Jesus The Bright Morning Star

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." (Revelation22:16).  

The Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John, 1, 2, and 3 John, and the book of Revelation. Revelation is the only book that was written by the Apostle John that mentions John as the author. John’s name can be found four times in the book, (Revelation 1:1, Revelation 1:4, Revelation 1:9, Revelation 22:8). The Muratori Canon (end of 2nd century), Justin the martyr who lived around 100 to 165 A.D., and Irenaeus who lived from 140 to 220 A.D. all confirm that the Apostle John is the author. The Church Father Irenaeus also records that John wrote the book of Revelation towards the end of the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian. Emperor Domitian ruled Rome from 81 to 95 A.D. John was in exile on the Isle of Patmos when he wrote Revelation.  The Isle of Patmos can be found fifty miles off the coast of what was then Asia Minor and is now Turkey.  

The book of Revelation was written during the time of Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81–96) in the Roman province of Asia. The book of Revelation is also referred to as the Apocalypse. The word apocalypse is used today to mean the end of the world but that is not what it meant when the book of Revelation was written. The Greek word which is used, “apocalypsis”, translates as “to unveil” and gave the world the English word “revelation”. 

Revelation is the only prophetic book that can be found in the New Testament. The Bible begins with a revelation on the past, Genesis 1, and ends with a revelation on the future, Revelation. The book of Revelation is the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy, especially that of Ezekiel and Daniel. The language of Revelation is highly symbolic. 

At the time that the Apostle John wrote Revelation the church was experiencing intense persecution. The issue of emperor worship had become a significant threat to Christians. Emperor Domitian who ruled Rome from A.D. 81-96 was committed to being revered as a god. Christians were being victimized and killed for refusing to worship Domitian. Domitian was not the first Emperor to kill Christians for not regarding the emperor to be a god. Emperor Gaius Caligula (37–41 A.D.) preceded him, and also demanded that the people who lived under his rule acknowledge him as a god. Caligula killed both Jews and Christians for declining to do so. There was a lull in this level of oppression after Caligula died, as subsequent emperors were less focused on being known as god, until Domitian came along. During the time of Emperor Domitian the church was under dual persecution, as both Jerusalem and Rome were committed to murdering Christians. Revelation 2 records that Antipas was killed for being a believer. Revelation 6 states that many persons were martyred for following Jesus. The Apostle John was likewise being oppressed while writing the book of Revelation, as his presence on the Isle of Patmos was due to him being exiled there because of his faith. Believers were losing faith and it seemed that the church would buckle under such relentless pressure. John’s visions that are recorded in Revelation helped to reassure the church that Jesus is Lord and that the Lamb that was slain is also the conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah. 

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. 

The primary recipients of the book of Revelation were the seven churches of Asia. The Apostle John in the opening chapter of Revelation states, "On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus,  Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” (Revelation 1:10-11). Specific admonitions to these seven churches are detailed in Revelation 2-3. However, each of the seven letters in chapters 2-3 ends with a command, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” This indicates that the directives were meant for all who would read the words.  

Jesus is stating here that it was not just the letters but the entire book that was meant for the churches and all Christians. Revelation begins with John recording that the information that he is detailing in this book was provided to him through an angel that was sent by God. “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”  (Revelation 1:1). Earlier in this chapter, the angel corroborated John’s statement and testified to the validity of what is presented in Revelation. “The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” (Revelation 22:6). Jesus is now authenticating the words of John and the Angel by stating that all that John has recorded in the book of Revelation is an accurate depiction of the end times. The Law of Moses stated that it took two or three witnesses to establish a matter. “A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (Deuteronomy 19:15b). Jesus lent his testimony to that of the Angel and John, thereby confirming that all of Revelation is divinely inspired.  

I am the Root and the Offspring of David,  

Jesus is declaring His messianic roles here. He is a descendant of David but He is also the one that David came from, as God created man. Isaiah wrote about this seven hundred years before Christ walked this earth. “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” (Isaiah 11:1). Jesse was David’s father. Jesus is the Root of David as He breathed life into Adam from whom all human beings are descended. Genesis records that God made man a living soul. “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7).  Jesus is also the Offspring of David as His earthly mother, Mary, was of the lineage of King David. In Luke 3:23-38, the Apostle Luke traces Mary’s bloodline showing that Jesus was a descendant of David through Mary. The Apostle Matthew in Matthew 1:1-17 traces Jesus’ lineage through Joseph, who was legally His human father, and shows that Jesus was by law a descendant of David. This dual relationship of Jesus to David, root and offspring, was an enigma that the Pharisees could not solve. When tasked with resolving this puzzle, and failing to do so, the Pharisees never dared to question Jesus again. “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.” (Matthew 22:41-46).  

The New Testament begins with an account of Jesus being the Son of David, “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:” (Matthew 1:1) and ends here with Jesus reiterating His relationship to David. David means “beloved” or “loved one.” In 1 Samuel 13:14, the prophet refers to David as being a man after God’s own heart.  David's name occurs more than 1,000 times in the Bible. The first time his name is recorded in the Bible is in 1 Samuel 16:13. He is mentioned more than Abraham, more than Moses and more than any other person in the Bible. Indeed, Jesus is identified as the “Son of David” more than a dozen times in the New Testament. God honored David, as he was truly a man after God’s own heart. No other human being was endowed with this title in the Bible. 

and the bright Morning Star." 

Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Moses prophesied in the book of Numbers that “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:17b).  

The Morning Star is not a star but is the name given to the Planet Venus. Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon. Venus orbits the Sun more closely than earth and overtakes the earth every 584 days (about 1 and a half years). As Venus journeys around the sun, it becomes the Evening Star visible in the west at sunset and the Morning Star visible in the east at dawn. In the pre-Christian era it was given two different names, as people were not aware at that time that it was the same planet. Venus was called Phosphorus at mornings and Hesperus at evenings. It was Pythagoras in the 5th century B.C. who pointed out that they were one and the same. Early in the morning just before dawn, the bright and morning star, the planet Venus, is visible in the east. As it signals the start of a new day Venus dominates the eastern sky and shines as bright as all the other stars lumped together. Hence the name Morning Star.  

Jesus is the bright Morning Star that signals the dawn of a new day for the people of God. Jesus through His incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension initiated a new day for the people of God. We who believe on the name of Jesus are no longer slaves to sin. The Apostle Peter stated, “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19). The Christian believer has fellowship once more with the Father. He has called us friends. Jesus states, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b). He longs to have fellowship with all who will believe on His name. As the Apostle John so powerfully states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).  

Let us make it a matter of urgency to tell others about Jesus. In a lost and dying world, Jesus the bright Morning Star, longs to bring a new day to all who will believe in His name.