World English Bible · Under Rome
Revelation 1
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This is the of , which gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and by his to his servant, , who testified to word and of the of , about everything that he saw. is he who reads and those who hear the words of the , and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is near. , to the seven assemblies that are in : to you and peace from , who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his ; and from , the , of , and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our by his — and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his and —to him be the and the and ever. . 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, . "I am the Alpha and the Omega," , "who is and who was and who is to come, ." I , your brother and partner with you in the , Kingdom, and in Christ , was on the isle that is called because of Word and the of . I was in on day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a saying, "What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies: to , , , , , , and to ." I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands. And among the lamp stands was one like a , clothed with a robe reaching down to his feet, and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a . His feet were like burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace. His voice was like the voice of many waters. He had seven stars in his . Out of his proceeded a sharp two-edged . was like the sun shining at its brightest. When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a man. He laid his on me, saying, "Don't be afraid. I am the first and the last, and the Living one. I was , and behold, I am alive and ever. . I have the keys of and of . Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will happen hereafter. of the seven stars which you saw in my , and the seven golden lamp stands is this: The seven stars are the of the seven assemblies. The seven lamp stands are seven assemblies.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. 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.