Revelation 1
The chapter in full, then the passages inside it that are worth stopping on — what each one claims, what the Greek or Hebrew shows, and how the reading is arrived at.
Revelation 1 WEB
- 1 This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John,
- 2 who testified to God's word and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, about everything that he saw.
- 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is near.
- 4 John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne;
- 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood—
- 6 and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
- 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen.
- 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
- 9 I John, your brother and partner with you in the oppression, Kingdom, and perseverance in Christ Jesus, was on the isle that is called Patmos because of God's Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
- 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet
- 11 saying, "What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
- 12 I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands.
- 13 And among the lamp stands was one like a son of man, clothed with a robe reaching down to his feet, and with a golden sash around his chest.
- 14 His head and his hair were white as white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire.
- 15 His feet were like burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace. His voice was like the voice of many waters.
- 16 He had seven stars in his right hand. Out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
- 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, "Don't be afraid. I am the first and the last,
- 18 and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
- 19 Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will happen hereafter.
- 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven assemblies. The seven lamp stands are seven assemblies.
Revelation opens not as prediction dressed in code but as a letter, from a named prisoner on a named island, to seven named churches in Asia Minor. John writes under Roman pressure, on Patmos "because of God's Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ" (1:9), and what he receives is called a revelation — apokalypsis, an unveiling — of Jesus Christ, not primarily of future events. The chapter sets the terms for the whole book: who sent it, who wrote it, what kind of writing it is, and who stands at its center.
1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ
The opening word, Ἀποκάλυψις (Strong 602), gives the book its name and its genre claim: an unveiling, not a riddle to be cracked. The chain of transmission is deliberate — God gives it to Christ, Christ shows it to his servants through his angel, to his servant John. Every link is a giving and a showing (δεῖξαι, "to show," 1166); nothing here is John's invention. The phrase "must happen soon" (ἐν τάχει, "soon" or "quickly") has generated real disagreement: does it mean the events are imminent, or that once begun they unfold rapidly? Preterist readers take it as a signal the visions concern the first-century Roman order confronting the churches; futurist readers take "soon" as soon from the standpoint of inaugurated last things, already underway since the resurrection. The chapter itself does not resolve which historical events are meant — it only insists the book is disclosure, sent, and urgent.
1:3 Blessed is he who reads
This is the first of Revelation's seven beatitudes, and it names three activities: reading aloud (ἀναγινώσκων), hearing, and keeping (τηροῦντες, 5083) what is written. The blessing does not fall on those who decode the book correctly but on those who obey it — a claim worth sitting with in a text notorious for speculative "decoding." "The time is near" (ὁ καιρὸς ἐγγύς) uses kairos, the fitting or decisive moment, not mere clock-time; it says the church already stands inside the crisis the book describes, not merely awaiting it.
1:7 Every eye will see him, including those who pierced him
This verse fuses two Old Testament threads without naming them outright: coming with clouds, and the piercing that provokes mourning among the tribes of the earth. The Greek verb for "pierced" (ἐξεκέντησαν, 1574) is unambiguous — a wound inflicted, not a metaphor for grief. The verse asserts that Christ's return will be universally visible ("every eye will see him," ὄψεται αὐτὸν πᾶς ὀφθαλμὸς) and that it will provoke mourning, not indifference, even among those responsible for his death. Whether that mourning is repentant grief or the despair of the condemned is genuinely disputed; the text supplies the mourning but not its emotional content beyond "over him."
1:8 I am the Alpha and the Omega
Spoken by "the Lord God," this self-designation using the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet claims comprehensive sovereignty over history — beginning, end, everything between. What makes the verse theologically load-bearing is that the risen Christ applies nearly identical language to himself later in the chapter: "I am the first and the last" (1:17), "the Living one" who was dead and is alive forever (1:18). The chapter does not argue for Christ's deity; it simply lets him speak in the vocabulary reserved in verse 8 for "the Lord God, the Almighty" (Παντοκράτωρ). Readers across the tradition have taken this identification, not an isolated proof-text, as one of Revelation's plainest claims about who Christ is.
1:12-18 One like a son of man
The vision itself: white hair, eyes like fire, feet like burnished bronze, a voice like many waters, a sword from his mouth, a face like the sun at full strength. This is not a portrait meant to be visualized coherently — it is composite imagery signaling the figure's status: purity, judgment, unstoppable speech, blinding glory. John's response is total collapse — "I fell at his feet like a dead man" (1:17) — the standard human reaction throughout scripture to unmediated divine presence. The figure's first words are reassurance ("Don't be afraid") paired with a claim to eternal life and authority over death itself: "I have the keys of Death and of Hades" (1:18). The chapter does not explain the mechanics of those keys; it asserts the authority and leaves the explanation to the rest of the book. The identity of "one like a son of man" is not spelled out with a citation here, but the self-descriptions that follow — first and last, living one, once dead now alive forever — leave no ambiguity about who is speaking.
What the chapter asks
The chapter presses a claim before it presses a question: that this book is disclosure sent from God through Christ, meant to be read aloud, heard, and kept, not merely studied for clues. It asks whether the reader can stand the same collapse John did — recognizing, in the risen and terrifying figure among the lampstands, not a symbol to be managed but the one who already holds "the keys of Death and of Hades" (1:18) and who is coming, visibly, to a world that pierced him.
The verses this turns on
This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John,discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἣν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός, δεῖξαι τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει, καὶ ἐσήμανεν ἀποστείλας διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου αὐτοῦ, τῷ δούλῳ αὐτοῦ Ἰωάνῃ,
- Ἀποκάλυψις ἀποκάλυψις noun · nominative singular feminine G602
- Ἰησοῦ Ἰησοῦς noun · genitive singular masculine G2424
- Χριστοῦ, Χριστός noun · genitive singular masculine G5547
- ἣν ὅς relative pronoun · accusative singular feminine G3739
- ἔδωκεν δίδωμι verb · aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular G1325
- αὐτῷ αὐτός personal pronoun · dative singular masculine G846
- ὁ ὁ article · nominative singular masculine G3588
- Θεός, θεός noun · nominative singular masculine G2316
- δεῖξαι δείκνυμι verb · aorist active infinitive G1166
- τοῖς ὁ article · dative plural masculine G3588
- δούλοις δοῦλος (II) noun · dative plural masculine G1401
- αὐτοῦ αὐτός personal pronoun · genitive singular masculine G846
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Revelation 22:16 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."
- Revelation 22:6 He said to me, "These words are faithful and true. The Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent his angel to show to his bondservants the things which must happen soon."
- Galatians 1:12 For I didn't receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.
- Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.
- Daniel 2:28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head on your bed are these:
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is near.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Μακάριος ὁ ἀναγινώσκων καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες τοὺς λόγους τῆς προφητείας καὶ τηροῦντες τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένα· ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς.
- Μακάριος μακάριος adjective · nominative singular masculine G3107
- ὁ ὁ article · nominative singular masculine G3588
- ἀναγινώσκων ἀναγινώσκω verb · present active participle, nominative singular masculine G314
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- οἱ ὁ article · nominative plural masculine G3588
- ἀκούοντες ἀκούω verb · present active participle, nominative plural masculine G191
- τοὺς ὁ article · accusative plural masculine G3588
- λόγους λόγος noun · accusative plural masculine G3056
- τῆς ὁ article · genitive singular feminine G3588
- προφητείας προφητεία noun · genitive singular feminine G4394
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- τηροῦντες τηρέω verb · present active participle, nominative plural masculine G5083
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Luke 11:28 But he said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it."
- Revelation 22:10 He said to me, "Don't seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.
- Romans 13:11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.
- 1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer.
- Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the man who hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my door posts.
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν, καὶ ὄψεται αὐτὸν πᾶς ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ οἵτινες αὐτὸν ἐξεκέντησαν, καὶ κόψονται ἐπ’ αὐτὸν πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς. ναί, ἀμήν.
- Ἰδοὺ ὁράω verb · aorist middle imperative, 2nd person singular G3708
- ἔρχεται ἔρχομαι verb · present middle or passive deponent indicative, 3rd person singular G2064
- μετὰ μετά preposition G3326
- τῶν ὁ article · genitive plural feminine G3588
- νεφελῶν, νεφέλη noun · genitive plural feminine G3507
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ὄψεται ὁράω verb · future middle deponent indicative, 3rd person singular G3708
- αὐτὸν αὐτός personal pronoun · accusative singular masculine G846
- πᾶς πᾶς adjective · nominative singular masculine G3956
- ὀφθαλμὸς ὀφθαλμός noun · nominative singular masculine G3788
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- οἵτινες ὅστις relative pronoun · nominative plural masculine G3748
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Matthew 24:30 and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
- Zechariah 12:10 I will pour on David's house and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication. They will look to me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for his firstborn.
- Daniel 7:13 "I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him.
- Mark 14:62 Jesus said, "I am. You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of the sky."
- John 19:37 Again another Scripture says, "They will look on him whom they pierced."
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ, λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεός, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ Παντοκράτωρ.
- Ἐγώ ἐγώ personal pronoun G1473
- εἰμι εἰμί verb · present active indicative, 1st person singular G1510
- τὸ ὁ article · nominative singular neuter G3588
- Ἄλφα ἄλφα letter (indeclinable) G1
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- τὸ ὁ article · nominative singular neuter G3588
- Ὦ, Ὦ letter (indeclinable) G5598
- λέγει λέγω verb · present active indicative, 3rd person singular G3004
- Κύριος κύριος noun · nominative singular masculine G2962
- ὁ ὁ article · nominative singular masculine G3588
- Θεός, θεός noun · nominative singular masculine G2316
- ὁ ὁ article · nominative singular masculine G3588
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Isaiah 44:6 This is what Yahweh, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies, says: "I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
- Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
- Isaiah 48:12 "Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he. I am the first. I am also the last.
- Isaiah 43:10 "You are my witnesses," says Yahweh, "With my servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he. Before me there was no God formed, neither will there be after me.
- Revelation 21:6 He said to me, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
I John, your brother and partner with you in the oppression, Kingdom, and perseverance in Christ Jesus, was on the isle that is called Patmos because of God's Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Ἐγὼ Ἰωάνης, ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν καὶ συνκοινωνὸς ἐν τῇ θλίψει καὶ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ὑπομονῇ ἐν Ἰησοῦ, ἐγενόμην ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τῇ καλουμένῃ Πάτμῳ διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ.
- Ἐγὼ ἐγώ personal pronoun G1473
- Ἰωάνης, Ἰωάννης noun · nominative singular masculine G2491
- ὁ ὁ article · nominative singular masculine G3588
- ἀδελφὸς ἀδελφός noun · nominative singular masculine G80
- ὑμῶν σύ personal pronoun G4771
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- συνκοινωνὸς συγκοινωνός noun · nominative singular masculine G4791
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- τῇ ὁ article · dative singular feminine G3588
- θλίψει θλῖψις noun · dative singular feminine G2347
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- βασιλείᾳ βασιλεία noun · dative singular feminine G932
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Revelation 3:10 Because you kept my command to endure, I also will keep you from the hour of testing which is to come on the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
- Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into God's Kingdom.
- John 16:33 I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble; but cheer up! I have overcome the world."
- Revelation 1:2 who testified to God's word and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, about everything that he saw.
- Philippians 4:14 However you did well that you shared in my affliction.
I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Καὶ ἐπέστρεψα βλέπειν τὴν φωνὴν ἥτις ἐλάλει μετ’ ἐμοῦ· καὶ ἐπιστρέψας εἶδον ἑπτὰ λυχνίας χρυσᾶς,
- Καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ἐπέστρεψα ἐπιστρέφω verb · aorist active indicative, 1st person singular G1994
- βλέπειν βλέπω verb · present active infinitive G991
- τὴν ὁ article · accusative singular feminine G3588
- φωνὴν φωνή noun · accusative singular feminine G5456
- ἥτις ὅστις relative pronoun · nominative singular feminine G3748
- ἐλάλει λαλέω verb · imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular G2980
- μετ’ μετά preposition G3326
- ἐμοῦ· ἐγώ personal pronoun G1473
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ἐπιστρέψας ἐπιστρέφω verb · aorist active participle, nominative singular masculine G1994
- εἶδον ὁράω verb · aorist active indicative, 1st person singular G3708
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Zechariah 4:2 He said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I have seen, and behold, a lamp stand all of gold, with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it; there are seven pipes to each of the lamps which are on the top of it;
- Exodus 25:37 You shall make its lamps seven, and they shall light its lamps to give light to the space in front of it.
- Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven assemblies. The seven lamp stands are seven assemblies.
- Revelation 1:13 And among the lamp stands was one like a son of man, clothed with a robe reaching down to his feet, and with a golden sash around his chest.
- Ezekiel 43:5 The Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, Yahweh's glory filled the house.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, "Don't be afraid. I am the first and the last,discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Καὶ ὅτε εἶδον αὐτόν, ἔπεσα πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ὡς νεκρός· καὶ ἔθηκεν τὴν δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ ἐμὲ λέγων Μὴ φοβοῦ· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος
- Καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ὅτε ὅτε adverb G3753
- εἶδον ὁράω verb · aorist active indicative, 1st person singular G3708
- αὐτόν, αὐτός personal pronoun · accusative singular masculine G846
- ἔπεσα πίπτω verb · aorist active indicative, 1st person singular G4098
- πρὸς πρός preposition G4314
- τοὺς ὁ article · accusative plural masculine G3588
- πόδας πούς noun · accusative plural masculine G4228
- αὐτοῦ αὐτός personal pronoun · genitive singular masculine G846
- ὡς ὡς adverb G5613
- νεκρός· νεκρός adjective · nominative singular masculine G3498
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Isaiah 44:6 This is what Yahweh, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies, says: "I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
- Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
- Daniel 10:8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision. No strength remained in me; for my face grew deathly pale, and I retained no strength.
- Daniel 8:17 So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was frightened, and fell on my face; but he said to me, "Understand, son of man, for the vision belongs to the time of the end."
- Isaiah 41:4 Who has worked and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Yahweh, the first, and with the last, I am he."
and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
καὶ ὁ Ζῶν, καὶ ἐγενόμην νεκρὸς καὶ ἰδοὺ ζῶν εἰμι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, καὶ ἔχω τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ Ἅιδου.
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ὁ ὁ article · nominative singular masculine G3588
- Ζῶν, ζάω verb · present active participle, nominative singular masculine G2198
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ἐγενόμην γίνομαι verb · aorist middle deponent indicative, 1st person singular G1096
- νεκρὸς νεκρός adjective · nominative singular masculine G3498
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ἰδοὺ ὁράω verb · aorist middle imperative, 2nd person singular G3708
- ζῶν ζάω verb · present active participle, nominative singular masculine G2198
- εἰμι εἰμί verb · present active indicative, 1st person singular G1510
- εἰς εἰς preposition G1519
- τοὺς ὁ article · accusative plural masculine G3588
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Romans 6:9 knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him!
- Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them.
- Romans 14:8 For if we live, we live to the Lord. Or if we die, we die to the Lord. If therefore we live or die, we are the Lord's.
- Psalm 68:20 God is to us a God of deliverance. To Yahweh, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
- Revelation 3:7 "To the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia write: "He who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one can shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says these things:
From the interpretive tradition
The glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God.
The Scriptures are the product of the Spirit of God, and are therefore in the highest and truest sense the Word of God, though given through the instrumentality of men.