In chapter one, the mysteries behind John’s (Yochanan) vision are lost in translation. In Revelation 1:11, we find an omission on most English translations. This subtraction from the original text has led to a misunderstanding of the intent and power of the narrative.
This verse contains Messiah’s command for Yochanan to write it down for the seven Messianic Communities in Asia Minor. Unfortunately, the opening declaration in verse eleven isn’t translated. Instead, the phrase is a casualty of the book’s Latin and Greek interpretations.
Consider the following popular translations;
New International Version
11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
New American Standard Bible
11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
English Standard Version
11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
New Living Translation
11 It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
The King James Version and New King James Version have the opening phrase, albeit incorrect.
11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
While the latter versions partially translated it correctly, a lack of understanding replaced what was thought to be redundant. When we study the earliest Hebrew manuscripts predating the King James Version, the same declaration by Messiah Jesus appears in all.
The proper translation should include, “I am the Aleph. It is me.”
Revelation 1:11 From The Hebrew
11 And saying, “I am the Aleph. It is Me. Write down what you see on a scroll, and send it to the seven Messianic communities — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea!”
| Revelation 1:11 in Hebrew |
|---|
| וַיּׂאמֶר אֲנִי הָאָלֶף וַאֲנִי |
V’omer Ani HaAlef v’ani. אֲנִי הָאָלֶף וַאֲנִיַיּׂאמֶר I am The Beginning and I am.
Yochanan begins his letter with the affirmation that his vision is first, from “The Beginning.” In this particular case, The Beginning is a noun. It references the latter as a name for Messiah Jesus, The Aleph. Jesus finishes his re-introduction by saying v’ani, or literally, I am.
It is essential to understand that this is not to be confused with His introduction to Moses, often translated as “I am that I Am.”
Revelation 1:11 – אֲנִי הָאָלֶף וַאֲנִי
אֲנִי Ani – “I am”
Exodus 3:14 – אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֔ה אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה וַיֹּ֤אמֶ
אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה Eyeh – “I am” or better, “I will be”
In REV 1:11, the repetition of the word Ani is an exclamation point. Here Messiah Jesus is telling Yochanan that He is the One True G-d. The phrase, “it is me,” reveals what Yochanan wrote in his Gospel in Chapter One.
John 1:1 In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things came to be through Him, and without Him, nothing made had being.
Messiah not only confirms John’s written claim in JN 1:1, but He validates Yochanan’s claim that Jesus is TORAH. This claim will be further explained in the article “Torah, The Beginning.” The statement, “I am The Beginning, It is Me,” directly references Jesus’ foreordained gospel before the earth’s foundation. As Moses asked, “What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” (EX 3:13) G-d answers the question before asked. Yochanan tells the Seven Messianic Communities that The Beginning has commanded and sent him to proclaim the truth.