This book contains the account of Jesus giving the Apostle John some visions. We call this book
Revelation
1
Revelation 1:1-3
John urged people to read this book, listen carefully to it, and obey it.
1 This book tells the message that God revealed to Jesus Christ. God revealed it to him in order that he might reveal to his servants the things/events that must happen soon. Jesus communicated this message to me, his servant John, by sending his angel to me. 2 As I write it, I, John, am truthfully reporting everything that I saw and heard, the message from God that Jesus Christ truthfully reported to me. 3 God is pleased with those who read this book to the congregations, and he will be pleased with those who listen carefully to it and obey what he has commanded in this prophetic message that I am writing. So read this message to the congregations, listen carefully to it, and obey it, because these things that Jesus has revealed will happen soon.
John said that he was writing to believers in the seven congregations in Asia. He prayed that God would bless them. He said that Christ is coming to judge rebellious people and to start to rule as king.
Revelation 1:4-8
4 I, John, am writing this to you believers in the seven congregations that are located in Asia province. I pray that God the Father, God’s Spirit, and Jesus Christ be kind to (OR, bless) you and cause you to have inner peace. God the Father is the one who exists, who has always existed, and who will always exist. The Spirit of God, who is in front of God’s throne, has all kinds of power (OR, The Spirit of God is symbolized by seven spirits who are in front of God’s throne). 5 Jesus Christ is the one who has faithfully told people about God. He is the first one ◄whom God has raised from the dead/who became alive again after being dead►, in order to show that God will raise us who trust in Jesus. Jesus is the one who rules the kings of the earth. He is the one who loves us. He is the one who has erased the record our sins. He did that by shedding his blood when he died on the cross. 6 He is the one who has caused us to become people whose lives God rules, and he has made us to be priests who serve God his Father. As a result of this, we acknowledge that Jesus Christ is eternally divine and eternally powerful. ◄Amen!/That is true!►
7 Listen carefully! Christ will surely come in the midst of the clouds in order that he may judge the rebellious people of earth, and everyone [SYN] will see him come. Even those who are responsible for piercing and killing him [MTY] will see him come. People from all people-groups on earth will mourn because he will punish them. ◄Amen!/May it be so.► 8 The Lord God declares, “I am the one who created everything, and I am the one who will cause everything to end [MET].” He is the one who exists, who has always existed, and who will always exist. He is the Almighty One.
Christ appeared to John and commissioned him to write down the vision that he was about to give him and to send it to the seven congregations in Asia.
Revelation 1:9-20
9 I, John, your fellow believer, am suffering as you are because of our letting Jesus rule our lives. We are steadfastly enduring trials because of our relationship with him. I was punished by being sent/exiled to Patmos island because of my proclaiming God’s message and telling people about Jesus. 10 God’s Spirit took control of me on one of the days that we believers met to worship the Lord. 11 At that time, I heard behind me someone speaking to me as loudly and as clearly [SIM] as a trumpet. He was saying to me, “Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to seven congregations. Send it to the congregations in Ephesus city, in Smyrna city, in Pergamum city, in Thyatira city, in Sardis city, in Philadelphia city, and in Laodicea city.” 12 In this vision I turned in order that I might see who had spoken to me [SYN]. When I turned, 13 I saw seven golden lampstands. In the midst of the lampstands there was someone who looked like he came from heaven. He wore a robe that reached to his feet, and he wore a gold band around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like white wool or like snow. His eyes were shining brightly [SIM], like a flame of fire. 15 His feet looked like brass that glows as it is being purified {as people purify it} in a furnace. When he spoke, his voice sounded like the sound made by a huge waterfall (OR, a great/wide river of rushing water). 16 In his right hand he held seven stars. A sword that had two sharp edges extended from his mouth. His face shone as bright as the sun shines at midday [MTY]. 17 When I saw him, I fell down at his feet and was unable to move or speak [SIM], as though I were dead. But he put his right hand on me and said to me, “Don’t be afraid! I am the one who created all things and the one who will cause all things to end. 18 I am the living one. Although I died, I am alive again and will live forever! I have the power to cause people to die, and I have authority over the place where all the dead people are. 19 So write the vision that you are seeing. Write about the conditions that exist now, and the events that are about to happen next. 20 The meaning of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands that you saw is this: The seven stars in my hand represent the leaders, who are like angels, who watch over the seven congregations, and the seven lampstands represent the seven congregations.”