Revelation 1:1-20, NLT
Revelation 1
Prologue
1This is a revelation from*1:1a Or of. Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon*1:1b Or suddenly, or quickly. take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John,
3God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.
John’s Greeting to the Seven Churches
4This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia.*1:4a Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.
Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit*1:4b Greek the seven spirits. before his throne;
All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.
7Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.
And everyone will see him—
even those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the world
will mourn for him.
Yes! Amen!
8“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,”*1:8 Greek I am the Alpha and the Omega, referring to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”
Vision of the Son of Man
9I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus.
12When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last.
19“Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen.*1:19 Or what you have seen and what they mean—the things that have already begun to happen.