1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God *John 17:7,8;[John 8:26;14:10] gave him *ch. 22:6to 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 19:35who bore witness to the word of God and to *ch. 6:9;12:17;19:10;See 1 Cor. 1:6the 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.

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from *ver. 8;ch. 4:8;Heb. 13:8him *Ex. 3:14(Gk.)who is and *John 1:1who was and who is to come, and from *ch. 3:1;4:5;5:6the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and 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;15:9him who loves us and *1 Pet. 1:18,19has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us *ch. 5:10;20:6;1 Pet. 2:9a kingdom, *ch. 5:10;20:6;1 Pet. 2:9priests to *See Rom. 15:6his God and Father, to him be *See Rom. 11:36glory and *1 Pet. 4:11dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, *Dan. 7:13;See Matt. 16:27he 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."

9 I, John, your brother and *[Phil. 4:14] partner in *John 16:33the tribulation and *2 Tim. 2:12the kingdom and *ch. 3:10the 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. 16:2on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice *ch. 4:1like a trumpet 11 saying, *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."

12 Then 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, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands *Dan. 7:13one like *ch. 14:14;Dan. 10:16a son of man, *Dan. 10:5clothed with a long robe and *ch. 15:6with a golden sash around his chest. 14 *Dan. 7:9The 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. 10:6his 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;3:1In 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. 17:2his 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. 17:7saying, "Fear not, *ch. 2:8;22:13;Isa. 41:4;44:6;48:12I am the first and the last,18 and the living one. *Rom. 6:9;14:9I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and *[ch. 9:1;20:1]I have the keys of Death and Hades.19 *ver. 2, 11Write therefore *ver. 12-16the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and *See ver. 12the 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.