The Revelation of Jesus Christ
1 This istherevelation of Jesus Christ [His unveiling of the divine mysteries], which God [the Father] gave to Him to show to His bond-servants (believers) the things which must soon take place [in their entirety]; and He sent and communicated it by His angel (divine messenger) to His bond-servant John,
2 who testifiedandgave supporting evidence to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ,evento everything that he saw [in his visions].
3 Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and who keep the things which are written in it [heeding them and taking them to heart]; for the time [of fulfillment] is near.
Message to the Seven Churches
4 John, to the seven churches that are in [the province of]Asia:Grace [be granted] to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being], from Him Who is [existing forever] and Who was [continually existing in the past] and Who is to come, and fromthe seven Spirits that are before His throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ, thefaithfulandtrustworthy Witness, theFirstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who [always] loves us and who [has once for all]freed us [or washed us] from our sins by His own blood (His sacrificial death)–
6 and formed us into a kingdom [as His subjects],priests to His God and Father–to Him be the gloryandthe powerandthe majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes (nations) of the earth will mourn over Him [realizing their sin and guilt, and anticipating the coming wrath].So it is to be. Amen.
8 “I am theAlpha and the Omega[the Beginning and the End],” says the Lord God,“Who is[existing forever]and Who was[continually existing in the past]and Who is to come, the Almighty[the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all].”
The Patmos Vision
9 I, John, your brother and companion in thetribulation and kingdom and patient endurancewhich arein Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, [exiled there] because of [my preaching of] the word of God [regarding eternal salvation] and the testimony of JesusChrist.
10 I was in theSpirit [in special communication with the Holy Spirit and empowered to receive and record the revelation from Jesus Christ] on theLord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like thesoundof a trumpet,
11 saying,“Write on a scroll what you see[in this revelation],and send it to theseven churches–to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands;
13 and in the midst of the lampstandsI sawsomeonelike the Son of Man, dressed in a robe reaching to His feet, and with a golden sash wrapped around His chest.
14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, [glistening white] like snow; and His [all-seeing] eyes were [flashing] like a flame of fire [piercing into my being].
15 His feet were like burnished [white-hot] bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was [powerful] like the sound of many waters.
16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword [of judgment]; and His face [reflecting His majesty and theShekinah glory] was like the sun shining in [all] its power [at midday].
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. And He placed His right hand on me and said,“Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last[absolute Deity, the Son of God],
18 and the Ever-living One[living in and beyond all time and space].I died, but see, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of[absolute control and victory over]death and of Hades (the realm of the dead).
19 So write the thingswhich you have seen[in the vision],and the thingswhich are[now happening],and the thingswhich will take place after these things.
20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels (divine messengers) of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.