John Tells About This Book

1 This is the revelation ·of Jesus Christ [about Jesus Christ; or given by Jesus Christ; ^Cthe author could be intentionally ambiguous], which God gave to him, to show his servants what must ·soon [quickly] happen. And Jesus sent his angel to ·show it [make it known] to his servant John, ² who has ·told [witnessed; testified to] everything he has seen. It is the word of God; it is the ·message [witness; testimony] from Jesus Christ. ³ ·Blessed [Happy] is the one who reads the words of ·God’s message [^Lthe prophecy], and ·blessed [happy] are the people who hear this message and ·do [keep; obey] what is written in it [^Cthe context envisioned is a leader reading to a congregation]. ·The time is near when all of this will happen [^LFor the time is near].

Jesus’ Message to the Churches

⁴ From John.

To the seven churches in Asia [^Cthe Roman province of Asia, today part of western Turkey]:

Grace and peace to you from the One who is and [the One who] was and [the One who] is coming [^Cthese three descriptions function like titles for God; Ex. 3:14–15], and from ·the seven spirits [^Creferring either to angels or to the “sevenfold Spirit”—the Holy Spirit portrayed in his perfection (the number seven indicating completeness)] before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ. Jesus is ·the faithful witness [or the faithful one, the witness], the ·first among those raised from [^Lfirstborn of/from among] the dead. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth.

·He is the One [^LTo him] who loves us, who made us free^[a] from our sins ·with the blood of his death [^Lby his blood]. ⁶ He made us to be a ·kingdom of priests [or kingdom and priests; or kingdom, that is, priests; Ex. 19:6] who serve ·God his Father [^Lhis God and Father]. To ·Jesus Christ [^Lhim] be glory and ·power [dominion] forever and ever! Amen.

⁷ Look [^TBehold], Jesus is coming with the clouds [Dan. 7:13–14], and ·everyone [^Levery eye] will see him, even those who ·stabbed [pierced] him [^Ca reference to the crucifixion; Zech. 12:10]. And all ·peoples [people groups; tribes] of the earth will ·cry loudly [wail; mourn] because of him. ·Yes, this will happen [So it shall be; ^LYes]! Amen.

⁸ The Lord God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega [^Cthe first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; 21:6; 22:13]. I am the One who is and [the One who] was and [the One who] is coming [see 1:4]. I am the ·Almighty [All-powerful].”

⁹ I, John, ·am your brother. All of us share [^Lyour brother and partner] ·with Jesus [or in Jesus; ^Creferring to salvation as joining oneself to Christ] in ·suffering [persecution], in the kingdom, and in ·patience to continue [perseverance]. I was on the island of Patmos [^Ca small island in the Aegean Sea near Asia Minor, present-day Turkey], because ·I had preached [^Lof] the word of God and the ·message [witness; testimony] about Jesus. ¹⁰ On the Lord’s day [^Cprobably a reference to the first day of the week, Sunday, when Christians met for worship] I was in the ·Spirit [or spirit; ^Ca state of deep spiritual communion with God], and I heard a loud voice behind me that sounded like a trumpet [^Ctrumpet blasts often precede a divine appearance or speech; Ex. 19:16, 19]. ¹¹ The voice said, “Write what you see in a ·book [scroll] and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea [^Clocations in western Asia Minor, present-day Turkey].”

¹² I turned to see who was talking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands ¹³ and someone among the lampstands who was “like a Son of Man [^Creferring to Jesus; the title he most often used to refer to himself; Dan. 7:13–14].” He was dressed in a long robe and had a gold ·band [sash] around his chest [^Cthe clothes of a dignitary; Dan. 10:5]. ¹⁴ His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow [Dan. 7:9], and his eyes were like ·flames of [blazing] fire [Dan. 10:6]. ¹⁵ His feet were like bronze ·that glows hot [refined; fired] in a furnace [Dan. 10:6], and his voice was like the noise of ·flooding water [rushing water; ^Lmany waters; Ezek. 43:2]. ¹⁶ He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword came out of his mouth. ·He [^LHis face] looked like the sun shining ·at its brightest time [or with full power/force; ^Lin its strength].

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He put his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the One who lives; I was dead, but ·look [^Tbehold], I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to death and ·to the place of the dead [^LHades]. ¹⁹ So write the things you ·see [or have seen], ·what is now [^Lwhat is] and what will happen ·later [^Lafter these things]. ²⁰ Here is the ·secret [mystery] of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the ·angels [or messengers; ^Cthese may be guardian angels, human leaders, or the personified “spirit” of each church] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

John Sees Heaven

4 After the vision of these things I looked, and [^Llook; ^Tbehold] there before me was an open door in heaven. And the ·same [^Lfirst] voice that spoke to me before, that sounded like a trumpet [1:8], said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” ² Immediately I was in the ·Spirit [or spirit; ^Ca state of deep spiritual communion with God; 1:10], and [^Llook; ^Tbehold] before me was a throne in heaven, and someone was sitting on it. ³ The One who sat on the throne looked like precious stones, like jasper and carnelian [^Ca symbol of great beauty, purity and value]. All around the throne was a ·rainbow [or halo] ·the color of [or that looked like] an emerald. ⁴ Around the throne there were twenty-four other thrones with twenty-four elders sitting on them [^Cprobably angelic leaders]. They were dressed in white and had golden crowns [^Cwreaths symbolizing honor or victory; see 2:10] on their heads. ⁵ Lightning flashes and ·noises and thunder [or the rumbling of thunder; ^Cphenomena associated with God’s appearance at Mount Sinai; Ex. 19:16–18] came from the throne. Before the throne seven lamps were burning, which are the seven spirits [^Ceither angels or the “sevenfold Spirit”—the Holy Spirit portrayed in his perfection; 3:1] of God. ⁶ Also before the throne there was something that looked like a sea of glass, clear like crystal.

In the center and around the throne were four living creatures ·with eyes all over them [full of eyes], in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion. The second was like an ·ox [or calf]. The third had a face like a man. The fourth was like a flying eagle [Ezek. 1:10; ^Cangelic beings identified with the most powerful example of various species]. ⁸ Each of these four living creatures had six wings and was ·covered all over with eyes [full of eyes], inside and out. Day and night they never ·stop [rest from] saying:

⁹ [^LWhenever] These living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. ¹⁰ Then the twenty-four elders bow down before the One who sits on the throne, and they worship him who lives forever and ever. They ·put their crowns down [cast/lay their crowns; 4:4] before the throne and say: