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New Living Translation
Revelation 1:18
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and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
I am the living one even though I died. Look at me. I am alive and will always be. I hold the keys of the dead and Hell itself.
And I was dead, and see, I am living for ever, and I have the keys of death and of Hell.
and the living one: and I became dead, and behold, I am living to the ages of ages, and have the keys of death and of hades.
and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
And he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore, and have the keys of death and of Hades.
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!
I am hee that liueth, and was dead: and behold, I am aliue for euermore, Amen, and haue the keyes of hell and of death.
and the Living One; and I became dead; and, behold, I am living forever and ever. Amen. And I have the keys to hell, and of death.
and am alyue, and was deed. And beholde, I am alyue for euer more and haue the kayes of hell & of deth.
I am he that liveth; I was dead; but now you see I am alive for all eternity, amen; and I have the keys of the grave, and of death."
A revealing of Jesus, the Messiah. God gave it to make plain to his servants what is about to happen. He published and delivered it by Angel to his servant John. And John told everything he saw: God's Word— the witness of Jesus Christ! How blessed the reader! How blessed the hearers and keepers of these oracle words, all the words written in this book! Time is just about up. I, John, am writing this to the seven churches in Asia province: All the best to you from The God Who Is, The God Who Was, and The God About to Arrive , and from the Seven Spirits assembled before his throne, and from Jesus Christ—Loyal Witness, Firstborn from the dead, Ruler of all earthly kings. Glory and strength to Christ, who loves us, who blood-washed our sins from our lives, Who made us a Kingdom, Priests for his Father, forever—and yes, he's on his way! Riding the clouds, he'll be seen by every eye, those who mocked and killed him will see him, People from all nations and all times will tear their clothes in lament. Oh, Yes. The Master declares, "I'm A to Z. I'm The God Who Is, The God Who Was, and The God About to Arrive . I'm the Sovereign-Strong." I, John, with you all the way in the trial and the Kingdom and the passion of patience in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of God's Word, the witness of Jesus. It was Sunday and I was in the Spirit, praying. I heard a loud voice behind me, trumpet-clear and piercing: "Write what you see into a book. Send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea." I turned and saw the voice. I saw a gold menorah with seven branches, And in the center, the Son of Man, in a robe and gold breastplate, hair a blizzard of white, Eyes pouring fire-blaze, both feet furnace-fired bronze, His voice a cataract, right hand holding the Seven Stars, His mouth a sharp-biting sword, his face a perigee sun. I saw this and fainted dead at his feet. His right hand pulled me upright, his voice reassured me: "Don't fear: I am First, I am Last, I'm Alive. I died, but I came to life, and my life is now forever. See these keys in my hand? They open and lock Death's doors, they open and lock Hell's gates. Now write down everything you see: things that are, things about to be. The Seven Stars you saw in my right hand and the seven-branched gold menorah—do you want to know what's behind them? The Seven Stars are the Angels of the seven churches; the menorah's seven branches are the seven churches."
and the Ever-living One [living in and beyond all time and space]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of [absolute control and victory over] death and of Hades (the realm of the dead).
and the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
and am alyve and was deed. And beholde I am alyve for ever more and have the kayes of hell and of deeth.
and the Living one; and I became dead, and look, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
[I am] he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
and he who is living, and I did become dead, and, lo, I am living to the ages of the ages. Amen! and I have the keys of the hades and of the death.
I am the One who lives; I was dead, but look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to death and to the place of the dead.
and the one who lives! I was dead, but look, now I am alive—forever and ever—and I hold the keys of death and of Hades!
the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.
and the living one. I died, but now I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys to death and the world of the dead.
the Living One. I was dead, but look! — I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to Death and Sh'ol.
and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
And am aliue, but I was dead: and beholde, I am aliue for euermore, Amen: and I haue the keyes of hell and of death.
I am he who lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen; and have the keys of death and of hell.
and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.
and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amein. I have the keys of Death and of She'ol.
the living one. I was dead, but look - I am alive forever and ever! I have the keys of Death and Hades.[fn][xr]
and who liveth and who have been dead; and, behold, I am alive for ever and ever. Amen ! And I have the keys of death and of Sheul.
and who liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive for ever and ever. Amen. And I have the keys of death and of the unseen world.
I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
I am the Living One. I was dead, but look, I am alive forever. I have power over death and hell.
and the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
and the Living One, - and I became dead; - and lo! living, am I, unto the ages of ages, and have the keys of death and of hades.
And alive, and was dead. And behold I am living for ever and ever and have the keys of death and of hell.
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
and the one who lives, and I was dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of Hades.
And am alyue, and was dead: And beholde, I am alyue for euermore, Amen, and haue the keyes of hell and of death.
I am the one who lives. I was dead, but look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead.
and lo! Y am lyuynge in to worldis of worldis, and Y haue the keyes of deth and of helle.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
that liveth: Job 19:25, Psalms 18:46, John 14:19, Romans 6:9, 2 Corinthians 13:4, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:3, Hebrews 7:25
was: Romans 14:8, Romans 14:9, 2 Corinthians 5:14, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 12:2
I am alive: Revelation 4:9, Revelation 5:14, Hebrews 7:16, Hebrews 7:25
the keys: Revelation 3:7, Revelation 9:1, Revelation 20:1, Revelation 20:2, Revelation 20:14, Psalms 68:20, Isaiah 22:22, Matthew 16:19
Reciprocal: Leviticus 14:6 - the living bird Leviticus 16:20 - live goat Deuteronomy 32:39 - I kill Joshua 1:1 - the death 1 Samuel 2:6 - killeth Job 14:5 - thou hast Psalms 16:10 - my Psalms 21:4 - length Psalms 72:15 - And he Psalms 72:19 - Amen Psalms 93:2 - thou Psalms 102:12 - thou Psalms 102:27 - thou art Psalms 116:15 - Precious Psalms 119:120 - My flesh Psalms 133:3 - even life Proverbs 15:11 - Hell Proverbs 24:12 - that keepeth Isaiah 43:11 - General Isaiah 44:6 - I am the first Isaiah 48:12 - I am he Isaiah 53:10 - he shall prolong Jeremiah 28:6 - Amen Lamentations 5:19 - remainest Ezekiel 1:28 - I fell Daniel 7:13 - one like Habakkuk 2:2 - Write Matthew 6:13 - Amen Matthew 14:27 - it Matthew 28:5 - Fear Matthew 28:20 - Amen Mark 16:6 - Be not Luke 2:10 - Fear not Luke 24:5 - the living John 1:15 - he was John 6:20 - It is John 8:18 - one John 8:58 - Before John 11:44 - he that John 13:19 - that I John 14:28 - Father Acts 2:24 - because Acts 2:27 - leave Acts 3:13 - hath Acts 10:36 - he is Acts 25:19 - which Romans 1:4 - the Son Romans 5:10 - we shall Romans 8:11 - he that raised Romans 8:34 - It is Christ Romans 9:5 - Amen Romans 10:7 - to bring up 1 Corinthians 8:6 - and one 1 Corinthians 15:13 - General 1 Corinthians 15:27 - General Galatians 1:1 - raised Philippians 2:6 - thought Philippians 3:10 - and the power Philippians 3:21 - the working Colossians 1:18 - the firstborn 1 Thessalonians 1:10 - whom 1 Thessalonians 4:14 - if we 1 Timothy 3:16 - God 1 Timothy 6:16 - only Hebrews 1:11 - thou Hebrews 2:8 - hast Hebrews 2:14 - he also Hebrews 7:8 - he liveth Hebrews 7:24 - he continueth Hebrews 7:26 - made Hebrews 13:8 - General 1 John 1:1 - That which Revelation 2:8 - the first Revelation 7:12 - Amen Revelation 10:5 - lifted Revelation 22:20 - Amen
Cross-References
The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.
It is the Lord who provides the sun to light the day and the moon and stars to light the night, and who stirs the sea into roaring waves. His name is the Lord of Heaven's Armies, and this is what he says:
Gill's Notes on the Bible
I [am] he that liveth,.... As the eternal God, who has life in himself, originally, essentially, and inderivatively, and is the fountain and author of life to others; and who ever lived as the Mediator and Redeemer, and still does, and ever will, yea, even when he was dead as man:
and was dead; he died the death of the cross, for the sins of his people, in due time, and but once; and it was but a short time he was held under the power of death, and will never die any more:
and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen; he was always alive as God, or he was always the living God, and ever will be; and he is now alive as man, and will for ever continue so; and he is alive to God, he lives by him, with him, and to his glory; and he is alive to the benefit and advantage of his redeemed ones, for whom he died; he ever lives to make intercession for them; he rose again from the dead for their justification; their being quickened together with him, and their being begotten again to a lively hope, are owing to his being alive; and as their reconciliation is by his death, so their salvation, or the application of it to them, is by his interceding life; and his resurrection is the cause of theirs: this is very fitly said to John, who was fallen as dead at the feet of Christ, and might be to animate him against the fears of death, or whatever he was to meet with on account of Christ; as well as to make himself known unto him, who had before known him, living, dying, and risen again. The word "Amen" is left out in the Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions; but is in others, and is rightly retained, either as an asseveration of Christ to the truth of what is before said, or as an assent of John's unto it, who was a proper witness both of the death and resurrection of Christ:
and have the keys of hell and death; or "of death and hell"; as the words are transposed in the Alexandrian copy and Complutensian edition, in the Vulgate Latin and in all the Oriental versions, agreeably to Revelation 6:8, by which phrase is expressed the power of Christ over both: his power over death is seen in taking away persons by death when he pleases, the instances of Ananias and Sapphira are proofs of this; and in delivering persons from death when near it, as the centurion's servant, Peter's wife's mother, and the nobleman's son of Capernaum; and in raising persons from the dead, as Jairus's daughter, the widow of Naam's son, and Lazarus, when he was here on earth; and in his raising up his own body when dead, and which will also appear in raising all the dead at the last day: and his power over "hell", by which may be meant the grave, or the place of the departed, and separate souls, or the place of the damned and of the devils which are there, will be seen in opening the graves at the time of the resurrection, when death and hell, or the grave, will deliver up the dead in them, at his command; and in retaining or sending out the separate souls "in hades"; and in opening the doors of hell, and casting in the wicked, and destroying them, soul and body, there; and in shutting them up, that they cannot come out from thence who are once in; and in binding Satan, and casting him into the bottomless pit, and shutting him up there, the key of which he has in his hand; and in preserving his church and people from his power and malice, so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against them. This is an expression of the sovereignty, power, and authority of Christ; and is designed to encourage and support John under his present concern and anxiety of mind about the person he saw in this vision: מפתח של קבורה, "the key of the grave", and of the resurrection of the dead, is frequently said by the Jews to be one of the keys which are in the hands of the holy blessed God, and his only; not in the hands of an angel or a seraph, or any other u.
u Bereshit Rabba, sect. 73. fol. 64. 3. Targum Jerus. in Gen. xxx. 21. & Jon in Deut. xxviii. 12. Zohar in Gen. fol. 67. 3. Pirke Eliezer, c. 34. T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 2. 1. & Sandedrin, fol. 113. 1.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
I am he that liveth, and was dead - I was indeed once dead, but now I live, and shall continue to live forever. This would at once identify him who thus appeared as the Lord Jesus Christ, for to no one else could this apply. He had been put to death; but he had risen from the grave. This also is given as a reason why John should not fear; and nothing would allay his fears more than this. He now saw that he was in the presence of that Saviour whom more than half a century before he had so tenderly loved when in the flesh, and whom, though now long absent, he had faithfully served, and for whose cause he was now in this lonely island. His faith in his resurrection had not been a delusion; he saw the very Redeemer before him who had once been laid in the tomb.
Behold, I am alive forevermore - I am to live forever. Death is no more to cut me down, and I am never again to slumber in the grave. As he was always to live, he could accomplish all his promises, and fulfil all his purposes. The Saviour is never to die again. He can, therefore, always sustain us in our troubles; he can be with us in our death. Whoever of our friends die, he will not die; when we die, he will still be on the throne.
Amen - A word here of strong affirmation - as if he had said, it is “truly,” or “certainly so.” See the notes on Revelation 1:7. This expression is one that the Saviour often used when he wished to give emphasis, or to express anything strongly. Compare John 3:3; John 5:25.
And have the keys of hell and of death - The word rendered “hell” - ᾅδης Hadēs, “Hades” - refers properly to the underworld; the abode of departed spirits; the region of the dead. This was represented as dull and gloomy; as enclosed with walls; as entered through gates which were fastened with bolts and bars. For a description of the views which prevailed among the ancients on the subject, see the Luke 16:23 note, and Job 10:21-22 notes. To hold the key of this, was to hold the power over the invisible world. It was the more appropriate that the Saviour should represent himself as having this authority, as he had himself been raised from the dead by his own power (compare John 10:18), thus showing that the dominion over this dark world was entrusted to him.
And of death - A personification. Death reigns in that world. But to his wide-extended realms the Saviour holds the key, and can have access to his empire when he pleases, releasing all whom he chooses, and confining there still such as he shall please. It is probably in part from such hints as these that Milton drew his sublime description of the gates of hell in the “Paradise Lost.” As Christ always lives; as he always retains this power over the regions of the dead, and the whole world of spirits, it may be further remarked that we have nothing to dread if we put our trust in him. We need not fear to enter a world which he has entered, and from which he has emerged, achieving a glorious triumph; we need not fear what the dread king that reigns there can do to us, for his power extends not beyond the permission of the Saviour, and in his own time that Saviour will call us forth to life, to die no more.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Revelation 1:18. I am he that liveth, and was dead — I am Jesus the Saviour, who, though the fountain of life, have died for mankind; and being raised from the dead I shall die no more, the great sacrifice being consummated. And have the keys of death and the grave, so that I can destroy the living and raise the dead. The key here signifies the power and authority over life, death, and the grave. This is also a rabbinical form of speech. In the Jerusalem Targum, on Genesis 30:22, are these words: "There are four KEYS in the hand of God which he never trusts to angel or seraph. 1. The key of the rain; 2. The key of provision; 3. The key of the grave; and 4. The key of the barren womb."
In Sanhedrin, fol. 113, 1, it is said: "When the son of the woman of Sarepta died, Elijah requested that to him might be given the key of the resurrection of the dead. They said to him, there are three KEYS which are not given into the hand of the apostle, the key of life, the key of the rain, and the key of the resurrection of the dead." From these examples it is evident that we should understand αδης, hades, here, not as hell, nor the place of separate spirits, but merely as the grave; and the key we find to be merely the emblem of power and authority. Christ can both save and destroy, can kill and make alive. Death is still under his dominion, and he can recall the dead whensoever he pleases. He is the resurrection and the life.
