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Blessed is the one[a] who reads aloud and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message and heed what is written in it, for the appointed time is near.(A)

II. Letters to the Churches of Asia

Greeting.[b] John, to the seven churches in Asia:[c] grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,(B) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us[d] from our sins by his blood,(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 1:3 Blessed is the one: this is the first of seven beatitudes in this book; the others are in Rev 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14. This prophetic message: literally, “the words of the prophecy”; so Rev 22:7, 10, 18, 19 by inclusion. The appointed time: when Jesus will return in glory; cf. Rev 1:7; 3:11; 22:7, 10, 12, 20.
  2. 1:4–8 Although Revelation begins and ends (Rev 22:21) with Christian epistolary formulae, there is nothing between Rev 4; 22 resembling a letter. The author here employs the standard word order for greetings in Greek letter writing: “N. to N., greetings…”; see note on Rom 1:1.
  3. 1:4 Seven churches in Asia: Asia refers to the Roman province of that name in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey); these representative churches are mentioned by name in Rev 1:11, and each is the recipient of a message (Rev 2:1–3:22). Seven is the biblical number suggesting fullness and completeness; thus the seer is writing for the whole church.
  4. 1:5 Freed us: the majority of Greek manuscripts and several early versions read “washed us”; but “freed us” is supported by the best manuscripts and fits well with Old Testament imagery, e.g., Is 40:2.

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it,(A) because the time is near.(B)

Greetings and Doxology

John,

To the seven churches(C) in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you(D) from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,(E) and from the seven spirits[a](F) before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,(G) the firstborn from the dead,(H) and the ruler of the kings of the earth.(I)

To him who loves us(J) and has freed us from our sins by his blood,(K)

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 1:4 That is, the sevenfold Spirit