The Revelation of Jesus Christ

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which ^(A)God gave Him to ^(B)show to His bond-servants, ^(C)the things which must soon take place; and He sent and ^[a]communicated it ^(D)by His angel to His bond-servant ^(E)John, ² who testified to ^(F)the word of God and to ^(G)the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. ^3 (H)Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and ^[b]keep the things which are written in it; ^(I)for the time is near.

Message to the Seven Churches

^4 (J)John to ^(K)the seven churches that are in ^(L)Asia: ^(M)Grace to you and peace from ^(N)Him who is, and who was, and who ^[c]is to come, and from ^(O)the ^[d]seven spirits who are before His throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, ^(P)the faithful witness, the ^(Q)firstborn of the dead, and the ^(R)ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who ^(S)loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— ⁶ and He made us into a ^(T)kingdom, ^(U)priests to ^[e](V)His God and Father—^(W)to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. ^7 (X)Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and ^(Y)every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will ^(Z)mourn over Him. ^[f]So it is to be. Amen.

⁸ “I am ^(AA)the Alpha and the Omega,” says the ^(AB)Lord God, “^(AC)who is and who was and who ^[g]is to come, the Almighty.”

The Patmos Vision

^9 (AD)I, John, your ^(AE)brother and ^(AF)fellow participant in the tribulation and ^(AG)kingdom and ^[h](AH)perseverance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos ^(AI)because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰ I was ^(AJ)in the ^[i]Spirit on ^(AK)the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice ^(AL)like the sound of a trumpet, ¹¹ saying, “^(AM)Write ^[j]on a scroll what you see, and send it to the ^(AN)seven churches: to ^(AO)Ephesus, ^(AP)Smyrna, ^(AQ)Pergamum, ^(AR)Thyatira, ^(AS)Sardis, ^(AT)Philadelphia, and ^(AU)Laodicea.”

¹² Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw ^(AV)seven golden lampstands; ¹³ and ^(AW)in the middle of the lampstands I saw one ^(AX)like ^[k]a son of man, ^(AY)clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and ^(AZ)wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. ¹⁴ His head and His ^(BA)hair were white like white wool, like snow; and ^(BB)His eyes were like a flame of fire. ¹⁵ His ^(BC)feet were like ^[l]burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His ^(BD)voice was like the sound of many waters. ¹⁶ In His right hand He held ^(BE)seven stars, and out of His mouth came a ^(BF)sharp two-edged sword; and His ^(BG)face was like ^(BH)the sun ^[m]shining in its strength.

¹⁷ When I saw Him, I ^(BI)fell at His feet like a dead man. And He ^(BJ)placed His right hand on me, saying, “^(BK)Do not be afraid; ^(BL)I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the ^(BM)living One; and I ^[n](BN)was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have ^(BO)the keys of death and of Hades. ¹⁹ Therefore ^(BP)write ^(BQ)the things which you have seen, ^[o]and the things which are, and the things which will take place ^(BR)after these things. ²⁰ As for the ^(BS)mystery of the ^(BT)seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the ^(BU)seven golden lampstands: the ^(BV)seven stars are the angels of ^(BW)the seven churches, and the seven ^(BX)lampstands are the seven churches.

Message to Ephesus

2 “To the angel of the church in ^(A)Ephesus write:

The One who holds ^(B)the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks ^[a](C)among the seven golden lampstands, says this:

² ‘^(D)I know your deeds and your labor and ^[b]perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have ^(E)put those who call themselves ^(F)apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false; ³ and you have ^[c]perseverance and have endured ^(G)on account of My name, and have not become weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have ^(H)left your first love. ⁵ Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and ^(I)repent, and ^(J)do the ^[d]deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your ^(K)lampstand from its place—unless you repent. ⁶ But you have this, that you hate the deeds of the ^(L)Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ^7 (M)The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(N)To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from ^(O)the tree of life, which is in the ^(P)Paradise of God.’

Message to Smyrna

⁸ “And to the angel of the church in ^(Q)Smyrna write:

^(R)The first and the last, who ^[e](S)was dead, and has come to life, says this:

⁹ ‘I know your ^(T)tribulation and your ^(U)poverty (but you are ^(V)rich), and the ^[f]slander by those who ^(W)say they are Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of ^(X)Satan. ¹⁰ Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you will be ^(Y)tested, and you will have tribulation ^(Z)for ten days. ^[g]Be ^(AA)faithful until death, and I will give you ^(AB)the crown of life. ^11 (AC)The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(AD)The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the ^(AE)second death.’

Message to Pergamum

¹² “And to the angel of the church in ^(AF)Pergamum write:

The One who has ^(AG)the sharp two-edged sword says this:

¹³ ‘I know where you dwell, where ^(AH)Satan’s throne is; and you hold firmly to My name, and did not deny ^(AI)My faith even in the days of Antipas, My ^(AJ)witness, My ^(AK)faithful one, who was killed among you, ^(AL)where Satan dwells. ¹⁴ But ^(AM)I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the ^(AN)teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a ^[h]stumbling block before the sons of Israel, ^(AO)to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. ¹⁵ So you too, have some who in the same way hold to the teaching of the ^(AP)Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore ^(AQ)repent; or else ^(AR)I am coming to you quickly, and I will wage war against them with ^(AS)the sword of My mouth. ^17 (AT)The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(AU)To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden ^(AV)manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a ^(AW)new name written on the stone ^(AX)which no one knows except the one who receives it.’

Message to Thyatira

¹⁸ “And to the angel of the church in ^(AY)Thyatira write:

^(AZ)The Son of God, ^(BA)who has ^[i]eyes like a flame of fire, and ^[j]feet like burnished bronze, says this:

¹⁹ ‘^(BB)I know your deeds, and your love and faith, and service and ^[k]perseverance, and that your ^[l]deeds of late are greater than ^[m]at first. ²⁰ But ^(BC)I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman ^(BD)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they ^(BE)commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ^21 (BF)I gave her time to repent, and she ^(BG)does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. ²² Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who ^(BH)commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of ^[n]her deeds. ²³ And I will kill her children with ^[o]plague, and all the churches will know that I am He who ^(BI)searches the ^[p]minds and hearts; and ^(BJ)I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. ²⁴ But I say to you, the rest who are in ^(BK)Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the ^(BL)deep things of Satan, as they call them—I ^(BM)place no other burden on you. ²⁵ Nevertheless ^(BN)what you have, hold firmly ^(BO)until I come. ^26 (BP)The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds ^(BQ)until the end, ^(BR)I will give him authority over the ^[q]nations; ²⁷ and he shall ^[r](BS)rule them with a rod of iron, ^(BT)as the vessels of the potter are shattered, as I also have received authority from My Father; ²⁸ and I will give him ^(BU)the morning star. ^29 (BV)The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Sardis

3 “To the angel of the church in ^(A)Sardis write:

He who has ^[a](B)the seven spirits of God and ^(C)the seven stars, says this: ‘^(D)I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and yet you are ^(E)dead. ² Be constantly alert, 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 ^(F)remember ^[b]what you have received and heard; and ^[c]keep it, and ^(G)repent. Then if you are not alert, ^(H)I will come ^(I)like a thief, and you will not know at ^(J)what hour I will come to you. ⁴ But you have a few ^[d](K)people in ^(L)Sardis who have not ^(M)soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me ^(N)in white, for they are worthy. ^5 (O)The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in ^(P)white garments; and I will not ^(Q)erase his name from the book of life, and ^(R)I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. ^6 (S)The one 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 ^(T)Philadelphia write:

^(U)He who is holy, ^(V)who is true, who has ^(W)the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

⁸ ‘^(X)I know your ^[e]deeds. Behold, I have put before you ^(Y)an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have followed My word, and ^(Z)have not denied My name. ⁹ Behold, I ^[f]will make those of ^(AA)the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them ^(AB)come and bow down before your feet, and make them know that ^(AC)I have loved you. ¹⁰ Because you have ^(AD)kept ^(AE)My ^[g]word of perseverance, ^(AF)I also will keep you from the hour of the ^[h](AG)testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole ^[i](AH)world, to ^[j]test ^(AI)those who live on the earth. ^11 (AJ)I am coming quickly; ^(AK)hold firmly to what you have, so that no one will take your ^(AL)crown. ^12 (AM)The one who overcomes, I will make him a ^(AN)pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the ^(AO)name of My God, and ^(AP)the name of the city of My God, ^(AQ)the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My ^(AR)new name. ^13 (AS)The one 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 ^(AT)Laodicea write:

^(AU)The Amen, ^(AV)the faithful and true Witness, ^(AW)the ^[k]Origin of the creation of God, says this:

¹⁵ ‘^(AX)I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; ^(AY)I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth. ¹⁷ Because you say, “^(AZ)I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have no need of anything,” and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, ¹⁸ I advise you to ^(BA)buy from Me ^(BB)gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and ^(BC)white garments so that you may clothe yourself and ^(BD)the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to apply to your eyes so that you may see. ^19 (BE)Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and ^(BF)repent. ²⁰ Behold, I stand ^(BG)at the door and ^(BH)knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, ^(BI)I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. ^21 (BJ)The one who overcomes, I will grant to him ^(BK)to sit with Me on My throne, as ^(BL)I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne. ^22 (BM)The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Scene in Heaven

4 After ^(A)these things I looked, and behold, ^(B)a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, ^(C)like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “^(D)Come up here, and I will ^(E)show you what must take place after these things.” ² Immediately I was ^(F)in the ^[a]Spirit; and behold, ^(G)a throne was standing in heaven, and ^(H)someone was sitting on the throne. ³ And He who was sitting was like a ^(I)jasper stone and a ^(J)sardius in appearance; and there was a ^[b](K)rainbow around the throne, like an ^(L)emerald in appearance. ^4 (M)Around the throne were ^(N)twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw ^(O)twenty-four elders ^(P)sitting, clothed in ^(Q)white garments, and ^(R)golden crowns on their heads.

The Throne and Worship of the Creator

⁵ Out from the throne *came ^(S)flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were ^(T)seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are ^[c](U)the seven spirits of God; ⁶ and before the throne there was something like a ^(V)sea of glass, like crystal; and in the ^[d]center and ^(W)around the throne, ^(X)four living creatures ^(Y)full of eyes in front and behind. ^7 (Z)The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like a calf, the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. ⁸ And the ^(AA)four living creatures, each one of them having ^(AB)six wings, are ^(AC)full of eyes around and within; and ^(AD)day and night ^[e]they do not cease to say,

⁹ And when the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to Him who ^(AH)sits on the throne, to ^(AI)Him who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the ^(AJ)twenty-four elders will ^(AK)fall down before Him who ^(AL)sits on the throne, and they will worship ^(AM)Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their ^(AN)crowns before the throne, saying,

The Scroll with Seven Seals

5 I saw ^[a]in the right hand of Him who ^(A)sat on the throne a ^[b](B)scroll written inside and on the back, ^(C)sealed up with seven seals. ² And I saw a ^(D)strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” ³ And no one ^(E)in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁴ Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵ And one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the ^(F)Lion that is ^(G)from the tribe of Judah, the ^(H)Root of David, has overcome so as to be able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶ And I saw ^[c]between the throne (with the four living creatures) and ^(I)the elders a ^(J)Lamb standing, as if ^(K)slaughtered, having seven ^(L)horns and ^(M)seven eyes, which are ^[d](N)the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ And He came and took ^(O)the scroll out of the right hand of Him who ^(P)sat on the throne. ⁸ When He had taken the scroll, the ^(Q)four living creatures and the ^(R)twenty-four elders ^(S)fell down before the ^(T)Lamb, each one holding a ^(U)harp and ^(V)golden bowls full of incense, which are the ^(W)prayers of the ^[e]saints. ⁹ And they *sang a ^(X)new song, saying,

Angels Exalt the Lamb

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels ^(AF)around the throne and the ^(AG)living creatures and the ^(AH)elders; and the number of them was ^[f](AI)myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice,

¹³ And I heard ^(AM)every created thing which is in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, or on the sea, and all the things in them, saying,

¹⁴ And the ^(AQ)four living creatures were saying, “^(AR)Amen.” And the ^(AS)elders ^(AT)fell down and worshiped.