False teachers are trying to turn people away from God

¹ This letter is from me, Jude. I am Jesus Christ's servant and I am James's brother.^[a] I am writing to you people that God, the Father, loves. God has chosen you to be his own people. He is keeping you safe until the time when Jesus Christ returns.

² I pray that God will be kind to you and that he will give you peace in your minds more and more. I want you to know more and more how much God loves you.

³ My friends, I wanted very much to write to you about how God has saved us from sin. That is what he has done for you and for us. But instead of that, I now know that I must write to you about something else. I must tell you to be strong and brave. You must do everything that you can to keep God's true message safe. God has given this message to his special people and his message will never change. Do not let anyone teach you a different message.

⁴ I say this because certain bad people have secretly come among you. They have turned away from God. They are trying to change God's true message. They teach that we can do any evil things that we want to do. They say that God will be kind and he will forgive us for all those things. They do not accept the authority of Jesus Christ, who is our only Master and our Lord. God will certainly punish those wicked people. A long time ago God said that he would punish people like them.

⁵ Remember that the Lord brought Israel's people out of Egypt where they had been slaves. But later he destroyed all those same people who did not trust him.^[b] I want you to remember these important things. You should already know all about them, but you must never forget them. ⁶ Also remember that some angels refused to obey God. They took more authority for themselves than God had given them. They left their own proper place with God in heaven.^[c] So God has tied them up as prisoners for ever in a completely dark place. He will keep them there until that great day when he will judge everyone.

⁷ Also, remember what happened to the cities called Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities that were near them.^[d] Like those bad angels, the people who lived in those places were also doing evil things. They were having sex with people who were not their husbands or their wives. They liked to have sex in other ways that are not right. God destroyed their cities. He has punished them with fire that never stops burning. That is an example of what will happen to wicked people like them.

⁸ These false teachers who have come among you do the same kind of bad things. Their dreams deceive them so that they use their bodies to do disgusting things. They refuse to obey God's authority. They insult God's powerful angels. ⁹ Even the leader of God's angels, Michael, did not speak bad words like that against the Devil. Long ago, Michael argued with the Devil about who should have Moses' dead body.^[e] But even when the Devil said bad words against God, Michael himself did not speak against the Devil. He did not think that he should do that. Instead, Michael said, ‘The Lord himself will show that you are wrong.’ ¹⁰ But these false teachers speak bad things against anything that they do not understand. They are like animals that cannot think properly. They just do the things that their nature causes them to do. Those are the things that are destroying them.

¹¹ It will be terrible for them! They have lived in the way that Cain lived.^[f] They have made the same mistake that Balaam made, because they wanted to get money for themselves.^[g] Like Korah, they have refused to obey God.^[h] So God will destroy them.

The false teachers are very dangerous

¹² When you eat special meals together as believers, those false teachers meet with you. But they are dangerous! They will stop you showing your love for one another. They come only because they want to eat too much. They do not respect God or other people. They only think about themselves and they are not ashamed. They are like clouds that you think will bring rain. But the wind blows those clouds along and there is no rain. They are like trees that have no fruit, even at the time for harvest. People pull trees like that out of the ground. They are completely dead and can give no fruit. ¹³ Those false teachers are like water in the sea that the wind blows during a storm. The dirt that comes to the top of the water is like the disgusting things that those people do. They are like stars that have moved away from their proper places in the sky. God has prepared a completely dark place for them. God will keep them there for ever.

¹⁴ Long ago, Enoch also spoke about those false teachers.^[i] Enoch belonged to the seventh family that was born, starting with Adam. He said, ‘Look, the Lord will come with many thousands of his own angels. ¹⁵ He will judge all people. He will punish everyone who lives in a way that does not please him. He will punish them because of all the wicked things that they have done. He will punish them because of all the bad words that they have spoken against him.’^{[j] 16} Those people are always complaining. They like to accuse other people. They do any bad things that will make themselves happy. They speak great things about themselves, to show how important they are. They praise other people only so that they can get something good for themselves.

Christians must continue to trust God

¹⁷ But as for you, my friends, remember the message that the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ have taught you. They spoke about what would happen in future times. ¹⁸ They said to you, ‘In the last days of this world, some people will laugh at God's message.^[k] They will say that it is silly to obey God. Instead, they will do the bad things that they want to do. Those things do not please God.’

¹⁹ It is people like this who cause you to argue with one another, so that you belong to separate groups. Their thoughts belong to this world. They do not have God's Spirit in them.

²⁰ But you, my friends, have believed the message that comes from God himself. So you must help one another to trust God more and more. Pray to God with the help of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ Continue to live in a way that shows God's love. As you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come, remember that he is very kind. Because of that, you will have life with God for ever.

²² Help those people who do not know whether to trust God. Be kind to them. ²³ Some people are in great danger. You must save them from the fire of God's punishment.^[l] Also be kind to people who have done wicked and disgusting things. But be careful! Do not let their sins make you bad too.

Jude thanks God

²⁴ God is able to keep you safe so that you continue to trust him. One day you will stand in front of him and you will be very happy. God will bring you to that place and you will be completely good. You will be able to stand near to God, who shines with beautiful light. ²⁵ He is the only God. He is the one who saves us because of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we praise him! We say that he is very great! He rules with power and authority. This has always been true. It is true now, and it will be true for ever. Amen!

The people in heaven praise God

19 After these things, I heard a sound like the voices of a great crowd of people in heaven. They were shouting,

³ Then the crowd of people in heaven shouted again,

⁴ The 24 leaders and the four beings that are alive then threw themselves down on the ground. They worshipped God, who was sitting on the throne. They said, ‘It is true! Praise the Lord God!’

⁵ Then a voice spoke from the throne. It said,

⁶ Then I heard a sound like the noise of a very big crowd that was shouting. The sound was like the noise of water that pours quickly along a river. It was like the noise of loud thunder. The crowd of people shouted,

⁸ God has given her linen clothes to wear that are bright and clean.’

These special linen clothes show the good things that God's holy people have done.^[b]

⁹ Then the angel said to me, ‘Write down this message: “There will be a special meal at the Lamb's wedding party. God has truly blessed those people that he has asked to come to that meal.” ’ The angel also said to me, ‘This is a true message from God.’

¹⁰ Then I bent down low at the angel's feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am only a servant of God, the same as you are. I am a servant, like all believers who show clearly that they trust in Jesus. God is the one that you should worship! When God gave a message to his prophets, it was Jesus that they spoke about.’

The great king on a white horse

¹¹ I saw that heaven was now open. I saw a white horse there! The name of the man who was riding the horse was this: ‘A faithful, honest person’. He is always right when he judges people and when he goes to punish them in war. ¹² His eyes burn like bright flames of fire. Many crowns are on his head. He has a name that is written on him, but nobody knows that name except himself. ¹³ He wears a long shirt with a lot of blood on it. His name is: ‘The Word of God’.

¹⁴ Heaven's armies were following him. They were also riding on white horses. They were wearing linen clothes that were white and clean. ¹⁵ A sharp sword was coming out of his mouth.^[c] He will use this sword to attack the people of all the nations of the world. Then he will rule them with strong authority. He will punish them like someone who stamps on grapes in a winepress. That will show God's great anger against them. He is the Almighty God.^{[d] 16} The man who rides on the white horse has a name that is written on his shirt. It is also written high on his leg. His name is: ‘The King who rules over all other kings. The Lord who rules over all lords’.^[e]

¹⁷ Then I saw an angel who was standing in the sun. He shouted loudly to all the birds that were flying high in the sky, ‘Come here! Come together to eat the big meal that God has prepared. ¹⁸ Eat the meat from the dead bodies of God's enemies! Come and eat the meat of kings, the meat of army captains and the meat of powerful men. Eat the meat of dead horses and the soldiers who ride them. Eat the meat of all kinds of people: slaves and free people, important people and ordinary people.’

¹⁹ Then I saw the wild animal and the kings of the earth and their armies. They had come together to fight a war. They were ready to fight a battle against the man who rode on the white horse and his army. ²⁰ But the rider and his army caught the wild animal. They also caught the false prophet who had done miracles to help the wild animal. He used those miracles to deceive the people who had the wild animal's mark on them. Those people worshipped his image. Now the rider and his army threw the wild animal and the false prophet into the lake of fire. They were still alive when they threw them into the lake that burns with sulphur.

²¹ The rider of the white horse then killed all his other enemies. He killed them with the sword that came out of his mouth. So then all the birds ate the meat from the dead bodies until they were completely full.

The 1,000 years

20 Then I saw an angel who was coming down from heaven. He was holding the key to the deep hole.^[f] He also held a great chain in his hand. ² He took hold of the dragon. That dragon is the Devil and Satan. He is the snake who has lived since long ago.^[g] The angel tied up the dragon with the chain for 1,000 years. ³ Then he threw the dragon into the deep hole. He closed the door to the deep hole, and he locked it with the key. He put a seal on the door. During that time, Satan could no longer deceive the people of all nations. But after the 1,000 years have finished, he must go free for a short time.

⁴ Then I saw some thrones, and I saw people who were sitting on them. These people had received authority to judge other people. I also saw the souls of people who had died because they served Jesus. People had cut off their heads because they had told the truth about Jesus, and they had spoken God's message. These believers had not worshipped the wild animal or his image. They had not received the wild animal's mark on their heads or on their hands. Now they became alive again. They ruled as kings together with Christ for 1,000 years. ⁵ (But all the other dead people did not become alive again until the 1,000 years had finished.) This is the first time that God raises up dead people to become alive again. ⁶ God has blessed those people that he raises up that first time. They belong to God as his holy people. The second death has no power over them. Instead, they will be priests who serve God and Christ. They will rule as kings with him for 1,000 years.

God sends Satan into the lake of fire

⁷ When the 1,000 years have finished, God will let Satan go free out of his prison. ⁸ Satan will then go and deceive people in nations everywhere in the world. He will make them believe him. Those nations are God's enemies, Gog and Magog.^[h] Satan will bring them together to fight a war against God's people. Satan's army has many people, as much as the sand on the shore of the sea.^{[i] 9} I saw them as they marched over the whole earth. They arrived at the city which God loves. That is where God's people had made their camp. Satan's army made their camp all around the city. Then fire came down from heaven and it destroyed them completely. ¹⁰ The Devil had deceived those people. I saw God throw him into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. That is the lake where he had already thrown the wild animal and the false prophet. They will have a lot of pain in that place, all day and all night for ever.

God judges all the dead people

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne. I saw that God was sitting on it. The earth and the sky rushed away from the place where he sat. There was no longer any place for them. ¹² I also saw the people who had died, important people and ordinary people. They were standing in front of the great throne. Then someone opened books to see what was in them. God had written in them all the things that the people had done. Then someone opened another book which is God's book of life.^[j] God judged the people who had died. He looked in the books to see what they had done, and he decided what was right.

¹³ The sea brought up all the dead people who were in it. Death and Hades, the place for dead people, brought up all the dead people who were there too. God judged each person. God saw what they had done, and he decided what was right. ¹⁴ Then God threw Death and Hades into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death for people. ¹⁵ If anyone's name was not written in the book of life, God threw that person into the lake of fire.

The new heaven and the new earth

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had gone away. The sea also was not there any more. ² I saw God's own holy city, called the new Jerusalem. It was coming down out of heaven from God. It was very beautiful, like a bride who is wearing beautiful clothes, ready to meet her husband.

³ I heard a voice that spoke loudly from the throne. It said, ‘Look! God's home is now among people! God will live together with them. They will be his people. God himself will be with them and he will be their God. ⁴ God will take away all the tears from their eyes. Nobody will ever die again. Nobody will be sad again. Nobody will ever cry. Nobody will have pain again. Everything that made people sad has now gone. That old world has completely gone away.’

⁵ God, who was sitting on the throne, said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, because these words are true. Everyone should believe them.’

⁶ He also said to me, ‘Everything is now done! I caused all things to begin and I will cause the end of all things. I am the beginning and the end. If anyone is thirsty, I will give them water to drink. Nobody will have to pay anything for it. That water comes from a spring of water that gives life to people. ⁷ Everyone who wins against Satan will receive all these things from me. I will be their God and they will be my children.

⁸ But I will punish other people. They include:

All these people will go into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. That is the second death for people.’

New city of Jerusalem

⁹ Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls that were full of the seven final troubles came to me. He said, ‘Come with me! I will show you the bride who will become the Lamb's wife.’

¹⁰ Then God's Spirit caused me to see and to hear strange things. The angel carried me away to a great mountain that was very high. He showed me God's own holy city, Jerusalem. The city was coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹ It had the bright glory of God. It shone like a valuable jewel that is called jasper. It shone like clean glass. ¹² The city had a very big, high wall round it. The wall had 12 gates in it. 12 angels stood at the 12 gates. The names of the 12 tribes of Israel's people were written on the 12 gates. ¹³ There were three gates on each side of the city:

¹⁴ The city's wall has a foundation of 12 strong stones. The names of the Lamb's 12 apostles were written on those 12 stones.^[k]

¹⁵ The angel who talked to me had a long gold stick. He used it to measure things. So he could measure the city and its gates and its walls. ¹⁶ The shape of the city was a square. It was as long as it was wide. The angel measured the city with his stick. It was 12,000 stadia (2,400 kilometres) long. It was as wide and as high as it was long. ¹⁷ He also measured its wall. The size of the wall was 144 cubits (65 metres). That is the way that humans measure things. The angel also measured in the same way.^[l]

¹⁸ The wall was made from the jewel that is called jasper. The city was made from pure gold. The light shone through it, as light shines through clean glass. ¹⁹ The strong stones that were the foundation of the city's wall were very beautiful. They had valuable jewels in them that were different colours. Each great stone had its own special jewel. They were called:

²¹ The 12 gates were 12 pearls. They had used a single pearl to make each gate. The city's biggest street was made from pure gold. The light shone through it, as light shines through clean glass.

²² When I looked, I saw that there was no temple in the city. The Lord God, who has all power and authority, is there himself. The Lamb is also there. So people do not need a special place to worship him there. ²³ Also, the city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it. God's bright glory gives light to the city. The Lamb is the lamp that gives it light.

²⁴ People from all the world's nations will live in the city's light. The earth's rulers will bring all their valuable things into it. ²⁵ Nobody will ever shut the city's gates at the end of the day. It will always be day and there will be no night there. ²⁶ People from all the world's nations will bring their beautiful and valuable things into the city. ²⁷ But nothing that is bad or unclean will ever go in there. Nobody who does anything that God hates will go into the city. Nobody who tells lies will go in. Only those people with their names written in the Lamb's book of life can go in there.^[n]

The river and the tree that give life

22 Then the angel showed me a river. It had water that gives true life to people. The water shone like clean glass. The river of water started from the throne where God and the Lamb sit to rule. It ran from the throne ² along the middle of the city's biggest street. I saw a tree that was growing on each side of the river. It is the tree that gives people true life. It has 12 different kinds of fruit, a new fruit every month. The tree's leaves are like medicine. They make people of every nation well again.

³ Nothing that is in the city will be under a curse. The throne where God and the Lamb sit to rule will be in the city. God's servants will worship him there. ⁴ They will see his face. His name will be on the front of their heads. ⁵ There will be no more night, so nobody will need a lamp to make light. They will not need light from the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them. They will rule as kings for ever.

The final message

⁶ Then the angel said to me, ‘All these words are true and everyone should believe them. The Lord God uses his prophets to speak his messages. He has sent his angel to speak to his servants. The angel will now show them what must happen soon.’

⁷ Jesus says, ‘Listen! I will come soon.^[o] God will bless everyone who obeys the words of the prophecy that is in this book.’

John finishes his book

⁸ I am John. I myself heard these things and I saw them. When I had heard them and I had seen them, I bent down low at the angel's feet. I wanted to worship him because he had shown these things to me. ⁹ But the angel said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am only a servant of God, the same as you are. I serve God like all God's prophets, who are believers like you. I serve God like everyone who obeys God's message that is written in this book. God is the one that you must worship!’

¹⁰ Then he said to me, ‘Do not hide the words of God's prophecy that are written in this book. The time is near when these things will happen. ¹¹ Let everybody continue to live as they choose. Everyone who does wrong things will continue to do wrong things. Everyone who is disgusting will continue to be disgusting. Everyone who does right things will continue to do right things. Everyone who belongs to God will continue to be holy.’^[p]

¹² Jesus says, ‘Listen! I will come quickly! I know what each person has done. I will give each one what they ought to have. I am ready to do that. ¹³ I caused all things to begin and I will cause the end of all things. I am the first and the last. I am the beginning and the end.

¹⁴ Believers who keep themselves clean will be happy. They are like people who always wash their clothes. I will let them eat the fruit from the tree that causes people to have true life. I will let them go through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ But other people must stay outside the city:

¹⁶ I am Jesus. I have sent my angel to tell you this message. You must tell it to all the people in the churches. I am called the Root of King David. I am his descendant. I am the bright morning star.’^[q]

¹⁷ God's Spirit and all God's people answer Jesus. They say, ‘Yes, come!’ God's people are like a bride for Jesus. Everyone who hears this should also say to Jesus, ‘Come!’ Anyone who is thirsty should come to Jesus. Then that person will receive from Jesus the water that gives life. Anyone who wants it may take it. They will not have to pay anything for it.

¹⁸ Now John says this. I say clearly to everyone who hears the words of God's prophecy that are written in this book: If anyone adds any more words than are already in this book, God will punish them. The terrible troubles that this book describes will happen to them. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes away from the words that are in this book, God will punish them too. He will not let them eat the fruit from his tree that gives life. God will not let them live in his holy city either. This book describes all these things.

²⁰ It is Jesus who tells us that all these messages are true. He says, ‘Yes, I will come soon!’

Amen! We agree! Come, Lord Jesus!

²¹ I pray that the Lord Jesus will continue to be kind to all of you.