And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: Revelation‬ ‭1:17‬

FYI - Convicts and prisoners used to be sent to this island on exile and they had to live through harsh conditions. Perhaps, Apostle John would have witnessed bones and skeletons of dead people and animals, men who were almost at the point of death because of no food or water. He would probably have been scared to live there, but then it was here that Jesus used to speak to him through visions and the Book of Revelation came into being.

Once, on the day of the Lord, Apostle John saw a vision of the Resurrected Jesus, talking to him. Before Jesus spoke to him, He placed His right hand on him and said - FEAR NOT! Fear is an agent of the devil and for this reason Bible scholars say that for about 365 times it is mentioned in the Scriptures - Fear Not! That’s why Jesus placed His right hand and comforted him.

WHY SHOULDN’T WE FEAR?

1. The fearful do not have a place in war - Christian life is a life of war which we have to fight everyday and win. Our fight is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12. We are called to endure hardships as a good soldier of Jesus Christ - we’ve been chosen by God as a soldier in His army. 2 Timothy 2:3-5. Trials, sickness, life problems etc may pop up every now and then, but we should never plan of fleeing away leaving the fight. This is why Jesus is asking not to fear, but fight the good fight and strive lawfully.

2. We shouldn’t fear because what we are afraid of may actually happen - Job was an upright and a righteous man. He was a god-fearing person and abstained from doing evil because he honoured God. But there was something about him that he did daily - he feared about his children sinning against God. So, everyday he would offer burnt offerings for them according to their number and reconciled with God on their behalf. Job 1:5. But what Job feared, that came upon him. For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. Job‬ ‭3:25‬ He lost everything he had, including his children in a single day.

3. Fear will take away our eyes from Jesus - Peter is a good example of this situation. Seeing Jesus walk on water towards their boat, Peter desired greatly to step into the water and walk towards Jesus. And he did step out of the boat onto the waters. He eyes were fixed on his Master, but the moment he saw the boisterous wind his eyes turned away from Jesus and immediately he was sinking into the deep waters. Fear of the wind and storm, problems that arise in our lives cause us to turn away our sight from Christ.

May God help us to keep these things in our heart and trust Him at all times!