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Revelation 1

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The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

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Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

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Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

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John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

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And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

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And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

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Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

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I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

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I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

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I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

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Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

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And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

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And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

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His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

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And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

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And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

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And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

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I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

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Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

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The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

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Revelation 1

The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, the revelation given to John while exiled on Patmos because of his faithful witness to the word of God, unfolds a vision of the glorified Son of Man standing among seven golden lampstands, his appearance drawing together imagery from Daniel 7 and Ezekiel 1. The risen Christ presents with hair white as wool, eyes blazing like fire, feet burnished like bronze refined in fire, and a voice like the roar of many waters—imagery emphasizing his transcendent holiness, penetrating judgment, and authoritative word. From his mouth proceeds a sharp double-edged sword, the weapon of his word that judges and executes God's righteous will, while his face shines with the brightness of the sun in its strength, overwhelming all created light. The self-identification—I am the first and the last, and the living one, I was dead and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades—establishes Christ's absolute sovereignty over time, existence, and the realm of the dead. The vision is transmitted through an angel to John for communication to the churches, establishing the apostolic mediation of this revelation. The command to write what John sees and hears frames the entire apocalypse as testimony to be communicated to the seven churches, establishing the authority and reliability of the visions that follow.

Revelation 1:10

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet — the phrase "in the Spirit" (en pneumati) indicates a prophetic trance or ecstatic state where John receives visions, a mode of prophecy familiar from Ezekiel and the apostolic letters. The "Lord's Day" (kyriakē hēmera) is Sunday, the day of resurrection worship, establishing that Christian eschatological hope centers not on Jewish Sabbath but on Christ's victory.

Revelation 1:1

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place — the Greek apokalypsis means an uncovering or unveiling of what is hidden, and here it is specifically what Jesus Christ has been given to disclose to his servants. John is commissioned not as an autonomous prophet but as a transmitter of Christ's own revelation, establishing the uniquely Christocentric authority of this entire document. The urgency of "must soon take place" (dei...genesthai) indicates eschatological immediacy, though "soon" operates in God's time, not human measure.

Revelation 1:2

John, the witness who bears testimony to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ — bearing witness (martys) is his commission, and he testifies both to God's word and to Jesus's testimony about himself. The dual witness structure echoes the legal requirement of two witnesses in Deuteronomy 19:15 and prefigures the role of testimony throughout Revelation, where faithful witness often requires suffering.

Revelation 1:3

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 — the beatitude structure (makarios) frames this as a work of eschatological encouragement, meant to be read publicly in worship gatherings. The promise of blessing is conditional upon keeping (tērountes) the words, not merely hearing them; this is a book demanding obedient response, not mere intellectual assent.

Revelation 1:4

John to the seven churches that are in Asia — grace to you and peace from the one who is and who was and who is to come — the greeting modifies the traditional Pauline form to emphasize God's eternal transcendence with the formula echoing Exodus 3:14. The seven churches represent both actual congregations in Asia Minor and, in the apocalyptic symbolic register, the fullness of the church universal across all time.

Revelation 1:5

And from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth — these three titles establish Christ's authority in history, resurrection, and sovereignty. "Firstborn of the dead" (prototokos) means not merely first in sequence but supreme in rank, echoing Colossians 1:18; his resurrection inaugurates the resurrection of all the faithful. He is the witness whose faithfulness unto death (as will be demanded of the churches) is vindicated by his risen authority.

Revelation 1:6

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father — the hymnic language celebrates redemption as liberation (lysas) from sins through Christ's self-offering. The priestly kingdom imagery (exodus 19:6) redefines Israel's calling as now belonging to the redeemed community; all believers share in Christ's mediatorial office, not a clerical hierarchy.

Revelation 1:7

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him — the allusion to Daniel 7:13 (the Son of Man coming with the clouds) combined with Zechariah 12:10 (looking on him whom they pierced) merges the parousia with the vision of vindication. The piercing may refer literally to the crucifixion or metaphorically to those who reject Christ; all humanity will witness his return in inescapable visibility.

Revelation 1:8

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end — the Greek letters alpha and omega symbolically enclose all of creation, all of history, all of meaning within Christ's sovereignty. This declaration, placed at the threshold of Revelation, announces that the entire catastrophic unfolding of chapters 2-22 occurs within Christ's complete control; nothing escapes his beginning and his ending.

Revelation 1:9

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus — the identification of John as fellow-sufferer rather than superior authority establishes his credibility as a witness who shares the persecution of his readers. The triad of tribulation, kingdom, and patient endurance defines the present eschatological condition: believers inhabit both the kingdom reality (inaugurated) and tribulation (the age not yet consummated), requiring steadfast endurance.

Revelation 1:11

Saying, 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 — the command to write and the enumeration of the seven churches establishes the literary structure of chapters 2-3 and the geographical circuit of these communities in Asia Minor, likely indicating a circuit-riding minister's travel route.

Revelation 1:12

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands — John's turning to see the source of the voice enacts the transition from audition to vision; the seven lampstands, as explained in verse 20, represent the seven churches. The lampstand recalls the menorah of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-39), signaling that the church fulfills Israel's priestly vocation as bearers of God's light.

Revelation 1:13

And in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest — the figure "like a son of man" directly invokes Daniel 7:13 and situates the vision in the stream of apocalyptic expectation. The robe and sash suggest priestly authority; the image is majestic and transcendent, not the suffering Jesus of the Gospels but the risen Christ in his glory.

Revelation 1:14

The hair of his head was white like wool, white like snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire — the white hair echoes Daniel 7:9's description of the Ancient of Days (God the Father), applying it now to the exalted Christ and signaling his participation in divine eternity and wisdom. The eyes like flame penetrate all things, see all deeds; this is the gaze before which nothing is hidden (Hebrews 4:13).

Revelation 1:15

His feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters — feet of burnished bronze suggest power and judgment, refined through fire suggesting purity tested and proven. The voice like many waters (compare Ezekiel 43:2) is overwhelming, cosmic; it drowns out all other voices and commands absolute attention and obedience.

Revelation 1:16

In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force — the right hand (place of power and authority) holds the seven stars (the angels of the churches, verse 20), indicating Christ's direct hold over the church's messengers. The sword from his mouth is his word of judgment (Isaiah 49:2; Hebrews 4:12); his face like the sun in full strength recalls Matthew 17:2 (the Transfiguration) and signifies blazing glory.

Revelation 1:17

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead — but he laid his right hand on me, saying, Do not be afraid — John's falling as dead before the transcendent vision follows the pattern of prophetic encounter (Isaiah 6:5; Ezekiel 1:28; Daniel 10:9). The reassuring touch and command dissolve the fear, a pattern repeated throughout Revelation: the terrifying vision is accompanied by comfort for the faithful.

Revelation 1:18

I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades — Christ claims the titles reserved for God (Alpha and Omega, first and last) and announces his unique status: he died and rose, and this death-and-resurrection victory grants him sovereignty over Death and Hades themselves. The keys (exousia) represent absolute control; he alone determines who enters these realms.

Revelation 1:19

Write therefore the things that you have seen, the things that are, and the things that are about to take place after this — the threefold structure (past vision, present reality, future unfolding) organizes the entire book: the initial theophany, the present state of the churches, and the eschatological future. This is not arbitrary division but theological framework organizing John's prophetic message.

Revelation 1:20

As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches — the interpretive key clarifies the symbolic register: stars represent angelic guardians or representatives of each church, and lampstands represent the churches themselves. The mystery (mystērion) language indicates a divinely unveiled secret.