Ⅶ
Christ is the Holder of the bright messengers of the churches—1:16a, 20:
A
The messengers are the spiritual ones in the churches, the ones who bear the responsibility of the testimony of Jesus.
B
The messengers, who are of the heavenly nature and in a heavenly position like stars, are those who have a fresh message from the Lord to His people—2:1a.
C
Because the leading ones are in His right hand, there is no need for them to shrink back; Christ truly takes the responsibility for His testimony.
Ⅷ
Out of Christ's mouth proceeds a sharp two-edged sword, which is His discerning, judging, and slaying word for dealing with negative persons and things—1:16b; Heb. 4:12; Eph. 6:17.
Ⅸ
Christ's face shines as the sun shines in its power (Dan. 10:6) for judging enlightenment to bring in the kingdom (Rev. 1:16c; 10:1; Matt. 17:2; cf. Mal. 4:2; Judg. 5:31; Matt. 13:43).
Ⅹ
Christ is the First and the Last, assuring us that He will never leave His work unfinished, and the living One for the churches as the expression of His Body to be living, fresh, and strong—Rev. 1:17-18a.
Ⅺ
Christ has the keys of death and of Hades—v. 18b:
A
Death is a collector, and Hades is a keeper, but Christ nullified death on the cross and overcame Hades in His resurrection—2 Tim. 1:10; Acts 2:24.
B
As long as we give the Lord the ground, the opportunity, and the way to move and act among us by exercising to deny the self, take up the cross, and lose our soul-life, death and Hades will be under His control—Matt. 16:18, 21-26.
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 1:16 And He had in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword; and His face shone as the sun shines in its power.Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Revelation 1:16 says, “He had in His right hand seven stars.” As verse 20 makes clear, “the seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches.” The messengers are the spiritual ones in the churches bearing the responsibility of the testimony of Jesus. Like stars, they should be of the heavenly nature and in a heavenly position.
In the dark night of the church’s degradation, the shining of both the collective churches and the individual messengers is needed. As Christ walks among the churches, He holds the leading ones in His right hand. How comforting this is! The leading ones must praise Him that they are in His hands and that He is holding them.
In the book of Revelation there are no elders in the churches; rather, there are messengers. At the time this book was written, the church had become degraded. Hence, in Revelation, the Lord repudiates all formalities. Being an elder may be somewhat legal or formal. Do not aspire to be an elder; desire to be a shining star. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 100-101)
Today’s Reading
In Revelation 1:16 we are told that “out of His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword.”…This is His discerning, judging, and slaying word (Heb.4:12; Eph. 6:17). The words of grace are for His supply of grace to His favored ones, whereas the sharp two-edged sword is for His dealing with negative persons and things…Remember that the speaking Spirit today is just this Christ who speaks with a two-edged sword. There is judgment here, and we all have experienced this…Today all Christians need the judgment of the Lord by His word. Many times we have experienced this judgment because of our being mistaken and going astray from the Lord. Since we had wandered away from Him, He came to judge us. His speaking today is mainly a type of judgment. I can testify to you that if the Lord would speak to you, most of His words would be words of judgment. When He speaks, He judges. Every word out of His mouth in the churches today is like a sharp knife that judges us. The words that proceed out of the Lord’s mouth are sharp, piercing into our being, dividing our soul from our spirit, and discerning the intentions of our heart. This is the Christ we experience today in the church life.
We are human and have many opinions. But, as we all can testify, every time an opinion rises up, the sword cuts it to pieces. The more you think about your opinion, the more you are cut. This is not doctrine—this is our experience. Whenever two brothers are close to fighting, the third party, the strongest party, appears, using the sharp sword to cut the opinions of both brothers…This third party is the very Christ, the Son of Man, who, as the High Priest, walks among the churches and cares for them in love.
In Revelation 1:16 we are also told that “His face shone as the sun shines in its power.” In Song of Songs 5:10 and 13, Christ's face appears lovely for His seeker's appreciation of Him, and in the Epistles His face reflects God's glory (2 Cor. 4:6) for the imparting of life into His believers. Here, however, His face shone as the sun shines in its power, as in Daniel 10:6; this shining is the judging enlightenment for bringing in the kingdom. When He was transfigured and His face shone like the sun, that was His coming in the kingdom (Matt. 16:28—17:2). When He comes to take over the earth for the kingdom, His face will be like the sun (Rev. 10:1). (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 101-103)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Exercise of the Kingdom for the Building of the Church,” chs. 3, 5