17 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, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 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.
Having conveyed the initial vision of the risen Christ in 1:12-16, John then informs us of his reaction to this vision. Having seen Christ in His glory John is overwhelmed and falls at His feet “as a corpse.” This reaction once again connects the ministry of John to those of the OT prophets who reacted in similar ways to seeing God Almighty (Isa. 6:5; Ezek. 1:28) or one of His messengers (Dan. 8:17; 10:9). This response of godly reverence demonstrates that John fears God and so the response then from Christ is one of grace as He lays His hand upon John and says to him, “Fear not.”
The basis for Jesus’ words of comfort is given as He identifies Himself to the apostle. He states that He is “the first and the last,” equating Himself with God Almighty who has already spoken to the prophet in 1:8. Jesus is also “the living one” who, as God, is eternally existent, ever present, and all-powerful. While He is to be identified as God, His humanity is also recognized in the reference to His death and resurrection. This humanity is unique, however, because it is new-creational humanity in which He is alive forevermore! Because of His person and work, Christ holds the keys to Death and Hades from which believers are redeemed and protected. John and the churches must worship Christ in reverence, but they need not be afraid because He has secured their eternal future.
Christ then speaks to John and instructs him to write down the contents of the Revelation which will concern the things which have taken place, those which were currently transpiring, as well as what was to be in the future. Having given this command, Jesus then proceeds to interpret for John the portions of the vision which had not yet been made clear. The interpretation that He gives concerns the seven stars which are said to be the angels of the seven churches and the seven golden lampstands which are identified as the seven churches themselves.
In order to make sense of this imagery we must consider some key passages from the OT prophet Zechariah who ministered in Israel following the return from exile at the time that the temple was being rebuilt. In Zechariah 3-6 the prophet sees visions which concern Joshua (Jesus in the LXX) the High Priest and Zerubbabel the heir to the throne of David. These visions also anticipate the coming of one who is referred to as “the Branch” who will remove the sins of the people (Zech. 3:8-9) and who who will be a “priest” who sits on a “throne” in the temple (Zech. 6:11-14). The prophet also sees a vision of a golden lampstand which is associated with the Temple as a whole and with the witness of the faithful remnant of Israel (Zech. 4:1-9). Within the Tabernacle/Temple, the light from the lampstand(s) stood for the presence of God. The oil which fueled the lampstands was symbolic of the Holy Spirit which is identified by the prophet as the means by which all these things would take place (Zech. 4:6). The imagery of the lampstand in the vision is therefore symbolic of the faithful witness of Israel’s remnant, led by a faithful king (Zerubabbel) and priest (Joshua). The light of their witness was by the power of the Holy Spirit according to the sovereign power of God.
With these things in mind we can consider the imagery of the lampstands in Revelation. As Israel was in the OT, the Church in the NT are the “lamptstands” which are to burn brightly as faithful witnesses to God. It is only however by the work of Christ, the King-Priest who watches over and tends the flame of the churches that they can be successful in their ministry. Because Christ holds this position of authority, He is the one who can accurately judge the churches, the very thing which He will do in the following two chapters of the book.
Join us this Sunday as we come together to proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again!
Soli Deo Gloria.
-Thomas