To the Church in Laodicea (REV 3:14-22)

[3:14] “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

[3:15] “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!

[3:16] So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

[3:17] For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

[3:18] I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

[3:19] Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

[3:20] Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

[3:21] The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

[3:22] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

The Throne in Heaven (REV 4:1-11)

[4:1] After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

[4:2] At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.

[4:3] And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.

[4:4] Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.

[4:5] From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,

[4:6] and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:

[4:7] the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.

[4:8] And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

[4:9] And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,

[4:10] the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

[4:11] “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

The Scroll and the Lamb (REV 5:1-14)

[5:1] Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

[5:2] And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

[5:3] And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it,

[5:4] and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

[5:5] And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

[5:6] And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

[5:7] And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

[5:8] And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

[5:9] And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,

[5:10] and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

[5:11] Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,

[5:12] saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

[5:13] And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

[5:14] And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The Seven Seals (REV 6:1-17)

[6:1] Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”

[6:2] And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

[6:3] When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”

[6:4] And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

[6:5] When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand.

[6:6] And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”

[6:7] When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”

[6:8] And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

[6:9] When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.

[6:10] They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

[6:11] Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

[6:12] When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,

[6:13] and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.

[6:14] The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

[6:15] Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,

[6:16] calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,

[6:17] for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed (REV 7:1-8)

[7:1] After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.

[7:2] Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea,

[7:3] saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”

[7:4] And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

[7:5] 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad,

[7:6] 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,

[7:7] 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,

[7:8] 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

A Great Multitude from Every Nation (REV 7:9-17)

[7:9] After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

[7:10] and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

[7:11] And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

[7:12] saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

[7:13] Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”

[7:14] I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

[7:15] “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

[7:16] They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.

[7:17] For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer (REV 8:1-5)

[8:1] When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

[8:2] Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

[8:3] And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne,

[8:4] and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

[8:5] Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

The Seven Trumpets (REV 8:6-9:21)

[8:6] Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

[8:7] The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

[8:8] The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.

[8:9] A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

[8:10] The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

[8:11] The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

[8:12] The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

[8:13] Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

[9:1] And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.

[9:2] He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.

[9:3] Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth.

[9:4] They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

[9:5] They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone.

[9:6] And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

[9:7] In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces,

[9:8] their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth;

[9:9] they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle.

[9:10] They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails.

[9:11] They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

[9:12] The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

[9:13] Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,

[9:14] saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

[9:15] So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind.

[9:16] The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number.

[9:17] And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths.

[9:18] By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.

[9:19] For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

[9:20] The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,

[9:21] nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Scroll (REV 10:1-11)

[10:1] Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.

[10:2] He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land,

[10:3] and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded.

[10:4] And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”

[10:5] And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven

[10:6] and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay,

[10:7] but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

[10:8] Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

[10:9] So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”

[10:10] And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter.

[10:11] And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

The Two Witnesses (REV 11:1-14)

[11:1] Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,

[11:2] but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.

[11:3] And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

[11:4] These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

[11:5] And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed.

[11:6] They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.

[11:7] And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,

[11:8] and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

[11:9] For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb,

[11:10] and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.

[11:11] But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

[11:12] Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.

[11:13] And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

[11:14] The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.