Revelation Chapter 1
Showing all 20 verses for Revelation Chapter 1.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"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: "
"This opening line announces what kind of book this is: not a dream or a puzzle to fear, but a "revelation" (Greek apokalypsis) - an unveiling, a pulling back of the curtain. God gave this to Jesus to show his followers what must soon take place, and Jesus sent an angel to pass it on to John in symbolic form."
I am showing you these things because I want you to understand, not to frighten you into confusion. Approach what follows with curiosity, not dread, because the truth was always meant to set you free, not trap you in mystery.
"Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. "
"John testifies he is an eyewitness reporter, faithfully recording everything he was shown - both God's message and everything about Jesus that was revealed to him."
Bear witness to what you have genuinely encountered rather than what's fashionable to say - honesty about your own experience, even when it's strange or hard to explain, is itself an act of integrity.
"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. "
"A blessing is pronounced on anyone who reads this book aloud, anyone who listens, and especially on those who actually put its message into practice - because, in the big scheme, time is short."
Don't just read my words as interesting information - live differently because of them. What you do with truth today, not someday, is what actually shapes your life.
"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; "
"John writes to seven actual churches in the Roman province of Asia (modern-day Turkey), wishing them grace and peace from God - described here as the one who eternally exists, has always existed, and is coming - and from the sevenfold fullness of God's Spirit before his throne."
I greet you with grace, not demands, and peace, not pressure. Whatever chaos surrounds your life, know you're addressed by someone who was here before your troubles began and will remain after they're gone.
"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, "
"The greeting also comes from Jesus - a completely trustworthy witness, the first person ever raised permanently from death, and ultimately in authority over every earthly ruler. John then bursts into praise: Jesus loves us and has cleansed us from wrongdoing through his own sacrificial death."
I didn't just witness the truth, I died proving it - and that love reaches you personally, washing away what you've done wrong so you don't have to carry it forever. You are loved before you've earned anything.
"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. "
"Jesus has given ordinary believers a remarkable status - like royalty and priests, with direct access to God. John responds with a burst of worship: glory and power to Jesus, forever."
You were not made to grovel or to be shut out - you're invited into a position of dignity and closeness with God himself, not because of status you were born into, but because of what's been done for you.
"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. "
"Look - Jesus is coming visibly, dramatically ("with clouds" is symbolic language for an unmistakable divine arrival), and everyone will see it, including those responsible for his death. Every nation on earth will grieve because of what his coming means for them."
I am not hiding and I am not far away forever - one day everything will be plain to everyone, so don't wait for absolute certainty before deciding how you'll live; decide now, while there's still time to choose freely.
"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. "
"God declares himself the entire alphabet, so to speak - the first letter and the last (Alpha and Omega in Greek) - meaning he is the start and finish of everything, present in every era, all-powerful."
Your life feels enormous and central to you, and it should - but it also sits inside something vastly larger and more permanent than you can see from where you stand; that's meant to be comforting, not small-making.
"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. "
"John introduces himself personally - not as a distant authority figure but as a fellow sufferer, a "brother" sharing the same hardships. He's on the island of Patmos (a Roman penal/exile island) because of his faithfulness to God's message and to Jesus."
I don't ask anything of you that I haven't shared myself - suffering for what's right doesn't put you outside my reach, it's often exactly where I show up most clearly.
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, "
"John explains exactly what state he was in: not asleep, not dreaming, but "in the Spirit" - a state of deep spiritual awareness given to him - on a Sunday. He then heard a loud voice behind him, sounding like a trumpet blast."
Pay attention to what follows as something meant to be understood, however strange the imagery gets - I don't communicate in riddles to confuse you, but in pictures because some truths are too large for plain prose alone.
"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. "
"The voice identifies itself again as the beginning and the end, and instructs John to write down everything he's about to see and send it to seven named, real churches in the region of Asia."
What I show you isn't just for you - pass it on. Truth that changes your life is meant to be shared with others facing their own struggles, not hoarded.
"And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; "
"John turns around to see who's speaking and sees seven gold lampstands (oil lamp stands, like those used in temple worship, not wax candles)."
You are not meant to hide your light or dim it to fit in - you're meant to be a lampstand, holding up something greater than yourself for others to see by.
"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. "
"Standing among the lampstands is a figure "like a son of man" (a phrase for a human-like, exalted heavenly figure) - Jesus himself - dressed in a long robe with a gold sash across his chest, clothing associated with royalty and priesthood."
I am not far off watching from a distance - I stand right in the middle of your community, present among the ordinary and the struggling, robed in authority but never removed from you.
"His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; "
"His hair is pure white, like wool or snow, and his eyes blaze like fire."
I see you completely - not to expose and shame you, but because nothing needs to stay hidden from someone who already loves you; you can stop performing and just be seen.
"And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. "
"His feet gleam like polished bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice sounds like the roar of a powerful waterfall or ocean."
When I speak into your life it won't be a whisper you can easily ignore or explain away - truth has weight, and I want you to feel its full authority rather than a watered-down version.
"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. "
"In his right hand he holds seven stars (later explained as the leaders of the seven churches), a sharp double-edged sword extends from his mouth, and his face shines as brightly as the sun at full strength."
My words can cut through the confusion and excuses you surround yourself with - not to wound you, but because sometimes the kindest thing is a truth sharp enough to actually change something.
"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: "
"Overwhelmed by this vision, John collapses as if he'd died. But Jesus reaches out, touches him, and tells him not to be afraid - reassuring him with the same "first and last" title used earlier."
When the weight of truth or your own smallness overwhelms you, I reach out and touch you rather than leaving you on the ground - "fear not" is one of the most repeated things I say throughout scripture because I know how easily fear takes over.
"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. "
"Jesus declares he is alive - he died but is now alive forever - and he holds the keys (meaning full authority) over death and the realm of the dead."
Death does not have the final say over your story - I've been there and back, and I hold the keys, which means your fear of the end doesn't have to run your life; live now, freely, because the last word isn't death's to give.
"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; "
"Jesus gives John a three-part writing assignment: record what he has just seen, what is currently true, and what will happen afterwards."
I care about your present as much as your future - don't get so fixated on what's coming that you neglect what's happening in your life and relationships right now.
"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. "
"Jesus decodes two of the symbols directly: the seven stars represent the messengers/leaders of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands represent the churches themselves."
Don't be intimidated by symbolic language - I explain what I mean because I want to be understood, not to keep you guessing. Approach the strange pictures in life and in scripture expecting meaning, not mystery for its own sake.