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. 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.
Comment: Based at Ephesus Paul, as recorded in the book of Acts, made effective tours into modern day Turkiye establishing churches. By the time John is writing down what Jesus is showing him, Paul has been martyred and the churches are going through a time of great testing. Already heresy has crept in and destroying the unity and purity of the churches. We are about to see things from Jesus’ point of view, and hopefully learn to avoid when such nasty heresies raise their destructive heads in the church of our time. Jesus displays Grace and Love by the endless extremes of which He alone is capable, but He does NOT side with ‘evil’!
Prayer: Thank You that Your Steadfast Love for us promises to bring us to a deep and abiding true goodness and ‘Godliness’.
As I read it! 