Revelation 1
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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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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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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