Revelation 1

Prologue

1This is a revelation from#1:1a Or of. Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon#1:1b Or suddenly, or quickly. take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, 2who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

3God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.

John’s Greeting to the Seven Churches

4This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia.#1:4a Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit#1:4b Greek the seven spirits. before his throne; 5and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world.

All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. 6He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

7Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.

And everyone will see him—

even those who pierced him.

And all the nations of the world

will mourn for him.

Yes! Amen!

8“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,”#1:8 Greek I am the Alpha and the Omega, referring to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

Vision of the Son of Man

9I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. 10It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit.#1:10 Or in spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. 11It said, “Write in a book#1:11 Or on a scroll. everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

12When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man.#1:13 Or like a son of man. See Dan 7:13. “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. 15His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.#1:18 Greek and Hades.

19 “Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen. # 1:19 Or what you have seen and what they mean—the things that have already begun to happen. 20This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels#1:20 Or the messengers. of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

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Revelation 1: NLT

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Revelation 1

Prologue

1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God #John 17:7, 8; [John 8:26; 14:10] gave him #ch. 22:6to show to his servants#1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; likewise for servant later in this verse the things that must soon take place. #ch. 22:16He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2#John 19:35who bore witness to the word of God and to #ch. 6:9; 12:17; 19:10; See 1 Cor. 1:6the testimony of Jesus Christ, even #ver. 11, 19to all that he saw. 3#ch. 22:7; [Luke 11:28; John 8:51; 1 John 2:3] Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, #ch. 22:10; [1 John 2:18]; See Rom. 13:11for the time is near.

Greeting to the Seven Churches

4John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from #ver. 8; ch. 4:8; Heb. 13:8him #Ex. 3:14 (Gk.) who is and #John 1:1who was and who is to come, and from #ch. 3:1; 4:5; 5:6the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ #ch. 3:14; John 18:37; 1 Tim. 6:13; [ch. 2:13; Ps. 89:37; Isa. 55:4] the faithful witness, #Col. 1:18; [Ps. 89:27; Acts 26:23; 1 Cor. 15:20] the firstborn of the dead, and #ch. 17:14; 19:16; [Ps. 89:27] the ruler of kings on earth.

To #John 13:34; 15:9him who loves us and #1 Pet. 1:18, 19has freed us from our sins by his blood 6and made us #ch. 5:10; 20:6; 1 Pet. 2:9a kingdom, #ch. 5:10; 20:6; 1 Pet. 2:9priests to #See Rom. 15:6his God and Father, to him be #See Rom. 11:36glory and #1 Pet. 4:11dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7Behold, #Dan. 7:13; See Matt. 16:27he is coming with the clouds, and #Zech. 12:10; John 19:37every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail#1:7 Or mourn on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8 # ch. 21:6; 22:13; [ Isa. 41:4; 43:10; 44:6 ] “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, #ver. 4“who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Vision of the Son of Man

9I, John, your brother and #[Phil. 4:14] partner in #John 16:33the tribulation and #2 Tim. 2:12the kingdom and #ch. 3:10the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos #See ver. 2on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10#ch. 4:2; [ch. 17:3; 21:10; 1 Kgs. 18:12; Ezek. 3:12; Matt. 22:43; 2 Cor. 12:2] I was in the Spirit #Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice #ch. 4:1like a trumpet 11saying, #ver. 2, 19“Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw #ver. 20; ch. 2:1; Ex. 25:37; 2 Chr. 4:20; Zech. 4:2; [ch. 11:4]seven golden lampstands, 13and in the midst of the lampstands #Dan. 7:13one like #ch. 14:14; Dan. 10:16a son of man, #Dan. 10:5clothed with a long robe and #ch. 15:6with a golden sash around his chest. 14#Dan. 7:9The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. #ch. 2:18; 19:12; [Dan. 10:6]His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15#Ezek. 1:7; Dan. 10:6his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and #ch. 14:2; 19:6; Ezek. 43:2his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16#ver. 20; ch. 2:1; 3:1In his right hand he held seven stars, #ch. 19:15; [ch. 2:12, 16; Isa. 49:2; Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12] from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and #Matt. 17:2his face was like the sun shining #Judg. 5:31in full strength.

17 # Dan. 8:17, 18; 10:9, 10, 15; [ Luke 24:37; John 21:12 ] When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But #Dan. 8:17, 18; 10:9, 10, 15; [Luke 24:37; John 21:12] he laid his right hand on me, #Matt. 17:7saying, “Fear not, #ch. 2:8; 22:13; Isa. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12I am the first and the last, 18and the living one. #Rom. 6:9; 14:9I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and #[ch. 9:1; 20:1]I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19#ver. 2, 11Write therefore #ver. 12-16the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and #See ver. 12the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and #[Matt. 5:14, 15]the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

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