Revelation — Chapter 1
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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.
1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, [even] the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John;
2who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, [even] of all things that he saw.
3Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein: for the time is at hand.
4John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from him who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits that are before his throne;
5and from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;
6and he made us [to be] a kingdom, [to be] priests unto his God and Father; to him [be] the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
7Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen.
8I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
9I John, your brother and partaker with you in tribulation and kingdom and patience [which are] in Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
10I was in the Spirit on the Lord`s day, and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet
11saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send [it] to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
12And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks;
13and in the midst of the candlesticks one like unto a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle.
14And his head and his hair were white as white wool, [white] as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15and his feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters.
16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last,
18and the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
19Write therefore the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass 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 are seven churches.
1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must happen very soon. He made it clear by sending his angel to his servant John,
2who then testified to everything that he saw concerning the word of God and the testimony about Jesus Christ.
3Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy aloud, and blessed are those who hear and obey the things written in it, because the time is near!
4From John, to the seven churches that are in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from “he who is,” and who was, and who is still to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
5and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free from our sins at the cost of his own blood
6and has appointed us as a kingdom, as priests serving his God and Father—to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever! Amen.
7(Look! He is returning with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes on the earth will mourn because of him. This will certainly come to pass! Amen.)
8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God—the one who is, and who was, and who is still to come—the All-Powerful!
9I, John, your brother and the one who shares with you in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.
10I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day when I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
11saying: “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches—to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, and when I did so, I saw seven golden lampstands,
13and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man. He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet, and he wore a wide golden belt around his chest.
14His head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame.
15His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.
16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His face shone like the sun shining at full strength.
17When I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last,
18and the one who lives! I was dead, but look, now I am alive—forever and ever—and I hold the keys of death and of Hades!
19Therefore write what you saw, what is, and what will be after these things.
20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
1This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John,
2who testified to God’s word, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, about everything that he saw.
3Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is at hand.
4John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne;
5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood;
6and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, 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.”
9I John, your brother and partner with you in the oppression, Kingdom, and perseverance in Christ Jesus, was on the isle that is called Patmos because of God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet
11saying, “What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
12I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands.
13And among the lamp stands was one like a son of man, clothed with a robe reaching down to his feet, and with a golden sash around his chest.
14His head and his hair were white as white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire.
15His feet were like burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace. His voice was like the voice of many waters.
16He had seven stars in his right hand. Out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last,
18and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
19Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will happen hereafter;
20the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven assemblies. The seven lamp stands are seven assemblies.
Summary
The revelation of Jesus Christ — John sees the glorified Son of Man among seven golden lampstands, hears His voice like many waters, and is commissioned to write what he sees to the seven churches of Asia.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Patmos (v.9): Island in the Aegean Sea where John received the Revelation.
- Ephesus (v.11): Major city in Asia Minor (modern Turkey); location of a key early church.
- Laodicea (v.11): City in Asia Minor; one of the seven churches in Revelation.
- Smyrna (v.11): City in Asia Minor; one of the seven churches in Revelation.
- Sardis (v.11): City in Asia Minor; one of the seven churches in Revelation.
- Philadelphia (v.11): City in Asia Minor; one of the seven churches in Revelation.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the prologue, the greeting, the doxology, the vision of Christ, and the commission to write.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Alpha and Omega" on v.8 (MTP Vol. 6, No. 345) "Alpha and Omega — the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Christ is the beginning of all things and the end of all things. He started creation and He will conclude history. He is the first word of the Bible and the last. He is the A and Z of salvation — He begins it and He finishes it. There is nothing before Him and nothing after Him. He encompasses all." Sermon: "Fear Not" on vv.17-18 (MTP Vol. 15, No. 876) "Fear not — the same words He spoke to fishermen on Galilee, He speaks to John on Patmos. I am the first and the last — eternal. I am he that liveth — alive. And was dead — He really died. And behold, I am alive for evermore — death could not hold Him. And have the keys of hell and of death — He controls both. If Christ holds the keys, death is not your master — He is."
Videos
The Bible Project — Revelation Overview
Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)
Reflection
- 1. "Blessed is he that readeth" (v.3). Revelation comes with a specific blessing for reading it. Are you engaging with this book or avoiding it? Don't let its difficulty keep you from its blessing.
- 2. "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins" (v.5). Before any prophecy or judgment, John worships. Christ loved you and cleansed you. Start there.
- 3. "Every eye shall see him" (v.7). Christ's return will be visible and universal. Are you ready? Are you living in light of His coming?
- 4. "Fear not; I am the first and the last" (v.17). Whatever you fear, Christ is greater. He is eternal, alive, and holds the keys. What fear do you need to release to Him?
- 5. The glorified Christ (vv.13-16) is majestic, powerful, and awe-inspiring. Is your view of Jesus too small? Too familiar? Let this vision expand your understanding of who He really is.