MSB REV Chapter 1

Prologue

(Daniel 12:1–13)

1 [ This is the ] revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon[fn] come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw.[fn] [This is] the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed [is] the [one who] reads aloud[fn] the words of [this] prophecy, and [ blessed are ] those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time [is] near.

John Greets the Seven Churches

4 John, To the seven churches in [the province of] Asia:[fn] Grace and peace to you from God who[fn] is and was and is to come, and from the seven spirits[fn] before His throne,

5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has washed[fn] us from our sins by His blood, 6 [who] has made us {to be} a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him [be] the glory and power forever [and] ever![fn] Amen.

7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,[fn]” says [the] Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.

John’s Vision on Patmos

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance [that are] in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and [my] testimony about Jesus Christ.[fn] 10 On the Lord’s day I was in [the] Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 saying,[fn] “Write on a scroll what you see and send [it] to the seven churches:[fn] to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

12 And there I turned[fn] to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the seven[fn] lampstands [was One] like [the] Son of Man,[fn] dressed in a long robe with a golden sash around [His] chest. 14 The hair of His head [was] white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes [were] like a blazing fire. 15 His feet [were] like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice [was] like [the] roar of many waters. 16 He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face [was] like the sun shining at its brightest.

17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead [man]. [But] He placed His right hand on me [and] said,[fn] “{Do} not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, 18 the Living [One]. I was dead, and behold, [now] I am alive forever [and] ever. Amen.[fn] And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.[fn]

19 Therefore[fn] write down the things you have seen, the things that are, and the things that will happen after this. 20 [This is] the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands:[fn] The seven stars are [the] angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are [the] seven churches.[’’]