Religion & Spirituality
In the book of Revelation, John encounters a profound power and authority that is unrivalled elsewhere in Scripture. There are glimpses of it here and there throughout the Old Testament, but this is next level stuff. In fact, John's unrehearsed response is to fall at the feet of Jesus "as though dead". To this Jesus says, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last", echoing a curious phrase said earlier and again later in John's Revelation. "I am the Alpha and the Omega". This refers to the first letter of the Greek alphabet and the last letter. Jesus is implying many things when He uses this language, but not the least is His role in time. In the unfolding of our lives, Jesus is present. From before our first breath to our last breath and beyond, Jesus encompasses it all. With this talk we'll close our series on the Examen prayer practice. The fifth and final movement of the Examen leads us to contemplate and prepare for what comes next. It asks us to anticipate God's movement and intentions in the future. This is critical to following Jesus. After all, without a sense of the future, we have no gospel at all.