Revelation 1
1
1This book is the record of the events that Jesus Christ revealed. God gave him this revelation in order to show his servants what must happen very soon. Christ made these things known to his servant John by sending his angel to him, 2and John has told all that he has seen. This is his report concerning the message from God and the truth revealed by Jesus Christ. 3Happy is the one who reads this book, and happy are those who listen to the words of this prophetic message and obey what is written in this book! For the time is near when all these things will happen.
Greetings to the Seven Churches
4 #
Ex 3.14; Rev 4.5 From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace be yours from God, who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits in front of his throne, 5#Is 55.4; Ps 89.27and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first to be raised from death and who is also the ruler of the kings of the world.
He loves us, and by his sacrificial death he has freed us from our sins 6#Ex 19.6; Rev 5.10and made us a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father. To Jesus Christ be the glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 #
Dan 7.13; Mt 24.30; Mk 13.26; Lk 21.27; 1 Thes 4.17; Zech 12.10; Jn 19.34, 37 Look, he is coming on the clouds! Everyone will see him, including those who pierced him. All peoples on earth will mourn over him. So shall it be!
8 #
Rev 22.13; Ex 3.14 “I am the first and the last,” says the Lord God Almighty, who is, who was, and who is to come.
A Vision of Christ
9I am John, your brother, and as a follower of Jesus I am your partner in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom. I was put on the island of Patmos because I had proclaimed God's word and the truth that Jesus revealed. 10On the Lord's day the Spirit took control of me, and I heard a loud voice, that sounded like a trumpet, speaking behind me. 11It said, “Write down what you see, and send the book to the churches in these seven cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12I turned round to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands, 13#Dan 7.13; 10.5and among them there was what looked like a human being, wearing a robe that reached to his feet, and a gold belt round his chest. 14#Dan 7.9; 10.6His hair was white as wool, or as snow, and his eyes blazed like fire; 15#Ezek 1.24; 43.2his feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished, and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall. 16He held seven stars in his right-hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face was as bright as the midday sun. 17#Is 44.6; 48.12; Rev 2.8; 22.13When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right-hand on me and said, “Don't be afraid! I am the first and the last. 18I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive for ever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead. 19Write, then, the things you see, both the things that are now and the things that will happen afterwards. 20This is the secret meaning of the seven stars that you see in my right-hand, and of the seven gold lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
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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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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