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¹ THE BOOK OF REVELATION Introduction of the Book The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to God’sa servants. These things have to happen soon, and Jesusb has pointed to them by sending his angel to his servant John.

² John has testified to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ: to everythingc he saw.

³ A blessing ond the person that reads out the words of this prophecy! And a blessing on those who hear it, and hold onto the things written in it! Because the time is near.

⁴ Greeting, Blessing, and Prophetic Prayer From John, to the seven Christian communities that are in Asia.e Grace and peace to you, from the One who is, and was, and is coming,f And from the seven spirits that are in front of God’s throne,

⁵ And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the leader of the rulers of the earth. He’s the oneg who loved us and freed us from our sins by his blood.

⁶ He has made us a royal realm, and priests to his God and Father. May he get the gloryh and the power, forever and ever! Amen!

⁷ Look! He’s coming with the clouds,i. And every eye will see him- Even the people that pierced him; And all the tribes of the earth will cry bitterlyj over him.k. Yes, amen.

⁸ “I’m the Alpha and the Omega,”l says the Sovereign God, “the One who is, and was, and is coming:m the All Powerful”.

⁹ John’s Vision of Christ I, John, am your brother and companion in the affliction, and the royal realm, and the endurance that are in Jesus. I ended upn on the island called Patmos,o because of the word of God and my testimony for Jesus.p

¹⁰ I found myselfq in the Spirit on the Lord’sr day. And I heard a loud sound behind me, like a trumpet.

¹¹ It said, “Write down what you see in a book, and send it to the seven Christian communities: to Ephesus,s Smyrna,t Pergamum,u Thyatira,v Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea”.w

¹² And I turned around to see whox was talking to me. When I turned around, I saw seven gold lampstands.y

¹³ Among the lampstands was something like a human being.z He wore a full-length robe,aa and had a gold belt around his chest.bb

¹⁴ His head and hair were white like white wool-like snow. His eyes were like a flaming fire,cc

¹⁵ and his feet were like fine bronze-like metal fired in a furnace.dd And his voice was like the sound of a roaring waterfall.ee

¹⁶ He had in his right hand seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword.ff His face was like the sun shining at its full intensity.

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. And he laid his hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m the first and the last,gg

¹⁸ the Living One. I was dead, buthh look-I’m alive, forever and ever!ii I have the keys of Death and Hades.jj

¹⁹ So write what you see: what is, and what’s about to happenkk after this.

²⁰ Here’s the secret of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven gold lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven communities, and the seven lampstands are the seven communities.ll

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¹ Christ’s Letter to Ephesus To the angel of the community in Ephesus,a write this: The one who’s holding the seven stars in his right hand, the one who’s walking among the seven gold lampstands, says this:b

² I know the things you’rec doing, and your hard work and your perseverance. And I know that you can’t stand bad people, and that you’ve tested people who are calling themselves apostles,d but aren’t-and you’ve found out that they’re fake.e

³ And you have perseverance, and you’ve carried on because of my name, and haven’t given up.

⁴ But I do have something against you: you’ve gone away from the love you had at first.f

⁵ So remember the place you’ve fallen from, and change your heart.g Do the things you did at first. Now, if you don’t-I’m coming to you,h and I’m going to move your lampstand out of its place unless you change your heart.i

⁶ However, you do have this: you hate the things the Nicolaitansj do, which I hate, too.

⁷ Whoever has ears, let ‘em heark what the Spirit says to the communities. To the person who wins this battle, I’m going to give the gift of eating from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.l

⁸ Christ’s Letter to Smyrna To the angel of the community in Smyrna,m write this: The first and the last, who was dead and came to life, says this:

⁹ I know your distressn and your poverty. But you’re rich! And I know the insults you’ve faced from those who call themselves Jews, and they’re not-they’re just the opposite: a synagogueo of Satan.

¹⁰ Don’t be afraid of anything you’re about to go through. You see, the devil is going to throw some of you in prison, so that you’ll be tested out. You’re going to have distress for ten days. Be faithful right up to death, and I’ll give you the crown of Life.

¹¹ Whoever has ears, let ‘em hear what the Spirit says to the communities. The person who wins this battle won’t ever be hurt by the second death.p

¹² Christ’s Letter to Pergamum To the angel of the community in Pergamum,q write this: The one who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:

¹³ I know where you live, where Satan’s throne is. And you’re holding on to my name, and you haven’t denied your faith in mer.-even in the time of Antipas,s my trustworthy witness, your member who was killed where Satan lives.t

¹⁴ However, I do have a little something against you: you have people who hold to the teaching of Balaamu there. He was teaching Balakv to put stumbling blocks in front of the children of Israel:w he got them to eat meat offered to idols,x and to be sexual immoral.

¹⁵ You also have people just like that, who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.y

¹⁶ So change your heart!z If you don’t, I’m coming to you soon, and I’m going to fight them with the sword of my mouth.

¹⁷ Whoever has ears, let ‘em hear what the Spirit says to the communities. I’m going to give the person who wins this battle some of the hidden manna.aa And I’m going to give them a white stone. On that stone there’ll be written a name that nobody knows except the person that receives it.bb

¹⁸ Christ’s Letter to Thyatira To the angel of the community in Thyatira,cc write this: The Son of God, whose eyes are a flaming fire,dd and whose feet are like shining bronze, says this:

¹⁹ I know the things you’re doing.ee And I know your love, and faith, and service, and your perseverance. And I know that you’ve done more recently than you did in the beginning.ff

²⁰ However, I have something against you: you tolerate that person Jezebel.gg She calls herself a prophet, and she teaches and deceives my servants. She gets them to be sexually immoral, and to eat meat offered to idols.

²¹ I’ve given her time to change her heart,hh and she doesn’t want to change her heart aboutii her sexual immorality.

²² See, I’m going to send her to bed sick. And I’m going to send the people who’ve broken their marriage vows with her into a major time of trouble,jj if they don’t turn away from the things she does.kk

²³ And I’m going to kill her children with plague. All the communities are going to know that I’m the one who examines thoughtsll and hearts, and that I’m going to give each of you what your actions deserve.mm

²⁴ Now, I have something to say to the rest of you in Thyatira: whoever doesn’t hold this teaching, and hasn’t known the so-called “deep things of Satan”. I’m not putting any other burden on you than this:

²⁵ hold on to what you have until I come.

²⁶ The person who wins this battle, who keeps doing my worknn to the end, I’m going to give them authority over the nations,

²⁷ And they’re going to shepherd them with an iron staff. The nations will be like clay pots getting smashed.oo. This is the same authority as I have from my Father.

²⁸ I’m also going to give them the morning star.pp

²⁹ Whoever has ears, let ‘em hear what the Spirit says to the communities.

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¹ Christ’s Letter to Sardis To the angel of the community in Sardis, write this: The one who has the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this: I know the things you’re doing-how you have the reputationa of being alive, butb you’re dead.

² Wake up! Strengthen what’s left, that’s been just about to die. Because I’ve found you haven’t followed through on your actionsc in the presence of my God.

³ So remember what you’ve been given to do. Obey what you’ve heard, and change your heart!d If you don’t wake up, I’m going to come like a burglare.-and you’re never going to know at what moment I’m coming to you.

⁴ However, youf have a few peopleg in Sardis that haven’t gotten their clothes dirty. They’re going to walk with me in white, because they’re worthy of it.

⁵ The person who wins this battle will alsoh be clothed in white, and I’m never going to erase their name out of the Book of Life.i I’m going to say their name proudlyj in front of my Father, and in front of his angels.

⁶ Whoever has ears, let ‘em hear what the Spirit says to the communities.

⁷ Christ’s Letter to Philadelphia To the angel of the community in Philadelphia, write this: The Holy One, the True One, who has “the key of David, who opens, and nobody shuts, and who shuts, and nobody opens,”k says this:

⁸ I know the things you’re doing. Look: I’ve opened a door in front of you, a door that nobody can shut. I know that you have just a little strength, yet you’ve obeyed my teaching, and you haven’t denied my name.

⁹ Look: I’m giving you some people from the synagoguel of Satan: those who call themselves Jews, but they aren’t-they’re lying. See, I’m going to have them come, and they’re going to bow down at your feet and realizem that I’ve loved you.

¹⁰ Because you’ve persevered in obeying my teaching,n I’m going to keep you safe from the time of testing that’s about to come on the whole world. It’s going to test the people that live on the earth.

¹¹ I’m coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that nobody takes your crown.

¹² I’m going to make the winner in this battle a pillar in the temple of my God. They’ll never go outside it ever again. And I’m going to write on them the name of my God, and the name of the City of my God, the New Jerusalem, that is coming down out of heaven from my God, and my new name.o

¹³ Whoever has ears, let ‘em hear what the Spirit says to the communities.

¹⁴ Christ’s Letter to Laodicea To the angel of the community in Laodicea,p write this: This is what the Amen says, who’s the faithful and true witness, the starting pointq of God’s creation.

¹⁵ I know what you’re doing. You’re not cool, and you’re not hot.

¹⁶ So, since you’re lukewarm, and you’re neither cool nor hot, I’m about to spit you out of my mouth!

¹⁷ Because you’re saying, “I’m rich,” and “I’m already wealthy,” and “I don’t need anything"—and you don’t know you’re the one that’s destitute,r miserable, poor, blind, and naked!s

¹⁸ I advise you to buy from me gold that’s been refined by fire. Then you’ll be rich. And buy white clothes from me, so that you can put them on. That way, your embarrassing nakedness won’t be made public.t And buy eye ointment from me, so that you can see.

¹⁹ I challengeu and discipline everyone that I love. So get serious and change your heart.v

²⁰ Look! I’m standing at your door, and I’m knocking. If somebody hears my voice and opens the door, I’ll come in with them and I’ll eat with them, and they’ll eat with me.

²¹ To the winner of this battle I’m going to give the gift of sitting down with me on my throne. In the same way, I won the battle, and I sat down with my Father on his throne.

²² Whoever has ears, let ‘em hear what the Spirit says to the communities.

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¹ The One Sitting on the Throne After that I looked, and I sawa an open door in the sky.b And the first voice that I’d heard, that sounded like a trumpet talking to me, was saying, “Come up here, and I’ll show you what has to happen after this”.c

² Right away I was in the Spirit. And I sawd a throne standing in heaven. Someone was sitting on the throne.

³ To look at, the One sitting on it was like a crystal of quartz, or red quartz.e And there was a halo around the throne, that was like an emerald to look at.

⁴ Surrounding the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four ancient ones. They were dressed in white robes, and gold crowns were on their heads.

⁵ And from the throne came flashes of lightning, and sounds,f and rumblings of thunder. There were seven lamps in front of the throne, with fire burning in them. Those are the seven Spirits of God.g

⁶ And in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, something like ice.h Right there with the throne, surrounding it,i were four living creatures.j They were filled with eyes all over, in front and behind.

⁷ The first creature was like a lion; the second was like a calf; the third had a face like that of a human being; and the fourth was like a flying eagle.

⁸ Each one of the four living creatures had six wings, filled with eyes all over, on top and underneath.k Day and night, they never stop saying, Holy! Holy! Holy! The Sovereign God, the All Powerful! The One who was, and is, and is coming!l

⁹ And every time the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the One sitting on the throne-the One who lives forever and ever-

¹⁰ then the twenty-four ancient ones bow down to the ground in front of the One sitting on the throne. They worship the One who lives forever and ever. And they throw down their crowns in front of the throne, and say,

¹¹ Our Sovereign and God, You’re worthy to receive the glory, the honor and the power! Because you created everything. It was because of your decisionm that everything existedn and was created.

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¹ The Scroll and the Lamb In the right hand of the One sitting on the throne, I saw a scroll. It had writing on the inside and the outside,a and it was sealed with seven seals.

² And I saw a powerful angel announcing with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open this scroll, and to break its seals?”

³ Nobody could-nobody in heaven, on the earth, or under the earth. Nobody could open the scroll or even look at it.

⁴ And I was crying bitterly, because there was nobody found worthy to open the scroll or even look at it.

⁵ One of the ancient ones said to me, “Don’t cry. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah,b the Root of David,c has won the battle to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶ And I saw, right there withd the throne and the four living creatures, right there withe the ancient ones, a Lamb standing there. It looked as though it had been slaughtered. It had seven horns and seven eyes. (Those are the sevenf Spirits of God, that are sent out all over the earth.)g

⁷ The Lamb came and took the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne.

⁸ When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four ancient ones got down on their knees and bowed low in front of the Lamb. Each of them had a harp, and golden bowls full of incense. (They’re the prayers of the holy ones.)h

⁹ They sang a new song, like this:i. You’re worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals, Because you were sacrificed,j. And by your blood, you’ve purchased for God people from every tribe, language, people, and nation!

¹⁰ You’ve made them a royal realm, and priests for our Godk.- And they’re going to rule on the earth!

¹¹ And I looked, and I heard the sound of many angels all around the throne and the four living creatures and the ancient ones. There were millions and millions, hundreds of millions of them.l

¹² They were singing with a loud voice: The Lamb who was slaughtered is worthy! Worthy to receive allm power, wealth, wisdom, and strength, Honor, glory, and praise!n

¹³ And I heard all creation-what’s in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and in the ocean,o and everything in them all-they were singing: To the One sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb, May allp blessing, honor, glory, and power, be given, forever and ever!

¹⁴ And the four living creatures were saying, “Amen!” And the ancient ones got down on their knees, bowed low, and worshiped.

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¹ The Seven Seals And as I watched,a the Lamb opened one of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures shout like thunder, “Come!”

² And I looked, and suddenly there wasb a white horse, and its rider had a bow. He was given a crown, and he went out to be a conqueror and to win battles.

³ When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature shout, “Come!”

⁴ And another horse went out-a red one. Its rider was given permission to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one other. A great sword was given to him.

⁵ When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature shout, “Come!” And I looked, and suddenly there wasc a black horse, and its rider had a weighing scale in his hand.

⁶ And I heard something like a voice coming from where the four living creatures were.d It was saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wage, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wage! Bute don’t harm the oil and the wine!”

⁷ When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature shout, “Come!”

⁸ And I looked, and suddenly there wasf a sickly pale horse, and its rider’s name is Death, and Hadesg went with him.h They were given authority over one quarter of the earth. They could kill with the sword, with famine, with plague, and with the wild animals of the earth.

⁹ When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw, underneath the altar of sacrifice, the souls of those who’d been slaughteredi because of the word of God, and because of the testimony that they’d maintained.

¹⁰ They called out in a loud voice, “How long, O Sovereign One, holy and true? When will you hold a trial? When will you get justice for our murderj from the people who live on the earth?”

¹¹ Each of them was given a white robe. And they were told to restk a little while longer-until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, had been reached. Their brothers and sisters were about to be killed, just as they’d been.

¹² And I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a huge earthquake. The sun went dark, as if it had been covered by sackcloth made of goat hair.l The whole moon went blood-red.m

¹³ And the stars fell out of heaven onto the earth, just like when a fig tree drops its unripe figs when it’s shaken by a powerful wind.

¹⁴ And the skyn was split apart like a scroll curling up. And every mountain and island was thrown out of place.o

¹⁵ And the rulers of the earth, and the influential, and the commanders, and the rich, and the powerful,p and every slave and free person,q hid themselves. They hid in caves, and among the rocks in the mountains.

¹⁶ They said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us! Hide usr from the Ones who sits on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb!

¹⁷ Because the great day of theirt anger has come. Who can stand in front of them?”

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¹ The 144,000 from the Twelve Tribes of Israel After that, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds, so that no wind would blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.

² And I saw another angel coming up from the east, where the sun rises. The angel had the seal of the Living God. He shouted in a loud voice. He said to the angels who’d been given permission to harm the earth and the ocean,a

³ “Don’t harm the earth or the oceanb or the trees, until we seal our God’s servants on their foreheads.

⁴ I heard the number of those who were sealed: one hundred and forty-four thousand. They were sealed from every tribe of the children of Israel:

⁵ Twelve thousand from the tribe of Judah, Twelve thousand from the tribe of Ruben, Twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad,

⁶ Twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, Twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali,c Twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh,d

⁷ Twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, Twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, Twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar,e

⁸ Twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun,f Twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, Twelve thousand from the tribe of Benjamin.

⁹ The Huge Crowd from Every Nation After that I looked, and I saw a huge crowd-so big that nobody could ever count it. There were people from all nations, tribes, peoples and languages, standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes, and there were palm branches in their hands.

¹⁰ They shouted with a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb!

¹¹ And all the angels were standing all around the throne, together with the ancient ones and the four living creatures. They fell on their faces in front of the throne, and worshiped God.

¹² They said, Amen! May blessing, glory, and wisdom, And thanks, honor, power, and strength Be given to our God, forever and ever! Amen!

¹³ And one of the ancient ones spoke up and said to me, “Who are these people in white robes, and where have they come from?”

¹⁴ I said to him, “Sir, you know the answer”. And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great time of distress.g They’ve washed their robes, and they’ve made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵ That’s why they’re in front of God’s throne. They’re going to serve God day and night in God’s temple. And the One who sits on the throne is going to shelter them.h

¹⁶ They won’t be hungry or thirsty ever again, and the sun won’t beat down on them, or any heat.i

¹⁷ Because the Lamb who’s right there at the throne will be their shepherd. And he’ll guide them to springs of flowing water.j And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.k

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¹ The Seventh Seal and the Golden Incense Burner When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

² And I saw the seven angels that stand in front of God,a and they were given seven trumpets.

³ And another angel came and stood at the altar. He had a gold incense burner. He was given a lot of incense to add to the prayers of all the holy ones. Their prayers are on the golden altar that’s in front of the throne.

⁴ And the smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand in front of God, together with the prayers of the holy ones.b

⁵ The angel took the incense burner and filled it with coals from the fire on the altar-and he threw it onto the earth. And there were rumblings of thunder, sounds, lightning flashes, and an earthquake.

⁶ The Seven Trumpets And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets got ready to blow them.

⁷ The first angel blew his trumpet. And there was hail and fire, mixed with blood, and it was thrown onto the earth. And a third of the earth burned up, and a third of the trees burned up, and all the green grass burned up.

⁸ The second angel blew his trumpet. And something like a huge mountain, all on fire,c was thrown into the ocean.d And a third of the oceane turned to blood,

⁹ and a third of the living creaturesf that live in the oceang died. And a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel blew his trumpet. And a huge star fell out of heaven, burning like a torch. And it fell on a third of the rivers and springs.h

¹¹ The name of that star is Poison.i And a third of the water sourcesj turned to poison,k and lots of people died from the water, because the water sources had become poisonous.l

¹² The fourth angel blew his trumpet. And a th2ird of the sun was hit, and also a third of the moon, and a third of the stars. And a third of them went dark. And the daytime lost a third of its light, and so did the night.m

¹³ And I looked, and I heard a single eagle flying up high in the sky.n It was saying in a loud voice, “Horrible, horrible, horrible things are coming for the people who live on the earth!o Here comep the final trumpet blasts, from the three angels who’re about to sound them!”

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¹ The fifth angel blew his trumpet. And I saw a star that had fallen out of heaven onto the earth. It was given the key to the well that leads to the bottomless pit.

² The star unlocked the well that leads to the bottomless pit, and smoke came up out of the well-like smoke from a huge furnace. And the sun and the air went dark with the smoke from the well.

³ Out of the smoke, grasshoppersa came onto the earth. They were given stinging power like the stinging power of scorpions.b

⁴ They were toldc not to harm the crops on the earth, or any green plant or tree-only the people who didn’t have God’s seal on their foreheads.

⁵ They weren’t given permission to kill them, but only to torment them, for five months. Their torture is like the torture that a scorpion sting causes a person.d

⁶ In those days, people will be searching for death, and they won’t be able to find it. They’ll be desperate for death, but death will escape from them.

⁷ The appearance of these grasshoppers was like horses armed for battle. On their heads they had crowns that looked like gold. And their faces were like human faces.

⁸ They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.

⁹ They had breastplates that looked like iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of lots of horses and chariots charginge into battle.

¹⁰ And they have tails, and stings, like scorpions. Their power to harm people with their tails lasts for five months.f

¹¹ For their ruler, they have the angel of the bottomless pit. In Hebrew, his name is “Abaddon,”g “Destruction”. In Greek, he has the name “Apollyon,”h “Destroyer”.

¹² The first horrible thing is over-there are still two more to come.i

¹³ The sixth angel blew his trumpet. And I heard a single voice, coming from the horns of the golden altar that’s in front of God.

¹⁴ It was saying to the sixth angel who had a trumpet, “Set free the four angels who are tied up at the great Euphratesj river.

¹⁵ And the four angels were set free. They were all readyk for that exact hour, day, month, and year. They were to kill one third of the human race.l

¹⁶ The number of their armed horsemen was two hundred million. I heard the number.m

¹⁷ This is how I saw the horses and their riders in the vision: their breastplates were flame red, dark blue, and yellow.n The heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur.

¹⁸ A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues: the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur, that came out of their mouths.

¹⁹ Because the destructive power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails. Because their tails are like snakes that have heads, and they do damage with them.

²⁰ The rest of the human race, that didn’t get killed by these plagues, didn’t turn away from the things they were doing.o They wouldn’tp stop worshiping the demons, and their idols of gold, silver, copper,q stone, and wood. Those things can’t even see or hear or walk!

²¹ They didn’t turn awayr from their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thievery.

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¹ The Powerful Angel with a Little Scroll And I saw another angel-a powerful one. He was coming down from heaven, surrounded bya a cloud. A rainbow was around his head, and his face was like the sun. His feet were like fiery pillars,

² and he had a little scroll open in his hand. And he put his right foot down on the sea and his left foot on land.

³ And he shouted with a loud voice, like the roaring of a lion. When he shouted, the seven thunderclaps spoke too.b

⁴ When the seven thunderclaps spoke, I was about to write, butc I heard a voice from heaven that said, “Put a seal on the things that the seven thunderclaps said-don’t write them down.”

⁵ And the angel that I saw standing on the sea and the land raised his right hand to heaven.

⁶ He swore, by the One who lives forever and ever,d who created heaven, and everything in it,e and the earth, and everything in it, and the ocean,f and everything in it.g. He swore that there would be no more delay at all.

⁷ During the time when the seventh angel is just about to blow his trumpet,h theni God’s secret plan will be finished-just as God told the good news to God’s own servants, the prophets.j

⁸ The voice I’d heard from heaven spoke with me again, and said, “Go take the little scroll that’s open in the right hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land”.

⁹ And I went off to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take this and eat the whole thing”.

¹⁰ It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. Butk when I swallowedl it, I got a stomach ache.m

¹¹ And they said to me, “You have to prophesy again, about lots of peoples, nations, languages, and rulers.

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¹ The Two Witnesses I was given a measuring stick,a like a rod. The angel said, “Get up and measure the Temple, and the people praying there.

² Leave out the outer court-don’t measure that.b Because it’s been given to the Gentiles:c they’re going to trample on the Holy Cityd for forty-two months.

³ I’m going to give my two witnesses authority to prophesye for twelve hundred and sixty days,f dressed in sackcloth.g

⁴ These two are the two olive trees, the two lampstands, that stand in the presence of the Sovereign of the earth.h

⁵ If somebody tries to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and burns up their enemies. If anybody’s going to try to harm them, that’s how they have to die.

⁶ These two have the authority to shut up the sky, so that no rain will fall during the time that they’re prophesying. They have authority over the water sources,i to turn them into blood. They also have authority to strike the earth with anyj plague, as often as they want.

⁷ When they’ve finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will go to war against them. He’s going to defeat them and kill them.

⁸ And their bodies will lie in the main street of the great city. In spiritual terms, it’s called Sodom and Egypt. It’s where their Lord was crucified.

⁹ For three and a half days, people from all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations are going to see their bodies lying there. And the authoritiesk aren’t going to let their bodies be buried.l

¹⁰ The people who live on the earth are going to celebrate over them-they’re going to be very happy, and they’re going to give each other presents. Because these two prophets had tormented the people that live on the earth.

¹¹ Butm after three and a half days, life-breath from God came into them, and they stood up on their feet. And terrible fear came on those who were looking at them.

¹² And they heard a loud voice from heaven, telling them, “Come up here!” And they went up into heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched.n

¹³ Right then,o there was a huge earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand peoplep died, and the rest were frightened, and gave glory to the God of heaven.q

¹⁴ The second horrible thing is over-the third is coming quickly.r

¹⁵ The Seventh Trumpet The seventh angel blew his trumpet. And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The rulership of this world now belongs to our Sovereign God,s and to God’s Christ! He’s going to reign forever and ever!”

¹⁶ And the twenty-four ancient ones, who are sitting on their thrones in front of God, fell on their faces and worshiped God. They were

¹⁷ saying, We thank you, Sovereign, All Powerful God, Who is and who was,t Because you’ve taken your great power and have begun to rule.

¹⁸ The nations were angry, And your anger came, And the time came to judge the dead, And to give rewards to your servants the prophets, And to the holy ones, And to those who revere your name, the weak and the powerful,u. And to destroy those who are destroying the earth.

¹⁹ And the temple of God in heaven opened up, and the ark of the covenantv appeared in God’s sanctuary. There were lightning flashes, sounds, rumblings of thunder, an earthquake, and a huge hailstorm.

12

¹ The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon An awesome miraclea appeared in heaven: a woman, surrounded byb the sun. The moon was under her feet. And on her head was a crown of twelve stars.

² She was pregnant, and cried out with her labor pains, and with the agony of giving birth.c

³ Another awesome miracled appeared in heaven: there was a huge red dragon, that had seven heads and ten horns. On its heads were seven royal crowns.

⁴ And his tail swept up a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he could eat her child.

⁵ And she gave birth to her child, a boy. He’s the one who is going to “shepherd all the nations with an iron staff.”e The child was snatched away to God, to God’s throne.

⁶ And the woman ran away into the wilderness. In the wilderness, she has a place prepared for her by God. That way, they can care for her needs for twelve hundred and sixty days.

⁷ The Dragon is Thrown Down to Earth And there was a war in heaven. Michaelf and his angels were at war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought,

⁸ but he wasn’t powerful enough. They weren’t allowed to be in heaven anymore.g

⁹ The great dragon was thrown down. He’s the ancient serpent,h who’s called the devil and Satan.i He’s the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now the salvation, the power, and the rulership of our God have come! Because the one who accuses our brothers and sisters has been thrown down. He’s the one who accuses them day and night in front of our God.

¹¹ Our brothers and sisters have won the battle with him-because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the testimony that they have givenj.-they didn’t even love their lives in the face of death.k

¹² Because of that, be joyful, you heavens,l and those who live in them! But it’s going to be horrible for the earth and the sea: because the devil has come down to you. He’s totally furious, because he knows that he only has a little more time.

¹³ When the dragon saw that he’d been thrown down to the earth, he went afterm the woman who’d given birth to the boy child.

¹⁴ And the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle. That way she could fly to the wilderness, to her special place. There she’d be taken care of for a time, times, and half a time. She’d be out of the reach ofn the serpent.

¹⁵ The serpent spat water out of his mouth after the woman-like a river, so that he could flood her out.

¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman. She opened her mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had spat out of his mouth.

¹⁷ And the dragon was angry at the woman, and went off to attacko the rest of her offspring: those who keep God’s commands and hold the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the beachp at the ocean.q

13

¹ A Beast Comes out of the Ocean And I saw, coming up out of the ocean,a a beast with ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten royal crowns, and on his heads were blasphemousb names.c

² The beast that I saw was like a leopard, but his feet were like a bear’s feet. His mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave his power and his throne to the beast, and great authority.

³ And it was as though one of the beast’s heads had been slaughtered,d but its fatal wounde had been healed. And the whole earth followed the beast in amazement.f

⁴ They worshiped the dragon, because he’d given such powerg to the beast. And they worshiped the beast. They said, “Who is like the beast? Who can go to war against him?”

⁵ And he was given a mouth that came out with huge boastsh and blasphemies. He was given authority to do things for forty-two months.

⁶ So he came out withi blasphemies against God. He’d insultj God’s name and God’s sanctuary (in other words, those who live in heaven).

⁷ And the beast was given authority to go to war against the holy ones, and to defeat them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.

⁸ And everyone who lived on the earth worshiped him-that is, everyone whose name wasn’t written down in the Book of Life that belongs to the slaughtered Lamb, from the creationk of the world.

⁹ If somebody has ears, let ‘em hear!l

¹⁰ If somebody’s to be captured, They going to be captured.m. If somebody’s to be killed by the sword, They’re going to be killed by the sword.n. Here’s where the endurance and faith of the holy ones comes in.

¹¹ A Second Beast Comes out of the Ground And I saw another beast-it was coming up out of the ground. It had two horns like a lamb, buto it was talking like a dragon.

¹² He exercises all the authority of the first beast, with his approval.p He makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast-the one whose fatal woundq had been healed.

¹³ He does awesome miraclesr.-for example,s he even makes fire come down out of heaven onto the earth right in front of people.

¹⁴ And he deceives the earth’s inhabitants, by means of the miraclest that he’s given to perform in the personal service ofu the beast. For example, he tells the earth’s inhabitants to create an image in honor ofv the beast, who had the sword wound but survived.w

¹⁵ And he was given authority to put breath into the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could even talk. And he makes them killx whoever won’t worship the image of the beast.

¹⁶ And he makes everybody, the weak and the powerful,y the rich and the poor, the free and the slaves, putz a markaa on their right hand or on their forehead.

¹⁷ He also makes it so that nobody can buy or sell who doesn’t have the mark, the beast’s name, or the number of the beast’s name.

¹⁸ Here’s some wisdom. The person who has a mind for it should figure out the beast’s number, because it’s the number of a person. His number is six hundred and sixty-six.

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¹ The Lamb and the 144,000 Stand on Mount Zion And I looked, and there wasa the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! With him were a hundred and forty-four thousand people, who have his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.

² And I heard a voice from heaven. It was like the sound of a roaring waterfall,b and like a huge rumble of thunder. Then I heardc something that sounded like harpists playing their harps.

³ They sing some kind of new song in front of the throne, the four living creatures, and the twenty-four ancient ones. Nobody could learn that song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand, who’d been purchased from the earth.

⁴ These are men who haven’t become unclean in their relationships with women: they’re virgins. They’re the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They’ve been purchased as a first portion of the human race for God and for the Lamb.

⁵ Nothing false was found in their mouths. They’re faultless.d

⁶ Three Angels with Messages And I saw another angel flying in the middle of the sky. He had eternal good news to preach to those who live on the earth: to every nation, tribe, language, and people.

⁷ He was saying in a loud voice, “Revere God and give God glory!e Because the momentf of God’s judgment has come. Sog worship the One who made heaven and earth, and the oceanh and the springs of water.”

⁸ A second angel followed him. He was saying, “She has fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! From her cup, all the nations have drunk the wine of her furious craving for immorality.”i

⁹ A third angel followed them. He was saying in a loud voice, “If somebody worships the beast and his image, and accepts his stamp on their forehead or on their hand,

¹⁰ then they’re going to drink the wine of God’s fury, mixed full strength in the cup of God’s anger! They’re going to be tormented with fire and sulfur in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb.

¹¹ The smoke from their torment goes up forever and ever. And those who worship the beast and his image get no rest day and night-and it’s the same for the person that acceptsj the markk of his name.”

¹² Here’s where the endurance of the holy ones comes in: they’re the ones who hold to God’s commands and to the faith of Jesus.l

¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write this down: Those who die in the Lord from now on are blessed. Yes, says the Spirit! They’re going to be able to rest from their hard work.m Because the things they’ve done are going to go with them.”

¹⁴ The Earth is Harvested And I looked, and there was a white cloud. Something like a human being was sitting on it.n He had a gold crown on his head, and he had a sharp sickle in his hand.

¹⁵ And another angel came out of the temple. He was shouting in a loud voice to the angel sitting on the cloud: “Go out witho your sharp sickle, and harvest! Because it’s timep to harvest: the earth’s harvest is ripe.

¹⁶ And the one sitting on the cloud swept his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple that’s in heaven, and he had a sharp sickle too.

¹⁸ And another angel came out, from the altar. He was the one in charge of the fire. He called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle. He was saying, “Go out withq your sharp sickle, and harvest the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine: its grapes are ripe!”

¹⁹ And he swept his sickle over the earth, and harvested the earth’s vine. And he threw the earth’s grape clusters in the huge wine press of God’s fury.

²⁰ And they stomped on the grapes in the wine pressr outside of the city. And blood came out of the wine press up to the horses’ bridles, as far away as two hundred miles.

15

¹ And I saw another miraclea in heaven. It was awesomeb and amazing. I saw seven angels, with seven plagues. They’re the last ones-with them, God’s anger is finished.

² Safe on the Other Side! And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire. And I saw the winners from the battle with the beast, and his image, and the number of his name. They were standing onc the sea of glass, with harps from God in their hands.

³ They’re singing the song written by Moses, God’s servant. It’s also the Lamb’s song.d They’re singing, The things you do are awesome and amazing, O Sovereign God, the All Powerful! Your ways are just and true, O Ruler of the nations!e

⁴ Who can possibly fail to reveref and glorify your name, And admit that you alone are holy?g Because all the nations are going to come and worship in front of you, Because your just decisions have been revealed.

⁵ The Seven Bowls of God’s Fury After that I looked, and the temple-the tent of witnessh.-was opened in heaven.

⁶ And the seven angels with the seven plagues came out of the temple. They were wearing bright, clean linen, and they had gold belts around their chests.

⁷ And one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the fury of God, who lives forever and ever.

⁸ And the temple was filled with smoke, from the glory of God and the power of God. Nobody could go in the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

16

¹ And I heard a loud voice from the temple. It was saying to the seven angels, “Go pour out the seven bowls of God’s fury on the earth”.

² And the first angel went off and poured his bowl on the earth. And a nasty, evil sore appeared on the people who had the stamp of the beast, and those who had worshiped his image.

³ The second angel poured out his bowl on the ocean.a And blood appeared,b as though from a dead body. Every living thingc in the oceand died.

⁴ The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water. And blood appeared.e

⁵ And I heard the angel of the water sourcesf saying, You’re right, O Holy One, who is and who was,g To have passed down these verdicts!

⁶ Because they poured out the blood of holy ones and prophets, And you’ve given them blood to drink. They deserve it!

⁷ And I heard voices from the altar, saying, Yes, Sovereign God, the All Powerful! Your verdicts are true and just.h

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun. And it was given the power to burn people with fire,

⁹ and people were badly burned.i They blasphemedj God’s name, because God had authority over these plagues. Butk they didn’t change their heartsl and give God glory.m

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the beast’s throne, and his territoryn went dark. And people chewed their tongues from pain.

¹¹ They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, and they didn’t turn away from the things they were doing.o

¹² The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates.p And its water dried up, to prepare the way for the rulers who come from the east.

¹³ And I saw, coming out of the mouths of the dragon and the beast and the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.

¹⁴ Those are demonic spirits that do miracles.q They go out to the rulers of the whole world. They get them together for the war onr the great day of God the All Powerful.

¹⁵ Look, I’m coming like a burglar.s The blessed person is the one that keeps watch and keeps their clothes on. That way, they won’t walk around naked with people seeing their clothes falling off.t

¹⁶ And they got them all together at the place known in the Jewish language as Har-Magedon.u

¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl on the air. And a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne. It was saying, “It’s done”.

¹⁸ And there were lightning flashes, sounds, and rumbles of thunder. And there was a huge earthquake-so big that there’s never been one like it, ever since humanity appeared on earth. That’s how huge an earthquake it was.

¹⁹ The great city split into three parts, and all the nations’ cities collapsed. And Babylon the Great got remembered in God’s presence, and it was given the wine cup of God’s furious anger.

²⁰ And every island ran away, and the mountains were nowhere to be found.

²¹ And huge hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds, came down out of the sky on people. And people blasphemedv God because of the plague of hail. Because that plague was absolutely terrible.w

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¹ The Beast and the Great Prostitute One of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and talked to me. He said, “Come here. I’m going to show you the verdicta against the great prostitute, who’s sitting on many water sources.b

² She’s the one that the earth’s rulers went to. The people who live on the earth got drunk from the wine of her prostitution.

³ And he took me away in the Spirit, to a deserted place. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast. The beast was covered with blasphemousc names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.

⁴ And the woman was robed in purple and scarlet.d She was sparklinge with gold jewelry, and jewels, and pearls.f She has a gold cup in her hand, full of filthyg things-the diseasesh from her prostitution.i

⁵ On her forehead, her secret name was written: Babylon the Great Mother of All Prostitutes Mother of All Filthy Things on Earth

⁶ And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the holy ones: with the blood of Jesus’ witnesses. And I was absolutely amazedj when I saw her.

⁷ The angel said to me, “Why are you so amazed? I’m going to tell you the secret of this woman, and of the beast that’s carrying her-the one with the seven heads and the ten horns.

⁸ The beast that you saw used to exist, and it doesn’t exist now. But it’s going to come up out of the bottomless pit, and it’s headed for destruction. And the people who live on the earth are going to be amazed when they see the beast again-that is, the people whose names haven’t been written in the Book of Life from the creationk of the world. Because the beast used to exist, and he doesn’t exist now, and yet he’s going to show up.

⁹ Here’s where a wise understanding comes in.l The seven heads are seven mountains. These are the mountains where the woman has settled. They’re also seven rulers.

¹⁰ The first five have died, One is ruling now, Another one hasn’t come yet. When he comes, He only gets to stay a little while.m

¹¹ As for the beast, who used to exist, and doesn’t exist now, He himself makes the eighth head. He’s one of the seven, And he’s headed for destruction.

¹² The ten horns that you saw are ten rulers. They haven’t taken up their rule yet. But they get authority for a single momentn along with the beast.

¹³ These rulers have a single intention, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

¹⁴ They’re going to go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb is going to defeat them. Because he’s Lord of Lords and Ruler of Rulers. And those who are with him are called, chosen and faithful.

¹⁵ And the angel said to me, “Remember the water sources where the prostitute sits? They’re peoples, groups, nations, and languages.

¹⁶ And remember the ten horns you saw, and the beast? They’re going to hate the prostitute, and they’re going to make her desolate and strip her naked. They’re going to eat her flesh and burn her up with fire.

¹⁷ Because God has put it into their hearts to carry out God’s intention. Soo they carry out one intention, and give their rulership to the beast, until God’s words have come to fulfillment.p

¹⁸ And the woman that you saw-she’s the great city that has sovereigntyq over the rulers of the earth.

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¹ The Fall of Babylon the Great After that I saw another angel coming down out of heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory.

² He cried out in a powerful voice, She has fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She’s become a place where demons live, And a prison for every unclean spirit, And a prison for every kind of unclean and hateful bird.

³ Because all the nations have fallen down froma the wine of her furious sexual immorality. The earth’s rulers have visited her,b. And the earth’s businesspeoplec have gotten rich from the power of her luxury.

⁴ And I heard a different voice saying from heaven, Leave, my people! Leave her! That way you won’t participate in her sins, And you won’t get her plagues.

⁵ Because her sins have piled up to heaven, And God has kept in mind the evidence against her.d

⁶ Give her the same treatment as she gave others! Give her a double portion of the things that she does.e. In the cup that she used to mix drinks for others, mix a double portion for her.

⁷ She has glorified herself so much! She has lived in so much luxury! Give her the same amount of torment and sorrow. Because she says in her heart, “I sit enthroned as Queen! I’m no widow! I’m never going to facef sorrow.”

⁸ Because of that, her plagues are going to arrive all on one day: Death, sorrow, and famine, And she’s going to destroyedg by fire, Because the Sovereign God, her judge, is powerful.

⁹ And the earth’s rulers-the ones who visited her and joined in her luxury-cry and hit themselves in grief over her, when they see the smoke from her fire.

¹⁰ They stand a long ways away, for fear of her torment, and they say, How horrible, how horrible for you, O great city, Babylon, The powerful city! Because your judgment has come all in one moment!h

¹¹ And the earth’s businesspeoplei cry and grieve over her, because nobody buys their shipments anymore:j

¹² Shipments of gold, silver, gems, and pearls; Shipments of fine linen, expensive purple fabrics, silk, expensive scarlet fabrics; Shipments of every kind of hardwood,k every kind of article made out of ivory, and every kind of article made out of expensive wood; Shipments of copper, iron and marble;

¹³ Shipments of cinnamon and spice; Shipments of incense, perfume and frankincense; Shipments of wine, olive oil, pastry flour, and grain; Shipments of beef and lamb; Shipments of horses, carriages, and human bodiesl.-in other words, people’s lives.m

¹⁴ Now all the fruit that you’re so addicted to has disappeared,n And all your luxuries and your shiny things have been lost;o People will never find them any more.

¹⁵ The people who sell all these things, who got rich from selling them to her, are going to stand a long ways away, for fear of her torment,

¹⁶ and they’ll say, How horrible, how horrible for you, O great city! You wore fine linen, purple and scarlet! You sparkled with gold, and jewels, and pearls!

¹⁷ In a single moment,p all that wealth has been ruined! And all the ships’ captains, and navigators, and sailors, and everybody that made their living on the ocean,q stood a long ways away.

¹⁸ They cried when they saw the smoke from her fire.r They were saying, “Who’s like the great city?”

¹⁹ They threw dust on their heads, and screamed, and cried, and grieved. They were saying, How horrible, how horrible for the great city! Everybody who had a ship on the oceans got rich off of her- Off of her wealth! In a single moment,t she’s been ruined!

²⁰ Let heaven celebrate over her, Together withu the holy ones, apostles and prophets! Because God has convicted her of her crimes against you.v

²¹ And a powerful angel lifted up a stone like a huge millstone, and threw it into the ocean.w He said, That’s how quicklyx Babylon, the great city, is going to be overthrown. She’ll never be found again.

²² The sound of harp players and singers,y flutists and trumpet players- They’re never going to be heard in you any more. No worker in any skilled trade is ever going to be found in you any more. The sound of a mill grinding flour is never going to be heard in you any more.

²³ The light of a lamp is never going to be seen in you any more. And the sound of a bride and groom is never going to be heard in you any more.z. Because your businesspeople were the most powerful people on earth,aa. Because you deceived all the nations with your sorcery.bb

²⁴ In her was found the blood of prophets and holy ones, And the blood of all the people who’d been slaughtered on the earth.

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¹ Praise in Heaven for God’s Verdict against Babylon After that, I heard something like the sound of a huge, massive crowd in heaven. They were saying, Hallelujah!a. The salvation and the glory and the power of our God have come,

² Because God’s verdicts are just and true! Because God has convicted the great prostitute, Who ruined the earth with her prostitution, And God has held her accountable for the blood of God’s servants that’s on her hands.b

³ They said a second time, Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever!

⁴ And the twenty-four ancient ones got down on their knees and bowed low, along with the four living creatures. They worshiped God, who sits on the throne. They were saying, “Amen! Hallelujah!”

⁵ Celebration of God’s Reign and of the Wedding of the Lamb And a voice came from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all you servants of God: Those who revere God, The weak and the powerful.c

⁶ And I heard something like a massive crowd, and like the sound of a roaring waterfall,d and like the sound of powerful rumbles of thunder. They were saying, Hallelujah!e. Our Sovereign God, the All Powerful, now reigns!f

⁷ Let’s celebrate and be happy, Let’s giveg God the glory, Because it’s the Lamb’s wedding day, And his bride has gotten herself all ready.

⁸ She’s been given the authority to wear fine, sparkling clean linen. (The fine linen represents all the proofs of the integrity of the holy ones.)

⁹ And the angel said to me, “Write, ‘Those who’ve been invited to the Lamb’s wedding are blessed!’” And he told me, “These are the true words of God”.

¹⁰ And I threw myself down at his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Don’t do that! I’m your fellow servant, and the fellow servant of your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. After all, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.h

¹¹ The Rider on the White Horse and his Armies And I saw heaven standing open, and suddenlyi there was a white horse. The One who sat on it is called Faithful and True.j With justice he judges and goes to battle.k

¹² His eyes are a flaming fire,l and on his head are many royal crowns, with names inscribed that nobody knows but him.

¹³ He’s wearing a robe dyed inm blood, and he’s known by the name, The Word of God.

¹⁴ And the armies of heaven are with him, on white horses. They’re wearing fine linen, all white and clean.

¹⁵ And there is a sharp sword coming out of his mouth. With it, he’s going to strike the nations.n He’s going to “shepherd them with an iron staff.”o. And he’s going to stomp the grapes in the winepress of the furious anger of God, the All Powerful.

¹⁶ And he has a name written on his robe, at the thigh:p Ruler of Rulers, Lord of Lords.

¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun. He shouted with a loud voice, calling to all the birds that fly up high in the sky:q “Come, gather together for the great feast of God!

¹⁸ Come eatr the flesh of rulers, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of influential people,s and the flesh of horses and riders-the flesh of everyone: the free, the enslaved, the weak and the powerful.”t

¹⁹ The Beast and its Armies are Defeated And I saw the beast, together with the earth’s rulers and their armies. They’d gotten together to make war against the One who sat on the horse, and against his armies.

²⁰ The beast was captured, along with the false prophet. He was the one who’d done those miraclesu with the beast’s approval. He’d used them to deceivev those who accepted the beast’s stamp, and those who worshiped his image. Those two were thrown alive into the lake that’s on fire with burning sulfur.w

²¹ All the rest were killed by the sword of the One who sat on the horse-the sword that came out of his mouth.

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¹ Satan is Imprisoned for a Thousand Years And I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had the key to the bottomless pit in his hand, and a huge chain.

² He grabbed the dragon, the ancient serpent,a who is the devil and Satan, and he chained him up for a thousand years.

³ He threw him in the bottomless pit, and closedb it and sealed it over him. That way, he couldn’t deceive the nations anymore, until the thousand years were over. After that, he has to be set free for a little while.

⁴ The First Resurrection And I saw thrones, and people sat on them.c They were given the task of passing judgment.d And I saw the souls of the people who’d been executede because of the testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God-whoeverf hadn’t worshiped the beast and his image, and hadn’t taken his stamp on their forehead and their hand. They came aliveg and ruled with Christ for a thousand years.

⁵ The rest of the dead didn’t come to lifeh until the thousand years were over. This is the first resurrection.

⁶ The person who gets to take parti in the first resurrection is blessed and holy. The second death doesn’t have any power at all over them. They’re going to be priests of God and of Christ, and they’re going to rule with him for the thousand years.j

⁷ Satan’s Release and Final Defeat And when the thousand years are over, Satan’s going to be let out of his prison.

⁸ He’s going to go out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth: Gog and Magog.k He’s going to gather them together for battle.l They’re as numerous as the sands of the ocean.m

⁹ And they came up, covering the breadth of the earth.n They surrounded the camp of the holy ones, the Beloved City.o And fire came down out of heavenp and burned them up.q

¹⁰ And the devil, who was deceiving them, was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur-where both the beast and the false prophet are. They’re going to be tormented day and night, forever and ever.

¹¹ The Dead are Judged And I saw a huge white throne, and the One who sat on it. From the presence of that One, earth and heaven had fled away, and there’d been no room found for them.

¹² And I saw the dead, the powerful and the weak,r standing in front of the throne. And books were opened. And another book was opened: the Book of Life. The dead were judged on the basis of the things written in the books-on the basis of their actions.s

¹³ And the oceant gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and they were judged on the basis of their actions.

¹⁴ And Death and Hadesu were thrown in the lake of fire. That’s the second death, the lake of fire.

¹⁵ If somebody wasn’t found recordedv in the Book of Life, they were thrown in the lake of fire.

21

¹ A Renewed Heaven and a Renewed Earth And I saw a renewed heaven, and a renewed earth: the first heaven and the first earth had gone away, and the seaa wasn’t there anymore.

² And I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. She was all dressed up, like a bride all ready for her man.

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Look! God’s homeb is with humanity!c. God is going to live with them, And they’re going to be God’s people,d And God, their God, is going to be with them in person.e

⁴ God is going to wipe every tear from their eyes,f. And death will no longer exist.g. Nor will grief, nor crying, nor pain, exist any longer,h. Because the previousi things are gone.

⁵ And the One who sat on the throne said, Look! I’m making everything new! The Enthroned One said to me,j. Write! Because these words are faithful and true.

⁶ The Enthroned One said to me, It’s done! I’m the Alpha and the Omega,k. The Beginning and the End.l. To the person who’s thirsty, I’m going to give free permission to drink from the spring of the water of life.m

⁷ The person that wins the battle is going to inherit all of this.n. I’m going to be their God, And they’re going to be my child.o

⁸ But as for the cowards, and the untrustworthy,p and the filthy,q and the murderers, and the sexually immoral, and the sorcerers, and the idolaters, and all the liars, their inheritance is going to be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur-which is the second death.

⁹ The New Jerusalem And one of the seven angels that had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and talked to me. He said, “Come on: I’m going to show you the bride-the Lamb’s wife.

¹⁰ He led me up in the Spiritr to the top of a huge, high mountain. He showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem. It was coming down out of heaven from God,

¹¹ shining withs God’s glory.t The source of her lightu was like a priceless gem, like a crystal-clear diamond.v

¹² She has a huge, high wallw with twelve gates, and at the gates are twelve angels. They’re inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.x

¹³ There are three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west.

¹⁴ The City’s wall has twelve foundations. On them are twelve names: the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

¹⁵ The angel who was talking with me had a gold measuring stick, to measure the City, with its gates and its wall.

¹⁶ And the City is laid out as a square, with its length and width the same. He measured out the City with the measuring stick at fourteen hundred miles. Its length and width and height are equal.y

¹⁷ He measured out its wall at two hundred feet, using human measurement, which is what the angel was using.z

¹⁸ Its wall was constructed of quartz.aa And the City is pure gold, like clearbb crystal.

¹⁹ The foundations of the City’s walls were all decorated with gemstones: the first with quartz,cc the second with sapphire, the third with agate,dd the fourth with emerald,

²⁰ the fifth with onyx,ee the sixth with red quartz,ff the seventh with golden peridot,gg the eighth with beryl,hh the ninth with topaz, the tenth with green quartz,ii the eleventh with red zircon,jj and the twelfth with amethyst.kk

²¹ The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each gate was made of a single pearl. And the main street of the City was pure gold, like clear glass.

²² And I didn’t see a temple in the City, because the Sovereign God, the All Powerful, and the Lamb, are its temple.

²³ The City doesn’t need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.ll

²⁴ The nations are going to walk by the light of it.mm And the rulers of the earth are going to bring their glory into it.

²⁵ And its gates will never be shut for the day, because there isn’t going to be any night there.nn

²⁶ And they’re going to bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.

²⁷ And nothing unholy, or anyone that does filthyoo things, or any liar, is ever going to enter it-only those who are recordedpp in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

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¹ The River of Life and the Tree of Life And the angel showed me the river of the water of life,a sparkling like crystal. It was coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,

² and flowing in the middle of the City’s main street.b On either side of the river was the tree of life.c It bears twelve fruits-one fruit each month. And the tree’s leaves are for the healing of the nations.

³ Nothing cursed is going to exist anymore.d And the throne of God and of the Lamb is going to be in that City.e And God’s servants are going to serve God there.

⁴ They’re going to see God’s face, and God’s name is going to be on their foreheads.

⁵ Night won’t exist anymore, and they don’t need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Sovereign God is going to shine on them. And they’re going to rule forever and ever.

⁶ Jesus is Coming Soon! And the angel said to me, “You can depend on these things-they’re true.f The Sovereign God, who inspires the prophets,g has sent God’s own angel to show God’s servants what has to happen soon.

⁷ And see, I am coming soon. A blessing on the person that obeys the words of prophecy in this book!”h

⁸ Now I, John, am the one that heard and saw all this. And when I heard and saw it all, I got down to worship at the feet of the angel who was showing it all to me.

⁹ And he said to me, “Don’t do that! I’m your fellow servant, and the fellow servant of your brothers and sisters the prophets, and of those who obey the words of this book! Worship God.”

¹⁰ And he said to me, “Don’t seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is nearly here!

¹¹ If you’re doing wrong, keep on doing wrong; If you’re filthy, keep on being filthy; If you’re a person of integrity, keep on doing the right thing; And if you’re holy, keep on being holy.i

¹² “Look! I’m coming soon, and I have my rewards with me!j I’m going to give each person what their behavior deserves.k

¹³ I’m the Alpha and the Omega,l the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

¹⁴ Those who wash their robesm are blessed, becausen they’re going to have a right to the tree of life. And they’re going to go through the gates into the City.

¹⁵ Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers, the sexually immoral and the murderers, the idolaters, and everybody that loves, and does, what’s false.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you all thoseo things about the communities. I’m the root and offspring of David, the bright morning star.

¹⁷ The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ Let the person who hears this say, ‘Come!’ And let the person who’s thirsty come, if they want to receive the water of lifep for free.q

¹⁸ “I testify to everybody that hears the words of this book of prophecy: If somebody adds to its words, God’s going to add to them the plagues containedr in this book.

¹⁹ And if somebody takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God’s going to take away their inheritance of the trees of life, and the Holy City, that are containedt in this book.

²⁰ The one who’s testifying to all this says, ‘Yes, I’m coming soon!’” Amen, come Lord Jesus!

²¹ May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.u