Category: Revelation

[17:1] Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters,

[17:2] with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.”

[17:3] And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.

[17:4] The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.

[17:5] And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”

[17:6] And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly.

[17:7] But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.

[17:8] The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.

[17:9] This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated;

[17:10] they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while.

[17:11] As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.

[17:12] And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.

[17:13] These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.

[17:14] They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

[17:15] And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.

[17:16] And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire,

[17:17] for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

[17:18] And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

[18:1] After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory.

[18:2] And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.

[18:3] For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

[18:4] Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;

[18:5] for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

[18:6] Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.

[18:7] As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’

[18:8] For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

[18:9] And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.

[18:10] They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”

[18:11] And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore,

[18:12] cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,

[18:13] cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.

[18:14] “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!”

[18:15] The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

[18:16] “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!

[18:17] For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off

[18:18] and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”

[18:19] And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.

[18:20] Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”

[18:21] Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more;

[18:22] and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more,

[18:23] and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.

[18:24] And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.”

[19:1] After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

[19:2] for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

[19:3] Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

[19:4] And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”

[19:5] And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”

[19:6] Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

[19:7] Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;

[19:8] it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

[19:9] And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

[19:10] Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

[19:11] Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

[19:12] His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.

[19:13] He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

[19:14] And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.

[19:15] From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

[19:16] On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

[19:17] Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God,

[19:18] to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”

[19:19] And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.

[19:20] And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

[19:21] And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

[20:1] Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.

[20:2] And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,

[20:3] and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

[20:4] Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

[20:5] The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.

[20:6] Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

[20:7] And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison

[20:8] and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.

[20:9] And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them,

[20:10] and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

[20:11] Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

[20:12] And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

[20:13] And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.

[20:14] Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

[20:15] And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

[21:1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

[21:2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

[21:3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

[21:4] He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

[21:5] And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

[21:6] And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

[21:7] The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

[21:8] But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

[21:9] Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

[21:10] And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,

[21:11] having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

[21:12] It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—

[21:13] on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.

[21:14] And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

[21:15] And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.

[21:16] The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.

[21:17] He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement.

[21:18] The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

[21:19] The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,

[21:20] the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.

[21:21] And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

[21:22] And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

[21:23] And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

[21:24] By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,

[21:25] and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.

[21:26] They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.

[21:27] But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.