The I Am Teachings Of Jesus
Or
Learning From Jesus – Lesson 10
Scripture To Consider:
“Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forever more. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades [Hell] and Death.” Revelation 1.17b-18
Something To Consider:
In case a person was not familiar with the Greek terms of Alpha and Omega, Jesus states; “I am the First and the Last”. Or, I was in the beginning and I will be there at the end of this age which ultimately begins all of eternity forevermore.
Jesus, before acknowledging Himself to be the First and the Last, announced; “Do not be afraid”. We mentioned in an earlier lesson what Jesus instructed in John 14.1. “Let not your heart be troubled [or afraid]; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” Why? According to our last lesson, Jesus is Almighty God!
In Matthew chapter 14, Jesus is seen walking on the Sea of Galilee in route to be of help to His disciples who are being tossed about on the sea or lake of Galilee with waves, for the wind was boisterous. They thought Jesus to have been a ghost, therefore, He said unto them; “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid”.
Something Else To Consider:
There are hundreds of verses in the bible relating to our not being afraid. Therefore, our not being afraid is something God attempts to instruct us that it may become second nature as true believers in Jesus Christ. How are we doing? And yet, becoming fearful is a human response!
The Psalmist explained in Psalm 56.3; “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You [God].” Jesus attempted to encourage all true believers in John 14.27, by proclaiming; “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”. The world constantly attempts to steal, kill, and to destroy the peace of God that is within all true believers. And yet, it is the devil who is behind every attempt!
Again, I must ask, how are we doing? How well will we navigate the predicted by Jesus tribulation that is coming according to Jesus, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and John? If we are trusting in a false pre-tribulation rapture, we will most likely not be prepared for what is coming. If we are taken totally by surprise and totally unprepared, we most likely will become afraid and greatly troubled!
Something More To Consider:
But what about those who believe Jesus’ in advance warnings? What about all those who have trusted in the warnings and end time teachings of Jesus, Daniel, Luke, Peter, Paul, and John? Their fear level will be diminished by the words of Jesus, our excellent example. Will we find courage in His words; “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.” The thought of death and the grave should not cast a shadow of fear upon our lives and within our hearts!
In other words, if the will of God for any of us is death by tribulation, we too will become like Jesus, alive forevermore in eternity. Death and the grave cannot contain us as true end time believers in Jesus. We will forever be in the presence of the, “I am the First and the Last.” Amen!
A Few Final Words:
Jesus, in Matthew 10.28 insisted, by emphatically stating; “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him [God Almighty] who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
The problem with Christendom today is, very few reverently fear God. Very few know God as being holy and worthy of our living godly lives. Therefore, we are either among the many floating downstream with the current worldly culture of this generation, or we will be found by Jesus to be among the few following after Jesus, seeking and finding the straight and narrow or constricting at times gate of Christ into eternity.
In Closing:
The eternal choice is ours! God will not force His will which includes all to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Time, as we know it, is running out! What will be our decision concerning the fear of death? What will be the decision of our loved ones concerning trusting the truth regarding Jesus being the First and the Last? Eternal life awaits all true believers in Jesus Christ!
Let’s Pray:
Our Father in heaven, let us not fear death, or the Antichrist, or the one world ruling system to be established upon the earth in these end times. And let us not fear a virus that has an approx. 99.8% recovery rate among the healthy, or any other man-made evil or abounding lawlessness. Therefore, remind us often that greater is He, Jesus, by way of the Holy Spirit, who is in us than he who is in the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
According to Jesus 