17 And when I saw him, I went down on my face at his feet as one dead. And he put his right hand on me, saying, Have no fear; I am the first and the last and the Living one;
The Lord, the King of Israel, even the Lord of armies who has taken up his cause, says, I am the first and the last, and there is no God but me.
I am the First and the Last, the start and the end.
So he came and took his place near where I was; and when he came, I was full of fear and went down on my face: but he said to me, Let it be clear to you, O son of man; for the vision has to do with the time of the end. Now while he was talking to me, I went into a deep sleep with my face to the earth: but touching me, he put me on my feet where I had been.
Give ear to me, Jacob, and Israel, my loved one; I am he, I am the first and I am the last.
Whose purpose and work was it? His who sent out the generations from the start. I the Lord, the first, and with the last, I am he.
I am the First and the Last, says the Lord God who is and was and is to come, the Ruler of all.
So I was by myself, and I saw this great vision, and all my strength went from me; and the colour went from my face. But the sound of his words came to my ears, and on hearing his voice I went into a deep sleep with my face to the earth. Then a hand gave me a touch, awaking me, and putting me on my knees and my hands.
And when they went in, they saw a young man seated on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were full of wonder. And he said to them, Do not be troubled: you are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been put to death on the cross; he has come back from the dead; he is not here: see, the place where they put him!
And he was changed in form before them; and his face was shining like the sun, and his clothing became white as light. And Moses and Elijah came before their eyes, talking with him. And Peter made answer and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if you will let me, I will make here three tents, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was still talking, a bright cloud came over them: and a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased; give ear to him. And at these words the disciples went down on their faces in great fear. And Jesus came and put his hand on them and said, Get up and have no fear.
And after he had said these words to me, I kept my face turned to the earth and was unable to say anything.
For how may this servant of my lord have talk with my lord? for, as for me, straight away my strength went from me and there was no breath in my body. Then again one having the form of a man put his hand on me and gave me strength. And he said to me, O man greatly loved, have no fear: peace be with you, be strong and let your heart be lifted up. And at his words I became strong, and said, Let my lord say on, for you have given me strength. Then he said, It is clear to you why I have come to you. And now I will give you an account of what is recorded in the true writings:
Then he said to me, Have no fear, Daniel; for from the first day when you gave your heart to getting wisdom and making yourself poor in spirit before your God, your words have come to his ears: and I have come because of your words.
Like the bow in the cloud on a day of rain, so was the light shining round him. And this is what the glory of the Lord was like. And when I saw it I went down on my face, and the voice of one talking came to my ears.
After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Have no fear, Abram: I will keep you safe, and great will be your reward.
But Moses said, Keep where you are and have no fear; now you will see the salvation of the Lord which he will give you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.
Then Peter, turning round, saw the disciple who was dear to Jesus coming after them--the disciple who was resting on his breast at the last meal, and said, Lord, who is it who will be false to you?
But they were full of fear, being of the opinion that they were seeing a spirit. And he said to them, Why are you troubled, and why are your hearts full of doubt? See; my hands and my feet: it is I myself; put your hands on me and make certain; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Revelation 1
Commentary on Revelation 1 Matthew Henry Commentary
An Exposition, With Practical Observations, of
The Revelation of ST. John the Divine
Chapter 1
This chapter is a general preface to the whole book, and contains,
Rev 1:1-2
Here we have,
Rev 1:3-8
We have here an apostolic benediction on those who should give a due regard to this divine revelation; and this benediction is given more generally and more especially.
Rev 1:9-20
We have now come to that glorious vision which the apostle had of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he came to deliver this revelation to him, where observe,