Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

The letter to Sardis

3 “Write this to the angel of the church in Sardis. ‘These are the words of the one who has the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars. I know what you have done. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. ² Wake up! Strengthen the things that remain—the things that are about to die—because I haven’t found your works to be complete in the sight of my God. ³ So remember how you received the message, how you heard it and kept it—and repent! So if you don’t keep awake, I will come like a thief, and you won’t know what time I’m coming to you. ⁴ You do, however, have a few people in Sardis who haven’t allowed their clothes to become dirty and polluted. They will be clothed in white and will walk with me, as they deserve. ⁵ Anyone who conquers will be clothed like this in white robes, and I won’t blot their name out of the book of life. I will acknowledge their name in the presence of my father and in the presence of his angels. ⁶ Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the spirit is saying to the churches.’

The letter to Philadelphia

⁷ “Write this to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. ‘These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, the one who has the key of David, who opens and nobody shuts, who shuts and nobody opens. ⁸ I know your works. Look! I have given you an open door, right in front of you, and nobody can shut it, since you have a little power; you have kept my word, and you haven’t denied my name. ⁹ Look: this is what I will do to the satan-synagogue, who call themselves Jews but who are frauds, nothing of the kind. Take note: this is what I will grant you—that I will make them come and worship before your feet, and they will know that I have loved you. ¹⁰ You have kept my word about patience, and so I will keep you from the time of trial that is going to come upon the whole world, to test out all the inhabitants of the earth. ¹¹ I am coming quickly! Hold on to what you have, so that nobody takes away your crown. ¹² Anyone who conquers, I will make them a pillar in the temple of my God. They will never go out of it again. I will write on that person the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my own new name. ¹³ Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the spirit is saying to the churches.’

The letter to Laodicea

¹⁴ “Write this to the angel of the church in Laodicea. ‘These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, “I’m rich! I’ve done well! I don’t need anything!”—but you don’t know that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ This is my advice to you: buy from me gold refined in the fire—that’ll make you rich!—and white clothes to cover yourselves and prevent your shameful nakedness being seen; and also healing ointment to put on your eyes, so that you will be able to see. ¹⁹ When it comes to my friends, I tell them when they’re in the wrong, and I punish them for it; so stir up your spirits and repent! ²⁰ Look! I’m standing here, knocking at the door. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to them and eat with them, and they with me. ²¹ This will be my gift to the one who conquers: I will sit them beside me on my throne, just as I conquered and sat with my father on his throne. ²² Let the one who has an ear listen to what the spirit is saying to the churches.’ ”

In the throne room

4 After this I looked—and there was a door in heaven, standing open! The voice like a trumpet, which I had heard speaking with me at the beginning, spoke again. “Come up here,” it said, “and I will show you what must take place after these things.”

² At once I was in the spirit. There in heaven stood a throne, and someone was sitting on it. ³ The seated figure had the appearance of a jasper stone or a carnelian, and there was a rainbow around the throne, looking like an emerald. ⁴ Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and sitting on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white robes, and with golden crowns on their heads. ⁵ Flashes of lightning, rumblings and thunderclaps were coming from the throne, and in front of the throne seven lampstands, which are the seven spirits of God, were burning with fire. ^6a In front of the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal.

Praise to the creator

^6b In the middle of the throne, and all around the throne, were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind. ⁷ The first creature was like a lion, the second creature was like an ox, the third creature had a human face, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. ⁸ Each of the four creatures had six wings, and they were full of eyes all round and inside. Day and night they take no rest, as they say,

⁹ When the creatures give glory and honor and thanksgiving to the one who is sitting on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down in front of the one who is sitting on the throne, and worship the one who lives forever and ever. They throw down their crowns in front of the throne, saying, ¹¹ “O Lord our God, you deserve to receive glory and honor and power, because you created all things; they existed and were created because that is what you willed.”