1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him so that his servants might have knowledge of the things which will quickly take place: and he sent and made it clear by his angel to his servant John; 2 Who gave witness of the word of God, and of the witness of Jesus Christ, even of all the things which he saw. 3 A blessing be on the reader, and on those who give ear to the prophet's words, and keep the things which he has put in the book: for the time is near. 4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from him who is and was and is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his high seat; 5 And from Jesus Christ, the true witness, the first to come back from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who had love for us and has made us clean from our sins by his blood; 6 And has made us to be a kingdom and priests to his God and Father; to him let glory and power be given for ever and ever. So be it. 7 See, he comes with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those by whom he was wounded; and all the tribes of the earth will be sorrowing because of him. Yes, so be it. 8 I am the First and the Last, says the Lord God who is and was and is to come, the Ruler of all. 9 I, John, your brother, who have a part with you in the trouble and the kingdom and the quiet strength of Jesus, was in the island which is named Patmos, for the word of God and the witness of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and a great voice at my back, as of a horn, came to my ears, 11 Saying, What you see, put in a book, and send it to the seven churches; to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. 12 And turning to see the voice which said these words to me, I saw seven gold vessels with lights burning in them; 13 And in the middle of them one like a son of man, clothed with a robe down to his feet, and with a band of gold round his breasts. 14 And his head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like polished brass, as if it had been burned in a fire; and his voice was as the sound of great waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword: and his face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw him, I went down on my face at his feet as one dead. And he put his right hand on me, saying, Have no fear; I am the first and the last and the Living one; 18 And I was dead, and see, I am living for ever, and I have the keys of death and of Hell. 19 Put in writing, then, the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will be after these; 20 The secret of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and of the seven gold vessels with burning lights. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven lights are the seven churches.
Revelation · Bible in Basic English
Revelation 1 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
John
The servant of Jesus Christ who received the revelation, writing from the island of Patmos to the seven churches of Asia. The text names him only as John; the Orthodox Church,…
Cited in the guide: Revelation 1:1; Revelation 1:4; Revelation 1:9
Places
Patmos
A place of Roman banishment. The exiled apostle John recorded the visions of Revelation here, addressed to seven churches on the nearby mainland.
Cited in the guide: Revelation 1:9
Cross references (20)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Revelation 22:6; Revelation 22:16; Amos 3:7; Galatians 1:12; Daniel 2:28–29
- 2 John 19:35; 1 Corinthians 1:6; 1 John 1:1; Revelation 1:19; John 21:24
- 3 Luke 11:28; Revelation 22:10; Romans 13:11; Proverbs 8:34; 1 Peter 4:7
- 4 Isaiah 11:2; John 1:1; Hebrews 13:8; Psalm 90:2; Revelation 5:6
- 5 Psalm 89:27; Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 17:14; Colossians 1:18
- 6 Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:6; Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:5–9; Isaiah 61:6
- 7 Matthew 24:30; Zechariah 12:10; Daniel 7:13; John 19:37; Mark 14:62
- 8 Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 22:13; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 48:12; Revelation 21:6
- 9 Acts 14:22; Revelation 3:10; John 16:33; Revelation 1:2; Revelation 13:10
- 10 Revelation 21:10; 2 Corinthians 12:2–4; Revelation 4:1–2; Revelation 17:3; Revelation 10:3–8
- 11 Revelation 3:1; Jeremiah 30:2; Colossians 4:15–16; Habakkuk 2:2; Revelation 2:12
- 12 Zechariah 4:2; Exodus 25:37; Revelation 1:20–2:1; Revelation 1:13; Ezekiel 43:5–6
- 13 Daniel 7:13; Daniel 10:5–6; Daniel 10:16; Exodus 28:6–8; Revelation 15:6
- 14 Daniel 10:6; Daniel 7:9; Revelation 2:18; Revelation 19:12; Matthew 28:3
- 15 Ezekiel 43:2; Daniel 10:6; Revelation 14:2; Revelation 19:6; Psalm 93:4
- 16 Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 2:12; Revelation 19:15; Revelation 2:16; Ephesians 6:17
- 17 Isaiah 44:6; Daniel 10:8–10; Revelation 22:13; Daniel 8:17–18; Isaiah 48:12
- 18 Romans 6:9; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 14:8–9; Psalm 68:20; Revelation 3:7
- 19 Revelation 4:1–11; Revelation 1:11–2:3
- 20 Revelation 2:1; Revelation 3:1; Revelation 1:16; Zechariah 4:2; Revelation 3:7
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
And the prophet, too, indicates the same, saying, "instead of fathers, children have been born unto thee." For the Lord, having been born "the First-begotten of the dead," and receiving into His bosom the ancient fathers, has regenerated them into the life of God, He having been made Himself the beginning of those that live, as Adam became the beginning …
For which reason also the Apostle John writes to the seven churches, showing in that way that he writes to the totality of the one Church; and in the Proverbs of Solomon it is said aforetime, prefiguring this, "Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath strengthened her seven pillars." For the city of God was barren in all nations before …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
"The Lord rained down fire from the Lord;" and "A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy Kingdom;" and "Which is and was and is to come, the Almighty" --all which are clearly spoken of the Son, with all the other passages of the same force, none of which is an afterthought, or added later to the Son or …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
On this account also does John declare in the Apocalypse, "And His voice as the sound of many waters." For the Spirit [of God] is truly [like] many waters, since the Father is both rich and great.
The Apocalypse is a book of St. John the Evangelist; and he writes "to seven Churches." Be ye hungered; own ye these baskets.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)