Revelation 1
1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
1 This is the #The God-given disclosures contained in this book relate to both Christ and future events.revelation of Jesus Christ [His unveiling of the divine mysteries], which God [the Father] gave to Him to show to His bond-servants (believers) the things which must soon take place [in their entirety]; and He sent and communicated it by His angel (divine messenger) to His bond-servant John, 2who testified and gave supporting evidence to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to everything that he saw [in his visions]. 3#This is the first of the seven promised blessings (beatitudes) of the Revelation. See also 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14.Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and who keep the things which are written in it [heeding them and taking them to heart]; for the time [of fulfillment] is near.
Message to the Seven Churches
4 # John and his brother James were among the first apostles chosen by Jesus, and were the sons of Zebedee and Salome. In addition to the Revelation, John wrote the Gospel and the three letters that bear his name. John, to the seven churches that are in [the province of] #The Roman province of Asia (now western Turkey) was formed in 129 b.c.Asia: #Like Paul, the apostle John takes the standard Jewish greeting of “Peace [Heb shalom] to you” and modifies it by adding grace, without which no one could obtain peace with God.Grace [be granted] to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being], from Him Who is [existing forever] and Who was [continually existing in the past] and Who is to come, and from #A literal translation, perhaps referring to the perfect fullness of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.the seven Spirits that are before His throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the #Lit the witness, the faithful.faithful and trustworthy Witness, the #Jesus was not the first person to be brought back to life, since He raised others from the dead (the most notable being Lazarus, John 11), but they had to experience death again. Jesus is the first to be restored to life with a glorified (immortal, everlasting) body, never again to die. The word Firstborn may point not only to Jesus’ own resurrection but also to His divine power to resurrect others. The Firstborn (preeminent) is given power over all things.Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who [always] loves us and who [has once for all] #Some manuscripts use “freed” (lusanti) while others use “washed” (lousanti). Either reading conveys a similar theological conclusion: Jesus has taken away our sins by His blood.freed us [or washed us] from our sins by His own blood (His sacrificial death)— 6and formed us into a kingdom [as His subjects], #All Christians become priests to God in order to offer spiritual sacrifices (1 Pet 2:5) and proclaim His praises (1 Pet 2:9), and they will reign with Christ in the Millennium (20:6).priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes (nations) of the earth will mourn over Him [realizing their sin and guilt, and anticipating the coming wrath]. #Lit Yes, amen.So it is to be. Amen.
8 “I am the # An expression of God’s absolute supremacy over all things. Alpha and the Omega [the Beginning and the End],” says the Lord God, “Who is [existing forever] and Who was [continually existing in the past] and Who is to come, the Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all].”
The Patmos Vision
9I, John, your brother and companion in the #I.e. persecution because of one’s faith.tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, [exiled there] because of [my preaching of] the word of God [regarding eternal salvation] and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10I was in the #Or spirit. The Greek wording is not decisive, so John could be referring either to being in special communion with the Holy Spirit, or to being in a trance-like state in his own spirit like that experienced by Peter at Joppa (cf Acts 10:10, 11).Spirit [in special communication with the Holy Spirit and empowered to receive and record the revelation from Jesus Christ] on the #The early church used this term to refer to Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection. The term Kyriake is also the regular word for Sunday in modern Greek.Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11saying, “Write on a scroll what you see [in this revelation], and send it to the #These were actual churches in Asia Minor (now western Turkey), and in John’s time there would have been only one church body in each of the cities. They are mentioned in the order in which they would be visited by a messenger traveling northward on the imperial road from Ephesus to Laodicea.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 with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands; 13and in the midst of the lampstands I saw someone #Or like a son of man. The phrase is a translation of a Hebrew idiom which refers to a man, and John could simply be describing his first impression. But since this proves to be a vision of Christ (v 18), John probably is referring to Him by the title that Jesus so often applied to Himself, a title originating in the Messianic prophecy of Daniel.like the Son of Man, dressed in a robe reaching to His feet, and with a golden sash wrapped around His chest. 14His head and His hair were white like white wool, [glistening white] like snow; and His [all-seeing] eyes were [flashing] like a flame of fire [piercing into my being]. 15His feet were like burnished [white-hot] bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was [powerful] like the sound of many waters. 16In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword [of judgment]; and His face [reflecting His majesty and the #The visible, divine Presence.Shekinah glory] was like the sun shining in [all] its power [at midday].
17When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. And He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last [absolute Deity, the Son of God], 18and the Ever-living One [living in and beyond all time and space]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of [absolute control and victory over] death and of Hades (the realm of the dead). 19So write the things #I.e. the vision of ch 1.which you have seen [in the vision], and the things #I.e. the events of the present moment (chs 2; 3).which are [now happening], and the things #I.e. the events to come in chs 4-22, after the messages to the churches in chs 2; 3.which will take place after these things. 20As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels (#The Greek word for “messenger” is aggelos. When the word is referring to a heavenly being, it is usually not translated, but rather transliterated as “angel”; that is, the Greek letters are converted to their English equivalents, based on the sound of the Greek word. When the word is referring to a human, it is instead translated as “messenger” or the equivalent. So whether “angel” or “messenger” is used depends on the context.divine messengers) of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
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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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