Book of Revelation (KJV)
Revelation closes the Bible with the visions given to the Apostle John on the island of Patmos. Read all 22 chapters below in the King James Version, jump to the new heaven and new earth, or use the chapter-by-chapter summary further down. Looking for a specific word or phrase? Search all three translations.
Read Revelation by Chapter
Notable Verses in Revelation
Four verses carry the shape of the book: the title God takes for himself, the knock at the door, the promise of a world without tears, and the same title claimed again by Christ at the end. Each links to its full chapter in the KJV.
God names himself at the outset — Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet — the title the book returns to at its very end.
Revelation 1:8From the letter to Laodicea. The most-quoted verse in the book, though it is addressed to a lukewarm church rather than to outsiders.
Revelation 3:20The promise of the new heaven and new earth — no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain. Revelation's most-searched verse and the one most often read at funerals.
Revelation 21:4Christ takes up the same title God claimed in 1:8, framing the whole book: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
Revelation 22:13Revelation Chapter by Chapter
The book unfolds as four movements — the letters to the churches, the seals and trumpets, the dragon and the beasts, and the return of Christ. Here is what each of the 22 chapters covers, with a link to read it in full.
The vision of Christ and the letters (chapters 1–3)
Revelation 1 — John, exiled on Patmos, sees the risen Christ among seven golden candlesticks and is told to write what he sees.
Revelation 2 — Letters to four churches — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, and Thyatira — each with commendation, rebuke, and promise.
Revelation 3 — Letters to Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, closing with Christ standing at the door and knocking (3:20).
The throne, the seals, and the trumpets (chapters 4–11)
Revelation 4 — John is caught up to a throne in heaven, surrounded by twenty-four elders and four living creatures who never cease to worship.
Revelation 5 — A sealed book that none can open, until the Lamb “as it had been slain” is found worthy to take it.
Revelation 6 — The Lamb opens six of the seven seals, releasing the four horsemen — conquest, war, famine, and death.
Revelation 7 — An interlude: 144,000 of the tribes of Israel are sealed, and a great multitude in white robes stands before the throne.
Revelation 8 — The seventh seal brings silence, then four of seven trumpets sound, striking the earth, sea, rivers, and sky.
Revelation 9 — The fifth and sixth trumpets loose locusts from the bottomless pit and an army from the Euphrates.
Revelation 10 — A mighty angel gives John a little book to eat — sweet in the mouth, bitter in the belly.
Revelation 11 — The two witnesses prophesy, are killed, and rise again; the seventh trumpet declares the kingdoms of this world are Christ's.
The dragon, the beasts, and the vials of wrath (chapters 12–18)
Revelation 12 — A woman, a child, and a great red dragon — war in heaven, and the dragon cast down to the earth.
Revelation 13 — Two beasts arise, one from the sea and one from the earth, and the number of the beast is given: 666.
Revelation 14 — The Lamb stands on Mount Zion with the 144,000; angels announce judgment and the harvest of the earth.
Revelation 15 — Seven angels are given seven last plagues — the vials that fill up the wrath of God.
Revelation 16 — The seven vials are poured out on the earth, culminating at the place called Armageddon.
Revelation 17 — Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, rides a scarlet beast — a mystery the angel explains to John.
Revelation 18 — Babylon falls in a single hour; the merchants and kings of the earth mourn her burning.
Christ's return and the new creation (chapters 19–22)
Revelation 19 — Heaven rejoices at the marriage supper of the Lamb; the faithful rider on the white horse comes to reign.
Revelation 20 — Satan bound a thousand years, then loosed and defeated; the dead judged before the great white throne.
Revelation 21 — A new heaven and new earth, the holy city New Jerusalem, and every tear wiped away (21:4).
Revelation 22 — The river and tree of life, Christ's threefold “I come quickly,” and the closing “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
Key Prophecies and Symbols Explained
Revelation speaks in images. These are the ones readers search for by name, each explained from the text itself.
The seven churches
Chapters 2–3 address seven real congregations in Asia Minor — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Each letter follows the same shape: a title of Christ, a word of praise or rebuke, a warning, and a promise “to him that overcometh.”
The four horsemen
As the Lamb opens the first four seals, four riders go forth: the white horse of conquest, the red horse that takes peace from the earth, the black horse with the balances of famine, and the pale horse whose rider is Death, with Hell following after.
The beast and the number 666
Revelation 13 describes two beasts and gives the number of the first: “Here is wisdom… his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (13:18). The number marks those who worship the beast, in contrast to the sealed servants of God.
Babylon the great
Babylon appears as a woman arrayed in purple and scarlet, “the mother of harlots,” seated on a scarlet beast (chapter 17). Chapter 18 announces her fall in a single hour — a symbol of worldly power set against the city of God.
The New Jerusalem
The book ends not with destruction but with a city: the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven, with gates of pearl and streets of gold, where God dwells with his people and there is no more death, sorrow, or pain (chapter 21).
About the Book of Revelation
Author.The book names its author as John (Revelation 1:1, 1:9), who received the visions while exiled on the island of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Christian tradition identifies him with the Apostle John.
Date. Revelation is most often dated to around AD 95, near the end of the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian, when the churches of Asia Minor faced pressure to conform to emperor worship. Some readers place it earlier, in the AD 60s.
Themes.Its full title is an “apocalypse,” an unveiling. Written to encourage churches under trial, it insists that history is in God’s hands: the Lamb who was slain is worthy to open the sealed book, judgment falls on the powers set against God, and the story ends with a new heaven and new earth where God dwells with his people. It is the only book of the Bible that promises a blessing to those who read it (Revelation 1:3).
Recommended reading
Study Bibles & devotionals
Go deeper than a single verse. These study Bibles and daily devotionals pair well with the topics here — adding context, commentary, and a rhythm for daily reading.
ESV Study Bible
Crossway
Over 20,000 study notes, maps, and articles — the go-to one-volume study Bible for understanding scripture in context.
Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
Tyndale / Zondervan
Notes that connect each passage to everyday life — ideal alongside the topical verses on this page.
Jesus Calling
Sarah Young
A year of short daily devotions written as if Jesus is speaking — a gentle companion to daily scripture reading.
My Utmost for His Highest
Oswald Chambers
The classic daily devotional — 365 readings that have shaped Christian devotion for over a century.
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Keep Exploring
Revelation 21:4 is one of the Bible’s great promises of comfort. Explore it and related themes by subject on the Topics index, or keep reading the New Testament.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Book of Revelation about?
Revelation is the last book of the Bible — an apocalypse, or unveiling, given to the Apostle John. It records a series of visions: the risen Christ walking among seven churches, a throne room in heaven, the opening of seven seals, the sounding of seven trumpets, and the pouring out of seven vials of wrath, before the fall of Babylon, the return of Christ, the final judgment, and a new heaven and new earth. It has 22 chapters and closes the New Testament.
Who wrote the Book of Revelation and when?
The book names its author as John (Revelation 1:1, 1:9), who wrote while exiled on the island of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Christian tradition identifies him with the Apostle John. It is most often dated to around AD 95, near the end of the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian, though some place it earlier.
What does “Alpha and Omega” mean in Revelation?
Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. When God says “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending” (Revelation 1:8), and Christ repeats the title in 22:13, it is a claim to be the first and the last — the one who begins all things and brings them to their end. The phrase frames the entire book.
What is the number 666 in Revelation?
666 is called “the number of the beast” in Revelation 13:18: “Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” In the vision it marks those who worship the beast, standing in contrast to the servants of God who are sealed in their foreheads.