The Apostle John was overcome by this wondrous vision of the Lord Jesus and collapsed at His feet as dead. The blinding sight of Christ`s glory, His concentrated gaze and the terrible sword protruding from the mouth all made John`s heart tremble & become terror stricken. But the Lord lays His hand upon him and reassures him that He has all things under His command.
As the `First,` Christ is the creator of all things visible & invisible, and as the `Last,` He finishes all things in heaven and on the earth. He has conquered death & hell and is alive for evermore.
`And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.
But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me,
“Do not be afraid;
I am the First & the Last.
I am He who lives, & was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore.
Amen.
And I have the keys of Hades and of death.”
(Rev. 1: 17 & 18)
John was then to write what He had just seen in the first vision, and then what was happening in the churches in his time and finally he was to record what things would take place after that.
“Write the things which you have seen,
and the things which are,
and the things which will take place after this.”
(Rev. 1: 19)
The Lord Jesus then explains to John what the lampstand and stars represented. As the priest in the earthly temple would move amongst the lampstands and watch to keep their lights burning so it is that Christ, the Head of the Body, who moves amongst the churches makes sure that their lights, their witness of Him is true and clear.
And just as the seven stars, the Pleiades (Job 38: 31) control our planetary system from billions of miles away, so it is that Christ has administrative authority over the churches, His Body, supervising them over the centuries and throughout the world.
“The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand,
& the seven golden lampstands:
the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,
and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.”
(Rev. 1: 20)
As the `First,` Christ is the creator of all things visible & invisible, and as the `Last,` He finishes all things in heaven and on the earth. He has conquered death & hell and is alive for evermore.
`And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.
But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me,
“Do not be afraid;
I am the First & the Last.
I am He who lives, & was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore.
Amen.
And I have the keys of Hades and of death.”
(Rev. 1: 17 & 18)
John was then to write what He had just seen in the first vision, and then what was happening in the churches in his time and finally he was to record what things would take place after that.
“Write the things which you have seen,
and the things which are,
and the things which will take place after this.”
(Rev. 1: 19)
The Lord Jesus then explains to John what the lampstand and stars represented. As the priest in the earthly temple would move amongst the lampstands and watch to keep their lights burning so it is that Christ, the Head of the Body, who moves amongst the churches makes sure that their lights, their witness of Him is true and clear.
And just as the seven stars, the Pleiades (Job 38: 31) control our planetary system from billions of miles away, so it is that Christ has administrative authority over the churches, His Body, supervising them over the centuries and throughout the world.
“The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand,
& the seven golden lampstands:
the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,
and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.”
(Rev. 1: 20)
