The Readable Bible: Revelation

The Readable Bible

Revelation

From Iron Stream Media

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The Readable Bible

Revelation

Final Judgment and Reward

Translated and Edited by Rodney S. Laughlin Brendan I. Kennedy, PhD

Birmingham, Alabama

The Readable Bible: Revelation

Iron Stream

An imprint of Iron Stream Media 100 Missionary Ridge Birmingham, AL 35242 www.ironstreammedia.com

Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin

The Readable Bible text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred verses without express written permission of the publisher provided that (a) the verses quoted do not account for more than 25 percent of the total work in which they are quoted, (b) no more than 25 percent of a book of the Bible is quoted, (c) all quotations conform accurately to The Readable Bible text, and (d) one of the following credit lines appears on the copyright page or title page of the work:

Scripture quotations marked TRB are taken from The Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from The Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

When quotations from The Readable Bible text are used in not-for-sale media (e.g., church bulletins, orders of service, newsletters, digital presentations), a copyright notice is not required, but the initials “TRB” must appear at the end of each quotation. Websites and blogs may quote up to five hundred verses without express written permission provided they include the initials “TRB” at the end of each quotation and provided that the verses quoted account for not more than 25 percent of any web page upon which they appear and that no more than 25 percent of a book of the Bible is quoted.

Quotations not covered by the above guidelines must be approved in writing by Iron Stream Media. Send requests to info@ironstreammedia.com or to the address above.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022938636

Cover design: twoline | | Studio

Interior designer/illustrator: Clyde Adams (www.clydeadams.com)

Map geographic features courtesy of Bible Mapper (www.biblemapper.com).

Typeface: Veritas AE from Altered Ego Fonts, a division of Aespire

and tables

To the Reader

Acknowledgments

Before You Read

How to Read a New Testament Letter

Introduction to Revelation xi

Writer

The Message

Note on Verb Tenses

Map: The Seven Churches of Revelation

The Book of Revelation

Bible Letters Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Familiar Verses in Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

in Revelation

Index

and Measures

Part

To Ephesus

Smyrna

Pergamum

Thyatira

To Sardis

Philadelphia

Summary of God’s Message

Laodicea

the

Seven

Part 3. Visions of Heaven and the Future

Worship in the Heavenly

The Lamb Takes the Scroll

Lamb Is Worshiped

The Lamb Breaks Six Seals; Turmoil Spills Out

The Seven Seal

God Spares 144,000 Israelites

The 144,000

Great Multitude in White Robes

The 7th Seal and the Golden Censer

1st Trumpet: Plants Burned

2nd Trumpet: Seas Struck

3rd Trumpet: Waters

4th Trumpet: Darkness

5th Trumpet: Locusts like Scorpions

6th Trumpet: Killer Angels

The 7th Angel, John, and the Little Scroll

Witnesses Appear

The Two Witnesses Are Killed

7th Trumpet: God and His Messiah

The Woman Escapes the Dragon

Satan Defeated

Table: The Beast out of the Sea

The Beast out of the Earth

The Lamb and the 144,000

The Three Angels

the Earth and

Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

Babylon, the Prostitute on the Beast

Lament over Fallen Babylon

to Escape Babylon’s Judgment

Threefold Woe over Babylon’s Fall

the World

Revelation 12

13

14

15

16

17

18

The Finality of Babylon’s Doom..........................................................

Fourfold Hallelujah over Babylon’s Fall

The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast

The Thousand Years

The Judgment of Satan

Judgment of the Dead

A New Heaven and a New Earth

The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb

Table: New Jerusalem Description

Table: Wall Foundation

This Is True Testimony

Invitation and Warning

Stones

20

21

22

Preface

To the Reader

One day I was standing in an airport bookstore looking for a book to read. I asked myself, “Why am I looking for something to read when I have a Bible in my briefcase?”

I answered, “The Bible is hard to read. I want to read something easier.” Then I asked myself, “Why is it so hard to read? You’re a seminary graduate, a former pastor, a Bible teacher!” Thus began a quest that has led to The Readable Bible—the Bible as it would look if Moses, Joshua, Matthew, Mark, Paul, and the other writers had been sitting in front of a computer when God spoke through them.

It seems to me that the Bible is hard to read because all material is presented in sentence format. Today we use tables to present census information and charts for genealogies. When we want something built, we draw up a specification document. Law codes are organized in outline form. We use bullet points, bold text, and other aids to help us grasp information. Yet in today’s Bibles, all the information is still presented in sentence format in plain text. Surely those men of old would have used modern formats if they had known about them when God spoke through them. Modern formatting does not change the information; it simply presents it in a way that makes it easier to grasp. The Readable Bible brings you the biblical text in modern formats.

You may struggle with the idea of Scripture in modern formats. Actually, all of today’s Bibles present the text in a form much different from that of the original manuscripts. Consider how many format changes that were developed over the past two thousand years led to the format considered normal today. Each change was radical in its time:

• Vowels: The earliest Hebrew manuscripts have no vowels; they were added hundreds of years later.

• Capital Letters: The Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament manuscripts have no uppercase and lowercase letters.

• Punctuation: The original manuscripts have no punctuation (no commas or periods!).

• Chapter Numbers: These were not common in Bibles until the thirteenth century AD.

• Verse Numbers: The first verse-numbering system was developed over a thousand years after the last Bible book was written. It had one-third of today’s verse numbers, making verses three or four times longer. Today’s Christian Bible numbering system was not developed until the sixteenth century.

• Paragraphs: The first paragraphed King James Bible was published in the mid-1800s.

So presenting the words of Scripture in tables, cascading the text of long, complex sentences, and using other modern formatting techniques is simply continuing the long-term trend of making the Bible easier to understand.

Our hope is that people who have never read the Bible will decide to read this version because it is so approachable. Please give a copy to someone who struggles to understand the Bible and, especially, to those who do not read the Bible.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to all the members of our editing team, our volunteer development team, and the many others who have donated funds and worked to bring The Readable Bible to completion.

A big “thank you” to my designer and partner in this project, Clyde Adams, for joining me in this faith venture. He has turned the translation into well-laid-out text and my formatting concepts into reality. The maps, tables, charts, book layout, and cover are all his work.

Most of all, I thank my wife, Rebecca, for her ideas, her love, and her strong support of this endeavor over the past twelve years.

Dedication

And now I dedicate to our Lord this translation of his holy Word, humbly asking him to grant that it may bring forth fruit to his glory and the building up of his people.

L

Before You Read

Before reading the text, please browse the glossary. You will find interesting information about words that appear frequently in this book, as well as important information regarding the words “Jesus” and “Christ.”

Words in italics are additions to the biblical text. Text enclosed in brackets is spurious—not in the oldest, most reliable manuscripts. Read “Note on Spurious Text” in the back of the book for more information.

Read lists in the text from top to bottom in the first column then the next column. In the context of commands, rules, and regulations, “shall,” “must,” and “are/is” are equal terms, all the same strength.

We encourage you to read “Translation Notes” and “Format and Presentation Notes” in the back of the book. They are easy reading and will increase your understanding of the text.

Remember, Jesus was and is Jewish. The disciples and the women around him were Jewish. So “Jews” in the text oftentimes refers not to all Jews but only to Jesus’ opponents.

How to Read a New Testament Letter

Imagine you are living in the first century AD, and you have become a believer. You put your faith in Jesus. You believe he died for your sins, you accepted him as your Lord, and you attend worship services in a home or small building. Your congregation has little written material—certainly not enough for everyone to be reading every day. You do not have time for that anyway, as you are exhausted by your work for six days a week (and you have no light to read at night).

One evening you go to a meeting of believers to share pieces of Scripture you or others have copied—some Old Testament writings, maybe a letter from an apostle, or a copy of one of the Gospels. Your pastor announces that he received a letter to the church from John the apostle, and he begins to read. You sit in awe, with a sense of expectation.

Now, read this letter with that attitude, that of a listener, as though someone is speaking to you. Look for what God has to say to you. The letter is personal. It is to you. It is theological—about God’s heart, his character, and his truth. God wants to speak to you through his Word. Open your heart and mind, and let God speak to you.

Introduction to Revelation

The Writer

The apostle John wrote Revelation while a prisoner of Rome exiled on the Isle of Patmosa in about AD 92. He wrote it directly to the seven churches undergoing persecution by the Roman emperor Domitian (see following map) and indirectly to all believers.

The Message

About the only things all Christians agree upon regarding this book are that (a) it is apocalyptic b in its form, and (b) its central message is that God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ (i.e., Jesus the Messiah) will triumph over all evil when the physical earth passes away and the “new heaven and new earth” are established.c Thus, for Christians, it is a book of hope.

Whole theologies of the end times are built around Revelation. The work of the translator is to present the text in an understandable fashion, not to develop any end-times theology other than what is clear and basic in the text—that is, nothing beyond what the letter’s recipients could perceive with what they knew and had before them. Thus, the footnotes explain the text but give no insight into which endtimes theology is correct.

Bible-believing Christians who love the Lord Jesus, who have submitted their whole selves—body, soul, and spirit—to him, work through Revelation and finish it with totally different beliefs as to what the images and details mean regarding our future. You can find information about these theories elsewhere. The Readable Bible provides you with a clear translation of the Greek text, footnotes about the history around the text, and references to Old Testament passages that appear related to the text.

Start your journey in Revelation by reading through the forty pages of text in one sitting. Read without trying to understand the imagery or relating anything to a specific end-times theory. Just read the text and concentrate on what all Christians agree upon—the power and the glory of God, his willingness to have a plan for us that provides for our ultimate future, and his promise of the glory that is to come for all believers. Reading this way will bring you a sense of ultimate victory that will bring a smile to your face and help you rest in the Lord, regardless of today’s events.

Note on Verb Tenses

John sometimes saw visions of the future with him in the midst of them; though the events are to come, he described them in the present tense. To clarify, The Readable Bible describes these events in the future tense.

a Patmos is a crescent-shaped island, about four miles wide and eight miles long, in the Aegean Sea about seventeen miles west of the coast of Asia Minor. John was exiled there due to his testimony about Jesus.

See Revelation 1:9.

b “Apocalyptic”: Apocalyptic literature reveals what was unknown, typically including information about the end of a time period. It typically uses fantastic imagery to convey a message of hope for its intended recipients.

c See Revelation 21:1.

CYPRUS

Part 1. Setting of the Vision

1

This is the revelation from Jesus Christ, which God the Father gave him to show his servants what must happen soon. He made it known by sending his angel to John, his servant,

2 who then testified to whatever he saw— both the word of Godb and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed is everyone who reads the words of this prophecy and listens to and heeds what is written in it, because the time is near.

Salutation

4 From John

To the seven churches in the Roman province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is and who was and who is still to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus the Messiah, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom, namely, priests who serve his Godc and Father— to him be glory and power forever and ever! d Amen.

a “Revelation”: the English translation of the first word of the Greek text, apokalypsis (which is transliterated into English as “apocalypse”). The book is also known as “The Apocalypse,” “The Apocalypse of John,” “The Revelation of John,” and “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” b Or “even the word of God.” c Literally, “priests to his God.” See Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6. d “And ever” is not in some manuscripts.

Reminder That God Reigns

7 Look!

He’s coming with the clouds,a and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all peoplesb on earth will mourn because of him.c That’s how it will be! Amen.d

8 The Lord God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,e who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John’s Vision of the Messiah

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the suffering and the kingdom and patient endurance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

10 On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard a loud voice behind me, like that of a trumpet, 11 say, “[I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.] Write what you see on a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, – Thyatira, Smyrna, – Sardis, Pergamum, – Philadelphia, and – Laodicea.”

12 I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands 13 and a person like a son of manf in the midst of the lampstands, dressed in a robe that reached to his feet g and with a golden sash around his chest;

14 his head and his hair were white as wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire; h

a See Isaiah 19:1; Daniel 7:13.

b Literally, “all tribes.”

c See Zechariah 12:10.

d Literally, “Yes! Amen.”

e “Alpha . . . Omega”: the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. A metaphor for “the beginning and the end.”

f Or “the Son of Man.” See Daniel 7:13.

g Literally, “clothed to his feet.”

h See Daniel 7:9; 10:6.

15 his feet were like polished brass, glowing as if refined in a furnace; his voice was like the sound of rushing water;a 16 he held seven stars in his right hand; there was a sharp, double-edged sword coming out of his mouth; and his face was like the sun in its brilliance.b

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. And he put his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid.

I am the First and the Last; 18 I am he who lives.c

I was dead, but look! I am alive forever and ever. And I have the keys of death and Hades.

19 “So write what you have seen—what is and what will be later.d 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands:

The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Part 2. Letters to the Seven Churches in Asiae Revelation 2

To Ephesus f

1 “Write this:

To the Angel g of the Church in Ephesus

The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands says this: 2 I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance; I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people; you have tested those who call themselves apostles, but are not, and have found them to be false; 3 and you have endured patiently and borne hardships for my name’s sake, and have not grown weary.

a Literally, “of many waters.”

b Literally, “in its power.”

c Or “I am the Living One.”

d Literally, “what is to take place after these things.”

e “Asia”: The Roman province of Asia was the west-central and southwest parts of today’s Asia Minor. f Ephesus, the capital of the Roman province of Asia (west-central Asia Minor), was large and wealthy.

g Or “to the Messenger.” And verses 8, 12, 18.

7

4

But I have this against you:

You have departed from your initial love of me.

5 Think about how far a you’ve fallen!

Repent.

Do the works you did at first.

If you do not, I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand from its place—if you do not repent.

6 But you have this to your credit:

You hate the acts of the Nicolaitansb—which I also hate.

Let whoever has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To those who are victorious, I will grant the privilege to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

To Smyrnac

8 “Write this:

To the Angel of the Church in Smyrna

The one who is both first and last, who died, and has come to life again, says this:

9 I know your suffering , your poverty (but you are rich), and the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Note well: The devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you might be tested, and you will suffer greatly for ten days. Be faithful, even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

11 Let whoever has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Those who are victorious will not be hurt by the second death.

To Pergamumd

12 “Write this:

To the Angel of the Church in Pergamum

The one who has the sharp, double-edged sword says this:

13 I know where you live—in the city where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold tight to my name, and you have not denied your faith in mee

a Literally, “Remember from where.”

b “Nicolaitans”: No one has proven who they were or what their practices were.

c Smyrna, modern-day Izmir in Turkey, was a wealthy city, though less important than Ephesus.

d Pergamum was a rich and powerful city. It was located near the modern-day city of Bergama in Turkey.

e Literally, “not denied my faith.”

not even in the days of my witness a Antipas, my faithful one, who was killed among you in the city where Satan lives.

14 But I have a few things against you: First, you have some of your congregation there holding to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to tempt the Israelites to sinb by eating food sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality.c

15 Likewise, you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.d

16 Therefore repent! Otherwise, I will come to you soon, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 Let whoever has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To those who are victorious, I will give the hidden manna. And I will give each of them a white stone—a stone with a new name written on it, which no one knows except the recipient.

To Thyatira

18 “Write this:

e

To the Angel of the Church in Thyatira

The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and feet like polished bronze, says this:

19 I know your deeds, – service, and love, – perseverance, and that faith, – your last deeds exceed your first ones.

20 But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel,f who calls herself a prophet, who teaches and leads my servants astray to commit sexual sin and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

21 I have given her time to repent, but she is unwilling to repent of her own sexual immorality.

22 Watch this: I will throw her onto a bed of suffering, throw those who commit adultery with her into great suffering unless they turn from her evil activities, 23 and strike her children dead.g

a Or “my martyr.”

b Literally, “put a stumbling block before the Israelites.”

c An allusion to Numbers 31:16.

d See footnote on verse 6.

e “Thyatira”: today’s Akhisar in Turkey. In the first century it was a small city with many artisans.

f Some manuscripts, “your wife Jezebel.” “Jezebel”: see 1 Kings 16:31; 18:1–19:5; 2 Kings 9:7–37.

g Literally, “kill her children with death”; perhaps meaning with a fatal disease.

Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds a and hearts and that I will give to each of you according to your deeds.

24 And I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, all who don’t hold this false teaching and have not learned the deep things of Satan (as they say), I will not put any additional burden on you, 25 but hold tightly to what you haveb until I come. 26 I will give authority over the nations to whomever is victorious and does my works until the end.

27 They will rule them with an iron staff and will break them to pieces like pottery,c just as I have received authority d from my Father. 28 I will also give them the morning star.e

29 Let whoever has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

3 Revelation

To Sardisf

1 “Write this:

To the Angel g of the Church in Sardis

The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this: I know your deeds. You have a reputation that you are alive, but you are dead!

2 I have found your deeds incomplete in the judgment of my God.h Wake up—strengthen what remains alive but is about to die.

3 Remember what you have received and heard. Hold on to it and repent. But if you do not look out, I will come like a thief, and you won’t know at what time I will come upon you.

4 Yet you have a few people i in Sardis who have not fallen into sin.j They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 Whoever is victorious will likewise be dressed in white garments, and I will never blot out that person’s name from the Book of Life,k but will acknowledge as mine the name of each one before my Father and before his angels.

6 Let whoever has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

a Literally, “kidneys.” The kidneys, along with the heart, were seen as the center of one’s life, mind, and emotions.

b “What you have”: the Christian teaching and faith they have received.

c See Psalm 2:9.

d Or “received this.”

e “Morning star”: a term Jesus applied to himself (see Revelation 22:16).

f Sardis was leveled by an earthquake and rebuilt as a major city less than a century before John’s writing.

g Or “to the messenger.” And verses 7 and 14.

h Or “in the sight of the Lord.” Literally, “before my God.”

i Literally, “a few names.”

j Literally, “soiled their clothes.”

k A reference to Exodus 32:32; Psalm 69:28; Daniel 12:1.

To Philadelphiaa

7 “Write this:

To the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia

The one who is holy and true, who holds the key of David,b who opens what he will and no one can shut it, and who shuts what he will and no one can open it says this:

8 I know your deeds.

Look!

I have put an open door before you that no one can shut, because you have little power. Yet you have kept my word, and you have not denied my name.

9 Watch!

I will force the people of the synagogue of Satan— who claim they are Jews and are not, but lie—

I will make them come and fall down at your feet, and they will know c that I have loved you.

10 Because you have kept my commandd to endure patiently,

I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole inhabited world to test those who live on the earth.

11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown.

12 For those who are victorious,

I will make them pillars in the temple of my God, and they will never leave it.

I will write on them the name of my God; the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which will come down out of heaven from my God; and my new name.

13 Let whoever has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

a Philadelphia, the easternmost of the seven cities of Revelation, was somewhat of an outpost. The persecution that is predicted in verse 10 did not reach as far as Philadelphia.

b “Holds the key of David”: holding the highest authority in the kingdom of God. See Isaiah 22:22.

c Or “acknowledge.”

d Literally, “my word.”

Summary of God’s Message to the Seven Churches 2:1–3:22

The text below is a summary, not word for word Location They Do Well They Do Wrong

2:1 Ephesus 2 Deeds, hard work, perseverance; not tolerate wicked people or false apostles; 3 bear hardships, endure patiently, not grow weary; 6 hate immoral acts of the Nicolaitans.

2:8 Smyrna 9 Endure suffering, poverty, and slander.

2:12 Pergamum 13 Hold tight to God’s name in the city of Satan; have not denied the faith.

4 Departed from their initial love of the Lord.

2:18 Thyatira 19 Deeds, love, faith, service, and perseverance, doing more now than before.

14 Some hold to Balaam’s teaching to eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality; 15 and some hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

20 Tolerating the woman Jezebel who leads them astray to commit sexual immorality and eat food sacrificed to idols. 24 Know the deep things of Satan.

3:1 Sardis 4 A few have not fallen into sin.

1 They are dead, not alive. 2 Do deeds that are incomplete in the judgment of God.

3:7 Philadelphia 8 Kept God’s word and have not denied his name though they have little power; 10 kept his command to endure patiently.

14 Laodicea 15 Lukewarm deeds; 17 claiming to be rich with need of nothing though they are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

Summary of God’s Message to the Seven Churches 2:1–3:22

The text below is a summary of the text, not word for word

They Need to If Not, This Happens Rewards of the Victorious

2:5

Think about how far they have fallen. Repent. Do the works they did at first.

2:10 Not be afraid if thrown into prison to be tested. Be faithful unto death.

2:16 Repent.

5 Removal of their lampstand.

7 Eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

2:22 Jezebel followers: Turn from their evil activities.

24 Those who don’t hold to her teaching: 25 Hold tightly to what they have. 26 Do God’s work.

3:2 Wake up and strengthen what remains but is about to die; 3 remember what they have received and heard; hold on to it and repent.

16 The Lord will come quickly and make war against them with the sword of his mouth.

10–11 Receive the crown of life. Will not be hurt by the second death.

17 Receive hidden manna and a white stone with a new name on it, which no one knows except each recipient.

22 Jezebel and her followers will be thrown onto a bed of suffering 23 and her children struck dead.

3 The Lord will come upon them like a thief.

26 Receive authority over the nations and 27 rule them; 28 and receive the morning star.

5 Will be dressed in white garments and their names not blotted out of the Book of Life; the Lord will acknowledge them as his before his Father and angels.

3:11 Hold on to what they have. 11 Someone will take their crown.

8 Will have set before them an open door no one can shut. 9 People from the synagogue of Satan will fall down at their feet and know the Lord loved them; 10 be kept from the hour of testing of the whole earth; 11 keep their crown; 12 be made pillars in the temple of God and never leave it; he will write on them the name of his God and the city of his God, the new Jerusalem, and his new name.

18 Buy true gold from God to become truly rich and white garments to be clothed, so the shame of their nakedness will not be revealed; buy ointment for their eyes to see; 19 be zealous and repent.

19 He reprimands and disciplines those whom he loves.

20 For those who hear his voice and open the door, the Lord will come in to be with them and eat with them; 21 he will give the one who prevails the right to sit with him on his throne.

14 “Write this:

To the Angel of the Church in Laodicea

The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler b of God’s creation says this:

15

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.

I wish you were either cold or hot!

16 So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth!

17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and I have need of nothing.’ But you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

18 I advise you to buy from me true gold, refined by fire, so you can become truly rich; white garments, so you can be clothed, so the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and ointment to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 For those whom I love, I reprimand and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

20 Look, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to be with them and eat with them, and they with me.

21 I will give to the one who is victorious the right to sit with me on my throne, just as when I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

22 Let whoever has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”

a Laodicea was a wealthy regional capital city. Several decades before John’s writing, after an earthquake destroyed it, the city was rebuilt with no outside help or funding.

b Or “the originator.”