King James Version · Under Rome
Revelation 1
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is. Tap a verse number to see where it is taken up elsewhere.
The of , which gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his unto his servant : Who record of the word of , and of the of , and of all things that he saw. is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this , and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. to the seven churches which are in : 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 ; And from , who is the , and the first begotten of , and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our in his own , And hath made us kings and priests unto and his ; to him be and . . Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall because of him. Even so, . I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith , which is, and which was, and which is to come, . I , who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in and of , was in the isle that is called , for the word of , and for the of . I was in on ’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a , Saying, 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 ; unto , and unto , and unto , and unto , and unto , and unto , and unto . And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto , clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a ; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his seven stars: and out of his went a sharp twoedged : and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as . And he laid his upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was ; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, ; and have the keys of hell and of . Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; of the seven stars which thou sawest in my , and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- How should Revelation be read? · Revelation 1:1-3
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.