Revelation 12-18

New King James Version

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

12 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. ² Then being with child, she cried out ^(A)in labor and in pain to give birth.

³ And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, ^(B)a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. ^4 (C)His tail drew a third ^(D)of the stars of heaven ^(E)and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood ^(F)before the woman who was ready to give birth, ^(G)to devour her Child as soon as it was born. ⁵ She bore a male Child ^(H)who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was ^(I)caught up to God and His throne. ⁶ Then ^(J)the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there ^(K)one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

Satan Thrown Out of Heaven

⁷ And war broke out in heaven: ^(L)Michael and his angels fought ^(M)with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, ⁸ but they ^[a]did not prevail, nor was a place found for ^[b]them in heaven any longer. ⁹ So ^(N)the great dragon was cast out, ^(O)that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, ^(P)who deceives the whole world; ^(Q)he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ^(R)“Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, ^(S)who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. ¹¹ And ^(T)they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, ^(U)and they did not love their lives to the death. ¹² Therefore ^(V)rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! ^(W)Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, ^(X)because he knows that he has a short time.”

The Woman Persecuted

¹³ Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted ^(Y)the woman who gave birth to the male Child. ^14 (Z)But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, ^(AA)that she might fly ^(AB)into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished ^(AC)for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. ¹⁵ So the serpent ^(AD)spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus ^[c]Christ.

The Beast from the Sea

13 Then ^[d]I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw ^(AE)a beast rising up out of the sea, ^(AF)having ^[e]seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a ^(AG)blasphemous name. ² Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The ^(AH)dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. ³ And I saw one of his heads ^(AI)as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And ^(AJ)all the world marveled and followed the beast. ⁴ So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ^(AK)“Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

⁵ And he was given ^(AL)a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to ^[f]continue for ^(AM)forty-two months. ⁶ Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, ^(AN)His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ It was granted to him ^(AO)to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And ^(AP)authority was given him over every ^[g]tribe, tongue, and nation. ⁸ All who dwell on the earth will worship him, ^(AQ)whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain ^(AR)from the foundation of the world.

^9 (AS)If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ^10 (AT)He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; ^(AU)he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. ^(AV)Here is the ^[h]patience and the faith of the saints.

The Beast from the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw another beast ^(AW)coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. ¹² And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, ^(AX)whose deadly wound was healed. ^13 (AY)He performs great signs, ^(AZ)so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. ^14 (BA)And he deceives ^[i]those who dwell on the earth ^(BB)by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword ^(BC)and lived. ¹⁵ He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak ^(BD)and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, ^(BE)to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and that no one may buy or sell except one who has ^[j]the mark or ^(BF)the name of the beast, ^(BG)or the number of his name.

^18 (BH)Here is wisdom. Let him who has ^(BI)understanding calculate ^(BJ)the number of the beast, ^(BK)for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and behold, ^[k]a ^(BL)Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him ^(BM)one hundred and forty-four thousand, ^[l]having His Father’s name ^(BN)written on their foreheads. ² And I heard a voice from heaven, ^(BO)like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of ^(BP)harpists playing their harps. ³ They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song ^(BQ)except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are the ones who were not defiled with women, ^(BR)for they are virgins. These are the ones ^(BS)who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These ^(BT)were ^[m]redeemed from among men, ^(BU)being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. ⁵ And ^(BV)in their mouth was found no ^[n]deceit, for ^(BW)they are without fault ^[o]before the throne of God.

The Proclamations of Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel ^(BX)flying in the midst of heaven, ^(BY)having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—^(BZ)to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— ⁷ saying with a loud voice, ^(CA)“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; ^(CB)and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

⁸ And another angel followed, saying, ^(CC)“Babylon^[p] is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because ^(CD)she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

⁹ Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ^(CE)“If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his ^(CF)mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he himself ^(CG)shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is ^(CH)poured out full strength into ^(CI)the cup of His indignation. ^(CJ)He shall be tormented with ^(CK)fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And ^(CL)the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

^12 (CM)Here is the ^[q]patience of the saints; ^(CN)here^[r] are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven saying ^[s]to me, “Write: ^(CO)‘Blessed are the dead ^(CP)who die in the Lord from now on.’ ”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, ^(CQ)“that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow ^(CR)them.”

Reaping the Earth’s Harvest

¹⁴ Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. ¹⁵ And another angel ^(CS)came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ^(CT)“Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come ^[t]for You to reap, for the harvest ^(CU)of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Reaping the Grapes of Wrath

¹⁷ Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

¹⁸ And another angel came out from the altar, ^(CV)who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, ^(CW)“Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.” ¹⁹ So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into ^(CX)the great winepress of the wrath of God. ²⁰ And ^(CY)the winepress was trampled ^(CZ)outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, ^(DA)up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred ^[u]furlongs.

Prelude to the Bowl Judgments

15 Then ^(DB)I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: ^(DC)seven angels having the seven last plagues, ^(DD)for in them the wrath of God is complete.

² And I saw something like ^(DE)a sea of glass ^(DF)mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, ^(DG)over his image and ^[v]over his mark and over the ^(DH)number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, ^(DI)having harps of God. ³ They sing ^(DJ)the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the ^(DK)Lamb, saying:

⁵ After these things I looked, and ^[x]behold, ^(DQ)the ^[y]temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. ⁶ And out of the ^[z]temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, ^(DR)clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. ^7 (DS)Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God ^(DT)who lives forever and ever. ^8 (DU)The temple was filled with smoke ^(DV)from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

The Seven Bowls

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying ^(DW)to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the ^[aa]bowls ^(DX)of the wrath of God on the earth.”

First Bowl: Loathsome Sores

² So the first went and poured out his bowl ^(DY)upon the earth, and a ^[ab]foul and ^(DZ)loathsome sore came upon the men ^(EA)who had the mark of the beast and those ^(EB)who worshiped his image.

Second Bowl: The Sea Turns to Blood

³ Then the second angel poured out his bowl ^(EC)on the sea, and ^(ED)it became blood as of a dead man; ^(EE)and every living creature in the sea died.

Third Bowl: The Waters Turn to Blood

⁴ Then the third angel poured out his bowl ^(EF)on the rivers and springs of water, ^(EG)and they became blood. ⁵ And I heard the angel of the waters saying:

⁷ And I heard ^[af]another from the altar saying, “Even so, ^(EM)Lord God Almighty, ^(EN)true and righteous are Your judgments.”

Fourth Bowl: Men Are Scorched

⁸ Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl ^(EO)on the sun, ^(EP)and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. ⁹ And men were scorched with great heat, and they ^(EQ)blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; ^(ER)and they did not repent ^(ES)and give Him glory.

Fifth Bowl: Darkness and Pain

¹⁰ Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl ^(ET)on the throne of the beast, ^(EU)and his kingdom became full of darkness; ^(EV)and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. ¹¹ They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dried Up

¹² Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl ^(EW)on the great river Euphrates, ^(EX)and its water was dried up, ^(EY)so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. ¹³ And I saw three unclean ^(EZ)spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of ^(FA)the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of ^(FB)the false prophet. ¹⁴ For they are spirits of demons, ^(FC)performing signs, which go out to the kings ^[ag]of the earth and of ^(FD)the whole world, to gather them to ^(FE)the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

^15 (FF)“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, ^(FG)lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

^16 (FH)And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, ^[ah]Armageddon.

Seventh Bowl: The Earth Utterly Shaken

¹⁷ Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ^(FI)“It is done!” ¹⁸ And ^(FJ)there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; ^(FK)and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake ^(FL)as had not occurred since men were on the earth. ¹⁹ Now ^(FM)the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And ^(FN)great Babylon ^(FO)was remembered before God, ^(FP)to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. ²⁰ Then ^(FQ)every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. ²¹ And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast

17 Then ^(FR)one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying ^[ai]to me, “Come, ^(FS)I will show you the judgment of ^(FT)the great harlot ^(FU)who sits on many waters, ^2 (FV)with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and ^(FW)the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

³ So he carried me away in the Spirit ^(FX)into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting ^(FY)on a scarlet beast which was full of ^(FZ)names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. ⁴ The woman ^(GA)was arrayed in purple and scarlet, ^(GB)and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, ^(GC)having in her hand a golden cup ^(GD)full of abominations and the filthiness of ^[aj]her fornication. ⁵ And on her forehead a name was written:

^(GE)MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.

⁶ I saw ^(GF)the woman, drunk ^(GG)with the blood of the saints and with the blood of ^(GH)the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast

⁷ But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the ^[ak]mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. ⁸ The beast that you saw was, and is not, and ^(GI)will ascend out of the bottomless pit and ^(GJ)go to ^[al]perdition. And those who ^(GK)dwell on the earth ^(GL)will marvel, ^(GM)whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and ^[am]yet is.

^9 (GN)“Here is the mind which has wisdom: ^(GO)The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. ¹⁰ There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must ^(GP)continue a short time. ¹¹ The ^(GQ)beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to ^[an]perdition.

^12 (GR)“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. ¹³ These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. ^14 (GS)These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will ^(GT)overcome them, ^(GU)for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; ^(GV)and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

¹⁵ Then he said to me, ^(GW)“The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, ^(GX)are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. ¹⁶ And the ten horns which you ^[ao]saw on the beast, ^(GY)these will hate the harlot, make her ^(GZ)desolate ^(HA)and naked, eat her flesh and ^(HB)burn her with fire. ^17 (HC)For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, ^(HD)until the words of God are fulfilled. ¹⁸ And the woman whom you saw ^(HE)is that great city ^(HF)which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

The Fall of Babylon the Great

18 After^(HG) these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, ^(HH)and the earth was illuminated with his glory. ² And he cried ^[ap]mightily with a loud voice, saying, ^(HI)“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and ^(HJ)has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and ^(HK)a cage for every unclean and hated bird! ³ For all the nations ^(HL)have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, ^(HM)and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the ^[aq]abundance of her luxury.”

⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ^(HN)“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. ^5 (HO)For her sins ^[ar]have reached to heaven, and ^(HP)God has remembered her iniquities. ^6 (HQ)Render to her just as she rendered ^[as]to you, and repay her double according to her works; ^(HR)in the cup which she has mixed, ^(HS)mix double for her. ^7 (HT)In the measure that she glorified herself and lived ^[at]luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as ^(HU)queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ ⁸ Therefore her plagues will come ^(HV)in one day—death and mourning and famine. And ^(HW)she will be utterly burned with fire, ^(HX)for strong is the Lord God who ^[au]judges her.

The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall

^9 (HY)“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her ^(HZ)will weep and lament for her, ^(IA)when they see the smoke of her burning, ¹⁰ standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ^(IB)‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! ^(IC)For in one hour your judgment has come.’

¹¹ “And ^(ID)the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: ^12 (IE)merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; ¹³ and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and ^(IF)souls of men. ¹⁴ The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have ^[av]gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. ¹⁵ The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, ¹⁶ and saying, ‘Alas, alas, ^(IG)that great city ^(IH)that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! ^17 (II)For in one hour such great riches ^[aw]came to nothing.’ ^(IJ)Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance ^18 (IK)and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ^(IL)‘What is like this great city?’

^19 (IM)“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! ^(IN)For in one hour she ^[ax]is made desolate.’

^20 (IO)“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you ^[ay]holy apostles and prophets, for ^(IP)God has avenged you on her!”

Finality of Babylon’s Fall

²¹ Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, ^(IQ)“Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and ^(IR)shall not be found anymore. ^22 (IS)The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. ^23 (IT)The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, ^(IU)and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For ^(IV)your merchants were the great men of the earth, ^(IW)for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. ²⁴ And ^(IX)in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who ^(IY)were slain on the earth.”