He came to the world to die. His eyes can pierce our hearts (vs 14) and His words can reveal the deepest things of our lives (vs 16).

3. What do you learn by comparing vs 12 and vs 16 with vs 20?

   Is it perhaps that Jesus is Lord of the church, and that those who say they are His followers are in His hands?

4. What do verses 8, 17 and 18 tell us about Jesus? Surely that He is divine! In vs 8, God says that He is “Alpha” and “Omega” which means the “first” and “last”. But in vs 17 Jesus also says that He is the “First” and “Last”. Therefore Jesus must be God as well.

   If you are someone who has come to Jesus Christ for salvation then worship Him today for His glory and ask Him afresh to be Lord in your Life. And remember too that He has you safely in His hands.