8. The Lord God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the One who is and was and is coming. I am the All-Powerful.”
9. I am John, and I am your brother in Christ. We are together in Jesus, and we share in these things: in suffering, in the kingdom, and in patience. I was on the island of Patmos because I had preached God’s message and the truth about Jesus.
10. On the Lord’s day the Spirit took control of me. I heard a loud voice behind me that sounded like a trumpet.
11. The voice said, “Write what you see and send that book to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12. I turned to see who was talking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands.