8. The Lord God says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the one who is and was and is coming. I am God All-Powerful!”
9. I am John, a follower together with all of you. We suffer because Jesus is our king, but he gives us the strength to endure. I was sent to Patmos Island, because I had preached God's message and had told about Jesus.
10. On the Lord's day the Spirit took control of me, and behind me I heard a loud voice that sounded like a trumpet.
11. The voice said, “Write in a book what you see. Then send it to the seven churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12. When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.
13. There with the lampstands was someone who seemed to be the Son of Man. He was wearing a robe that reached down to his feet, and a gold cloth was wrapped around his chest.