THE REVELATION FROM JESUS CHRIST

Passage: Revelation 1:1-8

Key verse: 1a

NIV

Prologue

1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave(A) him to show his servants what must soon take place.(B) He made it known by sending his angel(C) to his servant John,(D) 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God(E) and the testimony of Jesus Christ.(F) 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it,(G) because the time is near.(H)

Greetings and Doxology

4 John,

To the seven churches(I) in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you(J) from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,(K) and from the seven spirits[a](L) before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,(M) the firstborn from the dead,(N) and the ruler of the kings of the earth.(O)

To him who loves us(P) and has freed us from our sins by his blood,(Q) 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests(R) to serve his God and Father(S)—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.(T)

7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”[b](U)
    and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;(V)
    and all peoples on earth “will mourn(W) because of him.”[c]
So shall it be! Amen.

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

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Footnotes
  1. Revelation 1:4 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
  2. Revelation 1:7 Daniel 7:13
  3. Revelation 1:7 Zech. 12:10
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Prologue

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God (A)gave him (B)to show to his servants[a] the things that must soon take place. (C)He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 (D)who bore witness to the word of God and to (E)the testimony of Jesus Christ, even (F)to all that he saw. 3 (G)Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, (H)for the time is near.

Greeting to the Seven Churches

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from (I)him (J)who is and (K)who was and who is to come, and from (L)the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ (M)the faithful witness, (N)the firstborn of the dead, and (O)the ruler of kings on earth.

To (P)him who loves us and (Q)has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us (R)a kingdom, (S)priests to (T)his God and Father, to him be (U)glory and (V)dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, (W)he is coming with the clouds, and (X)every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail[b] on account of him. Even so. Amen.

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

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Footnotes
  1. Revelation 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; likewise for servant later in this verse
  2. Revelation 1:7 Or mourn
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 'Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.' (22:12-13) The writer introduces this book as 'the revelation of Jesus Christ...to his servant John.' John was a shepherd of the churches in Asia Minor, who was in exile due to his gospel ministry (1:9). Most scholars say it was written in 95 AD, at the end of Emperor Domitian's reign - a time of intense persecution on the early church. A prophetic epistle, Revelation (in Greek 'apocalypse' - unveiling or disclosure) uses dramatic images, numbered progressions and metaphors to show what God will do in the future. Jesus' purpose in revelation is to comfort his church with his presence, encourage us to endure suffering with patience, and live a holy life with hope in Jesus' final victory. Jesus is coming soon! Outline 1. Jesus' words to the 7 churches (1-3) 2. The throne, the scroll and the Lamb (4-5) 3. The 7 seals (6:1-8:1) 4. The 7 trumpets (8:2-11:19) 5. The dragon, the beasts and the Lamb (12-14) 6. The 7 bowls (15-16) 7. 'Rejoice! Babylon is fallen' (17:1-19:5) 8. The New Jerusalem (19:6-22:21) THE REVELATION FROM JESUS CHRIST 1. Blessed is the one (1-3) God gave this revelation to Jesus, who gives it to us (his servants) by way of John. To be blessed by Revelation, we need to read it aloud, hear it, and take to heart what is written because the time is near. These are not fancy stories, but God's history unfolding in our day. 2. Jesus made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father (4-8) John's letter is to the seven churches in the province of Asia, who were suffering persecutions. Jesus, the faithful witness who rose from the dead and rules the kings of the earth, is with them to bring grace and peace. Jesus loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood. On this basis he gives us a glorious identity and mission as a kingdom and priests to serve our God. We do this with confidence in Jesus' glorious return as judge of all the earth. God reminds them and us that he is the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty. We can trust his words to come true as he said.

Prayer: Father, thank you for this revelation from Jesus Christ. Help me take it to heart today.

One Word: Who are you in Jesus?