Revelation 1-5

Revelation 1-5New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and[a]communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified tothe word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and [b]heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Message to the Seven Churches

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, fromHim who is and who was and who [c]is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, thefirstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him wholoves us and released us from our sins [d]by His blood— and He has made usto be a kingdom, priests to [e]His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, andevery eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who [f]is to come, the Almighty.”

The Patmos Vision

I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and[g]perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was [h]in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,11 saying, Write in a [i]book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like [j]a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun [k]shining in its strength.
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and theliving One; and I [l]was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I havethe keys of death and of Hades. 19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Message to Ephesus

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks[m]among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
I know your deeds and your toil and [n]perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselvesapostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have[o]perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the[p]deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove yourlampstand out of its place—unless you repent. Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’

Message to Smyrna

“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
The first and the last, who [q]was dead, and has come to life, says this:
‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. [r]Be faithful until death, and I will give youthe crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’

Message to Pergamum

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:
13 ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, Myfaithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of theNicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’

Message to Thyatira

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
The Son of God, who has [s]eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:
19 I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and [t]perseverance, and that your [u]deeds of late are greater than [v]at first. 20 But I have thisagainst you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that theycommit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her [w]on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of [x]her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with [y]pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the [z]minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24 But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. 25 Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 26 He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the [aa]nations; 27 and he shall[ab]rule them with a rod of ironas the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Sardis

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, [ac]but you are dead.Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. Soremember [ad]what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. But you have a few [ae]people inSardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Philadelphia

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:
I know your [af]deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, andhave not denied My name. Behold, I [ag]will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make themcome and bow down [ah]at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept the word of My [ai]perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of [aj]testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole [ak]world, to [al]test those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, andthe name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Laodicea

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the [am]Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will[an]spit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21 He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Scene in Heaven

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Immediately I was [ao]in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sittingwas like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a[ap]rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.

The Throne and Worship of the Creator

Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne there was somethinglike a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the [aq]center and around the throne,four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first creature waslike a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night [ar]they do not cease to say,
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almightywho was and who is and who [as]is to come.”
And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him whosits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they [at]existed, and were created.”

The Book with Seven Seals

I saw [au]in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a [av]book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the [aw]book and to break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the [ax]book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the [ay]book or to look into it; and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the[az]book and its seven seals.”
And I saw [ba]between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. When He had taken the [bb]book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the [bc]saints. And they *sang a new song, saying,
Worthy are You to take the [bd]book and to break its seals; for You wereslain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

Angels Exalt the Lamb

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Footnotes:

  1. Revelation 1:1 Or signified
  2. Revelation 1:3 Or keep
  3. Revelation 1:4 Or is coming
  4. Revelation 1:5 Or in
  5. Revelation 1:6 Or God and His Father
  6. Revelation 1:8 Or is coming
  7. Revelation 1:9 Or steadfastness
  8. Revelation 1:10 Or in spirit
  9. Revelation 1:11 Or scroll
  10. Revelation 1:13 Or the Son of Man
  11. Revelation 1:16 Lit shines
  12. Revelation 1:18 Lit became
  13. Revelation 2:1 Lit in the middle of
  14. Revelation 2:2 Or steadfastness
  15. Revelation 2:3 V 2, note 1
  16. Revelation 2:5 Lit first deeds
  17. Revelation 2:8 Lit became
  18. Revelation 2:10 Or Prove yourself faithful
  19. Revelation 2:18 Lit His eyes
  20. Revelation 2:19 Or steadfastness
  21. Revelation 2:19 Lit last deeds
  22. Revelation 2:19 Lit the first
  23. Revelation 2:22 Lit into
  24. Revelation 2:22 One early ms reads their
  25. Revelation 2:23 Lit death
  26. Revelation 2:23 Lit kidneys, i.e. inner man
  27. Revelation 2:26 Or Gentiles
  28. Revelation 2:27 Lit shepherd
  29. Revelation 3:1 Lit and
  30. Revelation 3:3 Lit how
  31. Revelation 3:4 Lit names
  32. Revelation 3:8 Or deeds (behold...shut), that you have
  33. Revelation 3:9 Lit give
  34. Revelation 3:9 Lit before
  35. Revelation 3:10 Or steadfastness
  36. Revelation 3:10 Or temptation
  37. Revelation 3:10 Lit inhabited earth
  38. Revelation 3:10 Or tempt
  39. Revelation 3:14 I.e. Origin or Source
  40. Revelation 3:16 Lit vomit
  41. Revelation 4:2 Or in spirit
  42. Revelation 4:3 Or halo
  43. Revelation 4:6 Lit middle of the throne and around
  44. Revelation 4:8 Lit they have no rest, saying,
  45. Revelation 4:8 Or is coming
  46. Revelation 4:11 Lit were
  47. Revelation 5:1 Lit upon
  48. Revelation 5:1 Or scroll
  49. Revelation 5:2 Or scroll
  50. Revelation 5:3 Or scroll
  51. Revelation 5:4 Or scroll
  52. Revelation 5:5 Or scroll
  53. Revelation 5:6 Lit in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders
  54. Revelation 5:8 Or scroll
  55. Revelation 5:8 Or holy ones
  56. Revelation 5:9 Or scroll
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

No comments: