11 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 [1]communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John , 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ , even to all that he saw .
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy , and [2]heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near .
4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia : Grace to you and peace , from Him who is and who was and who [3]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 released us from our sins [4]by His blood - 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom , priests to [5] 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, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen . 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega ," says the Lord God , " who is and who was and who [6]is to come , the Almighty ."
9 I, John , your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and [7] 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 [8] 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 [9]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 [10]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 [11]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 the living One; and I [12] was dead , and behold , I am alive forevermore , and I have the 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 .
21 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write : The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand , the One who walks among e the seven golden lampstands , says this : 2 ' I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance , and that you cannot e tolerate evil men , and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles , and they are not, and you found them to be false ; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake , and have not grown weary . 4 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love . 5 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen , and repent and do the deeds you did at first ; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place -unless e you repent . 6 'Yet this you do have , that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans , which I also hate . 7 ' 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 .'
8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write : The first and the last , who was dead , and has come to life , says this : 9 '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 . Be faithful until death , and I will give you the 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 .'
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 , My faithful 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 the Nicolaitans . 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.'
18 "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write : The Son of God , who has 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 perseverance , and that your deeds of late are greater than at first . 20 'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel , who calls herself a prophetess , and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit 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 on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation , unless e they repent of her deeds . 23 'And I will kill her children with pestilence , and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the 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 NATIONS ; 27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON , AS 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 .'
31 "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 , but you are dead . 2 '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 . 3 'So remember 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. 4 'But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments ; and they will walk with Me in white , for they are worthy . 5 ' 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 . 6 ' He who has an ear , let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches .'
7 "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 : 8 ' I know your 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 , and have not denied My name . 9 'Behold , I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan , who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie -I will make them come and bow down at your feet , and make them know that I have loved you. 10 'Because you have kept the word of My perseverance , I also will keep you from the hour of testing , that hour which is about to come upon the whole world , to 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 , and the 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 .'
14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write : The Amen , the faithful and true Witness , the 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 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 .' "
