Immutable Jesus

“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.’” - Revelation 1:17

Revelation is a book of the Bible I have always avoided, but recently begun to study it and am thoroughly enjoying the process. During our last session, we focused on the description of Jesus in Revelation 1:13-17a – “And among the lampstands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.”

Sometimes we forget to consider this facet of Jesus, but it is who He has always been and always will be. It boggles the mind to think how Jesus the powerful, terrifying Conqueror is the same Jesus who longs for relationship with His people. In this passage, though John falls as if dead at Jesus’ feet, Jesus “placed his right hand on me and said, ‘Do not be afraid (v. 17).” He is our Advocate, brother, our friend, and yet also a mighty, omnipotent Judge whose glory could blind us. Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday, and forever!