16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face was as bright as the midday sun.
17 When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Don't be afraid! I am the first and the last.
18 I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead.
19 Write, then, the things you see, both the things that are now and the things that will happen afterward.
20 Here is the secret meaning of the seven stars that you see in my right hand, and of the seven gold lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.