How does Revelation 2:28 relate to Revelation 22:16 and 2 Peter 1:19

Question

As quoted by Jesus:

And I will give him the morning star.
-Revelation 2:28

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
-Revelation 22:16

Rev 2:28 also seems to somehow relate to 2 Peter 1:19.

And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

Typically the morning stars are divine beings in the Old Testament (Job 38:4-7, Isaiah 14:12) or at the very least rulers... actual persons.

So how does the Bright Morning Star (Rev 22:16) give us the morning star (Rev 2:28) that shall rise in our hearts at the dawning of that day (2 Peter 1:19)?

Is this a round about way for Christ to say he plans on giving us himself on the day of Judgement in our hearts?

How does this reconcile with verses that say Christ is already in us such as:

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
-2 Corinthians 13:5

Answer 1

This is actually uncomplicated. There is an important difference between:

Singular	Plural
THE Morning Star, Rev 2:28, 22:16, 2 Peter 1:19, ie, Jesus	morning stars, Job 38:7, ie, some undefined other life-forms (angels or heavenly beings??)
THE Son of God, Matt 26:63, Mark 1:1, Luke 1:32, Eph 4:13, 1 John 3:8, 5:10, 20, Rev 2:18, etc, ie, Jesus	children of God, John 1:13, 11:52, 1 John 3:10, Phil 2:15, ie, saved sinners
THE Son of Man, Dan 7:13, Matt 19:28, 24:30, 26:24, Mark 14:21, Luke 17: 22, John 12:34, etc, ie, Jesus	sons of man, Mark 3:28, Eph 3:5, etc, ie, ordinary humans
THE Word of God, John 1:1, 14, Rev 19:13, ie, Jesus	words of God, John 8:47, 3:34, 1 Peter 4:11, ie, messages from God about Jesus and His revealed will.

Thus, according to the NT we are correctly told that:

the firstborn over all creation. (Col 1:15)

That is, Jesus is:

• the first of the morning stars
• the first of the sons of God
• the first of the sons of men

When we are told that (2 Peter 1:19)

And we have the more certain prophetic word, to which you do well taking heed, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until this day shall have dawned and the morning star shall have arisen in your hearts,

... this states a simple fact - it is via the prophetic Word of God that we learn about Jesus, hidden in our hearts, Ps 40:10, Heb 10:22, 1 Kings 8:58, 1 Thess 3:13, 2 Cor 1:22, 4:6, etc.

Answer 2

Jesus is not only our example how to live in this world, but also the foreshadow of our (the believers) future. Paul summarizes that truth in the eight chapter of the Epistle to the Romans:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Just like Jesus is the bright morning star, we shall be too. Just like He is the Son of God, we shall be too (2 Cor 6:18). Just like He sat on His Father's throne, we shall too (Rev 3:21).

To understand 2 Peter 1:19 you can not interpret it independently but must consider the wider context of the whole chapter.

Peter writes to a group of believers, encouraging them to stay on the path of faith and commit to living the same way Jesus did. He reassures them about the reward for their faithfulness.

by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Peter tells them that Jesus' return is certain, and that he himself foretasted the glory of His coming kingdom on the mount of transfiguration. The trust in Christ's return and our transformation to share His nature should be the leading force in our lives. Until the day of Jesus' return.

The day of dawn when the star is going to arise in our hearts is the same day Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 15:

It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.

The theme of divinization of men is present in both Testaments. As you noticed, the stars in the OT always serve as a picture of the divine being.

In Genesis 15 Abram is told that his descendents will be like stars (quantitatively but also qualitatively). Daniel 12:3 says that after the resurrection, the righteous will shine like stars. Jesus states the same in Matthew 13:43. In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote the whole chapter explaining the heavenly bodies we will have after the resurrection. There are obviously some more.

Peter closes his second letter, mentioning the Day of the Lord, on which:

the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn.

So one of the reasons for divinization of men is us replacing the rebellious divine beings also known as the stars. God become a man to save us all, but also to make us more like himself.