Revelation 1
1
Prologue
1The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2who testifies to everything he saw — that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
Greetings and Doxology
4John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits#1:4 That is, the sevenfold Spirit before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”#1:7 Daniel 7:13
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”#1:7 Zech. 12:10
So shall it be! Amen.
8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Johnʼs Vision of Christ
9I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10On the Lordʼs Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man,#1:13 See Daniel 7:13. dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels#1:20 Or messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
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Revelation 1: BOOKS
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The Books of the Bible™
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Revelation 1
1
John Tells About This Book
1This is the revelation# A making known of truth that has been hidden. of Jesus Christ. God gave this revelation to Jesus, to show his servants what must soon happen. And Jesus sent his angel to show it to his servant John. 2John has told everything that he has seen. It is the truth that Jesus Christ told him; it is the message from God. 3The one who reads the words of God’s message is happy. And the people who hear this message and do what is written in it are happy. 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. He is first among those raised from death. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth.
He is the One who loves us. And he is the One 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! 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.# The first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. This means “the beginning and the end.” I am the One who is and was and is coming. I am the All-Powerful.”
9I am John, and I am your brother in Christ. We are together in Jesus, and we share in these things: in suffering, in the kingdom, and in patience. I was on the island of Patmos# A small island in the Aegean Sea, near the coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). because I had preached God’s message and the truth about Jesus. 10On the Lord’s day the Spirit took control of me. I heard a loud voice behind me that sounded like a trumpet. 11The voice said, “Write what you see and send that book 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. 13I saw someone among the lampstands who was “like a Son of Man.”# “Son of Man” is a name Jesus called himself. It showed he was God’s Son, but he was also a man. See dictionary. He was dressed in a long robe. He had a gold band around his chest. 14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like flames of fire. 15His feet were like bronze that glows hot in a furnace. His voice was like the noise of flooding water. 16He held seven stars in his right hand. A sharp two-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 of death and where the dead are. 19So write the things you see, what is now and what will happen later. 20Here is the hidden meaning of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands that you saw: The seven lampstands are the seven churches. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.
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