Greetings to the Seven Churches

^4 (A)From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace be yours from God, who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits in front of his throne, ^5 (B)and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first to be raised from death and who is also the ruler of the kings of the world.

He loves us, and by his sacrificial death he has freed us from our sins ^6 (C)and made us a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father. To Jesus Christ be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

^7 (D)Look, he is coming on the clouds! Everyone will see him, including those who pierced him. All peoples on earth will mourn over him. So shall it be!

^8 (E)“I am the first and the last,” says the Lord God Almighty, who is, who was, and who is to come.

A Vision of Christ

⁹ I am John, your brother, and as a follower of Jesus I am your partner in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom. I was put on the island of Patmos because I had proclaimed God's word and the truth that Jesus revealed. ¹⁰ On the Lord's day the Spirit took control of me, and I heard a loud voice, that sounded like a trumpet, speaking behind me. ¹¹ It said, “Write down what you see, and send the book to the churches in these seven cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

¹² I turned around to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands, ^13 (F)and among them there was what looked like a human being, wearing a robe that reached to his feet, and a gold band around his chest. ^14 (G)His hair was white as wool, or as snow, and his eyes blazed like fire; ^15 (H)his feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished, and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall.