1 This is what God showed to Jesus Christ, so that he could tell his servants what must happen soon. Christ then sent his angel with the message to his servant John. 2 And John told everything he had seen about God's message and about what Jesus Christ had said and done.
3 God will bless everyone who reads this prophecy to others, and he will bless everyone who hears and obeys it. The time is almost here.
4 From John to the seven churches in Asia.
I pray that you
will be blessed
with kindness and peace
from God, who is and was
and is coming.
May you receive
kindness and peace
from the seven spirits
before the throne of God.
5 May kindness and peace
be yours
from Jesus Christ,
the faithful witness.
Jesus was the first
to conquer death,
and he is the ruler
of all earthly kings.
Christ loves us,
and by his blood
he set us free
from our sins.
6 He lets us rule as kings
and serve God his Father
as priests.
To him be glory and power
forever and ever! Amen.
7 Look! He is coming
with the clouds.
Everyone will see him,
even the ones who stuck
a sword through him.
All people on earth
will weep because of him.
Yes, it will happen! Amen.
8 The Lord God says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the one who is and was and is coming. I am God All-Powerful!”
A Vision of the Risen Lord
9 I am John, a follower together with all of you. We suffer because Jesus is our king, but he gives us the strength to endure. I was sent to Patmos Island, because I had preached God's message and had told about Jesus. 10 On the Lord's day the Spirit took control of me, and behind me I heard a loud voice that sounded like a trumpet. 11 The voice said, “Write in a book what you see. Then send it to the seven churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13 There with the lampstands was someone who seemed to be the Son of Man. He was wearing a robe that reached down to his feet, and a gold cloth was wrapped around his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white as wool or snow, and his eyes looked like flames of fire. 15 His feet were glowing like bronze being heated in a furnace, and his voice sounded like the roar of a waterfall. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword was coming from his mouth. His face was shining as bright as the sun at noon.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead person. But he put his right hand on me and said:
Don't be afraid! I am the first, the last, 18 and the living one. I died, but now I am alive forever, and I have the keys to death and the world of the dead. 19 Write what you have seen and what is and what will happen after these things. 20 I will explain the mystery of the seven stars you saw at my right side and the seven gold lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the lampstands are the seven churches.
1 The Reuelation of Iesus Christ, which God gaue vnto him, to shewe vnto his seruants things which must shortly be done: which he sent, and shewed by his Angel vnto his seruant Iohn, 2 Who bare record of ye word of God, and of the testimonie of Iesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that heare the wordes of this prophecie, and keepe those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 4 Iohn, to the seuen Churches which are in Asia, Grace be with you, and peace from him, Which is, and Which was, and Which is to come, and from the seuen Spirits which are before his Throne, 5 And from Iesus Christ, which is that faithful witnes, and that first begotten of the dead, and that Prince of the Kings of the earth, vnto him that loued vs, and washed vs from our sinnes in his blood, 6 And made vs Kings and Priests vnto God euen his Father, to him I say be glory, and dominion for euermore, Amen. 7 Beholde, he commeth with cloudes, and euery eye shall see him: yea, euen they which pearced him thorowe: and all kinreds of the earth shall waile before him, Euen so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, Which is, and Which was, and Which is to come, euen the Almightie. 9 I Iohn, euen your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdome and patience of Iesus Christ, was in the yle called Patmos, for the worde of God, and for the witnessing of Iesus Christ. 10 And I was rauished in spirit on the Lordes day, and heard behinde me a great voyce, as it had bene of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, that first and that last: and that which thou seest, write in a booke, and send it vnto the seuen Churches which are in Asia, vnto Ephesus, and vnto Smyrna, and vnto Pergamus, and vnto Thyatira, and vnto Sardis, and vnto Philadelphia, and vnto Laodicea. 12 Then I turned backe to see the voyce, that spake with me: and when I was turned, I sawe seuen golden candlestickes, 13 And in the middes of the seuen candlestickes, one like vnto the Sonne of man, clothed with a garment downe to the feete, and girded about the pappes with a golden girdle. 14 His head, and heares were white as white wooll, and as snowe, and his eyes were as a flame of fire, 15 And his feete like vnto fine brasse, burning as in a fornace: and his voyce as the sounde of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seuen starres: and out of his mouth went a sharpe two edged sword: and his face shone as the sunne shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feete as dead: then he laid his right hand vpon me, saying vnto me, Feare not: I am that first and that last, 18 And am aliue, but I was dead: and beholde, I am aliue for euermore, Amen: and I haue the keyes of hell and of death. 19 Write the things which thou hast seene, and the things which are, and the things which shall come hereafter. 20 The misterie of the seuen starres which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seuen golden candlestickes, is this, The seuen starres are the Angels of the seuen Churches: and the seuen candlestickes which thou sawest, are the seuen Churches.