Revelation 1:11
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.
Study Note
Study Note
The risen Christ's command to 'write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches' places the entire Apocalypse within the framework of a circular letter to concrete congregations, grounding cosmic visions in pastoral accountability. The self-designation 'I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last' — drawn from Isaiah 44:6 and 48:12, where it is the exclusive divine self-description — is applied without qualification to the risen Christ, constituting one of Revelation's most direct christological identifications with Yahweh. The seven cities (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea) formed a real postal circuit in the Roman province of Asia, suggesting John expected the letter to travel and be read aloud in worship assemblies. The book's blend of prophecy, epistle, and apocalypse reflects early Christian liturgical practice more than any single ancient genre.
Other Translations
saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
`I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last;' and, `What thou dost see, write in a scroll, and send to the seven assemblies that <FI>are<Fi> in Asia; to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.'
Saying, What you see, put in a book, and send it to the seven churches; to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.
Cross References
Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, …
Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for …
Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in …
And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run …
And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the …
But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will …
And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to …
And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.
And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.