Revelation
(the apocalypse of John; Greek word
for revelation...the unveiling of something concealed...is "apocalypsis")
Chapter 1:
1 Prologue. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him [Jesus] to show to His bond-servants [the universal church of Jesus], the things which must shortly [in Greek ="quickly" but not necessarily "soon"] take place; and He sent and communicated it by His [God's] angel to His [Jesus'] bond-servant [self-requested slavery] John,
2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he [John] saw.
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
4 Greetings and Doxology John to the seven churches that are in Asia [this is John's letter's salutation]: Grace to you and peace, from Him [God] who is and who was and who is to come [statement of God's attribute of eternality], and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness [Jesus], the firstborn of the dead [Jesus], and the ruler of the kings of the earth [Jesus]. To Him [Jesus] who loves us and released us from our sins by His [Jesus] blood
6 and He [Jesus] has made us [the Universal Church of Jesus] to be a kingdom, priests to His [Jesus] God and Father [God]; to Him [Jesus] be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, He [Jesus] is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him [Jesus], even those who pierced Him [Jesus]; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him [Jesus]. So it is to be. Amen.
8 "I am the Alpha [the first] and the Omega [the last],'' says the Lord God [God], "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.''
9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was [imprisoned] on the [island between Greece & Turkey] island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice [an angel...a messenger] like the sound of a trumpet,
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.'' [these were literal churches in western Turkey]
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned [repent-like] I saw seven golden lampstands [the Churches, see below];
13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one [Jesus] like a son of man [Jesus...Daniel 7:13], clothed in a robe reaching to the feet [suggesting Jewish clothing of a High Priest], and girded across His [Jesus] chest with a golden sash.
14 His [Jesus] head and His [Jesus] hair were white like white wool [purity], like snow; and His [Jesus] eyes were [Greek...they "shot"] like a flame of fire [flame of fire indicates "judgment"].
15 His [Jesus] feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters [can't be drowned out...Ezekiel 43:2].
16 In His [Jesus] right hand He [Jesus] held seven stars [angels, see below], and out of His [Jesus] mouth came a sharp two-edged sword [the Word of God]; and His [Jesus] face was like the sun shining in its strength.
17 When I saw Him [Jesus], I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He [Jesus] placed His right hand [the righteous hand] on me, saying [a manner of indicating that not everyone could be told this], "Do not be afraid; I [Jesus] am the first and the last [as is God...indicating the Divine Trinity],
18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
19 "Therefore write the things which you have seen [chapter 1], and the things which are [chapters 2&3], and the things which will take place after these things [chapters 4-22].
20 "As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My[Jesus] right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels [messengers to...pastors?] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches [above named].
1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard,
like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, " Come up here, and I will
show
you what must take place after these things."
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and
One sitting on the throne.
3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a
sardius
in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw
twenty-four elders sitting,
clothed in white garments,
and golden crowns on their
heads.
The Throne and Worship of the Creator
5 Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were
seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and
around the throne, four
living creatures full of
eyes in front and behind.
7 The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the
third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a
flying eagle.
8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having
six wings, are full of eyes
around and within; and day
and night they do not cease to say, "
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO
WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME."
9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor
and thanks to Him who sits
on the throne, to Him who
lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who
sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their
crowns before the throne, saying,
11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for
You created all things, and
because of Your will they existed, and were created."
1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a
book
written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book
and to break its seals?"
3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to
look into it.
4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was
found worthy to open the book or to look into it;
5 and one of the elders said to me, "Stop
weeping; behold, the Lion
that is from the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, has
overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals."
6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and
the elders a Lamb standing,
as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which
are the seven Spirits of
God, sent out into all the earth.
7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who
sat on the throne.
8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the
twenty-four elders fell
down before the Lamb, each
one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9 And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were
slain, and purchased for
God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
10 "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our
God; and they will reign
upon the earth."
Angels Exalt the Lamb
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many
angels around the throne
and the living creatures
and the elders; and the
number of them was myriads
of myriads, and thousands of thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain to receive power and
riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and
on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the
Lamb, be blessing and honor
and glory and dominion forever and ever."
14 And the four living creatures kept saying, "
Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped.
1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven
seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come."
2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and
a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
The Second Seal--War
3 When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come."
4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to
take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great
sword was given to him.
The Third Seal--Famine
5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a
black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.
6 And I heard something like a voice in the center
of the four living
creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius,
and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine."
The Fourth Seal--Death
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the
voice of the fourth living
creature saying, "Come."
8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name
Death; and Hades was
following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of
the earth.
The Fifth Seal--Martyrs
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the
altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the
testimony which they had maintained;
10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying,
" How long, O Lord, holy and true, will
You refrain from judging
and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they
should rest for a little
while longer, until the
number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as
they had been, would be completed also.
The Sixth Seal--Terror
12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there
was a great earthquake; and
the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;
13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.
14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and
every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the
commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid
themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;
16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the
presence of Him who sits on
the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;
17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back
the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the
seal of the living God; and
he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
3 saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have
sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads."
The 144,000
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of
Israel:
5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were
sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve
thousand,
6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the
tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the
tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from
the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand
were sealed.
A Multitude from the Tribulation
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great
multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing
before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm
branches were in their hands;
10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
" Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around
the elders and the four
living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
12 saying, "Amen, blessing and glory
and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever
and ever. Amen."
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the
white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?"
14 I said to him, "My lord, you know." And
he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb.
15 "For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they
serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on
the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.
16 "They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on
them, nor any heat;
17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be
their shepherd, and will
guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will
wipe every tear from their eyes."
1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven
trumpets were given to them.
3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a
golden
censer; and much incense was
given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out
of the angel's hand.
5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and
threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an
earthquake.
6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound
them.
7 The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and
a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were
burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel sounded, and something like a
great mountain burning with
fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became
blood,
9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third
of the ships were
destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a
third of the rivers and on the springs of waters.
11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became
wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a
third of the moon and a third of the stars were
struck, so that a third of
them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.
13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in
midheaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to those who
dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!"
1 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the
key of the bottomless pit was
given to him.
2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and
the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.
3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the
scorpions of the earth have power.
4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the
earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to
torment for five months;
and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.
6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees
from them.
7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their
heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of
men.
8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their
teeth were like the teeth of lions.
9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron;
and the sound of their
wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle.
10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their
tails is their power to hurt men for five months.
11 They have as king over them, the angel of the
abyss; his name in Hebrew
is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.
12 The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.
The Sixth Trumpet--Army from the East
13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice
from the four horns of the golden altar
which is before God,
14 one saying to the sixth angel who had the
trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for
the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind.
16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million;
I
heard the number of them.
17 And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates
the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and
out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone.
18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the
fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths.
19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths
and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with
them they do harm.
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these
plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and
the
idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can
neither see nor hear nor walk;
21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their
sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.
1 I saw another strong angel coming down out
of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his
feet like pillars of fire;
2 and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed
his right foot on the sea and his left on the land;
3 and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the
seven peals of thunder uttered their voices.
4 When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I
heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write
them."
5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and
on the land lifted up his
right hand to heaven,
6 and swore by Him who lives
forever and ever, WHO
CREATED HEAVEN AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE EARTH AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE
SEA AND THE THINGS IN IT, that there will be delay no longer,
7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then
the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying,
"Go, take the book
which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land."
9 So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the
little book. And he said to me, "Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will
be sweet as honey."
10 I took the little book out of the angel's hand
and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my
stomach was made bitter.
11 And they said to me, "You must prophesy again concerning
many peoples and nations and tongues and kings."
1 Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and
someone said, "Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and
those who worship in it.
2 "Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for
it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy
city for forty-two months.
3 "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for
twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to
harm them, he must be
killed in this way.
6 These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during
the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and
to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the
abyss will make war with
them, and overcome them and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of
the great city which mystically is called Sodom
and Egypt, where also their
Lord was crucified.
9 Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead
bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.
10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will
send gifts to one another,
because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and
great fear fell upon those who were watching them.
12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to
them, "Come up
here." Then they went
up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.
13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in
the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of
heaven.
14 The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.
The Seventh Trumpet--Christ's Reign Foreseen
15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of
His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."
16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God,
fell on their faces and worshiped God,
17 saying, "We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your
great power and have begun to reign.
18 "And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and
the
time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name,
the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."
19 And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and
the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a
great hailstorm.
1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun,
and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;
2 and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
The Red Dragon, Satan
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red
dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.
4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and
threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave
birth he might devour her
child.
The Male Child, Christ
5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to
rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she
had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
The Angel, Michael
7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the
dragon. The dragon and his
angels waged war,
8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no
longer a place found for them in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and
Satan, who deceives the
whole world; he was thrown
down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the
salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the
accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God
day and night.
11 "And they overcame him because of the
blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
12 "For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you
who dwell in them. Woe to
the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only
a short time."
13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted
the woman who gave birth to the male child.
14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly
into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
15 And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he
might cause her to be swept away with the flood.
16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth
opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his
mouth.
17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and
went off to make war with
the rest of her children,
who keep the commandments of
God and hold to the
testimony of Jesus.
1 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.
Then I saw a beast coming up
out of the sea, having ten
horns and seven heads, and on
his horns were ten diadems,
and on his heads were blasphemous names.
2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of
a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave
him his power and his throne and great authority.
3 I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain,
and his fatal wound was
healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;
4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his
authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"
5 There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for
forty-two months was given to him.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against
God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
7 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over
every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.
8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone
whose name has not been written from the foundation
of the world in the book of
life of the Lamb who has
been slain.
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
10 If anyone is destined for
captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is
the perseverance and the faith of the saints.
The Beast from the Earth
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had
two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.
12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast
in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose
fatal wound was healed.
13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.
14 And he deceives those who dwell on
the earth because of the
signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an
image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
15 And it was given to him to give breath to the
image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as
do not worship the image of
the beast to be killed.
16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the
slaves, to be given a mark
on their right hand or on their forehead,
17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy
or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of
the beast or the number of
his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast,
for the number is that of a
man; and his number is six
hundred and sixty-six.
1 Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on
Mount Zion, and with Him one
hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His
Father written on their
foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the
sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.
3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the
four living creatures and the elders; and no one could
learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.
4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they
have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been
purchased from among men as
first fruits to God and to the Lamb.
5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.
Vision of the Angel with the Gospel
6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having
an
eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;
7 and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and
give Him
glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and
springs of waters."
8 And another angel, a second one, followed, saying,
"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who had made all the nations drink of the
wine of the passion of her immorality."
Doom for Worshipers of the Beast
9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them,
saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his
image, and receives a mark
on his forehead or on his hand,
10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength
in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the
holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
11 "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever;
they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his
image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who
keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying,
"Write, ' Blessed are
the dead who die in the
Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may
rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."
The Reapers
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one
like a son of man, having a
golden crown on His head
and a sharp sickle in His hand.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the
cloud, " Put in your
sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe."
16 Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle
over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.
18 Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from
the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle,
saying, " Put in your
sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe."
19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and
gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.
20 And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and
blood
came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of
two hundred miles.
1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous,
seven angels who had seven
plagues, which are the last,
because in them the wrath of God is finished.
2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had
been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the
sea of glass, holding harps
of God.
3 And they sang the song of Moses, the
bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
"
Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true
are Your ways,
King of the nations!
4
"
Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are
holy;
For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU,
FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED."
5 After these things I looked, and the temple of the
tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened,
6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues
came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes.
7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the
seven angels seven golden
bowls full of the wrath of
God, who lives forever and
ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the
temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
Six Bowls of Wrath
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the
seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God."
2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl
on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people
who had
the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living
thing in the sea died.
4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the
rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "
Righteous are You, who are
and who were, O Holy One,
because You judged these
things;
6 for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them
blood to drink. They deserve it."
7 And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O
Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments."
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun,
and it was given
to it to scorch men with fire.
9 Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they
blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to
give Him glory.
10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the
throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain,
11 and they blasphemed the God of
heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not
repent of their deeds.
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and
its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings
from the east.
Armageddon
13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the
beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like
frogs;
14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the
whole world, to gather them
together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.
15 ("Behold, I am coming like a thief.
Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.")
16 And they gathered them together to the place which
in Hebrew is called
Har-Magedon.
Seventh Bowl of Wrath
17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon
the air, and a loud voice
came out of the temple from
the throne, saying, "
It is done."
18 And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was
a great earthquake, such as
there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake
was it, and so mighty.
19
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.
Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21 And huge hailstones, about one
hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the
plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.
The Doom of Babylon
1
Then one of the seven angels
who had the seven bowls came
and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the judgment of the
great
harlot who sits on many
waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and
those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality."
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit
into a
wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having
seven heads and ten horns.
4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and
pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,
5 and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, " BABYLON THE
GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I
saw her, I wondered greatly.
7 And the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder?
I will tell you the mystery
of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 "
The beast that you saw was,
and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss
and go to destruction. And
those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life
from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.
9 "
Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,
10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes,
he must remain a little while.
11 "The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he
goes to destruction.
12 "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but
they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
13 "These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
Victory for the Lamb
14 "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will
overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of
kings, and those who are
with Him are the called and
chosen and faithful."
15 And he said to me, "The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are
peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
16 "And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make
her desolate and naked, and will eat her
flesh and will burn her up
with fire.
17 "For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by
having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the
words of God will be fulfilled.
18 "The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."
1 After these things I saw another angel
coming down from
heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory.
2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying,
" Fallen, fallen is
Babylon the great! She has
become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 "For all the nations have drunk of the
wine of the
passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the
merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality."
4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "
Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and
receive of her plagues;
5 for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has
remembered her iniquities.
6 "
Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her
deeds; in the cup which she
has mixed, mix twice as much for her.
7 "
To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says
in her heart, ' I SIT as A
QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.'
8 "For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she
will be burned up with
fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.
Lament for Babylon
9 "And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and
lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning,
10
standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, '
Woe, woe, the great city,
Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'
11 "And the merchants of the earth weep
and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more--
12 cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and
silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and
every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble,
13 and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume
and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and
sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives.
14 "The fruit you long for has gone from you,
and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and
men will no longer find them.
15 "The merchants of these things,
who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,
16 saying, '
Woe, woe, the great city,
she who was clothed in fine
linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and
pearls;
17 for in one hour such great wealth has been laid
waste!' And every
shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by
the sea, stood at a
distance,
18 and were crying out as they saw the
smoke of her burning, saying, '
What city is like the great
city?'
19 "And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, '
Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in
one hour she has been laid waste!'
20 "
Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because
God has pronounced judgment for you against her."
21 Then a strong angel took up a
stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will
Babylon, the great city, be
thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.
22 "And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be
heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any
longer; and the sound of a
mill will not be heard in you any longer;
23 and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any
longer; and the voice of
the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived
by your sorcery.
24 "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of
all who have been slain on the earth."
1 After these things I saw another angel
coming down from
heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory.
2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying,
" Fallen, fallen is
Babylon the great! She has
become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the
passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the
merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality."
4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "
Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and
receive of her plagues;
5 for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has
remembered her iniquities.
6 "
Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her
deeds; in the cup which she
has mixed, mix twice as much for her.
7 "
To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says
in her heart, ' I SIT as A
QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.'
8 "For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she
will be burned up with
fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.
Lament for Babylon
9 "And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and
lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning,
10
standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, '
Woe, woe, the great city,
Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'
11 "And the merchants of the earth weep
and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more--
12 cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and
silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and
every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble,
13 and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume
and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and
sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives.
14 "The fruit you long for has gone from you,
and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and
men will no longer find them.
15 "The merchants of these things,
who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,
16 saying, '
Woe, woe, the great city,
she who was clothed in fine
linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and
pearls;
17 for in one hour such great wealth has been laid
waste!' And every
shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by
the sea, stood at a
distance,
18 and were crying out as they saw the
smoke of her burning, saying, '
What city is like the great
city?'
19 "And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, '
Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in
one hour she has been laid waste!'
20 "
Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because
God has pronounced judgment for you against her."
21 Then a strong angel took up a
stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will
Babylon, the great city, be
thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.
22 "And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be
heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any
longer; and the sound of a
mill will not be heard in you any longer;
23 and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any
longer; and the voice of
the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived
by your sorcery.
24 "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of
all who have been slain on the earth."
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the
key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and
bound him for a thousand years;
3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and
sealed
it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed;
after these things he must be released for a short time.
4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on
them, and judgment was
given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their
testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the
mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned
with Christ for a thousand years.
5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until
the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
6
Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these
the second death has no
power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Satan Freed, Doomed
7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will
be released from his
prison,
8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the
four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather
them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.
9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the
camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came
down from heaven and devoured them.
10 And the devil who deceived them
was thrown into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet
are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment at the Throne of God
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence
earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and
books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead
were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it,
and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them
according to their deeds.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into
the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone's name was not found written in
the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for
the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any
sea.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven
from God, made ready as a
bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying,
"Behold, the tabernacle
of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among
them ,
4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and
there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;
the first things have passed away."
5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am
making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
6 Then He said to me, "
It is done. I am the Alpha
and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the
water of life without cost.
7 "
He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
8 "
But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral
persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the
second death."
9
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "
Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
The New Jerusalem
10 And he carried me away
in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a
stone of crystal-clear
jasper.
12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve
gates, and at
the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of
the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.
13 There were three gates on the east and three
gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring
rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall.
16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length
is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.
17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was
pure gold, like clear glass.
19
The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious
stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth,
emerald;
20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the
tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls;
each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent
glass.
22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the
Lamb are its temple.
23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for
the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there)
its gates will never be
closed;
26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;
27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come
into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
1 Then he showed me a river of the
water of life, clear as
crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
2 in the middle of its street. On either side of
the river was the tree of
life, bearing twelve kinds of
fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations.
3
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will
serve Him;
4 they will see His face, and His name
will be on their foreheads.
5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need
of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will
illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
6 And he said to me, " These
words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets,
sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take
place.
7 "And behold, I am coming quickly.
Blessed is he who heeds the
words of the prophecy of this book."
8
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw,
I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
9 But he said to me, "Do not do that. I am a
fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed
the words of this book.
Worship God."
The Final Message
10 And he said to me, "
Do not seal up the words of
the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
11 "
Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be
filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the
one who is holy, still keep himself holy."
12 "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My
reward is with Me, to
render to every man according to what he has done.
13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
first and the last, the
beginning and the end."
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to
the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the
city.
15
Outside are the dogs and
the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and
everyone who loves and practices lying.
16 "
I, Jesus, have sent My
angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the
root and the descendant of
David, the bright morning
star."
17 The Spirit and the bride say,
"Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the
water of life without cost.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone
adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
19 and if anyone takes away from the words
of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city,
which are written in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes,
I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.