Revelation 1:16-20

Last week we saw imagery that points us back to the prophets of the Old Testament — Isaiah, Ezekiel, and others saw these same visions and described the Lord the same way John now does. This is meant not only to show us believers that Jesus is the Christ, but also to show the Jews who do not yet believe that he is the Christ they long for.¶

In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades."

Revelation 1:16-18 (ESV)¶

The seven stars¶

Here we have the number 7 again — seven stars Jesus is holding in his right hand. These seven stars, we will find out, represent the angels of the seven churches. An "angel" can be a heavenly being, or a messenger or representative — so this could refer to human messengers who will bring this revelation to the churches, or heavenly messengers, or the pastors, teachers, and leaders who represent them. Either way, the seven stars represent the whole, complete church.¶

Stars are used a few times in the Old Testament to describe God's people. The first example is the promise God makes to Abraham:¶

I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,

Genesis 22:17 (ESV)¶

And we know the offspring referred to are not the Jews by birth alone:¶

For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

Romans 9:6-8 (ESV)¶

So the offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven are those who believe in Jesus, whose faith is in him. Another example is Joseph's dream, where the sun, moon, and eleven stars bow to him (Genesis 37:9) — the stars representing his eleven brothers and the tribes of Israel.¶

In his right hand¶

John tells us the seven stars were in his right hand. The right hand represents several things in Scripture: blessing and pleasure (Psalm 16:11); the firstborn's blessing — as when Israel crossed his hands to put his right hand on Ephraim (Genesis 48:17-20); protection (Psalm 17:7); power and authority (Exodus 15:6; Luke 22:69); and fellowship and approval (Galatians 2:9). As believers we get all of this in Christ. Not only is our Savior and King walking in our midst — we are also in his hands.¶

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

John 10:27-29 (ESV)¶

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)¶

The two-edged sword¶

The sword coming out of his mouth is the word of God.¶

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)¶

Those who love Christ will also love his word; we cannot have one without the other — they are inseparable (John 1:1, 14). The two-edged sword goes where Christ goes and is with him always.¶

Falling at his feet¶

In verses 17-18 I believe we see a picture of what happens when a person puts their faith in Jesus and is born again. When we come to the Lord we fall at his feet as though dead — because we are dead. The weight of our sin, the guilt and shame, and the realization of who he is and who we are: when we truly see him, we finally see how dead we are without him. But Christ lays his right hand on us — there is that picture again — and says to us, as he said to John: "Fear not!" He reminds us that he is the eternal sacrifice for the very sins we are ashamed of, that because he lives we are now alive, and that he takes away any fear of death because he defeated it on the cross. Praise God!¶

How the book is laid out¶

Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Revelation 1:19-20 (ESV)¶

As I said in the introduction, this is a simple breakdown of how Revelation can be divided: the things you have seen, those that are, and those that are to take place after this. We just finished the first portion — John wrote down what he saw leading up to this point. In the next few chapters we will see "those that are," in the form of seven messages to the seven actual churches of that day. Then in chapter 4 we will see a shift to the things that will take place after this. In verse 20 Jesus explains what the seven stars and seven lampstands mean. Jesus does this often with his friends — he spoke in parables to large groups, but explained their meanings to those close to him. He is now doing this again with his friend John.¶