Revelation 18:1-20

Revelation 18

Babylon Has Fallen

¹ After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was given light by his glory. ² He called out with a loud voice, saying:

⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven say:

Some Mourn Babylon’s Destruction

⁹ “The kings of the earth who committed adultery and lived in luxury with her will weep and mourn for her when they see the smoke from her burning. ¹⁰ They will stand far away because of terror at her torment and say:

¹¹ “The merchants of the earth also weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo anymore, ¹² a cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet fabric, every kind of aromatic wood and ivory article, and every article made of precious wood, brass, iron, and marble; ¹³ also cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, high quality flour, grain, cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages, as well as bodies and souls of people.

¹⁴ “The fruit your soul desired has left you. All your costly and splendid things have passed away from you. No one will ever find them again.

¹⁵ “The merchants who sold those things and were made rich by Babylon will stand far away out of terror at her torment. They are going to weep and mourn, ¹⁶ saying:

“Every ship captain and all the ocean travelers and the sailors and those who make their living on the sea stood far away ¹⁸ and cried out when they saw the smoke rise from her burning. They said, ‘Who is like the great city?’ ¹⁹ They threw dust on their heads and cried out as they wept and mourned, saying:

Revelation 16

The First Five Bowls

¹ I heard a loud voice from the temple say to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”

² The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible and painful sores came on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image.

³ The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man, and every living creature in the sea died.

⁴ The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they ^[1] turned into blood. ⁵ And I heard the angel of the waters say:

⁷ And I heard the incense altar, saying, ^[3] “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.”

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to burn people with fire. ⁹ People were scorched by the fierce heat. Then they blasphemed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues, but they did not repent and give him praise.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast. The beast’s kingdom was darkened. People gnawed their tongues in their torment. ¹¹ They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their torments and their sores. But they did not repent of their deeds.

The Sixth Bowl: The Battle of Armageddon

¹² The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates. Its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings coming from the east. ¹³ I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, which came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. ¹⁴ They are, in fact, miracle-working, demonic spirits, which go out to the kings of the whole earth ^[4] to bring them together for the battle on the great day of the Almighty God.

¹⁵ “Look: I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes on, so that he does not walk around naked and his shame is not seen.”

¹⁶ Then they brought them together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

The Seventh Bowl: The End of the World

¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl on the air. And a loud voice came out of the temple ^[5] from the throne, saying, “It is done.” ¹⁸ There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and crashes of thunder. There was also a great earthquake of a kind that has not occurred since mankind has been ^[6] on the earth.

¹⁹ And the great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. Babylon the Great was remembered by God, and he gave her the wine cup filled with his fierce wrath. ²⁰ Every island vanished, and the mountains could no longer be found. ²¹ Massive hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell on people from the sky. And the people blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, because the plague was so severe.

Revelation 14:14-20

Revelation 14

The Harvest

¹⁴ Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ Another angel came out of the temple and cried with a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, “Swing your sickle and begin reaping, for the time to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is very ripe.” ¹⁶ And the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel, who also had a sharp sickle, came out of the temple, which is in heaven. ¹⁸ And another angel, who was in charge of the fire, came from the altar and cried with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and harvest the grape clusters from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ Then the angel swung his sickle over the earth, and he harvested the earth’s vine and threw it into the great winepress of God’s wrath. ²⁰ The winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia. ^[1]

Revelation 14:1-5

Revelation 14

The Lamb and the 144,000

¹ Then I looked, and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. ² And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of a loud thunderclap. The sound that I heard was also like the sound of harpists playing their harps. ³ They were singing ^[1] a new song in front of the throne and the four living creatures and the elders. No one was able to learn that song except the 144,000, who had been purchased from the earth. ⁴ These are the ones who were not defiled with women, because they are virgins. They continually follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb. ⁵ And no lie was found in their mouths. They are blameless. ^[2]

Revelation 13:2-10

Revelation 13

² The beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth was like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. ³ One of his heads seemed to have been fatally wounded, ^[1] but his fatal wound was healed.

And the whole world that followed the beast was amazed. ⁴ They worshipped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. They worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can go to war against him?” ⁵ The beast was also given a mouth that spoke arrogant and blasphemous things. He was given authority to do these things for forty-two months.

⁶ The beast opened his mouth to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name, his dwelling, and ^[2] those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ He was also given permission to wage war against the saints and to overcome them, as well as authority over every tribe and people and language and nation. ⁸ All those who make their home on the earth will worship the beast—those whose names have ^[3] not been written from the beginning of the world in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb that was slain. ^[4]

⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

Here patient endurance and confidence are needed by the saints.

Revelation 12:1-9

Revelation 12

The Dragon and the Child

¹ A great sign appeared in the sky: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. ² She was pregnant, and she cried out in pain and agony as she gave birth.

³ Another sign also appeared in the sky: There was a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. ⁴ His tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman, who was about to give birth, so that he could devour the child as soon as it was born.

⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. ⁶ Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God in order that she might be fed there for 1,260 days.

War in Heaven

⁷ There was also a war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon. The dragon fought back along with his angels, ⁸ but he was not strong enough. There was no longer a place for them ^[1] in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was thrown down—the ancient serpent, the one called the Devil and Satan, the one who leads the whole inhabited earth astray—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 11:1-14

Revelation 11

The Two Witnesses

¹ Then a measuring rod like a staff was given to me. He said, ^[1] “Stand up and measure the incense altar and the temple of God and those who worship in it. ² Exclude the outer court of the temple and do not measure it, because it has been given to the heathen. They will trample the holy city for forty-two months. ³ I will commission my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that are standing before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ If anyone wants to harm them, fire is going to come out of their mouths and consume their enemies. If anyone should want to harm them, it is necessary that he be killed in this way.

⁶ These two have the authority to shut the sky so that no rain falls during the days when they are prophesying. They also have authority over the waters, to turn them into blood, and the authority to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

The Beast That Kills the Two Witnesses

⁷ When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will fight against them, conquer them, and kill them. ⁸ Their dead bodies will lie on the street of the great city, which spiritually ^[2] is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

⁹ Some from the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days and will not permit them to be placed in a tomb. ¹⁰ Those who dwell on the earth will also rejoice over them and celebrate by sending gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

¹¹ After three and a half days the breath of life from God came into them. They stood on their feet, and a great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² And I ^[3] heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up into heaven in a cloud, as their enemies watched them. ¹³ At that moment there was also a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed by the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave praise to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe is past. See, the third woe is coming soon.

Revelation 9

The Fifth Trumpet—The Locusts From Hell

¹ Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen out of heaven to the earth, and the key to the pit of the abyss was given to him. ² He opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke came up out of the pit like the smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit. ³ And out of the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given the kind of power that scorpions of the earth have. ⁴ They were told not to harm the earth’s grass, any green plant, or any tree, but only those people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads.

⁵ Indeed, they were not given permission to kill these people but only to torture them for five months. And the pain they cause is like the pain caused by a scorpion when it stings a person. ⁶ In those days people will seek death but will certainly not find it. They will long to die, but death will escape them.

⁷ The locusts looked like horses ready for battle. On their heads were what appeared to be crowns that were like gold. Their faces looked like human faces. ⁸ They had hair that looked like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. ⁹ They had breastplates that appeared to be made of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots and horses charging into battle. ¹⁰ They had tails with stingers like those of scorpions, and in their tails they had power to hurt people for five months.

¹¹ They have the angel of the abyss over them as their king. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon. ^[1]

¹² One woe is past. Look! After these things two more woes are coming.

The Sixth Trumpet

¹³ Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice speak from the four ^[2] horns of the gold incense altar that is before God. ¹⁴ It said to the sixth angel, the one with the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels who had been prepared for this hour, day, month, and year were let loose so that they could kill a third of the people.

¹⁶ The number of soldiers on horseback was two hundred million. I heard their number. ¹⁷ And this is what I saw in the vision of the horses and their riders: They had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and sulfur. ¹⁸ As a result of these three plagues, the fire and the smoke and the sulfur that came out of their mouths, a third of mankind was killed. ¹⁹ For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like snakes that have heads, which they use to cause injuries.

²⁰ The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands by giving up their worship of demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, or wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. ²¹ And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immoralities, or their thefts.

Revelation 7

The Church on Earth

¹ After this I saw four angels, who stood at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth so that the wind could not blow on the earth, the sea, or any tree.

² And I saw another angel coming up from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He called out with a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to harm the earth and the sea. He said, ³ “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have placed a seal on the foreheads of God’s servants.”

⁴ And I heard the number of those sealed:

144,000 sealed from all the tribes of the people of Israel:

The Church in Heaven

⁹ After these things I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ They called out with a loud voice and said:

¹¹ All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures. They fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, ¹² saying:

¹³ One of the elders spoke to me and said, “These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?”

And I answered him, “Sir, you know.”

¹⁴ And he said to me:

Revelation 5

The Scroll With Seven Seals

¹ And I saw a scroll in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, with writing on the front ^[1] and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

² And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll by breaking its seals?” ³ No one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁴ And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed and is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Worthy Is the Lamb

⁶ And I saw a Lamb standing in the center, near the throne, surrounded by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders. The Lamb seemed to have been slain, and he had seven horns and seven eyes (these are the seven spirits of God that have been sent into all the world). ⁷ The Lamb came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸ And when the Lamb took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders bowed down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and gold bowls full of incense (these are the prayers of the saints). ⁹ And they sang a new song, saying:

¹¹ And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels who were around the throne and around the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands upon thousands. ¹² With a loud voice they were saying:

¹³ I also heard every creature that is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

¹⁴ The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders bowed down and worshipped.

Revelation 3:14-22

Revelation 3

Letter to the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴ To the messenger of the church in Laodicea write:

The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation, says this:

¹⁵ I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. If only you were cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm and not hot or cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, “I am rich. I have become very wealthy and need nothing.” But you do not know that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. ¹⁸ I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments, so that you may be clothed and the shame of your nakedness may not become public, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

¹⁹ I rebuke and discipline those whom I love. So take this seriously and repent.

²⁰ Look, I stand at the door and I am knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in with him and dine with him, and he with me. ²¹ To the one who is victorious I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

²² Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3:1-6

Revelation 3

Letter to the Church in Sardis

¹ To the messenger of the church in Sardis write:

The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this:

I know your works. You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. ² Wake up, and strengthen what is left, which is about to die, for I have found that your works are not complete in the sight of my God. ³ Therefore remember what you received and heard. Hold on to it and repent! If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come upon you.

⁴ Yet you have a few names in Sardis, people who have not defiled their clothes. They will walk with me in white clothing, for they are worthy.

⁵ The one who is victorious in this way ^[1] will be clothed in white clothing. I certainly will not erase his name from the Book of Life, and I will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

⁶ Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 2:8-17

Revelation 2

Letter to the Church in Smyrna

⁸ To the messenger of the church in Smyrna write:

The First and the Last, who was dead and came to life again, says this:

⁹ I know ^[1] your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich. And I know the blasphemy that comes from those who say they are Jews but are not; rather, they are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰ Do not fear anything that ^[2] you are about to suffer. Look, the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you will be tested, and you will suffer for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

¹¹ Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Letter to the Church in Pergamum

¹² To the messenger of the church in Pergamum write:

The one who has the sharp, two-edged sword says this:

¹³ I know ^[3] where you live—where the throne of Satan is. And I know that you hold fast to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me even in the days when Antipas, my faithful witness, ^[4] was put to death near you, the place where Satan lives.

¹⁴ But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block in front of the children of Israel so that they would eat things offered to idols and commit sexual immorality. ¹⁵ Likewise, you also have some people who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore, ^[5] repent! If not, I will come to you soon, and I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

¹⁷ Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious I will give some of the hidden manna. ^[6] I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, which no one will know except the one who receives it.

Revelation 1:9-20

Revelation 1

God Tells John to Write Down What He Sees

⁹ I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingship and patient endurance in Jesus, ^[1] was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. ^[2]

¹⁰ I was in spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard a loud voice behind me, like a trumpet, ¹¹ saying, “Write what you see on a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

Jesus Appears

¹² I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. When I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands, ¹³ and among the lampstands was one like a son of man. He was clothed with a robe that reached to his feet, and around his chest he wore a gold sash. ¹⁴ His head and his hair were white, like white wool or like snow. His eyes were like blazing flames. ¹⁵ His feet were like polished bronze being refined in a furnace. His voice was like the roar of many waters. ¹⁶ He held seven stars in his right hand. A sharp two-edged sword was coming out of his mouth. His face was shining as the sun shines in all its brightness.

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last— ¹⁸ the Living One. I was dead and, see, I am alive forever and ever! I also hold the keys of death and hell. ^[3]

¹⁹ “So write what you have seen, both those things that are and those that will take place after this.

²⁰ “The mystery of the seven stars, which you saw in my right hand, and the seven gold lampstands is this: The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”