Revelation 1
1
Prologue
1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God #John 17:7, 8; [John 8:26; 14:10] gave him #ch. 22:6 to 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 19:35 who bore witness to the word of God and to #ch. 6:9; 12:17; 19:10; See 1 Cor. 1:6 the 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. 13:8 him #Ex. 3:14 (Gk.) who is and #John 1:1 who 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; 15:9 him 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. 2:9 a kingdom, #ch. 5:10; 20:6; 1 Pet. 2:9 priests to #See Rom. 15:6 his God and Father, to him be #See Rom. 11:36 glory and #1 Pet. 4:11dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7Behold, #Dan. 7:13; See Matt. 16:27 he 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 16:33 the tribulation and #2 Tim. 2:12 the kingdom and #ch. 3:10 the 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. 16:2 on 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. 7:13 one like #ch. 14:14; Dan. 10:16 a son of man, #Dan. 10:5 clothed with a long robe and #ch. 15:6with a golden sash around his chest. 14#Dan. 7:9 The 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. 10:6 his 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; 3:1 In 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. 17:2 his 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. 17:7 saying, “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; 14:9 I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and #[ch. 9:1; 20:1]I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19#ver. 2, 11 Write 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. 12 the 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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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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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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