Revelation 1
1
John Tells About This Book
1This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show his servants what must soon happen. And Jesus sent his angel to show it to his servant John, 2who has told everything he has seen. It is the word of God; it is the message from Jesus Christ. 3Blessed is the one who reads the words of God’s message, and blessed are the people who hear this message and do what is written in it. The time is near when all of this will happen.
Jesus’ Message to the Churches
4From John.
To the seven churches in Asia:
Grace and peace to you from the One who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ. Jesus is the faithful witness, the first among those raised from the dead. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth.
He is the One who loves us, who made us free from our sins with the blood of his death. 6He made us to be a kingdom of priests who serve God his Father. To Jesus Christ be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
7Look, Jesus is coming with the clouds, and everyone will see him, even those who stabbed him. And all peoples of the earth will cry loudly because of him. Yes, this will happen! Amen.
8The Lord God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the One who is and was and is coming. I am the Almighty.”
9I, John, am your brother. All of us share with Christ in suffering, in the kingdom, and in patience to continue. I was on the island of Patmos, because I had preached the word of God and the message about Jesus. 10On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard a loud voice behind me that sounded like a trumpet. 11The voice said, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12I turned to see who was talking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands 13and someone among the lampstands who was “like a Son of Man.” He was dressed in a long robe and had a gold band around his chest. 14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like flames of fire. 15His feet were like bronze that glows hot in a furnace, and his voice was like the noise of flooding water. 16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword came out of his mouth. He looked like the sun shining at its brightest time.
17When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He put his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the One who lives; I was dead, but look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to death and to the place of the dead. 19So write the things you see, what is now and what will happen later. 20Here is the secret of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven lampstands are the seven churches, and the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.
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Revelation 1: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Revelation 1
1
1This is what God showed to Jesus Christ, so that he could tell his servants what must happen soon. Christ then sent his angel with the message to his servant John. 2And John told everything he had seen about God's message and about what Jesus Christ had said and done.
3God will bless everyone who reads this prophecy to others,#1.3 who reads this prophecy to others: A public reading, in a worship service. and he will bless everyone who hears and obeys it. The time is almost here.
4 #
Ex 3.14;
Rev 4.5. From John to the seven churches in Asia.#1.4 Asia: The section 1.4—3.22 is in the form of a letter. Asia was in the eastern part of the Roman Empire and is present day Turkey.
I pray that you
will be blessed
with kindness and peace
from God, who is and was
and is coming.
May you receive
kindness and peace
from the seven spirits
before the throne of God.
5 #
Is 55.4;
Ps 89.27. May kindness and peace
be yours
from Jesus Christ,
the faithful witness.
Jesus was the first
to conquer death,
and he is the ruler
of all earthly kings.
Christ loves us,
and by his blood
he set us free
from our sins.
6 #
Ex 19.6; Rev 5.10. He lets us rule as kings
and serve God his Father
as priests.
To him be glory and power
forever and ever! Amen.
7 #
Dn 7.13; Mt 24.30; Mk 13.26; Lk 21.27; 1 Th 4.17;
Zec 12.10; Jn 19.34,37;
Zec 12.10; Mt 24.30. Look! He is coming
with the clouds.
Everyone will see him,
even the ones who stuck
a sword through him.
All people on earth
will weep because of him.
Yes, it will happen! Amen.
8 #
Rev 22.13;
Ex 3.14. The Lord God says, “I am Alpha and Omega,#1.8 Alpha and Omega: The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, which sometimes mean “first” and “last.” the one who is and was and is coming. I am God All-Powerful!”
A Vision of the Risen Lord
9I am John, a follower together with all of you. We suffer because Jesus is our king, but he gives us the strength to endure. I was sent to Patmos Island,#1.9 Patmos Island: A small island where prisoners were sometimes kept by the Romans. because I had preached God's message and had told about Jesus. 10On the Lord's day the Spirit took control of me, and behind me I heard a loud voice that sounded like a trumpet. 11The voice said, “Write in a book what you see. Then send it to the seven churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”#1.11 Ephesus … Laodicea: Ephesus was in the center with the six other cities forming a half-circle around it.
12When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13#Dn 7.13; Dn 10.5. There with the lampstands was someone who seemed to be the Son of Man.#1.13 Son of Man: That is, Jesus. He was wearing a robe that reached down to his feet, and a gold cloth was wrapped around his chest. 14#Dn 7.9. #Dn 10.6. His head and his hair were white as wool or snow, and his eyes looked like flames of fire. 15#Ez 1.24; 43.2; 2 Esd 6.17. His feet were glowing like bronze being heated in a furnace, and his voice sounded like the roar of a waterfall. 16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword was coming from his mouth. His face was shining as bright as the sun at noon.
17 #
Is 44.6; 48.12; 2 Esd 10.30; Rev 2.8; 22.13. When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead person. But he put his right hand on me and said:
Don't be afraid! I am the first, the last, 18and the living one. I died, but now I am alive forever, and I have the keys to death and the world of the dead.#1.18 keys to death and the world of the dead: That is, power over death and the world of the dead. 19Write what you have seen and what is and what will happen after these things. 20I will explain the mystery of the seven stars you saw at my right side and the seven gold lampstands. The seven stars are the angels#1.20 angels: Perhaps guardian angels that represent the churches, or they may be church leaders or messengers sent to the churches. of the seven churches, and the lampstands are the seven churches.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.