16. He held seven stars in his right hand, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword. His appearance was like the sun shining with all its power.
17. When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. But he put his right hand on me and said, "Don’t be afraid. I’m the first and the last,
18. and the living one. I was dead, but look! Now I’m alive forever and always. I have the keys of Death and the Grave.
19. So write down what you have seen, both the scene now before you and the things that are about to unfold after this.