Revelation 1
Amplified Bible
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
1 This is the [a]revelation 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 testified and gave supporting evidence to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to everything that he saw [in his visions]. 3 [b]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 [c]John, to the seven churches that are in [the province of] [d]Asia: [e]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 from [f]the seven Spirits that are before His throne,(A) 5 and from Jesus Christ, the [g]faithful and trustworthy Witness, the [h]Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who [always] loves us and who [has once for all] [i]freed us [or washed us] from our sins by His own blood (His sacrificial death)—(B) 6 and formed us into a kingdom [as His subjects], [j]priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.(C) 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]. [k]So it is to be. Amen.(D)
8 “I am the [l]Alpha 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].”(E)
The Patmos Vision
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the [m]tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance which are in 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 Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the [n]Spirit [in special communication with the Holy Spirit and empowered to receive and record the revelation from Jesus Christ] on the [o]Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write on a scroll what you see [in this revelation], and send it to the [p]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 with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the midst of the lampstands I saw someone [q]like the Son of Man, dressed in a robe reaching to His feet, and with a golden sash wrapped around His chest.(F) 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].(G) 15 His feet were like burnished [white-hot] bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was [powerful] like the sound of many waters.(H) 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 the [r]Shekinah glory] was like the sun shining in [all] its power [at midday].(I)
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],(J) 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 things [s]which you have seen [in the vision], and the things [t]which are [now happening], and the things [u]which 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 ([v]divine messengers) of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Footnotes
- Revelation 1:1 The God-given disclosures contained in this book relate to both Christ and future events.
- Revelation 1:3 This is the first of the seven promised blessings (beatitudes) of the Revelation. See also 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14.
- Revelation 1:4 John and his brother James were among the first apostles chosen by Jesus, and were the sons of Zebedee and Salome. In addition to the Revelation, John wrote the Gospel and the three letters that bear his name.
- Revelation 1:4 The Roman province of Asia (now western Turkey) was formed in 129 b.c.
- Revelation 1:4 Like Paul, the apostle John takes the standard Jewish greeting of “Peace [Heb shalom] to you” and modifies it by adding grace, without which no one could obtain peace with God.
- Revelation 1:4 A literal translation, perhaps referring to the perfect fullness of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
- Revelation 1:5 Lit the witness, the faithful.
- Revelation 1:5 Jesus was not the first person to be brought back to life, since He raised others from the dead (the most notable being Lazarus, John 11), but they had to experience death again. Jesus is the first to be restored to life with a glorified (immortal, everlasting) body, never again to die. The word Firstborn may point not only to Jesus’ own resurrection but also to His divine power to resurrect others. The Firstborn (preeminent) is given power over all things.
- Revelation 1:5 Some manuscripts use “freed” (lusanti) while others use “washed” (lousanti). Either reading conveys a similar theological conclusion: Jesus has taken away our sins by His blood.
- Revelation 1:6 All Christians become priests to God in order to offer spiritual sacrifices (1 Pet 2:5) and proclaim His praises (1 Pet 2:9), and they will reign with Christ in the Millennium (20:6).
- Revelation 1:7 Lit Yes, amen.
- Revelation 1:8 An expression of God’s absolute supremacy over all things.
- Revelation 1:9 I.e. persecution because of one’s faith.
- Revelation 1:10 Or spirit. The Greek wording is not decisive, so John could be referring either to being in special communion with the Holy Spirit, or to being in a trance-like state in his own spirit like that experienced by Peter at Joppa (cf Acts 10:10, 11).
- Revelation 1:10 The early church used this term to refer to Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection. The term Kyriake is also the regular word for Sunday in modern Greek.
- Revelation 1:11 These were actual churches in Asia Minor (now western Turkey), and in John’s time there would have been only one church body in each of the cities. They are mentioned in the order in which they would be visited by a messenger traveling northward on the imperial road from Ephesus to Laodicea.
- Revelation 1:13 Or like a son of man. The phrase is a translation of a Hebrew idiom which refers to a man, and John could simply be describing his first impression. But since this proves to be a vision of Christ (v 18), John probably is referring to Him by the title that Jesus so often applied to Himself, a title originating in the Messianic prophecy of Daniel.
- Revelation 1:16 The visible, divine Presence.
- Revelation 1:19 I.e. the vision of ch 1.
- Revelation 1:19 I.e. the events of the present moment (chs 2; 3).
- Revelation 1:19 I.e. the events to come in chs 4-22, after the messages to the churches in chs 2; 3.
- Revelation 1:20 The Greek word for “messenger” is aggelos. When the word is referring to a heavenly being, it is usually not translated, but rather transliterated as “angel”; that is, the Greek letters are converted to their English equivalents, based on the sound of the Greek word. When the word is referring to a human, it is instead translated as “messenger” or the equivalent. So whether “angel” or “messenger” is used depends on the context.
Revelation 1
Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament
1 The revelation apokalypsis of Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos, which hos God theos gave didōmi him autos · ho to show deiknymi to ho his autos servants the things that hos must dei soon en take place ginomai. · kai He made it known sēmainō by sending apostellō · ho his autos angel angelos to ho his autos servant John Iōannēs, 2 who hos bore witness martyreō to everything hosos he saw, the ho word logos of ho God theos and kai the ho testimony martyria of Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos. 3 Blessed makarios is the ho one who reads aloud anaginōskō the ho words logos of this ho prophecy prophēteia, and kai those ho who hear akouō and kai keep tēreō what ho is written graphō in en it autos, for gar the ho time kairos is near engys.
4 John Iōannēs to the ho seven hepta churches ekklēsia that ho are in en · ho Asia Asia: Grace charis to you hymeis and kai peace eirēnē from apo the ho one who is eimi, and kai who ho was eimi, and kai who ho is to come erchomai, and kai from apo the ho seven hepta spirits pneuma who hos are before enōpion · ho his autos throne thronos, 5 and kai from apo Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos the ho faithful pistos witness martys, · ho the ho firstborn prōtotokos of the ho dead nekros, and kai the ho ruler archōn of the ho kings basileus of the ho world gē. To him ho who loves agapaō us hēmeis and kai has freed lyō us hēmeis from ek · ho our hēmeis sins hamartia by en · ho his autos blood haima 6 and kai has made poieō us hēmeis a kingdom basileia, priests hiereus to ho his autos God theos and kai Father patēr, to him autos be · ho glory doxa and kai · ho dominion kratos for eis all ho time aiōn ho. · ho Amen amēn. 7 Behold idou, he is coming erchomai with meta the ho clouds nephelē, and kai every pas eye ophthalmos will see horaō him autos, even kai those who hostis pierced ekkenteō him autos; and kai all pas the ho tribes phylē of ho earth gē will wail koptō on account of epi him autos. So shall it be nai! Amen amēn.
8 “ I egō am eimi the ho Alpha alpha and kai the ho Omega ō,” says legō the Lord kyrios · ho God theos, “ the ho one who eimi is , and kai who ho was eimi, and kai who ho is to come erchomai, the ho Almighty pantokratōr.”
9 I egō, John Iōannēs, · ho your hymeis brother adelphos and kai partner synkoinōnos in en the ho tribulation thlipsis and kai kingdom basileia and kai patient endurance hypomonē that are in en Jesus Iēsous, was ginomai on en the ho island nēsos · ho called kaleō Patmos Patmos on account of dia the ho word logos of ho God theos and kai the ho testimony martyria of Jesus Iēsous. 10 I was ginomai in en the spirit pneuma on en the ho Lord’ s kyriakos Day hēmera, and kai I heard akouō behind opisō me egō a loud megas voice phōnē like hōs a trumpet salpinx, 11 saying legō, “ Write graphō what hos you see blepō on eis a scroll biblion and kai send pempō it to the ho seven hepta churches ekklēsia— to eis Ephesus Ephesos, · kai Smyrna Smyrna, · kai Pergamum Pergamos, · kai Thyatira Thuateira, · kai Sardis Sardeis, · kai Philadelphia Philadelpheia, and kai Laodicea Laodikeia.” 12 And kai I turned epistrephō to see blepō the ho voice phōnē that hostis was speaking laleō to meta me egō, and kai when I had turned epistrephō I saw seven hepta golden chrysous lampstands lychnia, 13 and kai in en the midst mesos of the ho lampstands lychnia one like homoios a son hyios of man anthrōpos, dressed endyō in a long robe podērēs and kai with a gold chrysous sash zōnē tied perizōnnymi high across pros his ho chest mastos. 14 · ho · de His autos head kephalē and kai his ho hair thrix were white leukos, like hōs white leukos wool erion, like hōs snow chiōn, and kai · ho his autos eyes ophthalmos were like hōs a flame phlox of fire pyr. 15 · kai · ho His autos feet pous were like homoios burnished bronze chalkolibanon, refined pyroō in en a furnace kaminos, and kai · ho his autos voice phōnē was like hōs the roar phōnē of many polys waters hydōr. 16 · kai In en · ho his autos right dexios hand cheir he held echō seven hepta stars astēr, · kai from ek · ho his autos mouth stoma came ekporeuomai a sharp oxys two-edged distomos sword rhomphaia, and kai · ho his autos face opsis was shining phainō like hōs the ho sun hēlios at en · ho full autos strength dynamis. 17 And kai when hote I saw him autos, I fell piptō at pros · ho his autos feet pous as though hōs dead nekros. And kai he laid tithēmi · ho his autos right hand dexios on epi me egō, saying legō, “ Do not mē fear phobeomai! I egō am eimi the ho First prōtos and kai the ho Last eschatos, 18 · kai the ho Living One zaō. · kai I was ginomai dead nekros, but kai behold idou, I am eimi alive zaō for eis all ho time aiōn ho! · ho And kai I hold echō the ho keys kleis of ho death thanatos and kai of ho Hades hadēs. 19 Write graphō therefore oun the things hos that you have seen, · kai those that hos are eimi, and kai those that hos are mellō to take place ginomai after meta this houtos. 20 The ho mystery mystērion of the ho seven hepta stars astēr that hos you saw in epi · ho my egō right hand dexios, and kai the ho seven hepta golden chrysous lampstands lychnia, · ho is this: the ho seven hepta stars astēr are eimi the angels angelos of the ho seven hepta churches ekklēsia, and kai the ho seven hepta lampstands lychnia · ho are eimi the seven hepta churches ekklēsia.
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The Mounce Reverse Interlinear™ New Testament (MOUNCE)
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