Revelation
1
{This book has} the things that God presented to Jesus the Messiah. God showed these things to him in order that he might reveal them to his slaves. These things by necessity will occur shortly. Jesus explained these things by sending his angel to me, his slave John. 2 {As a witness} I, John, confirm the message of God. I also verify the personal attestation that Jesus the Messiah has revealed, whatever I observed. 3 How happy is the person who reads {these words of this prophecy} and any who hear these words of this prophecy. Happy is the one who obeys the words that are written in this prophecy, for the chosen moment is approaching quickly {when the events described in this prophecy will happen}. 4 I, John, {am writing this letter} to the seven assemblies of believers in the province of Asia. {May} God {continue to be} kind to you and {make you} peaceful. He exists, has always existed, and is coming {here in the future}. {May} the seven spirits, which are before the throne of God, also {continue to be kind to you and make you peaceful}. 5 {May} Jesus the Messiah also {continue to be kind to you and make you peaceful}. He has reliably told us {the matters from God}. He is the first one whom God caused to be alive again after he had died, and he is the one who rules the kings of the earth. He is the one who loves us and who erased the record of our sins. He released us by shedding his blood {when he died on the cross}. 6 Jesus is the one who has caused us to become people over whose lives God rules. He has also made us to be priests who serve God, who is the father of Jesus. May Jesus receive glory and power throughout eternity. So be it! 7 Pay attention! Jesus is coming in the clouds. Everyone will see him, including those who killed him by nailing him {to a cross}. Every people group in the world will grieve when they see him coming. It will be like this for sure! So be it! 8 The Lord God says: "I am the first letter A, {the one who began all things}. I am the last letter Z, {the one who will cause all things to come to an end}. I am the one who exists, has always existed, and is coming {in the future}. I am the One who rules over everything and everyone. I am God Almighty." 9 I am your partnering brother John. {I also} share with you the distress and endurance necessary to all who are members of Jesus' kingdom. I was on the Island of Patmos because I kept telling people about God's message and what Jesus personally revealed to me. 10 On Sunday, the day {that believers gather to worship} the Lord, God awakened my spirit ecstatically {to perceive revelation}. Then I heard behind me {someone speaking}. His voice was loud like the sound of a trumpet {being blown}. 11 {The voice} said {to me}: “Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven assemblies of believers. {Send it to the believers} in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea." 12 {When I heard this voice,} I turned my head to see who was talking to me. Then, having turned, I observed seven golden lamp holders. 13 In the midst of the lamp holders, there was someone who looked like a human {in his form}. He wore a robe that reached down to his feet. He also fastened a golden strap across his chest. 14 The {pale} hair on his head was like gleaming white wool or like white snow. His eyes were {bright} like a fiery flame. 15 His feet shone like bronze that has been refined in a furnace. {When he spoke,} his voice resonated like the noise of a great river of rushing water. 16 {The one who looked like a human} was holding seven stars in his right hand. A sword with two sharp edges was extending from his mouth. His face shone as bright as the sun during the middle of the day. 17 When I saw him, I fell down in front of his feet as though I were a corpse. Then Jesus put his right hand on me and said to me, “Do not be afraid! I am the First One {who began all things}. I am also the Last One {who will cause all things to end}. 18 I am the God who inherently lives. Although I was once dead, observe how I am now alive forever. I have power over death itself and I control the place of the dead. 19 Therefore, write down what you saw {just now}. Also write down the matters which are happening now as well as those things that will happen in the future. 20 The symbolic meaning of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lamp holders is this: The seven stars represent angels among the seven assemblies of believers. The seven lamp holders represent the seven assemblies of believers."