Read with Me
Revelation 1:17b-20 (HCSB)
He laid His right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades. Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this. The secret of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven gold lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”
Listen with Me
When John saw the ascended and glorified Jesus, the sight was so overwhelming that he fell to the ground in a dead faint. But Jesus’ intention was not to awe John, but to communicate through him. So, He laid His hand on him and roused him with calm words of reassurance.
Jesus clearly identified who He was, since His glorified form was not recognizable to John as the same Jesus he had once known so well. Jesus called Himself “the First and the Last”, virtually the same as the title God the Father had used for himself in verse 8: the Alpha and the Omega.
Jesus then identified Himself as a one who was dead, but who is now alive for ever and ever. He was not only alive, but He was the Living One, the first born of all who would be resurrected, and the source, the fountain head, of eternal life for all who believe in Him.
And because Jesus had broken the mastery that death had held over the whole human race for millennia, He now possessed the keys to both death and Hades. He is thus able to set free all who turn to Him for salvation.
Jesus then immediately revealed to John secret, a “mysterion” or mystery. A mystery, especially in apocalyptic visions, is something that is seen, but the meaning of which cannot be understood without God’s direct revelation. In this case, Jesus explained the symbolism of the seven lampstands surrounding Him, and of the seven bright stars He held in His right hand.
The seven stars are the “angeloi”, angels, or messengers, of the seven Churches to which this letter is being written. Some see this as a revelation of guardian angels for the Churches. But the meaning is more closely related to the understanding that God communicates his messages to His Churches through the leaders of the Church in each city, what are commonly known as bishops or “overseers”. These leaders were held in the right hand of Jesus, the hand symbolizing strength and power, showing not only His guidance and protection of them, but also showing the divine power that would work through them. The letter as a whole, as well as the individual notes in chapters 2 and 3, are addressed to the “angel” of those Churches. Those leaders would be responsible to faithfully relay this message to the Christians in their city.
The seven lamp stands represented the seven Churches in the province of Asia. These were not “candlesticks” as some older translations have them, but stands holding oil lamps. The oil that enabled the flame to burn was widely used in the Church to represent the Holy Spirit, who was to be at the center of each church, uniting the people and empowering them for the kingdom work of sharing the good news, and of growing new believers into mature disciples of Jesus.
The fact that Jesus is depicted in this vision as standing in the midst of the seven lampstands is not a mere detail. Jesus himself, the Savior and Lord of every believer, was and is powerfully present in the midst of the smallest gathering of his people (Matthew 18:20), guiding them through the darkest valleys (Psalm 23:4), calming the violent storms that threaten to swallow them (Mark 4:38-40), and interceding for them before the throne of the Father (Hebrews 7:25).
Pray with Me
Father, visions like this are so dense with meaning that it takes a revelation from You to understand them, and adequate time meditating on them to even begin to grasp their full meaning. But even in the first glimpse, You are already showing Your Church the way forward through a time of persecution, and providing the encouragement needed to get them moving forward. You are present in the midst of the Churches, and You are all-powerful and able to see them through. Thank you, Lord, for this inspiring and encouraging vision. Amen.