Revelation 1:17-20 Fear not!

Revelation 1:17-20 John's reaction to seeing Jesus in His glory was similar to that of prophets and apostles. Moses was warned (Exodus 33:20). Isaiah was undone at the sight (Isaiah 6:5). Daniel lost his strength and fell on the ground (Daniel 10:8-9). Peter was terrified and lost his wits. (Mark 9:5-6) This may seem strange after having known Jesus in the flesh. But even on the Mount of Transfiguration the disciples immediately went from easy familiarity to terror when they saw Jesus in His glory.

          These passages suggest that we probably cannot grasp fully the totality of Jesus' glory while we are still in this life. We may have experiences where we sense His presence, through the Holy Spirit, and in this some measure of His love and holiness. But the totality of the reality of the splendor of His glory (doxan) is impossible to experience (Exodus 33:20) until we see Him face to face, (I Corinthians 13:9-12), and that only when we are like Him (1 John 3:2). The challenge is, when we get a foretaste of the sense of His glory, does it draw us to Him or scare us away from Him?

          Jesus' response is "Fear not!" (Me Phobou) He then gives John reasons for not fearing. These reasons may seem like a non sequitur. John is terrified on seeing the glory of Jesus. Jesus' response would seem to respond to fear of the great tribulations that John will see in the coming chapters. That is, the revelation of Jesus' power and victory seems to address the fear of the things that the world and the devil would do to believers. However, there is an aspect of Jesus' statements that also addresses John's fear of Jesus' revealed divinity and glory. This is in the same way that Paul addresses his readers in Romans 8:31-34: God's very character. God's love and holiness make Him the most trustworthy being in existence. His love and holiness were demonstrated in that He died and rose from the dead, and in doing so rescued humankind from the power and penalty of sin. We need not fear His holiness, because it is indivisibly merged with His love. They cannot be separated because divinity is a single quality. Jesus does not have to wrestle with moral dilemmas. Aquinas would have simply said that God is simple.