King James Version

Revelation 1

Revelation 1 introduces the book as the Revelation of Jesus Christ, given to John on the isle of Patmos and sent to seven churches in Asia. John hears a voice like a trumpet, turns, and sees one like the Son of man standing among seven golden candlesticks, holding seven stars, who tells him, Fear not; I am the first and the last. Jesus then explains that the stars are the angels of the seven churches and the candlesticks are the churches.

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Revelation 1 (KJV)

The Revelation of Jesus Christ v. 1-3

¹The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

²Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

³Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Greetings to the seven churches v. 4-8

⁴John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

⁵And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

⁶And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

⁷Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

⁸I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

John on the isle of Patmos v. 9-11

⁹I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

¹⁰I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

¹¹Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

One like the Son of man v. 12-16

¹²And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

¹³And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

¹⁴His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

¹⁵And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

¹⁶And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Fear not: the first and the last v. 17-20

¹⁷And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

¹⁸I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

¹⁹Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

²⁰The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

What Revelation 1 means

The first verse sets the order of the whole book. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, which he sent by his angel to John, for his servants. Verse 3 adds the first of seven blessings in the book: "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy."

John greets the seven churches in Asia with grace and peace from the eternal God and from Jesus Christ, called the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Before any vision begins, John praises him "that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." Verse 7 announces that he comes with clouds and every eye shall see him, and in verse 8 the Lord calls himself Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.

John explains where he is: on the isle called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. On the Lord's day he hears a great voice like a trumpet telling him to write what he sees and send it to seven named churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.

When John turns, he sees one like the Son of man among seven golden candlesticks. His hair is white like wool and snow, his eyes like a flame of fire, his feet like fine brass, and his voice as the sound of many waters. He holds seven stars, a sharp twoedged sword comes out of his mouth, and his face shines like the sun. Many of these details echo Daniel's visions.

John falls at his feet as dead. Jesus lays his right hand on him and says not to fear, because "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore." He holds the keys of hell and of death. The chapter that opens a book full of hard visions begins with Jesus laying his right hand on a frightened man.

Background and context

The writer names himself John (verses 1, 4 and 9). Christian tradition has identified him with the apostle John. He was on Patmos, a small island in the Aegean Sea, because of his witness to Jesus.

The seven churches were real congregations in the Roman province of Asia, in what is now western Turkey. Chapters 2 and 3 contain a letter to each one.

Key verses

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Revelation 1:3 · KJV

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation 1:8 · KJV

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Revelation 1:17-18 · KJV

Cross references

Daniel 7:13 Daniel sees one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven.I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Daniel 7:9 The Ancient of days has hair like pure wool and a garment white as snow.I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
Daniel 10:5-6 A man in linen girded with gold, eyes as lamps of fire, feet like polished brass.Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
Zechariah 12:10 They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, behind verse 7.And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
John 19:37 John's Gospel quotes the same prophecy at the cross.And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
Isaiah 44:6 The LORD says, I am the first, and I am the last.Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Revelation 2:1 The first letter begins with the one who holds the seven stars and walks among the candlesticks.Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Revelation 22:13 The book closes with the same title: Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Quick quiz

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Common questions

What is Revelation chapter 1 about?

It introduces the book and describes John's first vision. John, on the isle of Patmos, sees the risen Jesus among seven golden candlesticks and is told to write to seven churches in Asia.

What does Alpha and Omega mean?

Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Revelation 1:8 and 22:13 the title means the beginning and the ending, the first and the last.

What are the seven stars and seven candlesticks?

Jesus explains it in verse 20: "The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."

Who wrote Revelation 1?

The writer calls himself John, a servant of Jesus Christ, on the isle of Patmos. Christian tradition identifies him with the apostle John.

What are the seven churches of Revelation?

Verse 11 names them: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.