Revelation 14
Contemporary English Version
The Lamb and His 144,000 Followers
14 (A) I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion![a] With him were 144,000, who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 (B) Then I heard a sound from heaven that was like a roaring flood or loud thunder or even like the music of harps. 3 And a new song was being sung in front of God's throne and in front of the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn that song, except the 144,000 who had been rescued from the earth. 4 All of these are pure virgins, and they follow the Lamb wherever he leads. They have been rescued to be presented to God and the Lamb as the most precious people[b] on earth. 5 (C) They never tell lies, and they are innocent.
The Messages of the Three Angels
6 I saw another angel. This one was flying across the sky and had the eternal good news to announce to the people of every race, tribe, language, and nation on earth. 7 The angel shouted, “Worship and honor God! The time has come for him to judge everyone. Kneel down before the one who created heaven and earth, the oceans, and every stream.”
8 (D) A second angel followed and said, “The great city of Babylon has fallen! This is the city that made all nations drunk and immoral. Now God is angry, and Babylon has fallen.”
9 Finally, a third angel came and shouted:
Here is what will happen if you worship the beast and the idol and have the mark of the beast on your hand or forehead. 10 (E) You will have to drink the wine that God gives to everyone who makes him angry. You will feel his mighty anger, and you will be tortured with fire and burning sulfur, while the holy angels and the Lamb look on.
11 (F) If you worship the beast and the idol and accept the mark of its name, you will be tortured day and night. The smoke from your torture will go up forever and ever, and you will never be able to rest.
12 God's people must learn to endure. They must also obey his commands and have faith in Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Put this in writing. From now on, the Lord will bless everyone who has faith in him when they die.”
The Spirit answered, “Yes, they will rest from their hard work, and they will be rewarded for what they have done.”
The Earth Is Harvested
14 (G) I looked and saw a bright cloud, and someone who seemed to be the Son of Man[c] was sitting on the cloud. He wore a gold crown on his head and held a sharp sickle[d] in his hand. 15 (H) An angel came out of the temple and shouted, “Start cutting with your sickle! Harvest season is here, and all crops on earth are ripe.” 16 The one on the cloud swung his sickle and harvested the crops.
17 Another angel with a sharp sickle then came out of the temple in heaven. 18 After this, an angel with power over fire came from the altar and shouted to the angel who had the sickle. He said, “All grapes on earth are ripe! Harvest them with your sharp sickle.” 19 The angel swung his sickle on earth and cut off its grapes. He threw them into a pit[e] where they were trampled on as a sign of God's anger. 20 (I) The pit was outside the city, and when the grapes were mashed, blood flowed out. The blood turned into a river that was about 300 kilometers long and almost deep enough to cover a horse.
Footnotes
- 14.1 Mount Zion: Another name for Jerusalem.
- 14.4 the most precious people: The Greek text has “the first people.” The Law of Moses taught that the first-born of all animals and the first part of the harvest were special and belonged to the Lord.
- 14.14 Son of Man: See the note at 1.13.
- 14.14 sickle: A knife with a long curved blade, used to cut grain and other crops.
- 14.19 pit: It was the custom to put grapes in a pit (called a wine press) and trample on them to make juice that would later turn to wine.
Revelation 14
English Standard Version
The Lamb and the 144,000
14 Then I looked, and behold, on (A)Mount Zion (B)stood the Lamb, and with him (C)144,000 who (D)had his name and his Father's name written (E)on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven (F)like the roar of many waters and (G)like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of (H)harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing (I)a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. (J)No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for (K)they are virgins. It is these (L)who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as (M)firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and (N)in their mouth no lie was found, for they are (O)blameless.
The Messages of the Three Angels
6 Then I saw another angel (P)flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to (Q)those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, (R)“Fear God and (S)give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and (T)worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the (U)springs of water.”
8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, (V)“Fallen, fallen is (W)Babylon the great, (X)she who made all nations drink (Y)the wine of the passion[a] of her sexual immorality.”
9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone (Z)worships the beast and its image and receives (AA)a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink (AB)the wine of God's wrath, (AC)poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and (AD)he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And (AE)the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and (AF)they have no rest, day or night, these (AG)worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
12 (AH)Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who (AI)keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.[b]
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: (AJ)Blessed are the dead (AK)who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, (AL)“that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
The Harvest of the Earth
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one (AM)like a son of man, (AN)with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel (AO)came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, (AP)“Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for (AQ)the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, (AR)the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, (AS)for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great (AT)winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And (AU)the winepress was trodden (AV)outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as (AW)a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.[c]
Footnotes
- Revelation 14:8 Or wrath
- Revelation 14:12 Greek and the faith of Jesus
- Revelation 14:20 About 184 miles; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters
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