John writes to seven churches
4 I am John. I am writing to the seven churches that are in the region of Asia. I pray that God will be very kind to you. I pray that he will give you peace in your minds. God is alive now. He has always been alive. He will continue to be alive for ever.
1:4At the time of the Bible, Asia was a region which the Romans ruled. It was in the west part of the country that we now call Turkey.
God will help you, and the seven spirits that are in front of his throne will help you.
1:4We find the number 7 many times in the Book of Revelation. In the Bible, the number 7 usually means that something is complete or perfect. So ‘the seven spirits’ may mean God's Holy Spirit.
5 Jesus Christ will also help you. He always speaks a true message. He is the first person who became alive again after death. He rules the kings of the earth.
1:5Other people had become alive again after they had died. But Jesus never died again. He is the first to do this and believers will also then become alive again for ever.
Jesus loves us and he died for us. That is how he made us free. Because of Jesus, God will not punish us for the bad things that we have done. 6 Jesus has brought us into his family, so that we belong to God's kingdom. He has made us priests, so that we serve his God and Father.
So we praise Jesus Christ! He will always be very great! He has power for all time. Amen.
7 Look! He will come on the clouds!
At that time, everyone will see him!
Even the people who pushed a spear into his body will see him.
1:7The soldiers who killed Jesus put nails through his body to fix him to the cross. A soldier also pushed a spear into Jesus when he was dying on the cross. See John 19:34-37. See also Zechariah 12:10. People from all the nations on earth will be sad when they see him.
Yes, it is true! Amen.
8 The Lord God says, ‘I caused all things to begin and I will cause the end of all things. I have all power and authority. I am alive. I have always been alive. I will continue to be alive for ever.’
