Revelation 1

1 This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John,

2 who testified to God’s word and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, about everything that he saw.

3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is near.

4 John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne;

5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood—

6 and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen.

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

9 I John, your brother and partner with you in the oppression, Kingdom, and perseverance in Christ Jesus, was on the isle that is called Patmos because of God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet

11 saying, “What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

12 I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands.

13 And among the lamp stands was one like a son of man, clothed with a robe reaching down to his feet, and with a golden sash around his chest.

14 His head and his hair were white as white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire.

15 His feet were like burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace. His voice was like the voice of many waters.

16 He had seven stars in his right hand. Out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last,

18 and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.

19 Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will happen hereafter.

20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven assemblies. The seven lamp stands are seven assemblies.

Around Revelation 1

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Revelation 1 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

An old man is on an island called Patmos, and he says he is there because of God's Word and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord's day, he is in the Spirit, and behind him he hears a loud voice like a trumpet telling him to write what he sees and to send it to seven assemblies in Asia.

He turns. He sees seven golden lamp stands, and among them one like a son of man, with hair white as wool, eyes like fire, a voice like many waters, and a face like the sun shining at its brightest. John falls at his feet like a dead man.

A hand is laid on him. “I am the first and the last,” the voice says, and the one who was dead is alive forever and holds the keys of Death and of Hades. He tells John to write what he has seen, what is, and what will happen after.

Background

Revelation is usually dated to the end of the first century, when Christians in Asia were under pressure; tradition links it to the apostle John, while some scholars think it was written by another John. It is written in the style of prophecy and apocalyptic, with many symbols. Christians read it in different ways: some see events of the first century, some a sweep of history, some events still to come, and some a picture that applies in every age.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 19 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes