JESUS IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS

Passage: Revelation 1:1-8

Key verse: 7

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

The book of Revelation is Jesus’ words revealed to John the Apostle. John testifies to everything he saw and heard, which was God’s word and Jesus’ testimony. Everything Jesus reveals in this book will “soon take place”, and in this prologue, John tells the reader that “the time is near.” To us, a very long time has already passed since these words were written, but to the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. God is patient, desiring that people repent before it is too late (2 Pe 3:8-9). We are encouraged to read these prophecies, hear them, and take them to heart. Then we can live with anticipation of Jesus’ return and in humble obedience to God.

How do you see Jesus? Jesus is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and rules over all earthly powers. This Jesus loves us, died for our sins, and gave us new life to be a priestly people in service to God the Father. With spiritual eyes inspired by the Holy Spirit, John testifies that he sees Jesus coming again in the clouds, echoing Jesus’ own words (Mk 13:26). Everyone will see it. Jesus is the eternal Almighty God, the beginning and the end, and who was, who is, and is to come! Be hope-filled and encouraged today by Jesus.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for who are you and what you’ve done for us through your blood. Help us to take your word to heart and to live each day with hope that you are coming again soon!

One Word: Jesus is coming