Part 1 (1/2)

Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech, Revelation.

by R F Weymouth.

001:001 The revelation given by Jesus Christ, which G.o.d granted Him, that He might make known to His servants certain events which must shortly come to pa.s.s: and He sent His angel and communicated it to His servant John.

001:002 This is the John who taught the truth concerning the Word of G.o.d and the truth told us by Jesus Christ--a faithful account of what he had seen.

001:003 Blessed is he who reads and blessed are those who listen to the words of this prophecy and lay to heart what is written in it; for the time for its fulfillment is now close at hand.

001:004 John sends greetings to the seven Churches in the province of Asia.

May grace be granted to you, and peace, from Him who is and was and evermore will be; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne; 001:005 and from Jesus Christ, the truthful witness, the first of the dead to be born to Life, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth.

To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins with His own blood, 001:006 and has formed us into a Kingdom, to be priests to G.o.d, His Father-- to Him be ascribed the glory and the power until the Ages of the Ages. Amen.

001:007 He is coming in the clouds, and every eye will see Him, and so will those who pierced Him; and all the nations of the earth will gaze on Him and mourn. Even so. Amen.

001:008 ”I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord G.o.d, ”He who is and was and evermore will be--the Ruler of all.”

001:009 I John, your brother, and a sharer with you in the sorrows and Kings.h.i.+p and patient endurance of Jesus, found myself in the island of Patmos, on account of the Word of G.o.d and the truth told us by Jesus.

001:010 In the Spirit I found myself present on the day of the Lord, and I heard behind me a loud voice which resembled the blast of a trumpet.

001:011 It said, ”Write forthwith in a roll an account of what you see, and send it to the seven Churches--to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyateira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

001:012 I turned to see who it was that was speaking to me; and then I saw seven golden lampstands, 001:013 and in the center of the lampstands some One resembling the Son of Man, clothed in a robe which reached to His feet, and with a girdle of gold across His breast.

001:014 His head and His hair were white, like white wool--as white as snow; and His eyes resembled a flame of fire.

001:015 His feet were like silver-bronze, when it is white-hot in a furnace; and His voice resembled the sound of many waters.

001:016 In His right hand He held seven stars, and a sharp, two-edged sword was seen coming from His mouth; and His glance resembled the sun when it is s.h.i.+ning with its full strength.

001:017 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if I were dead.

But He laid His right hand upon me and said, ”Do not be afraid: I am the First and the Last, and the ever-living One.

001:018 I died; but I am now alive until the Ages of the Ages, and I have the keys of the gates of Death and of Hades!

001:019 Write down therefore the things you have just seen, and those which are now taking place, and those which are soon to follow: 001:020 the secret meaning of the seven stars which you have seen in My right hand, and of the seven lampstands of gold.

The seven stars are the ministers of the seven Churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven Churches.

002:001 ”To the minister of the Church in Ephesus write as follows: ”'This is what He who holds the seven stars in the grasp of His right hand says--He who walks to and fro among the seven lampstands of gold.

002:002 I know your doings and your toil and patient suffering.

And I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, but have put to the test those who say that they themselves are Apostles but are not, and you have found them to be liars.

002:003 And you endure patiently and have borne burdens for My sake and have never grown weary.

002:004 Yet I have this against you--that you no longer love Me as you did at first.

002:005 Be mindful, therefore, of the height from which you have fallen.

Repent at once, and act as you did at first, or else I will surely come and remove your lampstand out of its place-- unless you repent.

002:006 Yet this you have in your favor: you hate the doings of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

002:007 ”'Let all who have ears give heed to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. To him who overcomes I will give the privilege of eating the fruit of the Tree of Life, which is in the Paradise of G.o.d.'

002:008 ”To the minister of the Church at Smyrna write as follows: ”'This is what the First and the Last says--He who died and has returned to life.

002:009 Your sufferings I know, and your poverty--but you are rich-- and the evil name given you by those who say that they themselves are Jews, and are not, but are Satan's synagogue.

002:010 Dismiss your fears concerning all that you are about to suffer.

I tell you that the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be put to the test, and for ten days you will have to endure persecution. Be faithful to the End, even if you have to die, and then I will give you the victor's Wreath of Life.

002:011 ”'Let all who have ears give heed to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. He who overcomes shall be in no way hurt by the Second Death.'

002:012 ”To the minister of the Church at Pergamum write as follows: ”'This is what He who has the sharp, two-edged sword says.

I know where you dwell.

002:013 Satan's throne is there; and yet you are true to Me, and did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of Antipas My witness and faithful friend, who was put to death among you, in the place where Satan dwells.

002:014 Yet I have a few things against you, because you have with you some that cling to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling-block in the way of the descendants of Israel-- to eat what had been sacrificed to idols, and commit fornication.

002:015 So even you have some that cling in the same way to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

002:016 Repent, at once; or else I will come to you quickly, and will make war upon them with the sword which is in My mouth.

002:017 ”'Let all who have ears give heed to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. He who overcomes--to him I will give some of the hidden Manna, and a white stone; and--written upon the stone and known only to him who receives it--a new name.'

002:018 ”To the minister of the Church at Thyateira write as follows: ”'This is what the Son of G.o.d says--He who has eyes like a flame of fire, and feet resembling silver-bronze.

002:019 I know your doings, your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance; and that of late you have toiled harder than you did at first.

002:020 Yet I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and by her teaching leads astray My servants, so that they commit fornication and eat what has been sacrificed to idols.

002:021 I have given her time to repent, but she is determined not to repent of her fornication.

002:022 I tell you that I am about to cast her upon a bed of sickness, and I will severely afflict those who commit adultery with her, unless they repent of conduct such as hers.

002:023 Her children too shall surely die; and all the Churches shall come to know that I am He who searches into men's inmost thoughts; and to each of you I will give a requital which shall be in accordance with what your conduct has been.