Year of the Bible
Revelation 1
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Commentary on the Book of Revelation, Chapter 1:
Revelation opens by explaining that what follows is a revelation from Jesus Christ that He received from the Father and sent by an angel to John. This revelation is also a prophecy, and as such will be filled with symbolic images and numbers that help to reveal supernatural realities. This prophecy will bring blessings to those who read it, hear it, and keep it, for it will explain events that are happening soon. The writing style then shifts to become a letter to seven churches in Asia, modern day western Turkey. It begins with a blessing that describes Jesus’ work and adds a new description of God to our biblical collection: Alpha and Omega. John explains how Jesus, the Son of man, was revealed to him in a mosaic of powerful imagery drawn from the Jewish scriptures. These images will be repeated through chapters 2-3 as John carries out his commission to write what he sees regarding what is happening now and will happen in the future.
The Book of Revelation, Chapter 1:
Introduction and Salutation
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near.
4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
A Vision of Christ
9 I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on ac count of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a Son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash
across his chest; 14 his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters; 16 in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Now write what you see, what is and what is to take place hereafter. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
"Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear," (v.3) Imagine John addressing these words to you personally--you who are sitting right now and reading "the words"! Allow God to speak encouragement to your heart through this chapter.
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc, or online.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this.
If you're looking for a good Catholic edition of the Bible, look no further.
1 Revelación de Jesucristo, que Dios le
ha comunicado para manifestar a sus
siervos lo que va a suceder pronto, y que,
enviando a su ángel, dio a conocer a su
siervo Juan, 2 quien ha dado testimonio de
todo lo que vio: la palabra de Dios y el testimonio
de Jesucristo.
3 Bienaventurado quien lea y quienes
escuchen las palabras de esta profecía, y
guarden lo que está escrito en ella; porque
el momento está cerca.
4 Juan, a las siete iglesias que están en
Asia: la gracia y la paz estén con vosotros,
de parte de aquel que es, que era y
que va a venir; de parte de los siete espíritus
que están delante de su trono, 5 y de
parte de Jesucristo, el testigo fiel, primogénito
de los muertos y príncipe de los
reyes de la tierra. Al que nos ama y nos
libró de nuestros pecados con su sangre
6 y nos ha hecho estirpe real, sacerdotes
para su Dios y Padre: a él la gloria y el
poder por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.
7 Mirad, viene rodeado de nubes y todos
los ojos le verán, incluso los que le
traspasaron, y se lamentarán por él todas
las tribus de la tierra. Sí. Amén. 8 Yo soy
el Alfa y la Omega, dice el Señor Dios,
aquel que es, que era y que va a venir, el
Todopoderoso.
9 Yo, Juan, vuestro hermano que
comparte con vosotros la tribulación,
el reino y la paciencia en Jesús, estuve
en la isla que se llama Patmos, por causa
de la palabra de Dios y del testimonio
de Jesús. 10 Caí en éxtasis un domingo y
oí detrás de mí una gran voz, como una
trompeta, 11 que decía:
–Escribe en un libro lo que ves y envíaselo
a las siete iglesias: a Éfeso, a Esmirna,
a Pérgamo, a Tiatira, a Sardes, a
Filadelfia y a Laodicea.
12 Me volví para ver quién me hablaba;
y al volverme, vi siete candelabros
de oro, 13 y en medio de los candelabros
como un Hijo de hombre, vestido
con una túnica hasta los pies, y ceñido el
pecho con una banda de oro. 14 Su cabeza
y sus cabellos eran blancos como lana
blanca, como nieve, sus ojos como una
llama de fuego, 15 sus pies semejantes al
metal precioso cuando está en un horno
encendido, su voz como un estruendo
de muchas aguas. 16 En su mano derecha
tenía siete estrellas, de su boca salía una
espada tajante de doble filo, y su rostro
era como el sol cuando brilla en todo su
esplendor.
17 Al verle, caí a sus pies como muerto.
Él, entonces, puso la mano derecha
sobre mí, diciendo:
–¡No temas! Yo soy el primero y
el último, 18 el que vive; estuve muerto
pero ahora estoy vivo por los siglos de
los siglos, y tengo las llaves de la muerte
y del hades. 19 Escribe, por eso, lo que
has visto, tanto lo presente como lo
que va a suceder después. 20 En cuanto
al misterio de las siete estrellas que
has visto en mi mano derecha y al de
los siete candelabros de oro, las siete estrellas
son los ángeles de las siete iglesias,
y los siete candelabros son las siete
iglesias.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
"Bendito el que lee en voz alta las palabras de la profecía, y benditos los que escuchan". Imagina que Juan te dirige estas palabras a ti personalmente, tú que estás sentado ahora mismo leyendo estas palabras. Permite que Dios te hable de forma alentadora a tu corazón a través de este capítulo.
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).