An Overview Of The Book Of Revelation
Writer Of The Book Of Revelation:
Four times the writer identified himself as “John” (see Revelation 1:1, 4, 9; 22:8).
Tradition upholds that this “John” was the apostle John, the beloved disciple of Jesus. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, who lived until around A.D. 180, provided important testimony to John’s authorship of Revelation. He stated that men who saw John face to face certified the text of Revelation 13:18. In his own writings he repeatedly quoted from Revelation, which he accepted as Scripture. Justin, who taught in Ephesus after his conversion around A.D. 130, is quoted by Everett F. Harrison in his book Introduction to the New Testament as having stated, “A certain man among us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, prophesied in a revelation made to him, that those who believed in our Christ would spend a thousand years in Jerusalem.” An early reference to Revelation as being Scripture is found in the Letter of the Churches of Lyons and Vienna in Gaul, which was written to churches in the region of Asia Minor. The letter speaks of the persecution of the Christians in their areas fulfilling the Scripture, and then quotes Revelation 22:11. The Canon of Muratori, thought to have originally been written in or near Rome around A.D. 200, includes John’s Revelation. Tertullian, the first great writer of Latin Christianity, who lived from around A.D. 150 to 225, also quoted from Revelation and maintained that it was written by the apostle John. Hippolytus, early in the third century, accepted Revelation as Scripture and John as its author. Clement and Origen of Alexandria also received Revelation as Scripture and the work of the apostle John. Athanasius in the fourth century, knowing the respect held for the Book of Revelation in the churches, also supported the inclusion of Revelation in the canon as Scripture.
In spite of this strong support for John’s authorship of the Book of Revelation as Scripture, it was not accepted universally but was spoken against by some. Marcion did not include it in his canon, nor the gospel and letters of John. Some, such as the sect known as the Alogi, did not accept the Book of Revelation for doctrinal, not historical, reasons. They stood opposed to Montanism in the second century, which claimed special prophetic gifts and supported its teaching on the basis of the Book of Revelation. Dionysius in opposition to millennial views denied John’s authorship and attributed the Book of Revelation to another John whose tomb was in Ephesus. In his listing of the canonical books and of the disputed books of the New Testament Eusebius included John’s Revelation among the genuine books but included the note “if proper” and went on to say while some did not accept the Book of Revelation others ranked it among the genuine (Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 25). In the Church today the Book of Revelation is included in the canon of Scripture and is not distinguished from the other genuine books of the New Testament.
Recipients Of The Book Of Revelation:
The Book of Revelation is actually a letter. It contains an opening address and greeting characteristic of the epistles in the New Testament (see Revelation 1:4) as well as a closing benediction (see Revelation 22:21). The book is a revelatory letter from God the Father, given through Jesus Christ by means of an angel to John for “the seven churches in the province of Asia” (see Revelation 1:1, 4)
The seven churches that received the letter are listed in Revelation 1:11: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The churches were located in what is now the country of Turkey. They are listed in an order one would follow on a circuit of visitations as he followed the circular road that bound the most populous, wealthy, and influential cities in the western area of Asia. From these major centers the letter could be shared with the other churches.
Date And Place The Book Of Revelation Was Written:
Revelation 1:9 states the book was written on the island of Patmos, where John was exiled because of his teaching the Word of God and his testifying to Jesus. Patmos was an island about 10 miles long and 6 miles wide, which was located southwest of Ephesus and due west of Miletus. The Romans used the island as a place to banish individuals as punishment for some crime against Rome.
A statement of Irenaeus helps to date the writing of the book. He stated it was written not very long before, nearly in his own generation, at the close of the reign of Domitian. This time of writing is substantiated by Victorinus, who was bishop of what is now Pettau, which is located 128 miles south of Vienna, and who was martyred about A.D. 304. Everett F. Harrison quoted Victorinus in his book as stating: “When John said these things, he was in the island of Patmos, condemned to the mines by Caesar Domitian. There he saw the Apocalypse; and when at length grown old, he thought that he should receive his release by suffering; but Domitian being killed, he was liberated.”
The reign of Emperor Domitian was A.D. 81 to 96. Based on Irenaeus’ statement about the close of the reign of Domitian, the probable date of the writing of Revelation was A.D. 95 or 96. Such a date harmonizes with the conditions known at the time. During the reign of Domitian, who is said to have been the first Roman emperor to make an issue of emperor worship, the worship of the emperor was promoted in the province of Asia. Domitian coveted being addressed as “Lord and God”. Such veneration of the emperor was made a test of one’s loyalty to the Roman Empire. Refusal to do so was considered an act of treason punishable by death. Christians who believed and confessed only one man was Lord and God, Jesus Christ, and refused to participate in the emperor worship, became guilty of a crime against the state. John’s banishment to Patmos “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” fits the conditions in Ephesus and Asia at the close of the reign of Domitian. John’s mentioning in Revelation 2:13 the martyrdom of Anitpas at Pergamum in Asia, and his reference in Revelation 6:9 to the souls of the martyrs under the altar who were slain because of the word of God and the testimony they maintained, also fits the conditions at the time of A.D. 95 to 96.
A date of A.D. 95 to 96 allows for a considerable passage of years from the time of Paul’s first and third missionary journeys in Asia, around A.D. 46 to 49 and 53 to 57, when he founded the churches there, to the time John wrote the Book of Revelation. That 50-year interval allows for the decline of the churches John wrote to from the day of their founding by Paul. The church of Ephesus had forsaken its first love (see Revelation 2:4, 5). The church of Sardis had become spiritually dead (see Revelation 3:1). The church of Laodicea had become lukewarm (see Revelation 3:15, 16).
According to Revelation 3:17 the members of the church of Laodicea were wealthy and prosperous. This would indicate the city of Laodicea was enjoying prosperity. The city had been destroyed by an earthquake between A.D. 61-64. A date for the writing of the Book of Revelation in A.D. 95 to 96 allows sufficient time for the city to have been rebuilt and to regain its prosperity.
Occasion Of The Book Of Revelation:
God’s reason for giving this revelatory letter to John for the seven churches is suggested by the contents of the letter. The devil was attacking the churches from within and without (see Revelation 2:9, 13; 3:9). The churches were being disturbed by false teachers (see Revelation 2:6, 14, 15, 20). They were being persecuted and slandered by the Jews and civil authorities, which had already brought about the banishment of John and the martyrdom of some of the faithful Christians (see Revelation 1:9; 2:9, 10, 13; 3:9; 6:9, 10). Some of the churches had also declined spiritually and needed to be called to repentance, while others of them had in their midst members who had embraced false teachings that needed to be purged from the congregations (see Revelation 2:4, 5, 14, 15, 20-25; 3:1-3, 15-19).
Purpose Of The Book Of Revelation:
The purpose of this revelatory letter is also suggested by the contents of the letter. Its intent was to strengthen and encourage the Christians so they could endure the tribulations they were suffering, to call them to repentance and a spiritual renewal, to admonish and exhort them to a faithfulness to the true Word and its teachings, and to assure them of the certain hope of victory that was theirs in Christ over their adversaries and all evil.
Dr. Siegbert W. Becker in his commentary on the Book of Revelation suggested that the book could be seen as a commentary on Acts 14:22 and Matthew 16:18, which tells us that we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God...and the gates of Hades will not overcome (the church).
Characteristics Of The Book Of Revelation:
1. It is an apocalyptic writing. The book’s title is the opening words of Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation.” The Greek word for “revelation” is carried over into our English as “The Apocalypse”. The name “apocalypse” has been given to a type of literature also found in the Old Testament, particularly in the Books of Daniel and Ezekiel. Dr. Becker defined apocalyptic writing as en effort to portray the future by means of strange and even fantastic symbolism.
Martin H. Franzmann noted in his book The Word of the Lord Grows that the strange, fantastic symbolism of the Revelation that puzzles us today was familiar to the apostle John’s original readers. They had become familiar with the strange imagery of apocalyptic writing from such books in the Old Testament as Daniel and Ezekiel, as well as from the apocryphal writings of the intertestamental age--the books of Enoch, Jubilees, Esdras, and the Assumption of Moses. The apocalyptic writings saw history on the basis of the visions of the writers and were particularly interested in eschatology, that is the end of this world’s history and the ushering in of the new age and world to come. It used pictures, allegories, symbols, numbers, colors, and stars to which a significant meaning was attached.
Apocalyptic writing drew from the Old Testament. The Book of Revelation did even more so. Franzmann has stated that no other book of the New Testament can compare to the number of allusions to the Old Testament found in Revelation. They number in the hundreds.
2. Revelation stands out for its eschatological emphasis above all other books of the Bible. Other books of the Old and New Testaments include passages and sections on the end times. But none are so concentrated, sustained, and comprehensive in their treatment of the end times as Revelation.
3. Revelation is free in its use of symbolism. Lampstands are churches and stars are their angels. Jesus is the son of man, the Root of David, a lamb, a lion, a riding conqueror on a white horse, a mighty angel robed in a cloud with a rainbow above his head. The devil is a great red dragon, an old serpent, and the angel of the bottomless pit.
4. Revelation sets forth the awesome majesty, holiness, and power of the just God and Jesus Christ, who bring punishment on their evil enemies and who are worthy of the honor and praise of saints and angels.
5. Revelation makes prolific use of numbers and particular numbers of word groupings.
It makes use of the triadic arrangement of phrases and words for the three persons of the Godhead, such as is found in Revelation 1:4, 5. It uses quadruplet words to refer to the people of this world, such as found in Revelation 5:9, 7:9. Three is the symbolic number for the Triune God. Four is the symbolic number for the world, which has its four corners or points of the compass (see Revelation 7:1; 20:8).
Seven recurs repeatedly in Revelation--the seven lampstands, seven stars, seven churches, seven angels, seven seals, seven trumpets, the seven visions, the seven last plagues and bowls of wrath. Seven (being the sum of three, which is the symbolic number for God, plus four, which is the symbolic number for the earth) is the symbolical number for God’s covenant of grace with the world.
Twelve, the multiple of three times four, is the symbolical number for God’s church. Twelve was the number of the tribes of Israel and the number of the apostles. Revelation makes use of multiples of twelve--the 24 elders around the throne and the 144,000 who were sealed on the foreheads as the servants of God.
Ten is the symbolic number for completeness, as in the ten days of persecution in Smyrna (see Revelation 2:10). Its cube of 1,000 is the symbolic number for the completeness of time to the end of this world’s history (see Revelation 20:3, 4, 7).
The 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7, which is the product of 12 x 12 x 10 x 10 x 10, is the symbolic number for the church of Christ in its totality.
In Revelation 13:18 the number 666 appears. This number is said to be the calculated number of the beast. The calculation of names is known as gematria. In ancient times each letter of the Greek alphabet was assigned a numerical value. The value of each letter in the name was calculated to come up with its total value. Many have attempted to calculate the name of a person that totals 666. Irenaeus stated the safest thing to do was wait to see the fulfillment, since such calculations were uncertain at best. He himself, however, suggested the Greek name “Lateinos”, which means “Latin”. This suggestion had some merit, because at the time the anti-Christian power that was persecuting the church was Rome, the center of the Latin world. Whose ever name 666 is the calculation of, he is a great enemy of the church on earth.
Content Of The Book Of Revelation:
In fantastic visions and symbolism the whole history of the Christian church is seen in its struggle to preach and maintain the gospel of Christ amid persecutions and tribulations, over which it gains the victory time and again.
Theme Of The Book Of Revelation:
What Must Take Place As The Church Goes Through Great Tribulations To Its Heavenly Triumph (see Revelation 1:1, 19; 4:1; 22:6; 7:9-17; 17:1-22:5)
The Outline Headings:
The outline headings throughout this translation of the Book of Revelation for the most part follow the outline presented by Dr. Siegbert W. Becker in his commentary on the Book of Revelation.
Four times the writer identified himself as “John” (see Revelation 1:1, 4, 9; 22:8).
Tradition upholds that this “John” was the apostle John, the beloved disciple of Jesus. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, who lived until around A.D. 180, provided important testimony to John’s authorship of Revelation. He stated that men who saw John face to face certified the text of Revelation 13:18. In his own writings he repeatedly quoted from Revelation, which he accepted as Scripture. Justin, who taught in Ephesus after his conversion around A.D. 130, is quoted by Everett F. Harrison in his book Introduction to the New Testament as having stated, “A certain man among us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, prophesied in a revelation made to him, that those who believed in our Christ would spend a thousand years in Jerusalem.” An early reference to Revelation as being Scripture is found in the Letter of the Churches of Lyons and Vienna in Gaul, which was written to churches in the region of Asia Minor. The letter speaks of the persecution of the Christians in their areas fulfilling the Scripture, and then quotes Revelation 22:11. The Canon of Muratori, thought to have originally been written in or near Rome around A.D. 200, includes John’s Revelation. Tertullian, the first great writer of Latin Christianity, who lived from around A.D. 150 to 225, also quoted from Revelation and maintained that it was written by the apostle John. Hippolytus, early in the third century, accepted Revelation as Scripture and John as its author. Clement and Origen of Alexandria also received Revelation as Scripture and the work of the apostle John. Athanasius in the fourth century, knowing the respect held for the Book of Revelation in the churches, also supported the inclusion of Revelation in the canon as Scripture.
In spite of this strong support for John’s authorship of the Book of Revelation as Scripture, it was not accepted universally but was spoken against by some. Marcion did not include it in his canon, nor the gospel and letters of John. Some, such as the sect known as the Alogi, did not accept the Book of Revelation for doctrinal, not historical, reasons. They stood opposed to Montanism in the second century, which claimed special prophetic gifts and supported its teaching on the basis of the Book of Revelation. Dionysius in opposition to millennial views denied John’s authorship and attributed the Book of Revelation to another John whose tomb was in Ephesus. In his listing of the canonical books and of the disputed books of the New Testament Eusebius included John’s Revelation among the genuine books but included the note “if proper” and went on to say while some did not accept the Book of Revelation others ranked it among the genuine (Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 25). In the Church today the Book of Revelation is included in the canon of Scripture and is not distinguished from the other genuine books of the New Testament.
Recipients Of The Book Of Revelation:
The Book of Revelation is actually a letter. It contains an opening address and greeting characteristic of the epistles in the New Testament (see Revelation 1:4) as well as a closing benediction (see Revelation 22:21). The book is a revelatory letter from God the Father, given through Jesus Christ by means of an angel to John for “the seven churches in the province of Asia” (see Revelation 1:1, 4)
The seven churches that received the letter are listed in Revelation 1:11: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The churches were located in what is now the country of Turkey. They are listed in an order one would follow on a circuit of visitations as he followed the circular road that bound the most populous, wealthy, and influential cities in the western area of Asia. From these major centers the letter could be shared with the other churches.
Date And Place The Book Of Revelation Was Written:
Revelation 1:9 states the book was written on the island of Patmos, where John was exiled because of his teaching the Word of God and his testifying to Jesus. Patmos was an island about 10 miles long and 6 miles wide, which was located southwest of Ephesus and due west of Miletus. The Romans used the island as a place to banish individuals as punishment for some crime against Rome.
A statement of Irenaeus helps to date the writing of the book. He stated it was written not very long before, nearly in his own generation, at the close of the reign of Domitian. This time of writing is substantiated by Victorinus, who was bishop of what is now Pettau, which is located 128 miles south of Vienna, and who was martyred about A.D. 304. Everett F. Harrison quoted Victorinus in his book as stating: “When John said these things, he was in the island of Patmos, condemned to the mines by Caesar Domitian. There he saw the Apocalypse; and when at length grown old, he thought that he should receive his release by suffering; but Domitian being killed, he was liberated.”
The reign of Emperor Domitian was A.D. 81 to 96. Based on Irenaeus’ statement about the close of the reign of Domitian, the probable date of the writing of Revelation was A.D. 95 or 96. Such a date harmonizes with the conditions known at the time. During the reign of Domitian, who is said to have been the first Roman emperor to make an issue of emperor worship, the worship of the emperor was promoted in the province of Asia. Domitian coveted being addressed as “Lord and God”. Such veneration of the emperor was made a test of one’s loyalty to the Roman Empire. Refusal to do so was considered an act of treason punishable by death. Christians who believed and confessed only one man was Lord and God, Jesus Christ, and refused to participate in the emperor worship, became guilty of a crime against the state. John’s banishment to Patmos “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” fits the conditions in Ephesus and Asia at the close of the reign of Domitian. John’s mentioning in Revelation 2:13 the martyrdom of Anitpas at Pergamum in Asia, and his reference in Revelation 6:9 to the souls of the martyrs under the altar who were slain because of the word of God and the testimony they maintained, also fits the conditions at the time of A.D. 95 to 96.
A date of A.D. 95 to 96 allows for a considerable passage of years from the time of Paul’s first and third missionary journeys in Asia, around A.D. 46 to 49 and 53 to 57, when he founded the churches there, to the time John wrote the Book of Revelation. That 50-year interval allows for the decline of the churches John wrote to from the day of their founding by Paul. The church of Ephesus had forsaken its first love (see Revelation 2:4, 5). The church of Sardis had become spiritually dead (see Revelation 3:1). The church of Laodicea had become lukewarm (see Revelation 3:15, 16).
According to Revelation 3:17 the members of the church of Laodicea were wealthy and prosperous. This would indicate the city of Laodicea was enjoying prosperity. The city had been destroyed by an earthquake between A.D. 61-64. A date for the writing of the Book of Revelation in A.D. 95 to 96 allows sufficient time for the city to have been rebuilt and to regain its prosperity.
Occasion Of The Book Of Revelation:
God’s reason for giving this revelatory letter to John for the seven churches is suggested by the contents of the letter. The devil was attacking the churches from within and without (see Revelation 2:9, 13; 3:9). The churches were being disturbed by false teachers (see Revelation 2:6, 14, 15, 20). They were being persecuted and slandered by the Jews and civil authorities, which had already brought about the banishment of John and the martyrdom of some of the faithful Christians (see Revelation 1:9; 2:9, 10, 13; 3:9; 6:9, 10). Some of the churches had also declined spiritually and needed to be called to repentance, while others of them had in their midst members who had embraced false teachings that needed to be purged from the congregations (see Revelation 2:4, 5, 14, 15, 20-25; 3:1-3, 15-19).
Purpose Of The Book Of Revelation:
The purpose of this revelatory letter is also suggested by the contents of the letter. Its intent was to strengthen and encourage the Christians so they could endure the tribulations they were suffering, to call them to repentance and a spiritual renewal, to admonish and exhort them to a faithfulness to the true Word and its teachings, and to assure them of the certain hope of victory that was theirs in Christ over their adversaries and all evil.
Dr. Siegbert W. Becker in his commentary on the Book of Revelation suggested that the book could be seen as a commentary on Acts 14:22 and Matthew 16:18, which tells us that we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God...and the gates of Hades will not overcome (the church).
Characteristics Of The Book Of Revelation:
1. It is an apocalyptic writing. The book’s title is the opening words of Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation.” The Greek word for “revelation” is carried over into our English as “The Apocalypse”. The name “apocalypse” has been given to a type of literature also found in the Old Testament, particularly in the Books of Daniel and Ezekiel. Dr. Becker defined apocalyptic writing as en effort to portray the future by means of strange and even fantastic symbolism.
Martin H. Franzmann noted in his book The Word of the Lord Grows that the strange, fantastic symbolism of the Revelation that puzzles us today was familiar to the apostle John’s original readers. They had become familiar with the strange imagery of apocalyptic writing from such books in the Old Testament as Daniel and Ezekiel, as well as from the apocryphal writings of the intertestamental age--the books of Enoch, Jubilees, Esdras, and the Assumption of Moses. The apocalyptic writings saw history on the basis of the visions of the writers and were particularly interested in eschatology, that is the end of this world’s history and the ushering in of the new age and world to come. It used pictures, allegories, symbols, numbers, colors, and stars to which a significant meaning was attached.
Apocalyptic writing drew from the Old Testament. The Book of Revelation did even more so. Franzmann has stated that no other book of the New Testament can compare to the number of allusions to the Old Testament found in Revelation. They number in the hundreds.
2. Revelation stands out for its eschatological emphasis above all other books of the Bible. Other books of the Old and New Testaments include passages and sections on the end times. But none are so concentrated, sustained, and comprehensive in their treatment of the end times as Revelation.
3. Revelation is free in its use of symbolism. Lampstands are churches and stars are their angels. Jesus is the son of man, the Root of David, a lamb, a lion, a riding conqueror on a white horse, a mighty angel robed in a cloud with a rainbow above his head. The devil is a great red dragon, an old serpent, and the angel of the bottomless pit.
4. Revelation sets forth the awesome majesty, holiness, and power of the just God and Jesus Christ, who bring punishment on their evil enemies and who are worthy of the honor and praise of saints and angels.
5. Revelation makes prolific use of numbers and particular numbers of word groupings.
It makes use of the triadic arrangement of phrases and words for the three persons of the Godhead, such as is found in Revelation 1:4, 5. It uses quadruplet words to refer to the people of this world, such as found in Revelation 5:9, 7:9. Three is the symbolic number for the Triune God. Four is the symbolic number for the world, which has its four corners or points of the compass (see Revelation 7:1; 20:8).
Seven recurs repeatedly in Revelation--the seven lampstands, seven stars, seven churches, seven angels, seven seals, seven trumpets, the seven visions, the seven last plagues and bowls of wrath. Seven (being the sum of three, which is the symbolic number for God, plus four, which is the symbolic number for the earth) is the symbolical number for God’s covenant of grace with the world.
Twelve, the multiple of three times four, is the symbolical number for God’s church. Twelve was the number of the tribes of Israel and the number of the apostles. Revelation makes use of multiples of twelve--the 24 elders around the throne and the 144,000 who were sealed on the foreheads as the servants of God.
Ten is the symbolic number for completeness, as in the ten days of persecution in Smyrna (see Revelation 2:10). Its cube of 1,000 is the symbolic number for the completeness of time to the end of this world’s history (see Revelation 20:3, 4, 7).
The 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7, which is the product of 12 x 12 x 10 x 10 x 10, is the symbolic number for the church of Christ in its totality.
In Revelation 13:18 the number 666 appears. This number is said to be the calculated number of the beast. The calculation of names is known as gematria. In ancient times each letter of the Greek alphabet was assigned a numerical value. The value of each letter in the name was calculated to come up with its total value. Many have attempted to calculate the name of a person that totals 666. Irenaeus stated the safest thing to do was wait to see the fulfillment, since such calculations were uncertain at best. He himself, however, suggested the Greek name “Lateinos”, which means “Latin”. This suggestion had some merit, because at the time the anti-Christian power that was persecuting the church was Rome, the center of the Latin world. Whose ever name 666 is the calculation of, he is a great enemy of the church on earth.
Content Of The Book Of Revelation:
In fantastic visions and symbolism the whole history of the Christian church is seen in its struggle to preach and maintain the gospel of Christ amid persecutions and tribulations, over which it gains the victory time and again.
Theme Of The Book Of Revelation:
What Must Take Place As The Church Goes Through Great Tribulations To Its Heavenly Triumph (see Revelation 1:1, 19; 4:1; 22:6; 7:9-17; 17:1-22:5)
The Outline Headings:
The outline headings throughout this translation of the Book of Revelation for the most part follow the outline presented by Dr. Siegbert W. Becker in his commentary on the Book of Revelation.
Headings throughout The Following Book of Revelation:
The headings are not merely section headings. The headings and subheadings make up an outline of the book. They are included in the body of the text so the reader can see them as he reads the book without having to page over to a separate outline.
The headings are not merely section headings. The headings and subheadings make up an outline of the book. They are included in the body of the text so the reader can see them as he reads the book without having to page over to a separate outline.
The Book Of Revelation
Part 1: Introduction Revelation 1:1-20
A. The Title of the Book Revelation 1:1-3
1
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show his bondservants the things that must soon take place. And he made these things known by sending them through his angel to his bondservant John,
2 who bore witness to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, to as many things as he saw.
3 Blessed is the one who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and pay attention to the things that are written in it – for the time is near!
B. The Greeting Revelation 1:4-5a
¶ 4 John;
To the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace:
From him
Who is
And who was
And who is to come,
And from the seven Spirits that are before his throne,
5a And from Jesus Christ,
The faithful witness,
The firstborn of the dead,
And the ruler of the kings of the earth.
C. Hymn of Praise Revelation 1:5b, 6
¶ 5b To him who loves us and released us from our sins by his blood –
6 and made us a kingdom, priests to God and his Father – to him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
D. The First Prophecy: Jesus Is Coming Revelation 1:7
¶ 7 Look! He is coming with the clouds,
And every eye will see him,
Even those who pierced him,
And all the nations of the earth will mourn because of him.
Yes, so it will be!
E. Jesus’ Threefold Identification of Himself Revelation 1:8
¶ 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God,
“Who is and who was and who is to come,
The Almighty.”
F. John’s Vision of the Glorified Christ Revelation 1:9-20
¶ 9 I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation and kingdom and patient expectation that are in Jesus, was on the island that is called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
10 I was in spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
11 saying, “What you see write in a book and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
¶ 12 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me; and when I had turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching down to the feet and encircled with a golden belt around his chest.
14 What is more, his head and his hair were white like white wool, like snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire.
15 And his feet were like fine bronze when it has been made red hot in a furnace. And his voice was like the raging of rushing rapids.
16 And he was holding in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp, double-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in its brilliance.
¶ 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man; and he put his right hand upon me, saying, “Stop being afraid. I am the First and the Last,
18 “and the Living One; and I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever. And I have the keys of death and of hell.
19 “Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which are destined to be after these things.
20 “The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”
Part 2: The First Vision: The Seven Letters to the Seven Churches Revelation 2:1-3:22
A. To the Church in Ephesus Revelation 2:1-7
2
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
¶ So says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:
2 I know your deeds and your hard work and perseverance, and that you are unable to put up with evil men, and you have put to the test those who declare themselves apostles, and yet they are not, and you have found them liars;
3 and you have perseverance – you have endured patiently for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary.
4 But I have against you that you have abandoned your first love.
5 Keep remembering, therefore, from where you have fallen, and repent and begin to do the deeds you did at first; otherwise I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand out of its place – unless you repent.
6 Yet you do have this, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant him to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
B. To the Church in Smyrna Revelation 2:8-11
¶ 8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
¶ So says the First and the Last, who was dead and came to life:
9 I know your tribulation and extreme poverty (yet you are rich!) and the slander by those who declare themselves to be Jews, and yet are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10 Keep from becoming frightened of the things that you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested. And you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall never be harmed by the second death.
C. To the Church in Pergamum Revelation 2:12-17
¶ 12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
¶ So says the one who holds the sharp, double-edged sword:
13 I know where you live, where the throne of Satan is, and you hold fast to my name, and did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
14 But I have a few matters against you, because you have there those who hold fast the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block in front of the sons of Israel to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to indulge in illicit sexual intercourse.
15 So you also have those who likewise hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
16 Repent therefore! Otherwise I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and to him I will give a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knows except him who receives it.
D. To the Church in Thyatira Revelation 2:18-29
¶ 18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
¶ So says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine bronze:
19 I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and your last deeds are greater than the first.
20 But I have against you that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads my bondservants astray to indulge in illicit sexual intercourse and to eat meat sacrificed to idols.
21 And I gave her time to repent, but she does not desire to repent of her illicit sexual intercourse.
22 Behold, I am casting her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into severe tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
23 And her children I will kill dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who examines the minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.
24 Moreover, I say to you, to the rest in Thyatira, to as many as do not hold this teaching of hers, such ones of you as have not come to have a knowledge of the deep things of Satan – as they call them, I am not putting upon you another burden.
25 Nevertheless, what you have, hold fast until I come.
26 And he who overcomes and who keeps my deeds until the end,
I will give authority over the nations,
27 And he will rule them with a rod of iron,
As the vessels of clay are shattered to pieces
28 As I have received authority from my Father; and I will give him the morning star.
29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
E. To the Church in Sardis Revelation 3:1-6
3
1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:
¶ So says the one who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars:
I know your deeds, that you have a reputation that you are alive, and yet you are dead.
2 Start waking up! And strengthen the remaining things that were about to die, for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of my God.
3 Keep remembering, therefore, how you have received and heard the gospel, and keep paying attention to it, and repent! Therefore, unless you wake up, I will come like a thief, and you shall surely not know at what hour I will come against you.
4 But you do have a few individuals in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white garments, because they are worthy.
5 He who overcomes in this manner will be clothed in white garments, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
F. To the Church in Philadelphia Revelation 3:7-13
¶ 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
¶ So says the holy One, the genuine One,
Who holds the key of David,
Who opens and no one can shut,
And who shuts and no one can open:
8 I know your deeds. Behold, I have put an open door before you, which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name.
9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who declare themselves to be Jews, and yet they are not, but lie – behold, I will make them come and fall down before your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.
10 Because you have kept the word of my patient endurance, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is about to come upon the whole inhabited earth to test those who dwell upon the earth.
11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
12 He who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall never go outside of it again, and I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God – the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, as well as my new name.
13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
G. To the Church in Laodicea Revelation 3:14-22
¶ 14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
¶ So says the Amen, the faithful and genuine Witness, the Active Cause of the creation of God:
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. O that you were cold or hot!
16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
17 Because you say, “I am wealthy and have gotten riches, and I have no need of anything,” and yet you do not know that you are wretched and pitiful and poor and blind and naked –
18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire in order that you may become rich, and white garments that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be brought out into the open, and eye-salve to rub into your eyes in order that you may see.
19 As for me, as many as I love I correct and discipline; start being full of zeal, therefore, and repent!
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me.
21 He who overcomes I will grant to him the right to sit down with me on my throne, just as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
A. The Title of the Book Revelation 1:1-3
1
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show his bondservants the things that must soon take place. And he made these things known by sending them through his angel to his bondservant John,
2 who bore witness to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, to as many things as he saw.
3 Blessed is the one who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and pay attention to the things that are written in it – for the time is near!
B. The Greeting Revelation 1:4-5a
¶ 4 John;
To the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace:
From him
Who is
And who was
And who is to come,
And from the seven Spirits that are before his throne,
5a And from Jesus Christ,
The faithful witness,
The firstborn of the dead,
And the ruler of the kings of the earth.
C. Hymn of Praise Revelation 1:5b, 6
¶ 5b To him who loves us and released us from our sins by his blood –
6 and made us a kingdom, priests to God and his Father – to him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
D. The First Prophecy: Jesus Is Coming Revelation 1:7
¶ 7 Look! He is coming with the clouds,
And every eye will see him,
Even those who pierced him,
And all the nations of the earth will mourn because of him.
Yes, so it will be!
E. Jesus’ Threefold Identification of Himself Revelation 1:8
¶ 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God,
“Who is and who was and who is to come,
The Almighty.”
F. John’s Vision of the Glorified Christ Revelation 1:9-20
¶ 9 I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation and kingdom and patient expectation that are in Jesus, was on the island that is called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
10 I was in spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
11 saying, “What you see write in a book and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
¶ 12 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me; and when I had turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching down to the feet and encircled with a golden belt around his chest.
14 What is more, his head and his hair were white like white wool, like snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire.
15 And his feet were like fine bronze when it has been made red hot in a furnace. And his voice was like the raging of rushing rapids.
16 And he was holding in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp, double-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in its brilliance.
¶ 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man; and he put his right hand upon me, saying, “Stop being afraid. I am the First and the Last,
18 “and the Living One; and I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever. And I have the keys of death and of hell.
19 “Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which are destined to be after these things.
20 “The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”
Part 2: The First Vision: The Seven Letters to the Seven Churches Revelation 2:1-3:22
A. To the Church in Ephesus Revelation 2:1-7
2
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
¶ So says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:
2 I know your deeds and your hard work and perseverance, and that you are unable to put up with evil men, and you have put to the test those who declare themselves apostles, and yet they are not, and you have found them liars;
3 and you have perseverance – you have endured patiently for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary.
4 But I have against you that you have abandoned your first love.
5 Keep remembering, therefore, from where you have fallen, and repent and begin to do the deeds you did at first; otherwise I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand out of its place – unless you repent.
6 Yet you do have this, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant him to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
B. To the Church in Smyrna Revelation 2:8-11
¶ 8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
¶ So says the First and the Last, who was dead and came to life:
9 I know your tribulation and extreme poverty (yet you are rich!) and the slander by those who declare themselves to be Jews, and yet are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10 Keep from becoming frightened of the things that you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested. And you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall never be harmed by the second death.
C. To the Church in Pergamum Revelation 2:12-17
¶ 12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
¶ So says the one who holds the sharp, double-edged sword:
13 I know where you live, where the throne of Satan is, and you hold fast to my name, and did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
14 But I have a few matters against you, because you have there those who hold fast the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block in front of the sons of Israel to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to indulge in illicit sexual intercourse.
15 So you also have those who likewise hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
16 Repent therefore! Otherwise I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and to him I will give a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knows except him who receives it.
D. To the Church in Thyatira Revelation 2:18-29
¶ 18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
¶ So says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine bronze:
19 I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and your last deeds are greater than the first.
20 But I have against you that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads my bondservants astray to indulge in illicit sexual intercourse and to eat meat sacrificed to idols.
21 And I gave her time to repent, but she does not desire to repent of her illicit sexual intercourse.
22 Behold, I am casting her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into severe tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
23 And her children I will kill dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who examines the minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.
24 Moreover, I say to you, to the rest in Thyatira, to as many as do not hold this teaching of hers, such ones of you as have not come to have a knowledge of the deep things of Satan – as they call them, I am not putting upon you another burden.
25 Nevertheless, what you have, hold fast until I come.
26 And he who overcomes and who keeps my deeds until the end,
I will give authority over the nations,
27 And he will rule them with a rod of iron,
As the vessels of clay are shattered to pieces
28 As I have received authority from my Father; and I will give him the morning star.
29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
E. To the Church in Sardis Revelation 3:1-6
3
1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:
¶ So says the one who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars:
I know your deeds, that you have a reputation that you are alive, and yet you are dead.
2 Start waking up! And strengthen the remaining things that were about to die, for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of my God.
3 Keep remembering, therefore, how you have received and heard the gospel, and keep paying attention to it, and repent! Therefore, unless you wake up, I will come like a thief, and you shall surely not know at what hour I will come against you.
4 But you do have a few individuals in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white garments, because they are worthy.
5 He who overcomes in this manner will be clothed in white garments, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
F. To the Church in Philadelphia Revelation 3:7-13
¶ 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
¶ So says the holy One, the genuine One,
Who holds the key of David,
Who opens and no one can shut,
And who shuts and no one can open:
8 I know your deeds. Behold, I have put an open door before you, which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name.
9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who declare themselves to be Jews, and yet they are not, but lie – behold, I will make them come and fall down before your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.
10 Because you have kept the word of my patient endurance, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is about to come upon the whole inhabited earth to test those who dwell upon the earth.
11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
12 He who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall never go outside of it again, and I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God – the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, as well as my new name.
13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
G. To the Church in Laodicea Revelation 3:14-22
¶ 14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
¶ So says the Amen, the faithful and genuine Witness, the Active Cause of the creation of God:
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. O that you were cold or hot!
16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
17 Because you say, “I am wealthy and have gotten riches, and I have no need of anything,” and yet you do not know that you are wretched and pitiful and poor and blind and naked –
18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire in order that you may become rich, and white garments that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be brought out into the open, and eye-salve to rub into your eyes in order that you may see.
19 As for me, as many as I love I correct and discipline; start being full of zeal, therefore, and repent!
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me.
21 He who overcomes I will grant to him the right to sit down with me on my throne, just as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Part 3: The Second Vision: The Vision of the Seven Seals Revelation 4:1-7:17
A. The Vision of God in Heaven Revelation 4:1-11
4
1 After these things I looked, and behold a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice that I had heard, like a trumpet speaking with me, was saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things that must take place after these things.
2 At once I was in spirit; and behold a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne,
3 and the One sitting was like a jasper stone and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow like an emerald in appearance was all around the throne.
4 And encircling the throne were twenty-four thrones, and twenty-four elders were sitting upon the thrones, being clothed in white garments, and golden crowns were upon their heads.
5 And out from the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and thunderclaps; 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 transparent as glass, resembling crystal.
¶ And in the middle of the throne and around the throne are four living creatures being full of eyes in front and behind;
7 and the first living creature is like a lion, and the second living creature is like an ox, and the third living creature has a face like that of a man, and the fourth living creature is like a flying eagle.
8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and they say day and night without ceasing
“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY,
IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY,
Who was and who is and who is to come!”
9 And whenever 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 worship him who lives forever and ever, and they will throw their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
To receive the glory and the honor and the power,
For you created all things,
And because of your will they began to exist and were created!”
B. The Vision of Who is Worthy to Open the Scroll Revelation 5:1-14
5
1 And I saw at the right hand of him who sits on the throne a book having been written on the inside 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 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 nor to look inside it.
4 And I began weeping profusely, because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look inside it.
5 And one of the elders says to me, “Stop weeping. Behold, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has carried off the victory and so has the right to open the book and its seven seals.
6 And I saw near the center of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the middle of the elders a Lamb, standing as though it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, who are the seven spirits of God who have been sent out into all the earth.
7 And he came, and he has taken the book from the right hand of him who sits on the throne.
8 And when he took 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 open its seals,
For you were slaughtered and purchased for God with your blood men
From every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 And made them a kingdom and priests for our God,
And they will reign upon the earth.”
11 And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and their number was ten thousands upon ten thousands and thousands times thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that had been slaughtered to receive
The power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
13 And I heard every creature, which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and
Glory and power forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures were saying again and again, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshipped.
C. The Vision of the Opening of the Seven Seals Revelation 6:1-7:17
6
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying like a sound of a thunderclap, “Come!”
2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And one sitting upon it holding a bow. And a crown was given to him, and he rode out conquering that he may vanquish.
¶ 3 And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!”
4 And another, a fiery red horse, came out. And it was granted to the one sitting upon it to take peace from the earth, in order that men would slaughter one another, and a great saber was given to him.
¶ 5 And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And the one sitting upon it holding a balance scale in his hand.
6 And I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages. And do not spoil the olive oil and the wine!”
¶ 7 And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!”
8 And I looked, and behold, a sickening yellowish green horse! And the one sitting upon it had his name above him – “Death”, and Hell kept following in company with him. And 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.
¶ 9 And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and the testimony that they held fast.
10 And they cried out with a loud voice, “ How long, O Master, holy and genuine One, are you putting off judging and avenging our blood from those who dwell on the earth?”
11 And a white robe was given to each of them, and it was said to them that they should rest a short time yet, until the number of their fellow bondservants and their brothers who were about to be killed as they were should also be completed.
¶ 12 And I looked when he opened the sixth seal, and a violent earthquake occurred, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood,
13 and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, like a fig tree drops its summer figs while being shaken by a strong wind,
14 and the heaven was split like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved from their places.
15 And the kings of the earth and the great men and the military commanders and the rich and the mighty and every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
16 and they keep on saying to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,
17 “because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
7
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 east having the seal of the living God, and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to damage the earth and the sea,
3“Do not begin to damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads.”
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, “144,000,” who were sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
From the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
From the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6 From the tribe of Asher 12,000,
From the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
From the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 From the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
From the tribe of Levi 12,000,
From the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8 From the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
From the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
From the tribe of Benjamin 12,000 were sealed.
¶ 9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude! A multitude that no one was able to count, from all nations and tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and holding palm branches in their hands;
10 and again and again they call out with a loud voice: “Salvation is our God’s, who sits on the throne, and the Lamb’s!”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God,
12 saying:
“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!”
¶ 13 And one of the elders replied, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where did they come from?”
14. Then I said to him, “My lord, surely you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation, and they 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 serve him day and night in his temple,
And he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them;
16 “They will hunger no more,
Nor will they thirst any more,
Nor will the sun beat down upon them,
Nor any burning heat,
17 “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will shepherd them,
And will lead them to streams of living water;
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
A. The Vision of God in Heaven Revelation 4:1-11
4
1 After these things I looked, and behold a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice that I had heard, like a trumpet speaking with me, was saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things that must take place after these things.
2 At once I was in spirit; and behold a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne,
3 and the One sitting was like a jasper stone and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow like an emerald in appearance was all around the throne.
4 And encircling the throne were twenty-four thrones, and twenty-four elders were sitting upon the thrones, being clothed in white garments, and golden crowns were upon their heads.
5 And out from the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and thunderclaps; 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 transparent as glass, resembling crystal.
¶ And in the middle of the throne and around the throne are four living creatures being full of eyes in front and behind;
7 and the first living creature is like a lion, and the second living creature is like an ox, and the third living creature has a face like that of a man, and the fourth living creature is like a flying eagle.
8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and they say day and night without ceasing
“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY,
IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY,
Who was and who is and who is to come!”
9 And whenever 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 worship him who lives forever and ever, and they will throw their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
To receive the glory and the honor and the power,
For you created all things,
And because of your will they began to exist and were created!”
B. The Vision of Who is Worthy to Open the Scroll Revelation 5:1-14
5
1 And I saw at the right hand of him who sits on the throne a book having been written on the inside 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 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 nor to look inside it.
4 And I began weeping profusely, because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look inside it.
5 And one of the elders says to me, “Stop weeping. Behold, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has carried off the victory and so has the right to open the book and its seven seals.
6 And I saw near the center of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the middle of the elders a Lamb, standing as though it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, who are the seven spirits of God who have been sent out into all the earth.
7 And he came, and he has taken the book from the right hand of him who sits on the throne.
8 And when he took 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 open its seals,
For you were slaughtered and purchased for God with your blood men
From every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 And made them a kingdom and priests for our God,
And they will reign upon the earth.”
11 And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and their number was ten thousands upon ten thousands and thousands times thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that had been slaughtered to receive
The power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
13 And I heard every creature, which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and
Glory and power forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures were saying again and again, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshipped.
C. The Vision of the Opening of the Seven Seals Revelation 6:1-7:17
6
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying like a sound of a thunderclap, “Come!”
2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And one sitting upon it holding a bow. And a crown was given to him, and he rode out conquering that he may vanquish.
¶ 3 And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!”
4 And another, a fiery red horse, came out. And it was granted to the one sitting upon it to take peace from the earth, in order that men would slaughter one another, and a great saber was given to him.
¶ 5 And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And the one sitting upon it holding a balance scale in his hand.
6 And I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages. And do not spoil the olive oil and the wine!”
¶ 7 And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!”
8 And I looked, and behold, a sickening yellowish green horse! And the one sitting upon it had his name above him – “Death”, and Hell kept following in company with him. And 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.
¶ 9 And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and the testimony that they held fast.
10 And they cried out with a loud voice, “ How long, O Master, holy and genuine One, are you putting off judging and avenging our blood from those who dwell on the earth?”
11 And a white robe was given to each of them, and it was said to them that they should rest a short time yet, until the number of their fellow bondservants and their brothers who were about to be killed as they were should also be completed.
¶ 12 And I looked when he opened the sixth seal, and a violent earthquake occurred, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood,
13 and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, like a fig tree drops its summer figs while being shaken by a strong wind,
14 and the heaven was split like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved from their places.
15 And the kings of the earth and the great men and the military commanders and the rich and the mighty and every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
16 and they keep on saying to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,
17 “because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
7
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 east having the seal of the living God, and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to damage the earth and the sea,
3“Do not begin to damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads.”
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, “144,000,” who were sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
From the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
From the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6 From the tribe of Asher 12,000,
From the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
From the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 From the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
From the tribe of Levi 12,000,
From the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8 From the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
From the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
From the tribe of Benjamin 12,000 were sealed.
¶ 9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude! A multitude that no one was able to count, from all nations and tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and holding palm branches in their hands;
10 and again and again they call out with a loud voice: “Salvation is our God’s, who sits on the throne, and the Lamb’s!”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God,
12 saying:
“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!”
¶ 13 And one of the elders replied, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where did they come from?”
14. Then I said to him, “My lord, surely you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation, and they 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 serve him day and night in his temple,
And he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them;
16 “They will hunger no more,
Nor will they thirst any more,
Nor will the sun beat down upon them,
Nor any burning heat,
17 “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will shepherd them,
And will lead them to streams of living water;
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Part 4: The Third Vision: The Vision of the Seven Trumpets Revelation 8:1-11:19
8
1 And when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels, the ones who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar holding a golden censer. And much incense was given to him to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense rose up before God from the hand of the angel with the prayers of the saints.
5 And the angel took the censer and filled it with some of the fire of the altar and hurled it to the earth. And there were thunderclaps and rumblings and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
¶ 6 And the seven angels who are holding the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound the trumpets.
¶ 7 And the first angel sounded his trumpet. And there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and they were thrown onto 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 And the second angel sounded his trumpet. And something like a huge mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. And a third of the sea became blood,
9 and a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
¶ 10 And the third angel sounded his trumpet. And a great star, burning like a torch, fell from heaven, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
11 And the name of the star is called “Wormwood.” And a third of the waters became wormwood, and many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.
¶ 12 And the fourth angel sounded his trumpet. And a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened, and a third of the day had no light and the night was likewise.
¶ 13 And I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midair proclaiming 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 their trumpets!”
9
1 And the fifth angel sounded his trumpet. And I saw a star fall out of heaven to the earth, and the key for the pit of the Abyss was given to him.
2 And he opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose up out of the pit like smoke of a gigantic furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.
3 And locusts came out of the smoke onto the earth, and a capability was given to them like the ability the scorpions of the earth have.
4 And they were commanded that they should not damage the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5 And the command was given to them not to kill them but to torment them for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person.
6 And in those days people will seek death, and yet will never find it; and they will desire to die, and yet death flees from them.
¶ 7 And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle, and on their heads were something like golden crowns, and their faces were like the faces of men.
8 And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions,
9 and they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots of horses charging into battle.
10 And they have tails similar to scorpions with their stings, and in their tails is their capability to torment people 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.
¶ 13 And the sixth angel sounded his trumpet. And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,
14 saying to the sixth angel, who is holding the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
15 And the four angels, who had been kept in readiness for this hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.
16 And the number of the troops of the cavalry was two hundred million. I heard their number.
17 In the vision I saw the horses and the riders who sit on them like this: They have breastplates that are fiery red and dark blue and a pale yellow like sulfur. And the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths spew fire and smoke and sulfur.
18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed – by the fire and the smoke and the sulfur that kept spewing 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, having heads with which they torment.
¶ 20 And yet the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not even repent of the works of their hands, so they would not worship demons and the idols of gold and of silver and of bronze and of stone and of wood, which are not able to see nor hear nor walk.
21 Nor did they repent of their murders, or of their magical arts, or of their illicit sexual intercourse, or of their thefts.
10
1 And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow is upon his head, and his face is like the sun, and his feet are like pillars of fire,
2 and he is holding in his hand a little book that is open. And he placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,
3 and he shouted out with a loud voice, just as a lion roars. And when he shouted out, the seven thunderclaps sounded forth their own voices.
4 And when the seven thunderclaps sounded forth, I was about to write, when I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things that the seven thunderclaps sounded forth, and do not write them.”
5 And the angel, whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land, raised his right hand towards heaven,
6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created the heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, saying, “There will be no more delay!”
7 But in the days of the blast of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, indeed the mystery of God will be brought to its end, as he proclaimed this good news to his own bondservants the prophets.
¶ 8 And the voice that I heard from heaven spoke with me again and said, “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 says to me, “Take it and eat it, and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be sweet as honey in your mouth.”
10 And I took the little book from the hand of the angel and ate it up, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach was made bitter.
11 And they say to me, “You must prophesy again to many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”
11
1 And a reed like a measuring rod was given to me, the one who gave it to me saying, “Get up and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it.
2 “But the courtyard that is outside the temple leave out, and do not measure it, because it was given to the heathen, and they will trample on the holy city forty-two months.
3 “And I will commission my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two 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 wishes to harm them, fire spews out of their mouths and consumes their enemies. And if anyone should wish to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.
6 These have the power to shut up the sky, so rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have the power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.
7 And when they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the Abyss will make war with them, and will conquer them and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies will lie on the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was also crucified.
9 And men from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid into a grave.
10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and be glad and will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
11 But after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who were looking at them.
12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up into heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
13 And in that hour there was a violent earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest became terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
¶ 14 The second woe is past; behold the third woe is coming quickly.
¶ 15 And the seventh angel sounded his trumpet. 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 down on their faces and worshipped God,
17 saying,
“We give thanks to you, O Lord God, the Almighty,
The One who is and who was,
Because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
18 And the nations were provoked to anger
And your wrath has come,
And the time to judge the dead.
And the time has come to give the reward to your bondservants –
To the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear your name,
The small and the great,
And to destroy those who ruin the earth.”
19 And the temple of God that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple. And there were flashes of lightning and rumblings and thunderclaps and an earthquake and great hail.
8
1 And when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels, the ones who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar holding a golden censer. And much incense was given to him to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense rose up before God from the hand of the angel with the prayers of the saints.
5 And the angel took the censer and filled it with some of the fire of the altar and hurled it to the earth. And there were thunderclaps and rumblings and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
¶ 6 And the seven angels who are holding the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound the trumpets.
¶ 7 And the first angel sounded his trumpet. And there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and they were thrown onto 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 And the second angel sounded his trumpet. And something like a huge mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. And a third of the sea became blood,
9 and a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
¶ 10 And the third angel sounded his trumpet. And a great star, burning like a torch, fell from heaven, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
11 And the name of the star is called “Wormwood.” And a third of the waters became wormwood, and many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.
¶ 12 And the fourth angel sounded his trumpet. And a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened, and a third of the day had no light and the night was likewise.
¶ 13 And I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midair proclaiming 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 their trumpets!”
9
1 And the fifth angel sounded his trumpet. And I saw a star fall out of heaven to the earth, and the key for the pit of the Abyss was given to him.
2 And he opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose up out of the pit like smoke of a gigantic furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.
3 And locusts came out of the smoke onto the earth, and a capability was given to them like the ability the scorpions of the earth have.
4 And they were commanded that they should not damage the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5 And the command was given to them not to kill them but to torment them for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person.
6 And in those days people will seek death, and yet will never find it; and they will desire to die, and yet death flees from them.
¶ 7 And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle, and on their heads were something like golden crowns, and their faces were like the faces of men.
8 And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions,
9 and they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots of horses charging into battle.
10 And they have tails similar to scorpions with their stings, and in their tails is their capability to torment people 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.
¶ 13 And the sixth angel sounded his trumpet. And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,
14 saying to the sixth angel, who is holding the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
15 And the four angels, who had been kept in readiness for this hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.
16 And the number of the troops of the cavalry was two hundred million. I heard their number.
17 In the vision I saw the horses and the riders who sit on them like this: They have breastplates that are fiery red and dark blue and a pale yellow like sulfur. And the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths spew fire and smoke and sulfur.
18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed – by the fire and the smoke and the sulfur that kept spewing 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, having heads with which they torment.
¶ 20 And yet the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not even repent of the works of their hands, so they would not worship demons and the idols of gold and of silver and of bronze and of stone and of wood, which are not able to see nor hear nor walk.
21 Nor did they repent of their murders, or of their magical arts, or of their illicit sexual intercourse, or of their thefts.
10
1 And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow is upon his head, and his face is like the sun, and his feet are like pillars of fire,
2 and he is holding in his hand a little book that is open. And he placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,
3 and he shouted out with a loud voice, just as a lion roars. And when he shouted out, the seven thunderclaps sounded forth their own voices.
4 And when the seven thunderclaps sounded forth, I was about to write, when I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things that the seven thunderclaps sounded forth, and do not write them.”
5 And the angel, whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land, raised his right hand towards heaven,
6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created the heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, saying, “There will be no more delay!”
7 But in the days of the blast of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, indeed the mystery of God will be brought to its end, as he proclaimed this good news to his own bondservants the prophets.
¶ 8 And the voice that I heard from heaven spoke with me again and said, “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 says to me, “Take it and eat it, and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be sweet as honey in your mouth.”
10 And I took the little book from the hand of the angel and ate it up, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach was made bitter.
11 And they say to me, “You must prophesy again to many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”
11
1 And a reed like a measuring rod was given to me, the one who gave it to me saying, “Get up and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it.
2 “But the courtyard that is outside the temple leave out, and do not measure it, because it was given to the heathen, and they will trample on the holy city forty-two months.
3 “And I will commission my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two 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 wishes to harm them, fire spews out of their mouths and consumes their enemies. And if anyone should wish to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.
6 These have the power to shut up the sky, so rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have the power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.
7 And when they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the Abyss will make war with them, and will conquer them and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies will lie on the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was also crucified.
9 And men from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid into a grave.
10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and be glad and will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
11 But after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who were looking at them.
12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up into heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
13 And in that hour there was a violent earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest became terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
¶ 14 The second woe is past; behold the third woe is coming quickly.
¶ 15 And the seventh angel sounded his trumpet. 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 down on their faces and worshipped God,
17 saying,
“We give thanks to you, O Lord God, the Almighty,
The One who is and who was,
Because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
18 And the nations were provoked to anger
And your wrath has come,
And the time to judge the dead.
And the time has come to give the reward to your bondservants –
To the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear your name,
The small and the great,
And to destroy those who ruin the earth.”
19 And the temple of God that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple. And there were flashes of lightning and rumblings and thunderclaps and an earthquake and great hail.
Part 5: The Fourth Vision: The Vision of the Seven Visions Revelation 12:1-15:8
A. The First Vision of the Great Red Dragon Revelation 12:1-18
12
1 And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
2 She is with child and goes on crying out because she is having labor pains and suffering intensely to give birth.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven. And behold, a great red dragon! Having seven heads and ten horns and on his heads seven diadems!
4 And his tail sweeps away a third of the stars of the sky and hurls them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who is about to give birth, so when she gave birth he may devour her child.
5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was carried up to God and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the desert, where she has a place prepared there by God, that they might nourish her there for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
¶ 7 And there was a war in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but he was not powerful enough, and a place was no longer found for them in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who leads the whole inhabited earth astray – he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
“Now have come the salvation and the power
And the kingdom of our God
And the authority of his Christ,
For the Accuser of our brothers was cast out,
Who accuses them before our God day and night.
11 And they conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb
And because of the word of their testimony,
And they did not love their lives up to death.
12 For this reason rejoice, O heavens,
And those who dwell in them;
Woe to the earth and the sea,
Because the devil has come down to you
Having an intense rage,
Because he knows that he has little time.”
¶ 13 And when the dragon saw that he had been cast down to the earth, he pursued the woman who gave birth to the male child.
14 And the two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, that she may fly to her place in the desert, where she is nourished for a time and times and a half time away from the presence of the serpent.
15 And the serpent gushed forth water from his mouth like a river after the woman, that he might cause her to be swept away by the river.
16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river, which the dragon gushed forth from his mouth.
17 Then the dragon became enraged at the woman, and he went to wage war with the rest of her children, who are keeping the commandments of God and holding to the testimony of Jesus.
18 And the dragon stood on the sandy beach of the sea.
B. The Second Vision of the Beast of the Sea Revelation 13:1-10
13
1 And 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 that I saw was similar to a leopard, and its feet were like the feet of a bear, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
3 And one of his heads was like it had been butchered to death, and yet his deadly wound was healed. And the whole earth was so astonished, that it followed the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon, because he had given authority to the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”
¶ 5 And a mouth was given to the beast, speaking great things, indeed blasphemous things, and it was granted to him to exercise authority for forty-two months.
6 He opened his mouth to speak blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and those who live in heaven.
7 And it was granted to him to wage war with the saints and to conquer them, and authority over every tribe and people and language and nation was given to him.
8 And all those who dwell on the earth will worship him, all whose name has not been written from the beginning of the world in the book of life that belongs to the Lamb who had been slaughtered.
¶ 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
10 If anyone is destined for captivity,
Into captivity he goes;
If anyone is destined to be killed with a sword,
With a sword he is to be killed.
Here is the patient endurance and the confidence of the saints.
C. The Third Vision of the Beast of the Earth Revelation 13:11-18
¶ 11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he has two horns like the lamb, and yet he keeps speaking like the dragon.
12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast before him. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of the people.
14 And he misleads those who dwell on the earth because of the signs, which were given to him to perform before the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast, who has the wound of the sword and yet he lived.
15 And it was granted to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast even spoke and caused as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
16 And he makes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the freemen and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
17 indeed so that no one would be able to buy or to sell except the one who has the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom: He who has understanding let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666.
D. The Fourth Vision of the Lamb and the 144,000 Revelation 14:1-5
14
1 And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing upon Mount Zion! And with him were 144,000 having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven like a raging of rushing rapids and like a rumbling of loud thunder, and the voice that I heard was like harpists playing on their harps.
3 And they are singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one was able to learn the song except the 144,000 – those who had been purchased from the earth.
4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he may go. These have been purchased from among men – firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
5 And no lie was found in their mouth. They are blameless.
E. The Fifth Vision of the Three Angels Revelation 14:6-13
¶ 6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, namely, to every nation and tribe and language and people,
7 saying in a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of water.”
¶ 8 And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink from the inflaming wine of her fornication!”
¶ 9 And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark upon his forehead or upon his hand,
10 “he will also drink from the wine of God’s rage, which has been poured out full strength in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
11 “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest day and night – those who worship the beast and his image, and anyone who receives the mark of his name.”
12 Here is the patient endurance of the saints – those 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, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
F. The Sixth Vision of the Harvest Revelation 14:14-20
¶ 14 And 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 right hand.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, “Thrust in your sickle and reap, for the hour has come to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe”
16 So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
¶ 17 And another angel came out of the temple that is in heaven, also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel, who has charge of the fire, came out from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel having the sharp sickle, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s grapevine, for its grapes are ripe.”
19 So the angel swung his sickle into the earth and gathered the clusters of grapes of the earth and cast them into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out of the winepress as high as the bridles of horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
A. The First Vision of the Great Red Dragon Revelation 12:1-18
12
1 And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
2 She is with child and goes on crying out because she is having labor pains and suffering intensely to give birth.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven. And behold, a great red dragon! Having seven heads and ten horns and on his heads seven diadems!
4 And his tail sweeps away a third of the stars of the sky and hurls them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who is about to give birth, so when she gave birth he may devour her child.
5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was carried up to God and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the desert, where she has a place prepared there by God, that they might nourish her there for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
¶ 7 And there was a war in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but he was not powerful enough, and a place was no longer found for them in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who leads the whole inhabited earth astray – he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
“Now have come the salvation and the power
And the kingdom of our God
And the authority of his Christ,
For the Accuser of our brothers was cast out,
Who accuses them before our God day and night.
11 And they conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb
And because of the word of their testimony,
And they did not love their lives up to death.
12 For this reason rejoice, O heavens,
And those who dwell in them;
Woe to the earth and the sea,
Because the devil has come down to you
Having an intense rage,
Because he knows that he has little time.”
¶ 13 And when the dragon saw that he had been cast down to the earth, he pursued the woman who gave birth to the male child.
14 And the two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, that she may fly to her place in the desert, where she is nourished for a time and times and a half time away from the presence of the serpent.
15 And the serpent gushed forth water from his mouth like a river after the woman, that he might cause her to be swept away by the river.
16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river, which the dragon gushed forth from his mouth.
17 Then the dragon became enraged at the woman, and he went to wage war with the rest of her children, who are keeping the commandments of God and holding to the testimony of Jesus.
18 And the dragon stood on the sandy beach of the sea.
B. The Second Vision of the Beast of the Sea Revelation 13:1-10
13
1 And 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 that I saw was similar to a leopard, and its feet were like the feet of a bear, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
3 And one of his heads was like it had been butchered to death, and yet his deadly wound was healed. And the whole earth was so astonished, that it followed the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon, because he had given authority to the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”
¶ 5 And a mouth was given to the beast, speaking great things, indeed blasphemous things, and it was granted to him to exercise authority for forty-two months.
6 He opened his mouth to speak blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and those who live in heaven.
7 And it was granted to him to wage war with the saints and to conquer them, and authority over every tribe and people and language and nation was given to him.
8 And all those who dwell on the earth will worship him, all whose name has not been written from the beginning of the world in the book of life that belongs to the Lamb who had been slaughtered.
¶ 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
10 If anyone is destined for captivity,
Into captivity he goes;
If anyone is destined to be killed with a sword,
With a sword he is to be killed.
Here is the patient endurance and the confidence of the saints.
C. The Third Vision of the Beast of the Earth Revelation 13:11-18
¶ 11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he has two horns like the lamb, and yet he keeps speaking like the dragon.
12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast before him. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of the people.
14 And he misleads those who dwell on the earth because of the signs, which were given to him to perform before the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast, who has the wound of the sword and yet he lived.
15 And it was granted to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast even spoke and caused as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
16 And he makes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the freemen and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
17 indeed so that no one would be able to buy or to sell except the one who has the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom: He who has understanding let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666.
D. The Fourth Vision of the Lamb and the 144,000 Revelation 14:1-5
14
1 And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing upon Mount Zion! And with him were 144,000 having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven like a raging of rushing rapids and like a rumbling of loud thunder, and the voice that I heard was like harpists playing on their harps.
3 And they are singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one was able to learn the song except the 144,000 – those who had been purchased from the earth.
4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he may go. These have been purchased from among men – firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
5 And no lie was found in their mouth. They are blameless.
E. The Fifth Vision of the Three Angels Revelation 14:6-13
¶ 6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, namely, to every nation and tribe and language and people,
7 saying in a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of water.”
¶ 8 And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink from the inflaming wine of her fornication!”
¶ 9 And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark upon his forehead or upon his hand,
10 “he will also drink from the wine of God’s rage, which has been poured out full strength in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
11 “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest day and night – those who worship the beast and his image, and anyone who receives the mark of his name.”
12 Here is the patient endurance of the saints – those 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, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
F. The Sixth Vision of the Harvest Revelation 14:14-20
¶ 14 And 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 right hand.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, “Thrust in your sickle and reap, for the hour has come to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe”
16 So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
¶ 17 And another angel came out of the temple that is in heaven, also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel, who has charge of the fire, came out from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel having the sharp sickle, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s grapevine, for its grapes are ripe.”
19 So the angel swung his sickle into the earth and gathered the clusters of grapes of the earth and cast them into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out of the winepress as high as the bridles of horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
G. The Seventh Vision of the Seven Angels With the Seven Bowls of the Last Plagues of God’s Wrath
Revelation 15:1-8
15
1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, because with them the wrath of God is completed.
¶ 2 And I saw something like a sea transparent as glass, mingled with fire, and upon the sea that was transparent as glass stood those who had won the victory of freedom from the beast and from his image and from the number of his name, holding harps of God.
3 And they are singing the song of Moses, the bondservant of God, and the song of the Lamb,
“Great and marvelous are your works,
O Lord God Almighty!
Righteous and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
4 Who shall never fear you, O Lord,
And glorify your name?
For you only are holy;
For all the nations will come
And worship before you,
For your righteous works have been made known.”
¶ 5 And after these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened,
6 and the seven angels having the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in clean, radiant linen, and they wore golden belts around their chests.
7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls that are 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 into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
Part 6: The Fifth Vision: The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath Revelation 16:1-21
16
1 And I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath onto the earth.”
¶ 2 And the first went away and poured out his bowl onto the earth; and a troublesome and painful sore came upon the people who have the mark of the beast and who worship his image.
¶ 3 And the second poured out his bowl onto the sea; and it became blood like that of a corpse, and every living creature in the sea died.
¶ 4 And the third poured out his bowl onto the rivers and the springs of water; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying,
“Righteous are you, who is and who was, O Holy One,
Because you have passed judgment on these things,
6 For they poured out the blood of saints and prophets,
So you gave them blood to drink;
They deserve it!”
7 And I heard the altar saying,
“Yes, O Lord God Almighty,
True and righteous are your judgments.”
¶ 8 And the fourth poured out his bowl onto the sun; and it was granted to the sun to burn the people with fire.
9 And the people were burned with intense heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has authority over these plagues, and yet they did not repent to give glory to him.
¶ 10 And the fifth poured out his bowl onto the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became darkened, and they kept biting their tongues because of their pain,
11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores, and yet they did not repent of their deeds.
¶ 12 And the sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river, the Euphrates; and its water dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
13 And I saw come 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 the spirits of demons who work signs, who go out to the kings of the whole inhabited earth, to gather them together for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.
15 “Behold, I am coming like a thief.
Blessed is the one who remains on the alert,
And who keeps his garments,
That he may not walk around naked
And that people may see his shame.
¶ 16 And they gathered them together to the place that is called in Hebrew “Armageddon”.
17 And the seventh 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 rumblings and thunderclaps, and a violent earthquake took place such as has not occurred from the time when man came upon the earth, so violent was the earthquake and so tremendous.
19 And the great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the Great was remembered by God to give her the cup filled with the wine of his raging wrath.
20 And every island disappeared, and the mountains could not be found.
21 And huge hailstones, weighing about one hundred pounds, came down out of heaven upon the people; and the people blasphemed God because of the plague of hailstones, for its plague is so extremely violent.
Part 7: The Sixth Vision: The Victory over Antichrist Revelation 17:1-19:21
A. The Vision of the Great Harlot on the Beast of the Sea Revelation 17:1-18
17
1 And one of the seven angels who have the seven bowls came, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the condemnation of the great harlot who sits upon many waters,
2 “with whom the kings of the earth indulged in fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth became intoxicated with the wine of her fornication.”
3 And he carried me away in spirit into a wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, being full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, overlaid with gold and precious gems and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and the impure things of her fornication,
5 and on her forehead a name was written:
“MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF THE WORLD’S HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS.”
6 And I saw the woman being drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.
¶ And when I saw her, I was astonished in great amazement.
7 And the angel said to me, “Why were you astonished? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, that has seven heads and ten horns.
8 “The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the Abyss, and goes into eternal destruction; and those who dwell on the earth, whose name is not written in the book of life from the beginning of the world, will be astonished when they see the beast because he was and is not and will be.
9 “Here is the understanding that has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sits upon them. They are also seven kings.
10 “Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain a short time.
11 “And the beast that was and is not, he himself is also an eighth and belongs to the seven, and goes into eternal destruction.
12 “And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
13 “These have one intention, and they give their power and authority to the beast,
14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and those with him are called and elect and believing.”
¶ 15 And he says to me, “The waters that you saw, on which the harlot sits, they are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
16 “And the ten horns that you saw and the beast, they will hate the harlot, and they will make her devastated and naked, and they will eat her flesh, and will burn her up in fire.
17 “For God put it into their hearts to carry out his intention, and to carry out one and the same resolve, namely, to give their royal power to the beast until the words of God will be fulfilled.
18 “And the woman, whom you saw, is the great city that has royal power over the kings of the earth.”
B. The Vision of the Fall of Babylon Revelation 18:1-24
18
1 After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory.
2 And he called out in a powerful voice:
“Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
And she has become a dwelling place of demons
And a haunt for every unclean spirit
And a cage for every unclean bird
And a cage for every unclean and detestable beast,
3 “For all the nations have drunk
From the inflaming wine of her fornication,
And the kings of the earth indulged in fornication with her,
And the merchants of the earth became rich from the wealth of her luxury.”
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
So you do not begin to participate with her in her sins,
And so you do not receive some of her plagues;
5 “For her sins have reached as far as the heaven,
And God has remembered her evil deeds.
6 “Pay her back even as she herself paid out,
And pay her back double according to her deeds;
In the cup in which she mixed, mix a double portion for her;
7 “As much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
So much more give her torment and mourning.
For in her heart she says,
‘I sit as queen,
And I am not a widow,
And mourning I shall never see.’
8 “For this reason her plagues will come in one day –
Death and mourning and famine,
And in fire she will be burned up;
For mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
¶ 9 “And the kings of the earth, who practiced fornication and lived in luxury with her, will weep and mourn over her, when they see the smoke of her burning,
10 “while they stand far away because of their dread of her torment, wailing,
‘Woe! Woe, O great city,
O Babylon, the powerful city,
For in one hour your condemnation has come!’
¶ 11 “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer,
12 “a cargo of gold and silver, and of precious gems and pearls, and of fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet cloth, and every kind of fragrant wood, every kind of ivory container, every kind of article of the most-costly wood and of bronze and of iron and of 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 of horses and four-wheel carriages and bodies and souls of people.
14 “And the fruit your soul longs for has gone away from you, and all your costly and gorgeous luxuries have perished from you, and people will never again find them.
15 “The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far away because of their dread of her torment, weeping and mourning,
16 “wailing,
‘Woe! Woe, O great city,
Who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet,
And overlaid with gold and precious gems and pearls!’
17 “For in one hour such great wealth was laid waste!
¶ “And every sea captain and everyone who sails by ship and sailors and as many as make their living from the sea stood far away
18 “and kept crying out while watching the smoke of her burning, ‘What city is equal to the great city?’
19 “And they threw dust on their heads and kept crying out while weeping and mourning, saying,
‘Woe! Woe, O great city,
In which all who have ships on the sea became rich by the abundance of her costly luxuries,
For in one hour she was laid waste.
20 “ ‘Rejoice over her, O heaven!
Rejoice over her O saints and apostles and prophets!
For God has passed judgment on your condemnation of her.’ ”
¶ 21 And one mighty angel picked up a stone, like a large millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying,
“In this way with a violent impulse Babylon, the great city, will be cast down, and will never again be found.
22 “And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters
Will never be heard in you again,
And no craftsman of any trade
Will ever be found in you again,
And the sound of a milestone
Will never be heard in you again,
23 “And the light of a lamp
Will never shine in you again,
And the voice of a bridegroom and a bride
Will never he heard in you again;
Because your merchants were great men of the earth,
Because by your sorcery all the nations were led astray,
24 “And the blood of prophets and saints were found in her
And of all who were slaughtered on the earth.”
Revelation 15:1-8
15
1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, because with them the wrath of God is completed.
¶ 2 And I saw something like a sea transparent as glass, mingled with fire, and upon the sea that was transparent as glass stood those who had won the victory of freedom from the beast and from his image and from the number of his name, holding harps of God.
3 And they are singing the song of Moses, the bondservant of God, and the song of the Lamb,
“Great and marvelous are your works,
O Lord God Almighty!
Righteous and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
4 Who shall never fear you, O Lord,
And glorify your name?
For you only are holy;
For all the nations will come
And worship before you,
For your righteous works have been made known.”
¶ 5 And after these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened,
6 and the seven angels having the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in clean, radiant linen, and they wore golden belts around their chests.
7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls that are 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 into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
Part 6: The Fifth Vision: The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath Revelation 16:1-21
16
1 And I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath onto the earth.”
¶ 2 And the first went away and poured out his bowl onto the earth; and a troublesome and painful sore came upon the people who have the mark of the beast and who worship his image.
¶ 3 And the second poured out his bowl onto the sea; and it became blood like that of a corpse, and every living creature in the sea died.
¶ 4 And the third poured out his bowl onto the rivers and the springs of water; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying,
“Righteous are you, who is and who was, O Holy One,
Because you have passed judgment on these things,
6 For they poured out the blood of saints and prophets,
So you gave them blood to drink;
They deserve it!”
7 And I heard the altar saying,
“Yes, O Lord God Almighty,
True and righteous are your judgments.”
¶ 8 And the fourth poured out his bowl onto the sun; and it was granted to the sun to burn the people with fire.
9 And the people were burned with intense heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has authority over these plagues, and yet they did not repent to give glory to him.
¶ 10 And the fifth poured out his bowl onto the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became darkened, and they kept biting their tongues because of their pain,
11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores, and yet they did not repent of their deeds.
¶ 12 And the sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river, the Euphrates; and its water dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
13 And I saw come 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 the spirits of demons who work signs, who go out to the kings of the whole inhabited earth, to gather them together for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.
15 “Behold, I am coming like a thief.
Blessed is the one who remains on the alert,
And who keeps his garments,
That he may not walk around naked
And that people may see his shame.
¶ 16 And they gathered them together to the place that is called in Hebrew “Armageddon”.
17 And the seventh 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 rumblings and thunderclaps, and a violent earthquake took place such as has not occurred from the time when man came upon the earth, so violent was the earthquake and so tremendous.
19 And the great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the Great was remembered by God to give her the cup filled with the wine of his raging wrath.
20 And every island disappeared, and the mountains could not be found.
21 And huge hailstones, weighing about one hundred pounds, came down out of heaven upon the people; and the people blasphemed God because of the plague of hailstones, for its plague is so extremely violent.
Part 7: The Sixth Vision: The Victory over Antichrist Revelation 17:1-19:21
A. The Vision of the Great Harlot on the Beast of the Sea Revelation 17:1-18
17
1 And one of the seven angels who have the seven bowls came, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the condemnation of the great harlot who sits upon many waters,
2 “with whom the kings of the earth indulged in fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth became intoxicated with the wine of her fornication.”
3 And he carried me away in spirit into a wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, being full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, overlaid with gold and precious gems and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and the impure things of her fornication,
5 and on her forehead a name was written:
“MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF THE WORLD’S HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS.”
6 And I saw the woman being drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.
¶ And when I saw her, I was astonished in great amazement.
7 And the angel said to me, “Why were you astonished? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, that has seven heads and ten horns.
8 “The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the Abyss, and goes into eternal destruction; and those who dwell on the earth, whose name is not written in the book of life from the beginning of the world, will be astonished when they see the beast because he was and is not and will be.
9 “Here is the understanding that has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sits upon them. They are also seven kings.
10 “Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain a short time.
11 “And the beast that was and is not, he himself is also an eighth and belongs to the seven, and goes into eternal destruction.
12 “And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
13 “These have one intention, and they give their power and authority to the beast,
14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and those with him are called and elect and believing.”
¶ 15 And he says to me, “The waters that you saw, on which the harlot sits, they are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
16 “And the ten horns that you saw and the beast, they will hate the harlot, and they will make her devastated and naked, and they will eat her flesh, and will burn her up in fire.
17 “For God put it into their hearts to carry out his intention, and to carry out one and the same resolve, namely, to give their royal power to the beast until the words of God will be fulfilled.
18 “And the woman, whom you saw, is the great city that has royal power over the kings of the earth.”
B. The Vision of the Fall of Babylon Revelation 18:1-24
18
1 After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory.
2 And he called out in a powerful voice:
“Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
And she has become a dwelling place of demons
And a haunt for every unclean spirit
And a cage for every unclean bird
And a cage for every unclean and detestable beast,
3 “For all the nations have drunk
From the inflaming wine of her fornication,
And the kings of the earth indulged in fornication with her,
And the merchants of the earth became rich from the wealth of her luxury.”
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
So you do not begin to participate with her in her sins,
And so you do not receive some of her plagues;
5 “For her sins have reached as far as the heaven,
And God has remembered her evil deeds.
6 “Pay her back even as she herself paid out,
And pay her back double according to her deeds;
In the cup in which she mixed, mix a double portion for her;
7 “As much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
So much more give her torment and mourning.
For in her heart she says,
‘I sit as queen,
And I am not a widow,
And mourning I shall never see.’
8 “For this reason her plagues will come in one day –
Death and mourning and famine,
And in fire she will be burned up;
For mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
¶ 9 “And the kings of the earth, who practiced fornication and lived in luxury with her, will weep and mourn over her, when they see the smoke of her burning,
10 “while they stand far away because of their dread of her torment, wailing,
‘Woe! Woe, O great city,
O Babylon, the powerful city,
For in one hour your condemnation has come!’
¶ 11 “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer,
12 “a cargo of gold and silver, and of precious gems and pearls, and of fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet cloth, and every kind of fragrant wood, every kind of ivory container, every kind of article of the most-costly wood and of bronze and of iron and of 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 of horses and four-wheel carriages and bodies and souls of people.
14 “And the fruit your soul longs for has gone away from you, and all your costly and gorgeous luxuries have perished from you, and people will never again find them.
15 “The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far away because of their dread of her torment, weeping and mourning,
16 “wailing,
‘Woe! Woe, O great city,
Who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet,
And overlaid with gold and precious gems and pearls!’
17 “For in one hour such great wealth was laid waste!
¶ “And every sea captain and everyone who sails by ship and sailors and as many as make their living from the sea stood far away
18 “and kept crying out while watching the smoke of her burning, ‘What city is equal to the great city?’
19 “And they threw dust on their heads and kept crying out while weeping and mourning, saying,
‘Woe! Woe, O great city,
In which all who have ships on the sea became rich by the abundance of her costly luxuries,
For in one hour she was laid waste.
20 “ ‘Rejoice over her, O heaven!
Rejoice over her O saints and apostles and prophets!
For God has passed judgment on your condemnation of her.’ ”
¶ 21 And one mighty angel picked up a stone, like a large millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying,
“In this way with a violent impulse Babylon, the great city, will be cast down, and will never again be found.
22 “And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters
Will never be heard in you again,
And no craftsman of any trade
Will ever be found in you again,
And the sound of a milestone
Will never be heard in you again,
23 “And the light of a lamp
Will never shine in you again,
And the voice of a bridegroom and a bride
Will never he heard in you again;
Because your merchants were great men of the earth,
Because by your sorcery all the nations were led astray,
24 “And the blood of prophets and saints were found in her
And of all who were slaughtered on the earth.”
C. The Vision of the Church’s Victory Revelation 19:1-21
1. The Wedding Banquet of the Lamb Revelation 19:1-10
19
1 After these things I heard what sounded like a loud voice of a large multitude in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 “For true and righteous are his judgments;
For he has condemned the great harlot,
Who corrupted the earth with her fornication,
And he has taken revenge on her for the blood of his bondservants.”
3 And they said a second time,
“Hallelujah!
And her smoke goes up for ever and ever!”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who sits on the throne, saying,
“Amen! Hallelujah!”
¶ 5 And a voice came from the throne, saying,
“Praise our God,
All you bondservants of his,
You who fear him,
Small and great!”
¶ 6 And I heard what sounded like the voice of a large multitude and like the raging of rushing rapids and like the crash of mighty thunderclaps, saying,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord, our God, the Almighty, reigns!
7 “Let us rejoice and exult,
And give glory to him,
For the marriage of the Lamb has come,
And his bride has prepared herself;
8 “Fine linen, bright and clean,
Was given to her to wear,
For the fine linen is the acquittals of the saints.”
9 Then the angel says to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb.” And he says to me, “These are the true words of God.”
10 And I fell down before his feet to worship him. And he says to me, “Stop this! I am your fellow –servant and of your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
2. The Rider on the White Horse Revelation 19:11-21
¶ 11 And I saw heaven standing open, and behold, a white horse! And the one who is sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and with righteousness he judges and wages war.
12 Moreover, his eyes are like a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems. He has a name written which no one knows except he himself,
13 and he is clothed in a robe that has been dipped in blood, and his name is called “The Word of God.”
14 And the armies in heaven were following him on white horses, dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth proceeds a sharp sword, in order that he may strike down the nations with it, and he will rule them with an iron rod. And he treads the winepress of the wine of the raging wrath of God Almighty.
16 And on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written: “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
¶ 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he called out with a loud voice to all the birds that are flying in midheaven, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
18 “that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of the commanders of thousands and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all people, both freemen and slaves, and small and great.”
19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war with him who sits on the horse and with his army.
20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who works signs before him, by which he led astray those who received the mark of the beast and who worship his image. The two of them were cast alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
21 And the rest were killed by the sword that came out of the mouth of him who sits on the horse, and all the birds stuffed themselves full of their flesh.
Part 8: The Seventh Vision: The Church’s Final Victory Revelation 20:1-22:5
A. The Vision Of Christ Binding Satan Revelation 20:1-3
20
1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
3 and cast him into the abyss and locked and sealed it over him, in order that he may not deceive the nations any more until the thousand years come to an end. After these things he must be released for a short time.
B. The Vision of the Thousand Years Revelation 20:4-6
¶ 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and authority to judge was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, namely, such ones, to be sure, as had not worshipped the beast nor its image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 The rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years come to an end. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is the one who has 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 the thousand years.
C. The Vision of Satan’s Defeat Revelation 20:7-10
¶ 7 And when the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be released from his prison,
8 and he will go out to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the battle; whose number is like the sand of the seashore.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and they surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down out of heaven and devoured them.
10 And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and sulfur, where both the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
D. The Vision of the Final Judgment Revelation 20:11-15
¶ 11 And I saw a great white throne and him who sits on it, from whose presence the earth and the heaven fled away, and a place was not 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 that were written in the books according to their deeds.
13 And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hell gave up the dead that were in them, and they were judged, each one according to their deeds.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
E. The Vision of the Church in the New Heaven and Earth Revelation 21:1-8
21
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer exists.
2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully attired 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 will be his people, and God himself will be among them, and will be their God.
4 “And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, nor will there be any more mourning or crying or pain; because these earlier things have passed away.”
¶ 5 And he who sits upon the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And he says, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”
6 And he said to me, “They are done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give free of charge to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life.
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 fornicators and magicians and idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
F. The Vision of the Church as the Glorious New Jerusalem Revelation 21:9-27
¶ 9 And one of the seven angels, who has the seven bowls that are 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.”
10 And he carried me away in spirit to a great and high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
11 having the glory of God. Its radiance is like a most precious gem, like a jasper stone that is transparent as crystal.
12 The holy city has a great and high wall, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names are inscribed on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.
13 There are 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 has twelve foundation stones, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
¶ 15 And the angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod, in order that he may measure the city and its gates and its wall.
16 And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as its width. And he measured the city with the rod at 12,000 stadia; the length and the width and the height of it are equal.
17 And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, a man’s measure, which is an angel’s measure.
18 And the material of its wall is jasper, and the city is pure gold, of the same nature as pure glass.
19 The foundation stones of the wall of the city are adorned with every precious gem. The first foundation stone is 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 are twelve pearls, each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city is pure gold like transparent glass.
¶ 22 And I did not see a temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb.
23 And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 And the nations will walk around by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
25 And during the day, for there will be no night there, its gates will never be shut.
26 And they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
27 And no unclean thing nor anyone who practices abomination and lying shall ever enter into it, only those who have been written in the Lamb’s book of life.
G. The Vision of Paradise Restored Revelation 22:1-5
22
1 And the angel showed to me a river of living water, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In between its street and the river was a tree of life easily seen from each side, producing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
3 And there will no longer be any accursed thing. And the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his bondservants will worship him,
4 and 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 or of the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shed light upon them, and they will reign forever and ever.
Part 9: The Concluding Words Revelation 22:6-21
¶ 6 And the angel 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 his bondservants the things which must soon take place.”
7 “And behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
¶ 8 And I, John, am the one who is hearing and seeing these things! And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who is showing these things to me.
9 And he says to me, “Stop this! I am your fellow-servant and of your brothers the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
10 And he says to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
11 “The one who does wrong, let him still do wrong, and the one who is filthy, let him still be filthy, and the one who is righteous, let him still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy, let him still be holy.”
¶ “12 Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to pay back to each one according to his deeds.
13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
¶ 14 “Blessed are they who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter into the city by the gates.
15 “Outside are the dogs and the magicians and the fornicators and the murderers and the idolaters and all who love and tell a lie.
¶ 16 “I, Jesus, sent my angel to testify these things to you for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes receive the water of life free of charge.
18 “I myself testify to all who hear the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that 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 the saints. Amen.
1. The Wedding Banquet of the Lamb Revelation 19:1-10
19
1 After these things I heard what sounded like a loud voice of a large multitude in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 “For true and righteous are his judgments;
For he has condemned the great harlot,
Who corrupted the earth with her fornication,
And he has taken revenge on her for the blood of his bondservants.”
3 And they said a second time,
“Hallelujah!
And her smoke goes up for ever and ever!”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who sits on the throne, saying,
“Amen! Hallelujah!”
¶ 5 And a voice came from the throne, saying,
“Praise our God,
All you bondservants of his,
You who fear him,
Small and great!”
¶ 6 And I heard what sounded like the voice of a large multitude and like the raging of rushing rapids and like the crash of mighty thunderclaps, saying,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord, our God, the Almighty, reigns!
7 “Let us rejoice and exult,
And give glory to him,
For the marriage of the Lamb has come,
And his bride has prepared herself;
8 “Fine linen, bright and clean,
Was given to her to wear,
For the fine linen is the acquittals of the saints.”
9 Then the angel says to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb.” And he says to me, “These are the true words of God.”
10 And I fell down before his feet to worship him. And he says to me, “Stop this! I am your fellow –servant and of your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
2. The Rider on the White Horse Revelation 19:11-21
¶ 11 And I saw heaven standing open, and behold, a white horse! And the one who is sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and with righteousness he judges and wages war.
12 Moreover, his eyes are like a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems. He has a name written which no one knows except he himself,
13 and he is clothed in a robe that has been dipped in blood, and his name is called “The Word of God.”
14 And the armies in heaven were following him on white horses, dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth proceeds a sharp sword, in order that he may strike down the nations with it, and he will rule them with an iron rod. And he treads the winepress of the wine of the raging wrath of God Almighty.
16 And on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written: “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
¶ 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he called out with a loud voice to all the birds that are flying in midheaven, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
18 “that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of the commanders of thousands and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all people, both freemen and slaves, and small and great.”
19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war with him who sits on the horse and with his army.
20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who works signs before him, by which he led astray those who received the mark of the beast and who worship his image. The two of them were cast alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
21 And the rest were killed by the sword that came out of the mouth of him who sits on the horse, and all the birds stuffed themselves full of their flesh.
Part 8: The Seventh Vision: The Church’s Final Victory Revelation 20:1-22:5
A. The Vision Of Christ Binding Satan Revelation 20:1-3
20
1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
3 and cast him into the abyss and locked and sealed it over him, in order that he may not deceive the nations any more until the thousand years come to an end. After these things he must be released for a short time.
B. The Vision of the Thousand Years Revelation 20:4-6
¶ 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and authority to judge was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, namely, such ones, to be sure, as had not worshipped the beast nor its image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 The rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years come to an end. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is the one who has 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 the thousand years.
C. The Vision of Satan’s Defeat Revelation 20:7-10
¶ 7 And when the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be released from his prison,
8 and he will go out to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the battle; whose number is like the sand of the seashore.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and they surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down out of heaven and devoured them.
10 And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and sulfur, where both the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
D. The Vision of the Final Judgment Revelation 20:11-15
¶ 11 And I saw a great white throne and him who sits on it, from whose presence the earth and the heaven fled away, and a place was not 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 that were written in the books according to their deeds.
13 And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hell gave up the dead that were in them, and they were judged, each one according to their deeds.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
E. The Vision of the Church in the New Heaven and Earth Revelation 21:1-8
21
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer exists.
2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully attired 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 will be his people, and God himself will be among them, and will be their God.
4 “And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, nor will there be any more mourning or crying or pain; because these earlier things have passed away.”
¶ 5 And he who sits upon the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And he says, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”
6 And he said to me, “They are done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give free of charge to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life.
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 fornicators and magicians and idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
F. The Vision of the Church as the Glorious New Jerusalem Revelation 21:9-27
¶ 9 And one of the seven angels, who has the seven bowls that are 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.”
10 And he carried me away in spirit to a great and high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
11 having the glory of God. Its radiance is like a most precious gem, like a jasper stone that is transparent as crystal.
12 The holy city has a great and high wall, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names are inscribed on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.
13 There are 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 has twelve foundation stones, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
¶ 15 And the angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod, in order that he may measure the city and its gates and its wall.
16 And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as its width. And he measured the city with the rod at 12,000 stadia; the length and the width and the height of it are equal.
17 And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, a man’s measure, which is an angel’s measure.
18 And the material of its wall is jasper, and the city is pure gold, of the same nature as pure glass.
19 The foundation stones of the wall of the city are adorned with every precious gem. The first foundation stone is 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 are twelve pearls, each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city is pure gold like transparent glass.
¶ 22 And I did not see a temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb.
23 And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 And the nations will walk around by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
25 And during the day, for there will be no night there, its gates will never be shut.
26 And they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
27 And no unclean thing nor anyone who practices abomination and lying shall ever enter into it, only those who have been written in the Lamb’s book of life.
G. The Vision of Paradise Restored Revelation 22:1-5
22
1 And the angel showed to me a river of living water, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In between its street and the river was a tree of life easily seen from each side, producing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
3 And there will no longer be any accursed thing. And the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his bondservants will worship him,
4 and 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 or of the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shed light upon them, and they will reign forever and ever.
Part 9: The Concluding Words Revelation 22:6-21
¶ 6 And the angel 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 his bondservants the things which must soon take place.”
7 “And behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
¶ 8 And I, John, am the one who is hearing and seeing these things! And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who is showing these things to me.
9 And he says to me, “Stop this! I am your fellow-servant and of your brothers the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
10 And he says to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
11 “The one who does wrong, let him still do wrong, and the one who is filthy, let him still be filthy, and the one who is righteous, let him still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy, let him still be holy.”
¶ “12 Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to pay back to each one according to his deeds.
13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
¶ 14 “Blessed are they who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter into the city by the gates.
15 “Outside are the dogs and the magicians and the fornicators and the murderers and the idolaters and all who love and tell a lie.
¶ 16 “I, Jesus, sent my angel to testify these things to you for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes receive the water of life free of charge.
18 “I myself testify to all who hear the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that 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 the saints. Amen.
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