---
title: "Revelation 1 - Study King James Bible with commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible"
description: "Read Revelation 1 with commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible commentary. 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it"
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---

[ Read](/kjv/revelation/1)[ Commentary](/study/revelation/1)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/revelation/1) Audio

 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified *it* by his angel unto his servant John:

 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

 3 Blessed *is* he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time *is* at hand.

 4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace *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 throne;

 5 And from Jesus Christ, *who is* the faithful witness, *and* the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him *be* glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they *also* which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

 9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

 11 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 Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

 12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks *one* like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

 14 His head and *his* hairs *were* white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes *were* as a flame of fire;

 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance *was* as the sun shineth in his strength.

 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

 18 I *am* he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

 19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
 
[Jude 1](/study/jude/1) [Revelation 2](/study/revelation/2)

## Commentary

 To verse 1
 
**1. Revelation**—an apocalypse or
*unveiling* of those things which had been veiled. A *manifesto*
of the kingdom of Christ. The travelling manual of the Church for the
Gentile Christian times. Not a *detailed history* of the future,
but a representation of the great epochs and chief powers in
developing the kingdom of God in relation to the world. The
"Church-*historical*" view goes counter to the great
principle that Scripture interprets itself. Revelation is to teach us
to understand the times, not the times to interpret to us the
Apocalypse, although it is in the nature of the case that a reflex
influence is exerted here and is understood by the prudent
[AUBERLEN]. The book is in
a series of parallel groups, not in chronological succession. Still
there is an organic historical development of the kingdom of God. In
this book all the other books of the Bible end and meet: in it is the
consummation of all previous prophecy. Daniel foretells as to Christ
and the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, and the last Antichrist. But
John's Revelation fills up the intermediate period, and describes the
millennium and final state beyond Antichrist. Daniel, as a godly
statesman, views the history of God's people in relation to the *four
world kingdoms.* John, as an apostle, views history from the
*Christian Church aspect.* The term *Apocalypse* is applied
to no Old Testament book. Daniel is the nearest approach to it; but
what Daniel was told to *seal* and *shut up till the time of
the end,* John, now that *the time is at hand* ( :-), is directed to *reveal.* 

**of Jesus Christ**—coming
*from* Him. Jesus Christ, not John the writer, is the Author of
the Apocalypse. Christ taught many things before His departure; but
those which were unsuitable for announcement at that time He brought
together into the Apocalypse [BENGEL].
Compare His promise, [John 15:15](/kjv/john/15/15),
"All things that I have heard of My Father, I have made known
unto you"; also, [John 16:13](/kjv/john/16/13),
"The Spirit of truth *will show* you things to come."
The Gospels and Acts are the books, respectively, of His first
advent, in the flesh, and in the Spirit; the Epistles are the
inspired comment on them. The Apocalypse is the book of His second
advent and the events preliminary to it. 

**which God gave unto him**—The
Father reveals Himself and His will in, and by, His Son. 

**to show**—The word recurs
in [Revelation 22:6](/kjv/revelation/22/6): so entirely have
the parts of Revelation reference to one another. It is its peculiar
excellence that it comprises in a perfect compendium future things,
and these widely differing: things close at hand, far off, and
between the two; great and little; destroying and saving; repeated
from old prophecies and new; long and short, and these interwoven
with one another, opposed and mutually agreeing; mutually involving
and evolving one another; so that in no book more than in this would
the addition, or taking away, of a single word or clause ([Revelation 22:18](/kjv/revelation/22/18);
[Revelation 22:19](/kjv/revelation/22/19)), have the effect of
marring the sense of the context and the comparison of passages
together [BENGEL]. 

**his servants**—not merely
to "His servant John," but to *all* His servants
(compare [Revelation 22:3](/kjv/revelation/22/3)). 

**shortly**—*Greek,*
"speedily"; literally, "in," or "with
speed." Compare "the time is at hand," [Revelation 1:3](/kjv/revelation/1/3);
[Revelation 22:6](/kjv/revelation/22/6), "shortly"; [Revelation 22:6](/kjv/revelation/22/6)- :, "Behold, I come *quickly.*" Not that the
things prophesied were according to man's computation near; but this
word "shortly" implies a corrective of our estimate of
worldly events and periods. Though a "thousand years" ([Revelation 22:6](/kjv/revelation/22/6)- :) at least are included, the time is declared to be *at
hand.* [Luke 18:8](/kjv/luke/18/8), "speedily."
The Israelite Church hastened eagerly to the predicted end, which
premature eagerness prophecy restrains (compare [Luke 18:8](/kjv/luke/18/8)- :). The Gentile Church needs to be reminded of the
transitoriness of the world (which it is apt to make its home) and
the nearness of Christ's advent. On the one hand Revelation says,
"the time is at hand"; on the other, the succession of
seals, c., show that many intermediate events must first elapse. 

**he sent**—Jesus Christ
sent. 

**by his angel**—joined
with "sent." The angel does not come forward to "signify"
things to John until [Revelation 17:1](/kjv/revelation/17/1)
[Revelation 19:9](/kjv/revelation/19/9); [Revelation 19:10](/kjv/revelation/19/10).
Previous to that John receives information from others. Jesus Christ
opens the Revelation, [Revelation 1:10](/kjv/revelation/1/10);
[Revelation 1:11](/kjv/revelation/1/11); [Revelation 4:1](/kjv/revelation/4/1);
in [Revelation 6:1](/kjv/revelation/6/1) one of the four living
creatures acts as his informant; in [Revelation 6:1](/kjv/revelation/6/1)- :, one of the elders; in [Revelation 10:8](/kjv/revelation/10/8);
[Revelation 10:9](/kjv/revelation/10/9), the Lord and His angel
who stood on the sea and earth. Only at the end ([Revelation 10:9](/kjv/revelation/10/9)- :) does the one angel stand by Him (compare [Daniel 8:16](/kjv/daniel/8/16);
[Daniel 9:21](/kjv/daniel/9/21); [Zechariah 1:19](/kjv/zechariah/1/19)).

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