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
1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
4John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
9I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
12And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 19Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
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