Morning Bible Study: Revelation 1:17-20

Jesus Tells John to Write

17  I saw this and fainted dead at his feet. His right hand pulled me upright, his voice reassured me: 

18  I'm Alive. I died, but I came to life, and my life is now forever. See these keys in my hand? They open and lock Death's doors, they open and lock Hell's gates. 

19  Now write down everything you see: things that are, things about to be. 

20  The Seven Stars you saw in my right hand and the seven-branched gold menorah - do you want to know what's behind them? The Seven Stars are the Angels of the seven churches; the menorah's seven branches are the seven churches." The Message

(the following is from www.easyenglish.bible)

"Verse 17 John saw Jesus among the lamp holders. The sight was so powerful that it made John afraid. The effect of what he saw caused him to fall down at the feet of Jesus. John was on the ground as if he were a dead man.

Jesus put his right hand on John. This seems to have put new life into John. Then Jesus said, ‘Do not be afraid.’ For those who belong to Jesus, there is nothing to make them afraid.

Jesus tells John that he is the first and the last. This has the same meaning as in verse 8 above. Jesus is one with God. He is God.

Verse 18 Jesus adds to the meaning of the first and the last. ‘I am living.’ God is the God who lives. Jesus shows that he is the same as God. He is God. The false gods of the world are not alive. There is only the one real God who lives.

Jesus has always been alive but he died. But death could not hold him. He defeated death and he rose from death to live again. He is now alive and he can never die again.

Jesus has the keys of the place of dead people. This means that he has power over that place. Life and death are both under the control of Jesus. He is able to take his people through death to new life. This again shows that Jesus is God.

Verse 19 Jesus then repeats the command to write. John must write all that he has already seen. That is, what is in chapter 1. Then he must write about what is now. That is, to write about the state of the seven churches. And then he must write about those things that are still in the future. The revelation that the Lord gave to John was for those churches. It is also for the church during all ages. And it is for the end period of history, which is yet to begin.

Verse 20 The seven stars mean the angels of the seven churches. There was an angel at each church. This may be a real angel. Or, the word may mean the person who carried the letters to the churches. But it is more likely that the ‘angel’ was not an actual person. Probably the word ‘angel’ meant the character of each church. So, the Lord sent the letters to the churches by their angels."