The Revelation of Jesus Christ
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which aGod gave Him to bshow to His bond-servants, cthe things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it dby His angel to His bond-servant eJohn, 2 who testified to athe word of God and to bthe testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 aBlessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; bfor the time is near.
Message to the Seven Churches
4 aJohn to bthe seven churches that are in cAsia: dGrace to you and peace, from eHim who is and who was and who is to come, and from fthe seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, athe faithful witness, the bfirstborn of the dead, and the cruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who dloves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6 and He has made us to be a akingdom, apriests to bHis God and Father—cto Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 aBehold, He is coming with the clouds, and bevery eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will cmourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
8 “I am athe Alpha and the Omega,” says the bLord God, “cwho is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
The Patmos Vision
9 aI, John, your bbrother and cfellow partaker in the tribulation and dkingdom and eperseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos fbecause of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was ain the Spirit on bthe Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice clike the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “aWrite in a book what you see, and send it to the bseven churches: to cEphesus and to dSmyrna and to ePergamum and to fThyatira and to gSardis and to hPhiladelphia and to iLaodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw aseven golden lampstands; 13 and ain the middle of the lampstands I saw one blike a son of man, cclothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and dgirded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His ahair were white like white wool, like snow; and bHis eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His afeet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His bvoice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held aseven stars, and out of His mouth came a bsharp two-edged sword; and His cface was like dthe sun shining in its strength.
17 When I saw Him, I afell at His feet like a dead man. And He bplaced His right hand on me, saying, “cDo not be afraid; dI am the first and the last, 18 and the aliving One; and I bwas dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have cthe keys of death and of Hades. 19 Therefore awrite bthe things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place cafter these things. 20 As for the amystery of the bseven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the cseven golden lampstands: the bseven stars are the angels of dthe seven churches, and the seven elampstands are the seven churches.
Message to Ephesus
“To the angel of the church in aEphesus write:
The One who holds bthe seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks camong the seven golden lampstands, says this:
2 ‘aI know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you bput to the test those who call themselves capostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured afor My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have aleft your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and arepent and bdo the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your clampstand out of its place—unless you repent. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the aNicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. bTo him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of cthe tree of life which is in the dParadise of God.’
Message to Smyrna
8 “And to the angel of the church in aSmyrna write:
bThe first and the last, who cwas dead, and has come to life, says this:
9 ‘I know your atribulation and your bpoverty (but you are brich), and the blasphemy by those who csay they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of dSatan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be atested, and you will have tribulation bfor ten days. Be cfaithful until death, and I will give you dthe crown of life. 11 aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. bHe who overcomes will not be hurt by the csecond death.’
Message to Pergamum
12 “And to the angel of the church in aPergamum write:
The One who has bthe sharp two-edged sword says this:
13 ‘I know where you dwell, where aSatan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny bMy faith even in the days of Antipas, My cwitness, My dfaithful one, who was killed among you, ewhere Satan dwells. 14 But aI have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the bteaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, cto eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the aNicolaitans. 16 Therefore arepent; or else bI am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with cthe sword of My mouth. 17 aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. aTo him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden bmanna, and I will give him a white stone, and a cnew name written on the stone dwhich no one knows but he who receives it.’
Message to Thyatira
18 “And to the angel of the church in aThyatira write:
bThe Son of God, cwho has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:
19 ‘aI know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 20 But aI have this against you, that you tolerate the woman bJezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they ccommit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 aI gave her time to repent, and she bdoes not want to repent of her immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who acommit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who asearches the minds and hearts; and bI will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24 But I say to you, the rest who are in aThyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the bdeep things of Satan, as they call them—I cplace no other burden on you. 25 Nevertheless awhat you have, hold fast buntil I come. 26 aHe who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds buntil the end, cto him I will give authority over the nations; 27 and he shall arule them with a rod of iron, bas the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him athe morning star. 29 aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Message to Sardis
“To the angel of the church in aSardis write:
He who has bthe seven Spirits of God and cthe seven stars, says this: ‘dI know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are edead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3 So aremember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and arepent. Therefore if you do not wake up, aI will come blike a thief, and you will not know at cwhat hour I will come to you. 4 But you have a few apeople in bSardis who have not csoiled their garments; and they will walk with Me din white, for they are worthy. 5 aHe who overcomes will thus be clothed in bwhite garments; and I will not cerase his name from the book of life, and dI will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Message to Philadelphia
7 “And to the angel of the church in aPhiladelphia write:
bHe who is holy, cwho is true, who has dthe key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:
8 ‘aI know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you ban open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and chave not denied My name. 9 Behold, I will cause those of athe synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them bcome and bow down at your feet, and make them know that cI have loved you. 10 Because you have akept the word of bMy perseverance, cI also will keep you from the hour of dtesting, that hour which is about to come upon the whole eworld, to test fthose who dwell on the earth. 11 aI am coming quickly; bhold fast what you have, so that no one will take your ccrown. 12 aHe who overcomes, I will make him a bpillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the cname of My God, and dthe name of the city of My God, ethe new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My fnew name. 13 aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Message to Laodicea
14 “To the angel of the church in aLaodicea write:
bThe Amen, cthe faithful and true Witness, dthe Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15 ‘aI know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; bI wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, “aI am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to abuy from Me bgold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and cwhite garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that dthe shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 aThose whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and brepent. 20 Behold, I stand aat the door and bknock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, cI will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21 aHe who overcomes, I will grant to him bto sit down with Me on My throne, as cI also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Scene in Heaven
After athese things I looked, and behold, ba door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, clike the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “dCome up here, and I will eshow you what must take place after these things.” 2 Immediately I was ain the Spirit; and behold, ba throne was standing in heaven, and cOne sitting on the throne. 3 And He who was sitting was like a ajasper stone and a bsardius in appearance; and there was a crainbow around the throne, like an demerald in appearance. 4 aAround the throne were btwenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw ctwenty-four elders dsitting, clothed in ewhite garments, and fgolden crowns on their heads.
The Throne and Worship of the Creator
5 Out from the throne come aflashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were bseven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are cthe seven Spirits of God; 6 and before the throne there was something like a asea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and baround the throne, cfour living creatures dfull of eyes in front and behind. 7 aThe first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8 And the afour living creatures, each one of them having bsix wings, are cfull of eyes around and within; and dday and night they do not cease to say,
“eHoly, holy, holy is the fLord God, the Almighty, gwho was and who is and who is to come.”
9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who asits on the throne, to bHim who lives forever and ever, 10 the atwenty-four elders will bfall down before Him who csits on the throne, and will worship dHim who lives forever and ever, and will cast their ecrowns before the throne, saying,
11 “aWorthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You bcreated all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
The Book with Seven Seals
I saw in the right hand of Him who asat on the throne a bbook written inside and on the back, csealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a astrong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 3 And no one ain heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the aLion that is bfrom the tribe of Judah, the cRoot of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”
6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and athe elders a bLamb standing, as if cslain, having seven dhorns and eseven eyes, which are fthe seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took athe book out of the right hand of Him who asat on the throne. 8 When He had taken the book, the afour living creatures and the btwenty-four elders cfell down before the dLamb, each one holding a eharp and fgolden bowls full of incense, which are the gprayers of the saints. 9 And they *sang a anew song, saying,
“bWorthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were cslain, and dpurchased for God with Your blood men from eevery tribe and tongue and people and nation.
10 “You have made them to be a akingdom and apriests to our God; and they will breign upon the earth.”
Angels Exalt the Lamb
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels aaround the throne and the bliving creatures and the celders; and the number of them was dmyriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
“aWorthy is the bLamb that was bslain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
13 And aevery created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
“To Him who bsits on the throne, and to the cLamb, dbe blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
14 And the afour living creatures kept saying, “bAmen.” And the celders dfell down and worshiped.
The First Seal—Rider on White Horse
Then I saw when the aLamb broke one of the bseven seals, and I heard one of the cfour living creatures saying as with a dvoice of thunder, “Come.” 2 I looked, and behold, a awhite horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and ba crown was given to him, and he went out cconquering and to conquer.
The Second Seal—War
3 When He broke the second seal, I heard the asecond living creature saying, “Come.” 4 And another, aa red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to btake peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.
The Third Seal—Famine
5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the athird living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a bblack horse; and he who sat on it had a cpair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the afour living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and bdo not damage the oil and the wine.”
The Fourth Seal—Death
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the afourth living creature saying, “Come.” 8 I looked, and behold, an aashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name bDeath; and bHades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, cto kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.
The Fifth Seal—Martyrs
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw aunderneath the baltar the csouls of those who had been slain dbecause of the word of God, and because of the etestimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “aHow long, O bLord, choly and true, will You refrain from djudging and avenging our blood on ethose who dwell on the earth?” 11 And athere was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should brest for a little while longer, cuntil the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be dcompleted also.
The Sixth Seal—Terror
12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great aearthquake; and the bsun became black as csackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and athe stars of the sky fell to the earth, bas a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 aThe sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and bevery mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 Then athe kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they *asaid to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him bwho sits on the throne, and from the cwrath of the Lamb; 17 for athe great day of their wrath has come, and bwho is able to stand?” New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
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