Signs of Christ’s Return

24 ^(A)Jesus ^(B)left the temple area and was going on His way ^[a]when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. ² But He responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, ^(C)not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

³ And as He was sitting on ^(D)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of ^(E)Your coming, and of the ^[b]end of the age?”

⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them, “^(F)See to it that no one ^[c]misleads you. ⁵ For ^(G)many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the ^[d]Christ,’ and they will ^[e]mislead many people. ⁶ And you will be hearing of ^(H)wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. ⁷ For ^(I)nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be ^(J)famines and earthquakes in various places. ^8 (K)But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

⁹ “^(L)Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and ^(M)you will be hated by all nations because of My name. ¹⁰ And at that time many will ^[f](N)fall away, and they will ^[g]betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many ^(O)false prophets will rise up and ^[h]mislead many people. ¹² And because lawlessness is increased, ^[i]most people’s love will become cold. ^13 (P)But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. ¹⁴ This ^(Q)gospel of the kingdom ^(R)shall be preached in the whole ^[j](S)world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Perilous Times

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the ^(T)abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in ^(U)the holy place—^[k](V)let the ^[l]reader understand— ¹⁶ then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ^17 [m]Whoever is on ^(W)the ^[n]housetop must not go down to get things out of his house. ¹⁸ And ^[o]whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁹ But ^(X)woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ Moreover, pray that ^[p]when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be a ^(Y)great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. ²² And if those days had not been cut short, no ^[q]life would have been saved; but for ^(Z)the sake of the ^[r]elect those days will be cut short. ^23 (AA)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the ^[s]Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him. ²⁴ For false christs and ^(AB)false prophets will arise and will provide great ^[t](AC)signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even ^(AD)the ^[u]elect. ²⁵ Behold, I have told you in advance. ²⁶ So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. ^27 (AE)For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the ^(AF)coming of the ^(AG)Son of Man ^[v]be. ^28 (AH)Wherever the corpse is, there the ^[w]vultures will gather.

The Glorious Return

²⁹ “But immediately after the ^(AI)tribulation of those days ^(AJ)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and ^(AK)the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ And then ^(AL)the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ^(AM)the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ³¹ And ^(AN)He will send forth His angels with ^(AO)a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His ^[x](AP)elect from ^(AQ)the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Parable of the Fig Tree

³² “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near; ³³ so you too, when you see all these things, ^[y]recognize that ^[z]He is near, right ^(AR)at the ^[aa]door. ³⁴ Truly I say to you, ^(AS)this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ^35 (AT)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

³⁶ “But ^(AU)about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. ³⁷ For ^[ab]the ^(AV)coming of the Son of Man will be ^(AW)just like the days of Noah. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, ^(AX)marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that ^(AY)Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they did not ^[ac]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the ^(AZ)coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ At that time there will be two men in the field; one ^[ad]will be taken and one ^[ae]will be left. ^41 (BA)Two women will be grinding at the ^[af](BB)mill; one ^[ag]will be taken and one ^[ah]will be left.

Be Ready for His Coming

⁴² “Therefore ^(BC)be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But ^[ai]be sure of this, that ^(BD)if the head of the house had known ^(BE)at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ For this reason ^(BF)you must be ready as well; for ^(BG)the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

⁴⁵ “^(BH)Who then is the ^(BI)faithful and ^(BJ)sensible slave whom his ^[aj]master ^(BK)put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that slave whom his ^[ak]master finds so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly I say to you that ^(BL)he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My ^[al]master ^[am]is not coming for a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk; ⁵⁰ then the ^[an]master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, ⁵¹ and he will ^[ao]cut him in two and assign ^[ap]him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be ^(BM)weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Widow’s Gift

21 ^(A)Now He looked up and saw the wealthy putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ² And He saw a poor widow putting ^[a]in ^(B)two ^[b]lepta coins. ³ And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; ⁴ for they all ^[c]contributed to the ^[d]offering from their ^[e]surplus; but she, from her poverty, put in all ^[f]that she had ^(C)to live on.”

^5 (D)And while some were talking about the temple, that it was decorated with beautiful stones and ^[g]vowed gifts, He said, ⁶ “As for these things which you are observing, the days will come when ^(E)there will not be left one stone upon ^[h]another, which will not be torn down.”

⁷ They asked Him questions, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the ^[i]sign when these things are about to take place?” ⁸ And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘^(F)I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ ^(G)Do not go after them. ⁹ And when you hear of wars and revolts, do not be alarmed; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”

Things to Come

¹⁰ Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, ¹¹ and there will be ^[j]massive earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrible sights and great ^[k]signs from heaven.

¹² “But before all these things, ^(H)they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, turning you over to the synagogues and prisons, ^[l]bringing you before kings and governors on account of My name. ^13 (I)It will lead to ^[m]an opportunity for your testimony. ^14 (J)So ^[n]make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; ¹⁵ for ^(K)I will provide you ^[o]eloquence and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to oppose or refute. ¹⁶ But you will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death, ¹⁷ and you will be hated by all people because of My name. ¹⁸ And yet ^(L)not a hair of your head will perish. ^19 (M)By your endurance you will gain your ^[p]lives.

²⁰ “But when you see Jerusalem ^(N)surrounded by armies, then ^[q]recognize that her desolation is near. ²¹ Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are inside ^[r]the city must leave, and ^(O)those who are in the country must not enter ^[s]the city; ²² because these are ^(P)days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled. ²³ Woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for ^(Q)there will be great distress upon the ^[t]land, and wrath to this people; ²⁴ and they will fall by ^(R)the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and ^(S)Jerusalem will be ^(T)trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until ^(U)the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Return of Christ

²⁵ “There will be ^[u]signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, ²⁶ people fainting from fear and the expectation of the things that are coming upon the ^[v]world; for the powers of ^[w]the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ And ^(V)then they will see ^(W)the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because ^(X)your redemption is drawing near.”

²⁹ And He told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees: ³⁰ as soon as they put forth leaves, you see for yourselves and ^(Y)know that summer is now near. ³¹ So you too, when you see these things happening, ^[x]recognize that ^(Z)the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place. ^33 (AA)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

³⁴ “But ^(AB)be on your guard, so that your hearts will not be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that ^[y]this day will not come on you suddenly, like a trap; ³⁵ for it will come upon all those who live on the face of all the earth. ³⁶ But ^(AC)stay alert at all times, praying that you will have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to ^(AD)stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷ Now ^[z]during the day He was ^(AE)teaching in the temple, but ^[aa](AF)at evening He would go out and spend the night on ^(AG)the ^[ab]mountain that is called ^[ac]Olivet. ³⁸ And all the people would get up ^(AH)very early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.

The First Seal: Conqueror on a White Horse

6 Then I saw when the ^(A)Lamb broke one of the ^(B)seven seals, and I heard one of the ^(C)four living creatures saying as with a ^(D)voice of thunder, “Come^[a]!” ² I looked, and behold, a ^(E)white horse, and the one who sat on it had a bow; and ^(F)a crown was given to him, and he went out ^(G)conquering and to conquer.

The Second Seal: War

³ When He broke the second seal, I heard the ^(H)second living creature saying, “Come^[b]!” ⁴ And another, ^(I)a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to ^(J)take peace from the earth, and that people would kill one another; and a large sword was given to him.

The Third Seal: Famine

⁵ When He broke the third seal, I heard the ^(K)third living creature saying, “Come^[c]!” I looked, and behold, a ^(L)black horse, and the one who sat on it had a ^(M)pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ And I heard something like a voice in the center of the ^(N)four living creatures saying, “A ^[d]quart of wheat for a ^[e]denarius, and three ^[f]quarts of barley for a ^[g]denarius; and ^(O)do not damage the oil and the wine.”

The Fourth Seal: Death

⁷ When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the ^(P)fourth living creature saying, “Come^[h]!” ⁸ I looked, and behold, ^[i]an ^(Q)ashen horse; and the one who sat on it had the name ^(R)Death, and ^(S)Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, ^(T)to kill with sword, and famine, and ^[j]plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.

The Fifth Seal: Martyrs

⁹ When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw ^(U)underneath the ^(V)altar the ^(W)souls of those who had been killed ^(X)because of the word of God, and because of the ^(Y)testimony which they had maintained; ¹⁰ and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^(Z)How long, O ^[k](AA)Lord, ^(AB)holy and true, ^[l]will You refrain from ^(AC)judging and avenging our blood on ^(AD)those who live on the earth?” ¹¹ And a ^(AE)white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to ^(AF)rest for a little while longer, ^(AG)until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was ^(AH)completed also.

The Sixth Seal: Terror

¹² And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great ^(AI)earthquake; and the ^(AJ)sun became as black as ^(AK)sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; ¹³ and ^(AL)the stars of the sky fell to the earth, ^(AM)as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. ^14 (AN)The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and ^(AO)every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵ Then ^(AP)the kings of the earth and the eminent people, and the commanders and the wealthy and the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; ¹⁶ and they *^(AQ)said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the ^[m]sight of Him ^(AR)who sits on the throne, and from the ^(AS)wrath of the Lamb; ¹⁷ for ^(AT)the great day of Their wrath has come, and ^(AU)who is able to stand?”

An Interlude

7 After this I saw ^(AV)four angels standing at the ^(AW)four corners of the earth, holding back ^(AX)the four winds of the earth ^(AY)so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. ² And I saw another angel ascending ^(AZ)from the rising of the sun, holding the ^(BA)seal of ^(BB)the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the ^(BC)four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, ³ saying, “^(BD)Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have ^(BE)sealed the bond-servants of our God on their ^(BF)foreheads.”

The 144,000

⁴ And I heard the ^(BG)number of those who were sealed: ^(BH)144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

A Multitude from the Tribulation

⁹ After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from ^(BI)every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing ^(BJ)before the throne and ^(BK)before the Lamb, clothed in ^(BL)white robes, and ^(BM)palm branches were in their hands; ¹⁰ and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying,

¹¹ And all the angels were standing ^(BP)around the throne and around ^(BQ)the elders and the ^(BR)four living creatures; and they ^(BS)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying,

¹³ Then one of the elders ^(BW)responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the ^(BX)white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴ I ^[n]said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the ^(BY)great tribulation, and they have ^(BZ)washed their robes and made them ^(CA)white in the ^(CB)blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ For this reason they are ^(CC)before the throne of God, and they ^(CD)serve Him day and night in His ^[o](CE)temple; and ^(CF)He who sits on the throne will spread His ^(CG)tabernacle over them. ^16 (CH)They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun ^[p]beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; ¹⁷ for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their ^(CI)shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the ^[q](CJ)water of life; and ^(CK)God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

The Seventh Seal: Trumpets

8 When the Lamb broke the ^(CL)seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ² And I saw ^(CM)the seven angels who stand before God, and seven ^(CN)trumpets were given to them.

^3 (CO)Another angel came and stood at the ^(CP)altar, holding a ^(CQ)golden censer; and much ^(CR)incense was given to him, so that he might ^[r]add it to the ^(CS)prayers of all the ^[s]saints on the ^(CT)golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴ And ^(CU)the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel’s hand with the prayers of the ^[t]saints before God. ⁵ Then the angel ^[u]took the ^[v]censer and ^(CV)filled it with the fire of the altar, and ^(CW)hurled it to the earth; and there were ^(CX)peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an ^(CY)earthquake.

^6 (CZ)And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.

⁷ The first sounded, and there was ^(DA)hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and ^(DB)a third of the earth was burned up, and ^(DC)a third of the ^(DD)trees were burned up, and all the green ^(DE)grass was burned up.

⁸ The second angel sounded, and something like a great ^(DF)mountain burning with fire was hurled into the sea; and ^(DG)a third of the ^(DH)sea became blood, ⁹ and ^(DI)a third of the creatures which were in the sea ^[w]and had life, died; and a third of the ^(DJ)ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel sounded, and a great star ^(DK)fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a ^(DL)third of the rivers and on the ^(DM)springs of waters. ¹¹ The star is named Wormwood; and a ^(DN)third of the waters became ^(DO)wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter.

¹² The fourth angel sounded, and a ^(DP)third of the ^(DQ)sun, a third of the ^(DR)moon, and a ^(DS)third of the ^(DT)stars were struck, so that a ^(DU)third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a ^(DV)third of it, and the night in the same way.

¹³ Then I looked, and I heard ^[x]an eagle flying in ^(DW)midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “^(DX)Woe, woe, woe to ^(DY)those who live on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the ^(DZ)three angels who are about to sound!”

The Fifth Trumpet: Shaft of the Abyss

9 Then the ^(EA)fifth angel sounded, and I saw a ^(EB)star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the ^(EC)key to the ^(ED)shaft of the abyss was given to him. ² He opened the shaft of the abyss, and ^(EE)smoke ascended out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and ^(EF)the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft. ³ Then out of the smoke came ^(EG)locusts ^[y]upon the earth, and power was given them, as the ^(EH)scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were told not to ^(EI)hurt the ^(EJ)grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the ^(EK)seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And ^[z]they were not permitted to kill ^[aa]anyone, but to torment for ^(EL)five months; and their torment was like the torment of a ^(EM)scorpion when it ^[ab]stings a person. ⁶ And in those days ^(EN)people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death ^[ac]will flee from them!

⁷ The ^[ad](EO)appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like human faces. ⁸ They had hair like the hair of women, and their ^(EP)teeth were like the teeth of lions. ⁹ They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the ^(EQ)sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. ¹⁰ They have tails like ^(ER)scorpions, and stings; and in their ^(ES)tails is their power to hurt people for ^(ET)five months. ¹¹ They have as king over them, the angel of the ^(EU)abyss; his name in ^(EV)Hebrew is ^[ae](EW)Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name ^[af]Apollyon.

^12 (EX)The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

The Sixth Trumpet: Army from the East

¹³ Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard ^[ag]a voice from the ^[ah]four ^(EY)horns of the ^(EZ)golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the ^(FA)four angels who are bound at the ^(FB)great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were ^(FC)released, so that they would kill a ^(FD)third of mankind. ¹⁶ The number of the armies of the horsemen was ^(FE)two hundred million; ^(FF)I heard the number of them. ¹⁷ And this is how I saw ^(FG)in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of ^[ai](FH)brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and ^(FI)out of their mouths *came fire and smoke and ^[aj](FJ)brimstone. ¹⁸ A ^(FK)third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the ^(FL)fire, the smoke, and the ^[ak]brimstone which came 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 and have heads, and with them they do harm.

²⁰ The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, ^(FM)did not repent of ^(FN)the works of their hands so as not to ^(FO)worship demons and ^(FP)the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; ²¹ and they ^(FQ)did not repent of their murders, nor of their ^(FR)witchcraft, nor of their ^(FS)sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 I saw another ^(FT)strong angel ^(FU)coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the ^(FV)rainbow was on his head, and ^(FW)his face was like the sun, and his ^(FX)feet like pillars of fire; ² and he had in his hand a ^(FY)little scroll, which was open. He placed ^(FZ)his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; ³ and he cried out with a loud voice, ^(GA)as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the ^(GB)seven peals of thunder ^[al]uttered their voices. ⁴ When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, ^(GC)I was about to write; and I ^(GD)heard a voice from heaven, saying, “^(GE)Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken, and do not write them.” ⁵ Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land ^(GF)raised his right hand to heaven, ^6 (GG)and swore by ^(GH)Him who lives forever and ever, ^(GI)who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that ^(GJ)there will no longer be a delay, ⁷ but in the days of the voice of the ^(GK)seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then ^(GL)the mystery of God is finished, as He announced to His servants the prophets.

⁸ Then ^(GM)the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take ^(GN)the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who ^(GO)stands on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little scroll. And he *said to me, “^(GP)Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰ I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ And ^(GQ)they *said to me, “You must ^(GR)prophesy again concerning ^(GS)many peoples, nations, languages, and ^(GT)kings.”

The Two Witnesses

11 Then there was given to me a ^[am](GU)measuring rod like a staff; ^[an]and ^(GV)someone said, “Get up and measure the ^[ao]temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. ^2 [ap]Leave out the ^(GW)courtyard which is outside the ^[aq]temple and do not measure it, because ^(GX)it has been given to the nations; and they will ^(GY)trample ^(GZ)the holy city for ^(HA)forty-two months. ³ And I will grant authority to my two ^(HB)witnesses, and they will prophesy for ^(HC)1,260 days, clothed in ^(HD)sackcloth.” ⁴ These are the ^(HE)two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone wants to harm them, ^(HF)fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; and so if anyone wants to harm them, ^(HG)he must be killed in this way. ⁶ These have the power to ^(HH)shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during ^(HI)the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to ^(HJ)turn them into blood, and ^(HK)to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

⁷ When they have finished their testimony, ^(HL)the beast that comes up out of the ^(HM)abyss will ^(HN)make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. ⁸ And their dead bodies will lie on the street of the ^(HO)great city which ^[ar]spiritually is called ^(HP)Sodom and ^(HQ)Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹ Those from ^(HR)the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their dead ^[as]bodies for three and a half days, and ^[at](HS)will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. ¹⁰ And ^(HT)those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will ^(HU)send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented ^(HV)those who live on the earth.

¹¹ And after the three and a half days, ^(HW)the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. ¹² And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “^(HX)Come up here.” And they ^(HY)went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³ And ^[au]at that time there was a great ^(HZ)earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; ^[av]seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and ^(IA)gave glory to the ^(IB)God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second ^(IC)woe has passed; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

The Seventh Trumpet: Christ’s Reign Foreseen

¹⁵ Then the ^(ID)seventh angel sounded; and there were ^(IE)loud voices in heaven, saying,

“^(IF)The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(IG)His ^[aw]Christ; and ^(IH)He will reign forever and ever.” ¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders, who ^(II)sit on their thrones before God, ^(IJ)fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying,

“We give You thanks, ^(IK)Lord God, the Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to ^(IL)reign. ¹⁸ And ^(IM)the nations were enraged, and ^(IN)Your wrath came, and ^(IO)the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to ^[ax]reward Your ^(IP)bond-servants the prophets and the ^[ay]saints and those who fear Your name, ^(IQ)the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹ And ^(IR)the ^[az]temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and ^(IS)the ark of His covenant appeared in His ^[ba]temple, and there were flashes of ^(IT)lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a ^(IU)great ^[bb]hailstorm.

The Woman, Israel

12 A great ^(IV)sign appeared ^(IW)in heaven: ^(IX)a woman ^(IY)clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; ² and she was pregnant and she *^(IZ)cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

The Red Dragon, Satan

³ Then ^(JA)another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red ^(JB)dragon having ^(JC)seven heads and ^(JD)ten horns, and on his heads were ^(JE)seven crowns. ⁴ And his tail *swept away a ^(JF)third of the stars of heaven and ^(JG)hurled them to the earth. And the ^(JH)dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth ^(JI)he might devour her Child.

The Male Child, Christ

⁵ And ^(JJ)she gave birth to a Son, a male, who is going to ^[bc](JK)rule all the ^[bd]nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was ^(JL)caught up to God and to His throne. ⁶ Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she *had a place prepared by God, so that there ^[be]she would be nourished for ^(JM)1,260 days.

The Angel, Michael

⁷ And there was war in heaven, ^(JN)Michael and his angels waging war with the ^(JO)dragon. The dragon and ^(JP)his angels waged war, ⁸ and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. ⁹ And the great ^(JQ)dragon was thrown down, the ^(JR)serpent of old who is called the devil and ^(JS)Satan, who ^(JT)deceives the whole ^[bf]world; he was ^(JU)thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. ¹⁰ Then I heard ^(JV)a loud voice in heaven, saying,

“Now the ^(JW)salvation, and the power, and the ^(JX)kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the ^(JY)accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night. ¹¹ And they ^(JZ)overcame him because of ^(KA)the blood of the Lamb and because of ^(KB)the word of their testimony, and they ^(KC)did not love their life even ^[bg]when faced with death. ¹² For this reason, ^(KD)rejoice, you heavens and ^(KE)you who dwell in them. ^(KF)Woe to the earth and the sea, because ^(KG)the devil has come down to you with great wrath, knowing that he has only ^(KH)a short time.”

¹³ And when the ^(KI)dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted ^(KJ)the woman who gave birth to the male Child. ¹⁴ But the ^(KK)two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly ^(KL)into the wilderness to her place, where she *was nourished for ^(KM)a time, times, and half a time, away from the presence of the serpent. ¹⁵ And the ^(KN)serpent hurled water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. ^16 [bh]But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon had hurled out of his mouth. ¹⁷ So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to ^(KO)make war with the rest of her ^[bi](KP)children, who ^(KQ)keep the commandments of God and ^(KR)hold to the testimony of Jesus.

The Beast from the Sea

13 And the dragon stood on the sand of the ^[bj]seashore.

Then I saw a ^(KS)beast coming up out of the sea, having ^(KT)ten horns and ^(KU)seven heads, and on his horns were ^(KV)ten crowns, and on his heads were ^(KW)blasphemous names. ² And the beast that I saw was ^(KX)like a leopard, and his feet were like those of ^(KY)a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of ^(KZ)a lion. And the ^(LA)dragon gave him his power and his ^(LB)throne, and great authority. ³ I saw one of his heads as if it had been ^[bk]fatally wounded, and his ^(LC)fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth ^(LD)was amazed and followed after the beast; ⁴ they worshiped the ^(LE)dragon because he ^(LF)gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “^(LG)Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” ⁵ A mouth was given to him ^(LH)speaking ^[bl]arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for ^(LI)forty-two months was given to him. ⁶ And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, ^(LJ)those who dwell in heaven.

⁷ It was also given to him to ^(LK)make war with the ^[bm]saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him over ^(LL)every tribe, people, language, and nation. ⁸ All who ^(LM)live on the earth will worship him, everyone ^(LN)whose name has not been ^[bn]written ^(LO)since the foundation of the world in the ^(LP)book of life of ^(LQ)the Lamb who has been slaughtered. ^9 (LR)If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ^10 (LS)If anyone ^[bo]is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; ^(LT)if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is ^(LU)the ^[bp]perseverance and the faith of the ^[bq]saints.

The Beast from the Earth

¹¹ Then ^(LV)I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had ^(LW)two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a ^(LX)dragon. ¹² He ^(LY)exercises all the authority of the first beast ^[br](LZ)in his presence. And he makes ^(MA)the earth and those who live on it ^(MB)worship the first beast, whose ^(MC)fatal wound was healed. ¹³ He ^(MD)performs great signs, so that he even makes ^(ME)fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people. ¹⁴ And he ^(MF)deceives ^(MG)those who live on the earth because of ^(MH)the signs which it was given him to perform ^[bs](MI)in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the ^(MJ)wound of the sword and has come to life. ¹⁵ And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even ^[bt]speak and cause ^(MK)all who do not ^(ML)worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ And he causes all, ^(MM)the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, ^[bu]to be given a ^(MN)mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the ^(MO)mark, either ^(MP)the name of the beast or ^(MQ)the number of his name. ^18 (MR)Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that ^(MS)of a ^[bv]man; and his number is ^[bw]six hundred and sixty-six.

The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion

14 Then I looked, and behold, ^(MT)the Lamb was standing on ^(MU)Mount Zion, and with Him ^(MV)144,000 who had ^(MW)His name and the ^(MX)name of His Father written ^(MY)on their foreheads. ² And I heard a voice from heaven, like ^(MZ)the sound of many waters and like the ^(NA)sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of ^(NB)harpists playing on their harps. ³ And they *sang ^[bx](NC)a new song before the throne and before the ^(ND)four living creatures and the ^(NE)elders; and ^(NF)no one was able to learn the song except the ^(NG)144,000 who had been ^(NH)purchased from the earth. ^4 (NI)These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are celibate. These are the ones who ^(NJ)follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been ^(NK)purchased from mankind ^(NL)as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. ⁵ And ^(NM)no lie was found in their mouths; they are ^(NN)blameless.

Vision of the Angel with the Gospel

⁶ And I saw another angel flying in ^(NO)midheaven with ^(NP)an eternal gospel to preach to ^(NQ)those who ^[by]live on the earth, and to ^(NR)every nation, tribe, language, and people; ⁷ and he said with a loud voice, “^(NS)Fear God and ^(NT)give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who ^(NU)made the heaven and the earth, and sea and ^(NV)springs of waters.”

⁸ And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “^[bz](NW)Fallen, fallen is ^(NX)Babylon the great, she who has ^(NY)made all the nations drink of the ^(NZ)wine of the ^[ca]passion of her sexual immorality.”

Doom for Worshipers of the Beast

⁹ Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone ^(OA)worships the beast and his ^(OB)image, and receives a ^(OC)mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he also will drink of the ^(OD)wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed ^[cb]in full strength ^(OE)in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with ^(OF)fire and ^[cc]brimstone in the presence of the ^(OG)holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the ^(OH)smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; ^(OI)they have no rest day and night, those who ^(OJ)worship the beast and his ^(OK)image, and ^[cd]whoever receives the ^(OL)mark of his name.” ¹² Here is ^(OM)the ^[ce]perseverance of the ^[cf]saints who ^(ON)keep the commandments of God and ^[cg](OO)their faith in Jesus.

¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write: ‘^(OP)Blessed are the dead who ^(OQ)die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” ^(OR)says the Spirit, “so that they may ^(OS)rest from their labors, for their ^(OT)deeds follow with them.”

The Harvest

¹⁴ Then I looked, and behold, a ^(OU)white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one ^(OV)like ^[ch]a son of man, with a golden ^(OW)crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. ¹⁵ And another angel ^(OX)came out of the ^[ci]temple, calling out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “^[cj](OY)Put in Your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the ^(OZ)harvest of the earth ^[ck]is ripe.” ¹⁶ Then He who sat on the cloud ^[cl]swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

¹⁷ And another angel ^(PA)came out of the ^[cm]temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ Then another angel, ^(PB)the one who has power over fire, came out from ^(PC)the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “^[cn](PD)Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters ^[co]from the vine of the earth, ^(PE)because her grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ So the angel ^[cp]swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into ^(PF)the great wine press of the wrath of God. ²⁰ And ^(PG)the wine press was trampled ^(PH)outside the city, and ^(PI)blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, ^[cq]for a distance of ^[cr]1,600 stadia.

A Scene of Heaven

15 Then I saw ^(PJ)another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, ^(PK)seven angels who had ^(PL)seven plagues, which are ^(PM)the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.

² And I saw something like a ^(PN)sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who ^(PO)were victorious ^[cs]over the ^(PP)beast and ^(PQ)his image and the ^(PR)number of his name, standing on the ^(PS)sea of glass, holding ^(PT)harps of God. ³ And they *sang the ^(PU)song of Moses, ^(PV)the bond-servant of God, and the ^(PW)song of the Lamb, saying,

⁵ After these things I looked, and ^(QD)the ^[cv]temple of the ^(QE)tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, ⁶ and the ^(QF)seven angels who had the seven plagues ^(QG)came out of the ^[cw]temple, clothed in ^[cx]linen, clean and bright, and ^(QH)their chests wrapped with golden sashes. ⁷ And one of the ^(QI)four living creatures gave the ^(QJ)seven angels seven ^(QK)golden bowls full of the ^(QL)wrath of God, who ^(QM)lives forever and ever. ⁸ And the ^[cy]temple was filled with ^(QN)smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the ^[cz]temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

The Bowls of Wrath

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

² So the first angel went and poured out his bowl ^(QR)on the earth; and a harmful and painful ^(QS)sore ^[db]afflicted the people ^(QT)who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

³ The second angel poured out his bowl ^(QU)into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living ^[dc]thing in the sea died.

⁴ Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the ^(QV)rivers and the springs of waters; and they ^(QW)became blood. ⁵ And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “^(QX)Righteous are You, ^(QY)the One who is and who was, O ^(QZ)Holy One, because You ^(RA)judged these things; ⁶ for they poured out ^(RB)the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them ^(RC)blood to drink. They ^[dd]deserve it.” ⁷ And I heard ^(RD)the altar saying, “Yes, ^(RE)Lord God, the Almighty, ^(RF)true and righteous are Your judgments.”

⁸ And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon ^(RG)the sun, ^(RH)and it was given power to scorch people with fire. ⁹ And the people were scorched with ^[de]fierce heat; and they ^(RI)blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they ^(RJ)did not repent so as to ^(RK)give Him glory.

¹⁰ And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the ^(RL)throne of the beast, and his kingdom became ^(RM)darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, ¹¹ and they ^(RN)blasphemed the ^(RO)God of heaven because of their pain and their ^(RP)sores; and they ^(RQ)did not repent of their deeds.

¹² The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the ^(RR)great river, the Euphrates; and ^(RS)its water was dried up, so that ^(RT)the way would be prepared for the kings ^(RU)from the ^[df]east.

Har-Magedon (Armageddon)

¹³ And I saw coming out of the mouth of the ^(RV)dragon, and out of the mouth of the ^(RW)beast, and out of the mouth of the ^(RX)false prophet, three ^(RY)unclean spirits like ^(RZ)frogs; ¹⁴ for they are ^(SA)spirits of demons, ^(SB)performing signs, which go out to the kings of the ^(SC)entire ^[dg]world, to ^(SD)gather them together for the war of the ^(SE)great day of God, the Almighty. ¹⁵ (“Behold, ^(SF)I am coming like a thief. ^(SG)Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, ^(SH)so that he will not walk about naked and people will not see his shame.”) ¹⁶ And they ^(SI)gathered them together to the place which ^(SJ)in Hebrew is called ^(SK)Har-Magedon.

The Seventh Bowl of Wrath

¹⁷ Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon ^(SL)the air, and a ^(SM)loud voice came out of the ^[dh](SN)temple from the throne, saying, “^(SO)It is done.” ¹⁸ And there were flashes of ^(SP)lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was ^(SQ)a great earthquake, ^(SR)such as there had not been since mankind came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. ^19 (SS)The great city ^[di]was split into three parts, and the cities of the ^[dj]nations fell. ^(ST)Babylon the great was ^(SU)remembered in the sight of God, to give her ^(SV)the cup of the wine of ^[dk]His fierce wrath. ²⁰ And ^(SW)every island fled, and no mountains were found. ²¹ And ^(SX)huge ^[dl]hailstones, weighing about ^[dm]a talent each, *came down from heaven upon people; and people ^(SY)blasphemed God because of the ^(SZ)plague of the hail, because ^[dn]the hailstone plague *was extremely ^[do]severe.

The Doom of Babylon

17 ^(TA)Then one of the ^(TB)seven angels who had the ^(TC)seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you ^(TD)the judgment of the ^(TE)great prostitute who ^(TF)sits on many waters, ² with whom ^(TG)the kings of the earth committed acts of sexual immorality, and ^(TH)those who live on the earth ^(TI)became drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality.” ³ And ^(TJ)he carried me away ^[dp](TK)in the Spirit ^(TL)into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a ^(TM)scarlet beast, full of ^(TN)blasphemous names, having ^(TO)seven heads and ten horns. ⁴ The woman ^(TP)was clothed in purple and scarlet, and ^[dq]adorned with gold, precious ^[dr]stones, and pearls, holding in her hand ^(TQ)a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her sexual immorality, ⁵ and on her forehead a name was written, ^[ds]a ^(TR)mystery: “^(TS)BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF ^(TT)THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” ⁶ And I saw the woman drunk with ^(TU)the blood of the ^[dt]saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered ^[du]greatly. ⁷ And the angel said to me, “Why ^[dv]do you wonder? I will tell you the ^(TV)mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the ^(TW)seven heads and the ten horns.

⁸ “^(TX)The beast that you saw ^(TY)was, and is not, and is about to ^(TZ)come up out of the ^(UA)abyss and ^[dw](UB)go to destruction. And ^(UC)those who live on the earth, ^(UD)whose names have not been written in the book of life ^(UE)from the foundation of the world, will ^(UF)wonder when they see the beast, that he was, and is not, and will ^[dx]come. ^9 (UG)Here is the mind which has wisdom. The ^(UH)seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman sits, ¹⁰ and they are seven ^(UI)kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. ¹¹ The beast which ^(UJ)was, and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he ^(UK)goes to destruction. ¹² The ^(UL)ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast ^(UM)for one hour. ¹³ These have ^(UN)one ^[dy]purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

Victory for the Lamb

¹⁴ These will wage ^(UO)war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will ^(UP)overcome them because He is ^(UQ)Lord of lords and ^(UR)King of kings; and ^(US)those who are with Him are the ^(UT)called and chosen and faithful.”

¹⁵ And he *said to me, “The ^(UU)waters which you saw where the prostitute sits are ^(UV)peoples and multitudes, and nations and languages. ¹⁶ And the ^(UW)ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute and will make her ^(UX)desolate and ^(UY)naked, and will ^(UZ)eat her flesh and will ^(VA)burn her up with fire. ¹⁷ For ^(VB)God has put it in their hearts to execute His ^[dz]purpose ^[ea]by ^(VC)having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the ^(VD)words of God will be fulfilled. ¹⁸ The woman whom you saw is ^(VE)the great city, which ^[eb]reigns over the kings of the earth.”

Babylon Is Fallen

18 After these things I saw another ^(VF)angel ^(VG)coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was ^(VH)illuminated from his glory. ² And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “^[ec](VI)Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She ^(VJ)has become a dwelling place of demons and a ^[ed]prison of every ^(VK)unclean spirit, and a ^[ee]prison of every unclean and hateful bird. ³ For all the nations have fallen because of the ^(VL)wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and ^(VM)the kings of the earth have committed acts of sexual immorality with her, and the ^(VN)merchants of the earth have become rich from the ^[ef]excessive wealth of her ^[eg](VO)luxury.”

⁴ I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “^(VP)Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues; ⁵ for her sins have ^[eh](VQ)piled up as high as heaven, and God has ^(VR)remembered her offenses. ^6 (VS)Pay her back even as she has paid, and ^[ei]give back to her double according to her deeds; in the ^(VT)cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. ^7 (VU)To the extent that she glorified herself and ^(VV)lived luxuriously, to the same extent give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘^(VW)I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ ⁸ For this reason ^(VX)in one day her plagues will come, ^[ej]plague and mourning and famine, and she will be ^(VY)burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her ^(VZ)is strong.

Grief over Babylon

⁹ “And ^(WA)the kings of the earth, who committed acts of sexual immorality and ^(WB)lived luxuriously with her, will ^(WC)weep and mourn over her when they ^(WD)see the smoke of her burning, ^10 (WE)standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘^(WF)Woe, woe, ^(WG)the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in ^(WH)one hour your judgment has come.’

¹¹ “And the ^(WI)merchants of the earth ^(WJ)weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more— ¹² cargo of ^(WK)gold, silver, precious ^[ek]stones, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; every kind of citron wood, every article of ivory, and every article made from very valuable wood, ^[el]bronze, iron, and marble; ¹³ cinnamon, ^[em]spice, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, and cargo of horses, carriages, ^[en]slaves, and ^(WL)human lives. ¹⁴ The fruit ^[eo]you long for has left you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and people will no longer find them. ¹⁵ The ^(WM)merchants of ^(WN)these things, who became rich from her, will ^(WO)stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, ¹⁶ saying, ‘^(WP)Woe, woe, ^(WQ)the great city, she who ^(WR)was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and ^[ep]adorned with gold, precious ^[eq]stones, and pearls; ¹⁷ for in ^(WS)one hour such great wealth has been laid ^(WT)waste!’ And ^(WU)every shipmaster and every ^[er]passenger and sailor, and all who ^[es]make their living by the sea, ^(WV)stood at a distance, ¹⁸ and were ^(WW)crying out as they ^(WX)saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘^(WY)What city is like ^(WZ)the great city?’ ¹⁹ And they threw ^(XA)dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘^(XB)Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea ^(XC)became rich from her prosperity, for in ^(XD)one hour she has been laid ^(XE)waste!’ ^20 (XF)Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you ^[et]saints and ^(XG)apostles and prophets, because ^(XH)God has ^[eu]pronounced judgment for you against her.”

²¹ Then ^[ev]a ^(XI)strong angel ^(XJ)picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, ^(XK)the great city, be thrown down with violence, and ^(XL)will never be found again. ²² And ^(XM)the sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; and no craftsman of any craft will ever be found in you again; and the ^(XN)sound of a mill will never be heard in you again; ²³ and the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the ^(XO)voice of the groom and bride will never be heard in you again; for your ^(XP)merchants were the powerful people of the earth, because all the nations were deceived ^(XQ)by your witchcraft. ²⁴ And in her was found the ^(XR)blood of prophets and of ^[ew]saints, and of ^(XS)all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”

The Fourfold Hallelujah

19 After these things I heard something like a ^(XT)loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,

“^(XU)Hallelujah! ^(XV)Salvation, ^(XW)glory, and power belong to our God, ^2 (XX)because His ^(XY)judgments are ^(XZ)true and righteous; for He has judged the ^(YA)great prostitute who was corrupting the earth with her sexual immorality, and He has ^(YB)avenged the blood of His bond-servants ^[ex]on her.” ³ And a second time they said, “^(YC)Hallelujah! ^(YD)Her smoke rises forever and ever.” ⁴ And the ^(YE)twenty-four elders and the ^(YF)four living creatures ^(YG)fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, “^(YH)Amen. ^(YI)Hallelujah!” ⁵ And a voice came from the throne, saying,

“^(YJ)Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, ^(YK)you who fear Him, the small and the great.” ⁶ Then I heard something like ^(YL)the voice of a great multitude and like ^(YM)the sound of many waters, and like the ^(YN)sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,

“^(YO)Hallelujah! For the ^(YP)Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

Marriage of the Lamb

⁷ Let’s rejoice and be glad and ^(YQ)give the glory to Him, because ^(YR)the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His ^[ey](YS)bride has prepared herself.” ⁸ It was given to her to clothe herself in ^(YT)fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the ^(YU)righteous acts of the ^[ez]saints.

⁹ Then ^(YV)he *said to me, “^(YW)Write: ‘^(YX)Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “^(YY)These are the true words of God.” ¹⁰ Then ^(YZ)I fell at his feet to worship him. ^(ZA)But he *said to me, “^[fa]Do not do that; I am a ^(ZB)fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who ^(ZC)hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The Coming of Christ

¹¹ And I saw ^(ZD)heaven opened, and behold, a ^(ZE)white horse, and He who sat on it is called ^(ZF)Faithful and True, and in ^(ZG)righteousness He judges and wages war. ¹² His ^(ZH)eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many ^(ZI)crowns; and He has a ^(ZJ)name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. ¹³ He is clothed with a ^(ZK)robe dipped in blood, and His name is called ^(ZL)The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in ^(ZM)fine linen, ^(ZN)white and clean, were following Him on white horses. ^15 (ZO)From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that ^(ZP)with it He may strike down the nations, and He will ^[fb](ZQ)rule them with a rod of iron; and ^(ZR)He treads the ^[fc]wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. ¹⁶ And on His robe and on His thigh He has ^(ZS)a name written: “^(ZT)KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

¹⁷ Then I saw ^[fd]an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to ^(ZU)all the birds that fly in ^(ZV)midheaven, “^(ZW)Come, assemble for the great feast of God, ¹⁸ so that you may ^(ZX)eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, ^(ZY)both free and slaves, and ^(ZZ)small and great.”

¹⁹ And I saw ^(AAA)the beast and ^(AAB)the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who ^(AAC)sat on the horse, and against His army.

Doom of the Beast and False Prophet

²⁰ And the beast was seized, and with him the ^(AAD)false prophet who ^(AAE)performed the signs ^[fe](AAF)in his presence, by which he ^(AAG)deceived those who had received the ^(AAH)mark of the beast and those who ^(AAI)worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the ^(AAJ)lake of ^(AAK)fire, which burns with ^[ff]brimstone. ²¹ And the rest were killed with the sword which ^(AAL)came from the mouth of Him who ^(AAM)sat on the horse, and ^(AAN)all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Satan Bound

20 Then I saw ^(AAO)an angel coming down from heaven, holding the ^(AAP)key of the abyss and a great chain ^[fg]in his hand. ² And he took hold of the ^(AAQ)dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and ^(AAR)bound him for a thousand years; ³ and he threw him into the ^(AAS)abyss and shut it and ^(AAT)sealed it over him, so that he would ^(AAU)not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

⁴ Then I saw ^(AAV)thrones, and ^(AAW)they sat on them, and ^(AAX)judgment was given to them. And I saw ^(AAY)the souls of those who had been beheaded because of ^[fh]their ^(AAZ)testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not ^(ABA)worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the ^(ABB)mark on their foreheads and on their hands; and they ^(ABC)came to life and ^(ABD)reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. ^(ABE)This is the first resurrection. ^6 (ABF)Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the ^(ABG)second death has no power, but they will be ^(ABH)priests of God and of Christ, and will ^(ABI)reign with Him for a thousand years.

Satan Freed and Doomed

⁷ When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be ^(ABJ)released from his prison, ⁸ and will come out to ^(ABK)deceive the nations which are at the ^(ABL)four corners of the earth, ^(ABM)Gog and Magog, to ^(ABN)gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the ^(ABO)sand of the ^[fi]seashore. ⁹ And they ^(ABP)came up on the ^[fj]broad plain of the earth and surrounded the ^(ABQ)camp of the ^[fk]saints and the ^(ABR)beloved city, and ^(ABS)fire came down from heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰ And ^(ABT)the devil who ^(ABU)deceived them was thrown into the ^(ABV)lake of fire and ^[fl]brimstone, where the ^(ABW)beast and the ^(ABX)false prophet are also; and they will be ^(ABY)tormented day and night forever and ever.

Judgment at the Throne of God

¹¹ Then I saw a great white ^(ABZ)throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose ^[fm]presence ^(ACA)earth and heaven fled, and ^(ACB)no place was found for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, the ^(ACC)great and the small, standing before the throne, and ^[fn](ACD)books were opened; and another ^[fo]book was opened, which is ^(ACE)the book of life; and the dead ^(ACF)were judged from the things which were written in the ^[fp]books, ^(ACG)according to their deeds. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and ^(ACH)Death and Hades ^(ACI)gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them ^(ACJ)according to their deeds. ¹⁴ Then ^(ACK)Death and Hades were thrown into ^(ACL)the lake of fire. This is the ^(ACM)second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if ^[fq]anyone’s name was not found written in ^(ACN)the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.