“Stop crying. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David, has conquered.
He can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a lamb like he had been slaughtered.
standing in the middle of the throne,
the four living creatures, and the elders.
He had seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth.
8 When the lamb had taken the scroll,
from the right hand of the one who sits on the throne.
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
bowed down in front of him.
9 They sang a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals,
because you were slaughtered.
With your blood you purchased us[people] for God
from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
10 You made them a kingdom and priests for our God,
and they will reign on the earth.”
11 I heard their voices with many angels, who numbered 10**12 .
12 They sang with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the lamb who was slaughtered
to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise!”
13 I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth,
and on the sea, and everything that is in them,
saying,
“To the one who sits on the throne and to the lamb
be praise, honor, glory, and power
forever and ever!”
14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!”,
and the elders bowed down and worshiped.
1 the lamb open the first of the seven seals.
(the first living creature says with a voice like thunder, “Go!”)
2 there was a white horse!
Its rider had a bow to conquer, and a victor's crown .
3 second seal: (second living creature): a fiery red horse,
its rider with a large sword,
was given permission to take peace away from the earth
and to make people slaughter one another.
5 the third seal: (third living creature) a black horse!
Its rider held a scale in his hand.
6 I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures,
saying, [A denarius was equivalent to
a day's wage for a laborer.]
“A quart of wheat for a denarius,
or three quarts of barley for a denarius.
But don't damage the olive oil or the wine!”
7 the fourth seal: a pale horse!
Its rider's name was Death, and Hades[the realm of the dead] followed him.
They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth [3/12]
to kill people using wars, famines, plagues,
and the wild animals of the earth.
9 the fifth seal:
I saw under the altar the souls of those
who had been slaughtered because of the word of God
and the testimony they had given.
10
They cried out in a loud voice,
“Holy and true Sovereign,
how long will it be before you judge
and take revenge on those living on the earth
who shed our blood?”
11 Each of them was given a white robe.
They were told to rest a little longer
until [the number of] their fellow servants
and their brothers was completed,
who would be killed as they themselves had been.
12 the sixth seal:
There was a powerful earthquake.
The sun turned as black as sackcloth made of hair,
and the full moon [became like blood].
13 The stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree
drops its fruit when it is shaken by a strong wind.
14 The sky vanished like a scroll being rolled up,
and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth,
the important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful,
and all the slaves and free people concealed themselves in caves
and among the rocks in the mountains.
16 They said to the mountains and rocks,
“Fall on us
and hide us from the face of the one
who sits on the throne
and from the wrath of the lamb.
17 For the great day of their wrath has come,
and who is able to endure it?”
e Sealing of 144,000 People
1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on the land, on the sea, or on any tree. 2I saw another angel coming from the east having the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been permitted to harm the land and sea, 3“Don't harm the land, the sea, or the trees until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.”
4I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000. Those who were sealed were from every tribe of Israel: 512,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 612,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 712,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 812,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, and 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
The Vision of Tribulation Saints
9After these things I looked, and there was a crowd so large that no one was able to count it! They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They were standing in front of the throne and the lamb and were wearing white robes, with palm branches in their hands. 10They cried out in a loud voice,
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the lamb!”
11All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell on their faces in front of the throne and worshiped God, 12saying,
“Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength
be to our God forever and ever! Amen!”
13Then one of the elders said to me, “Who are these people wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
14I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
Then he told me, “These are the people who are coming out of the terrible suffering.[great tribulation] They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. 15That is why:
“They are in front of the throne of God
and worship[serve] him night and day in his temple.
The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
16 They will never be hungry or thirsty again.
Neither the sun nor its heat will ever beat down on them,
17 because the lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd.
He will lead them to springs filled with the water of life,7
and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”[Isa 25:8]
of the Seventh Seal Opened
1When the lamb[a] opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
The Vision of Seven Angels Given Seven Trumpets
2Then I saw the seven angels who stand in God's presence, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3Another angel came with a gold censer and stood at the altar. He was given a large quantity of incense to offer on the gold altar before the throne, along with the prayers of all the saints. 4The smoke from the incense and the prayers of the saints went up from the angel's hand to God. 5The angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth. Then there were peals of thunder, noises, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. 6The seven angels who had the seven trumpets got ready to blow them.
The Vision of the First Four Trumpets
7When the first angel blew his trumpet, hail and fire were mixed with blood and thrown on the earth. One-third of the earth was burned up, one-third of the trees was burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8When the second angel blew his trumpet, something like a huge mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the sea turned into blood, 9one-third of the creatures that were living in the sea died, and one-third of the ships was destroyed.
10When the third angel blew his trumpet, a huge star blazing like a torch fell from heaven. It fell on one-third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11The name of the star is Wormwood. One-third of the water turned into wormwood, and many people died from the water because it had turned bitter.
12When the fourth angel blew his trumpet, one-third of the sun, one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars were struck so that one-third of them turned dark. One-third of the day was kept from having light, as was the night.
The Vision of the Eagle Flying
13Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying overhead say in a loud voice,
“How terrible, how terrible, how terrible
for those living on the earth,
because of the blasts of the remaining trumpets
that the three angels are about to blow!”
Trumpet
1When the fifth angel blew his trumpet, I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky.[a] The star[b] was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2It opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and smoke came out of the shaft like the smoke from a large furnace. The sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3Locusts came out of the smoke onto the earth, and they were given power like that of earthly scorpions. 4They were told not to harm the grass on the earth, any green plant, or any tree. They could harm[c] only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5They were not allowed to kill them, but were only allowed[d] to torture them for five months. Their torture was like the pain of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6In those days people will seek death, but never find it. They will long to die, but death will escape them.
7The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were victor's crowns that looked like gold, and their faces were like human faces. 8They had hair like women's hair and teeth like lions’ teeth. 9They had breastplates like iron, and the noise of their wings was like the roar of chariots with many horses rushing into battle. 10They had tails and stingers like scorpions, and they had the power to hurt people with their tails for five months. 11They had the angel of the bottomless pit ruling over them as king. In Hebrew he is called Abaddon,[e] and in Greek he is called Apollyon.[f]
12The first catastrophe is over. After these things there are still two more catastrophes to come.
The Vision of the Sixth Trumpet
13When the sixth angel blew his trumpet, I heard a voice from the four[g] horns of the gold altar in front of God. 14It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are held at the great Euphrates River.” 15So the four angels who were ready for that hour, day, month, and year were released to kill one-third of humanity. 16The number of cavalry troops was 200,000,000. I heard how many there were.[h]9
17This was how I saw the horses in my vision: The riders wore breastplates that had the color of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18By these three plagues—the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths—one-third of humanity was killed. 19For the power of these horses is in their mouths and their tails. Their tails have heads like snakes, which they use to inflict pain.
20The rest of the people who survived these plagues did not repent from their evil actions[i] or stop worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. 21They did not repent from their murders, their witchcraft, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.
[a] 9:1 Or from heaven
[b] 9:1 Lit. It
[c] 9:4 The Gk. lacks They could harm
[d] 9:5 The Gk. lacks were only allowed
[e] 9:11 I.e. the realm of destruction in the afterlife
[f] 9:11 I.e. Destroyer
[g] 9:13 Other mss. lack four
[h] 9:16 Lit. heard their number
n of the Powerful Angel
1Then I saw another powerful angel come down from heaven. He was dressed in a cloud, and there was a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like columns of fire. 2He held a small, opened scroll in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3he shouted in a loud voice as a lion roars. When he shouted, the seven thunders spoke with voices of their own. 4When the seven thunders spoke, I was going to write, but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and don't write it down.”
5Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6He swore an oath by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: “There will be no more delay. 7When the time approaches[a] for the seventh angel to blow his trumpet, God’s secret plan[b] will be fulfilled, as he had announced to his servants, the prophets.”
8Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go and take the opened scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
10So I took the small scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, it turn bitter in my stomach. 11Then the seven thunders[c] told me, “Again you must prophesy about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
[a] 10:7 Lit. days approach
[b] 10:7 The Gk. lacks plan
[c] 10:11 Lit. the
sion of the Two Witnesses
1Then I was given a stick like a measuring rod. I was told, “Stand up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count[a] those who worship there. 2But don't measure the courtyard outside the temple. Leave that out, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the Holy City[b] for 42 months. 3I will give my two witnesses who wear sackcloth the authority to prophesy for 1,260 days.”
4These witnesses[c] are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing in the presence of the Lord of the earth. 5And if anyone should want to hurt them, fire comes out of their mouths and burns up their enemies. If anyone wants to hurt them, he must be killed in this manner. 6These witnesses[d] have authority to close the heavens in order to keep rain from falling while they are[e] prophesying. They also have authority to turn bodies of water into blood and to strike the earth with any plague, as often as they desire.
7When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will wage war against them, conquer them, and kill them. 8Their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9For three and a half days some members of the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their dead bodies and will not allow them to be placed in a tomb. 10Those living on earth will gloat over them, celebrate, and send gifts to each other, because these two prophets had tormented those living on earth.9
The Resurrection of the Witnesses
11But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Those who watched them were terrified. 12Then the witnesses[f] heard a loud voice from heaven calling to them, “Come up here!” So they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13At that moment a powerful earthquake struck. One-tenth of the city collapsed, 7,000 people were killed by the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.1111
14The second catastrophe is over. The third catastrophe is coming very soon.
The Vision of the Seventh Angel Blowing His Trumpet
15When the seventh angel blew his trumpet, there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The world’s kingdom has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
and he will rule forever and ever.”
16Then the twenty-four elders who were sitting on their thrones in God's presence fell on their faces and worshiped God. 17They said,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to rule.
18 The nations were angry,
but the time for[g] your wrath has come.
It is time for the dead to be judged—
to reward your servants, the prophets, the saints, and all who fear your name,
both unimportant and important,
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen inside his temple. There were flashes of lightning, noises, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
[a] 11:1 The Gk. lacks count
[b] 11:2 I.e. Jerusalem
[c] 11:4 Lit. These ones
[d] 11:6 Lit. They
[e] 11:7 Lit. falling during the days of their
[f] 11:12 Lit. they; other mss. read I
[g] 11:18 The Gk. lacks the time for
The Woman in the sky:
a woman dressed with the sun, who had the moon under her feet
and a victor's crown of twelve stars on her head.
2 She was giving birth to a son, a boy,
who is to rule[shepherd] all the nations with an iron scepter.
but the dragon stood to devour it .
5 her child was snatched away [eaten by the serpent]
and taken to God and to his throne.
. the Red Dragon in the sky:
That ancient serpent, called the Devil and Satan,
the deceiver of the whole world,
the one who accuses our brothers day and night,
seven heads with seven royal crowns, ten horns,
4Its tail swept away one-third of the stars
to the earth. [where time is short]
[leaving the woman with only 2/3 of the stars in the victor's crown?
as if mortally wounding 1/3 of "(the woman's) leadership]
War in Heaven
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon:
it was hurled down to the earth, along with its angels
-- "(in the presence of our God):
"(
Now the salvation, the power, the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah
have come.
11 Our brothers[b] conquered him
by the blood of the lamb, and
by the word of their testimony,
for they did not cling to their lives
even in the face of death.12
How terrible it is for the earth and the sea,
because the Devil has come down to you,
filled with rage, knowing that his time is short! [hurled to earth]
)
13When the dragon saw that it had been earthed,
it pursued[persecuted] the woman who had given birth .
14 However, she could fly away from the serpent .
6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness,
where a place had been prepared for her by God
so that she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
15 From the serpent's mouth came a great flood,
but the earth swallowed it .
17 The dragon then went away to do battle against
the rest of her children,
the ones who keep God's commandments {jews, christians, muslims}
and hold on to the testimony about Jesus. {humanists}
chapter 13
18 Then the dragon[Then it; other mss. read Then I]
stood on the sand of the seashore.
the Beast coming out of the sea:
1 had seven heads upon which were blasphemous names.
3 One of [its] heads looked like it had sustained a mortal wound,
but its fatal wound was healed. [the whole world is amazed, obedient]
and royal crowns on each of its 10 horns.
2 The beast that I saw
was like a leopard. (but bear's feet, a lion's mouth.)
The [earthed devil] gave [the sea beast]
his power, his throne, and complete authority.
They worshiped the [the sea beast], saying,
“Who is like the beast, and who can fight a war with it?”
8 worshipped by:
All those living on earth (every tribe, people, language, and nation)
-- everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life
belonging to the lamb that was slaughtered from the foundation of the world.
4 They worshiped the [earthed devil] because
it had given authority to the sea beast -- for 42 months.
[7 It was allowed to wage war against the saints and to conquer them.]
5 The beast was allowed[was given a mouth]
to speak arrogant and blasphemous things,
against God, against his name,
and against his residence,[tent] that is, against
those who are living in heaven.
9 Let every ear listen: [hear with your eyes? experience? recite this?]
10 If anyone is to be taken captive,
he is going into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed with a sword,
with a sword he will be killed.
Here is a call for endurance and faith of the saints:
11 another beast coming up out of the earth.
[the risen Beast] had two horns like a lamb,
talked like a [devil(it's voice you confuse with your own,
or otherwise beguile)]
. 12
uses all the authority of the sea beast on its behalf,[in its presence]
and it makes the earth and those living on it
worship the sea beast, whose mortal wound was healed.
13
performs spectacular signs, even [{air to ground missles,
or convincing signs from god to man}]
14
It deceives those living on earth with
the signs that it is allowed to do
on behalf of[in the presence of] the [sea] beast,
telling them to make an
image for
the beast who was wounded by a sword and yet lived.
[now the wound sounds more explicitely like the one JC recovered from]
15
The [risen] beast[it] was allowed to impart life to the image
so that the image of the beast could talk
[17 so that no one may buy or sell
unless he has the mark of the [talking image] beast's name
or the number of its name.
]
so that the image of the beast could order the execution of
those who would not worship the image
--[ all those not marked with the [talking image] beast's name
or the number of its name.
18
In this case wisdom is needed:
Let the person who has understanding[has a mind]
calculate the total number of the [talking image] beast,
because it is a human total number,[is the number of a human being]
and its the sum of the number is 666.[more likely 616]
16
The risen beast forces all people
— important and unimportant, rich and poor, free and slaves —
to be marked on their right hands [their source of income]
or on their foreheads, [the product of their mind, professions]
1 Then I looked,
and there was the lamb standing on Mount Zion!
With him were 144,000 people
who had his name and his Father's name
written on their foreheads
(they follow the lamb wherever he goes.)
--
and had been redeemed from the earth, from among humanity .
as the first fruits for God and the lamb.
2 Then I heard a sound from heaven
like that of [a great flood] and like the sound of loud thunder.
The sound was like harps.
3 [the 144,000 marked by the Mount Zion lamb]
were singing a new song
in front of the throne, the four living creatures,
and the elders.
No one could learn the song except them .
4 They have not defiled themselves with
women, [who symbolize
serving primarily reproduction or personal pride
vs spiritual or technological evolution? ]
5 In their mouth no lie was found. They are blameless.
--[a new song] .
6 Then I saw another angel flying overhead
to proclaim the eternal gospel
— to every nation, tribe, language, and people.
7 saying in a loud voice:
“Fear God and give him glory,
because the time for him to judge has arrived.
Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea
and springs of water.”
8 Then another angel followed, saying:
Babylon the Great [whore] has fallen!
She has made all nations
drink the wine, the wrath earned for her sexual sins.
9Then a third one, followed in a loud voice:
Whoever worships the image of the risen beast
and receives a mark on his forehead or his hand
10 will drink the wine of God's wrath,
tortured with fire and sulfur (11 forever and ever)
in the presence of the holy angels and the lamb,
13 I heard a voice from heaven say,
“Write this:
How blessed are the dead,
that is, those who die in the Lord from now on!
”
“Yes,” says the Spirit.
“
Let them rest from their labors,
for their actions follow them.
”
12 Here is the endurance of the saints,
who keep the commandments of God
and hold fast to their faithfulness in Jesus .
14 there was someone like the Son of Man, on a white cloud!
a gold victor's crown on his head,
a sharp sickle in his hand.
15 Another angel came out of the temple,
commanding him in a loud voice:
“
Swing your sickle, and gather the harvest,
for the hour has come to gather it,
because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.
”
16 and the earth was harvested.
17 Then a sickle-wielding angel came out of the temple in heaven.
18 From the altar came fire-authoring angel
calling out in a loud voice to the sickle-wielding angel
“
Swing your sharp sickle,
and gather the bunches of grapes
from the vine of the earth,
because those grapes are ripe.
”
19 So the grapes from the earth were thrown into
the great winepress of God's wrath.
20 The wine press was trampled outside the city,
and blood flowed from the wine press
as high as a horse's bridle for about [1,600 stadia;
The Roman mile contained eight stadia,
one stadion was about 604.5 feet long.] 183 miles.
. another sign in heaven. both spectacular and amazing:
seven angels with the seven last plagues, [the seven-plagues angels]
with which God's wrath is completed.
the Sea of Glass [glass house of schiz'ia? jesus walking on glass-hard water]
2 Those who had conquered the beast, its image, and the number of its name
were standing on what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire.
[
this reminds me that we could obviously be confused
about whether JC had risen from the dead,
but his walking on the water
was quite a proof of mind over matter
]
3 They had God's harps in their hands,
and sang the song of God's servant Moses
and the song of the lamb:
“
Your deeds are both spectacular and amazing,
Lord God Almighty.
Your ways are just and true,
King of the nations.[of the ages]
4 Lord, who won't fear and praise your name?
For you alone are holy,
and all the nations will come and worship you
because your judgments have been revealed.
”
5 the temple was open!
the tent of testimony in heaven
6 The seven-plagues angels came out of the temple
wearing clean, shining linen
with gold sashes around their chests.[waists]
7 One of the four living creatures gave them seven gold bowls
full of the wrath of God -- who lives forever and ever.
8 The temple was filled with smoke
from the [torture], the glory of God and his power,
and no one could enter the temple until
the angels' seven plagues came to an end.
1 a loud voice came from the temple
saying to the seven angels,
“Go and pour the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth.”
2 So the first was A horrible, painful sore
on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped the image.
3 The second, every living thing in the sea poisoned
as by the blood of a dead body
4 The third turned the rivers and springs into blood;
"( blood to drink because they spilled the blood of saints and prophets.
7 the altar replied: “ Yes, Lord God Almighty, your judgments are true and just.”
8 The fourth had the sun burn people with fire,
9 They cursed the name of God -- the authority over these plagues --
They did not repent and give him glory.
10 The fifth compromised the throne of the beast.
plunging its kingdom into darkness.
People[they] gnawed on their tongues in anguish
11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pain-filled sores.
But they did not repent of their behavior.
12 The sixth dried up the great Euphrates River.
to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
13 Then I saw three demonic spirits that perform signs,
disgusting like frogs, come out of the mouths of
the [devil], the beast, and the false prophet.
14
They go to the kings of the whole earth
and gather them for the war of
the great Day of God Almighty.
15 [the messiah says]:
“
See, I am coming like a thief.
How blessed is the person who remains alert
16: and keeps his clothes on!
He won't have to go naked
and let others see his shame.
”
16 The spirits[they] gathered the kings[them]
at the place that is called Armageddon in Hebrew .
17 The seventh
across the sky.
A loud voice came from the throne in the temple and said,
“It has happened!”
18 There were flashes of lightning, noises, peals of thunder,
and a powerful earthquake.
There has never been such a powerful earthquake since
people have been on the earth.
19 The great city was split into three parts,
and the cities of the nations fell.
God remembered to give Babylon the Great
the cup of wine filled with the fury of his wrath.
20
Every island vanished,[fled]
and the mountains could no longer be found.
21 Huge hailstones, each weighing about 100 pounds,[Huge hailstones about a talent]
fell from the sky on people,
who cursed God because the plague of hail was so terrible.
1 Then one of the seven angels said to me,
“Come, I will show you
how the notorious prostitute who sits on many waters
will be judged.
2 The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her,
and those living on earth became drunk with the wine of her immorality.”
3Then the angel[he] carried me away in the Spirit
into a wilderness.
I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast
that was controlled by blasphemy.[filled with blasphemous names]
It had seven heads and ten horns.
4 The woman wore purple and scarlet clothes
and was adorned with gold, gems, and pearls.
In her hand she was holding a gold cup
filled with detestable things and the impurities of her immorality.
5 On her forehead was written a secret name:
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND DETESTABLE THINGS OF THE EARTH
[. babylon refers to babel (confused not speaking the same language)
the essence of prostitution is language confusion, like so:
"(now you're speaking my language)
means "(now you have found what speaks to me,
to what my interests are)
the evil of whoring comes from doing for money (personal tastes)
what one would not were dependent on common sense,
or the sensibilities of the common good .
]
6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood
of the saints, and of the witnesses to Jesus.
I was very surprised when I saw her.
7The angel said to me,
“Why are you surprised?
I will tell you the secret of the woman
and the beast with the seven heads
and the ten horns that carries her.
8 The beast that you saw existed once,
but is no longer,
and is going to crawl out of the bottomless pit
and then proceed to its destruction.
Those living on earth,
whose names were not written in the Book of Life
from the foundation of the world,
will be surprised when they see the beast because it was,
is no longer, and will come again.
9 This calls for a mind that has wisdom.
The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is sitting.
They are also seven kings.
10 Five of them have fallen, one is living,
and the other has not yet come.
When he comes,
he must remain for a little while.
11 The beast that was and is no longer
is the eighth[king]
but it belongs with the seven [kings]
and goes to its destruction.
12 The ten horns that you saw
are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom.
They will receive authority [to rule] as kings
with the beast for one hour.
13 They have one purpose:
to give their power and authority to the beast.
14 They will wage war against the lamb,
but the lamb will conquer them
because he is Lord of lords and King of kings.
Those who are called, chosen, and faithful
are with him.”
15
The angel also said to me,
“The bodies of water you saw,
on which the prostitute is sitting,
are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.
16 The ten horns and the beast you saw
will hate the prostitute.
They will leave her abandoned and naked.
They will eat her flesh and burn her up with fire,
17 for God has placed within them a desire to
carry out his purpose by
uniting to give their kingdom to the beast
until God's words are fulfilled.
18
The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
1 an angel with great authority,[tremendous power]
came down from heaven. brightening the earth with his splendor.
2 and crying out in a powerful voice:
“
Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen!
She has become a home for demons.
She is a prison for every
unclean spirit,
unclean bird,
unclean and hated beast.
3 For all the nations have drunk
from the wine of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her.
The merchants of the earth
have become rich from the power of her luxury.
”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
so that you don't participate in her sins
and suffer from her plagues.
In her heart she says,
‘I am a queen on a throne, not a widow.
I will never see misery.’
6 Do to her as she herself has done.
Mix a double drink for her in the cup she mixed.
7 Just as she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
inflict on her just as much torture and misery.
9 The kings who committed sexual immorality with her
and lived in luxury with her,
10 Frightened by her torture,
they will stand far away .
11The merchants of the earth cry and mourn over her,
because no one buys their cargo anymore —
12 chariots, and slaves (that is, human souls).
[def"soul: craves the merchant's dainties and splendor ]
. the merchants -- rich from her --
will stand far away.
Every ship's captain, everyone who traveled by ship, sailors,
and everyone who made a living by the sea stood far away.
. all who had ships at sea became rich because of her wealth!
20 Gloat over her, heaven, saints, apostles, and prophets!
For God has condemned her for you.”
21 an angel threw a large millstone into the sea,
saying,
“
The great city Babylon will be thrown down
with violent force — and will never be found again.
22 The sweet sounds will never be heard in you again.
harpists, musicians, flutists, trumpeters, bridegroom and bride,
or millstones .
For your merchants were the important people of the world,
and all the nations were deceived
by your witchcraft.
24 found in her were the blood of prophets, saints,
and all who had been murdered on earth .
”
1 as with the loud voice of a large crowd in heaven,
this was said:
“Hallelujah!
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God.
2 His judgments are true and just.
He has condemned the notorious prostitute
who corrupted the world with her immorality.
He has taken revenge on her
for the blood of his servants.”
3A second time they said,
“Hallelujah!
The smoke goes up from her forever and ever.”
4 The twenty-four elders [one for each hour in a day? 24-hour elder watch]
and the four living creatures
bowed down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne.
They said, “Amen! Hallelujah!”
5
A voice came from the throne, saying,
“Praise our God,
all who serve and fear him,
from the least important to the most important.”
6 like the voice of a large crowd, like the sound of [great flood],
and like the sound of powerful thunderclaps,
this was said:
“
Hallelujah! The Lord our God, the Almighty, is reigning.
7 Let us rejoice, be glad, and give him glory,
because the marriage of the lamb has come
and his bride has made herself ready.
”
(The fine linen she is priviledged to wear
represents the righteous deeds of the saints.)
9 Then the angel[he] said to me,
“Write this:
‘How blessed are those who are invited
to the marriage supper of the lamb!’
”
He also told me,
“These are the true words of God.”
10
I bowed down at his feet to worship him,
but he told me,
“Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you
and with your brothers
who rely on the testimony of Jesus.
Worship God, because the testimony of Jesus
is the spirit of prophecy!
”
11
Then I saw heaven standing open,
and there was a white horse!
Its rider is named Faithful and True.
He administers justice and wages war righteously.
12 His eyes are like a flame of fire,
and on his head are many royal crowns.
He has a name written on him that nobody knows except himself.
13
He is dressed in a robe dipped in[sprinkled with] blood,
and his name is called the Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure,
follow him on white horses.
15 A sharp sword comes out of his mouth to strike down the nations.
He will rule[shepherd] them with an iron rod
and tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
16 On his robe and his thigh he has a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS
17 an angel standing in the sun cried out in a loud voice
to all the birds flying overhead,
“
Come! Gather for the great supper of God.
18 Eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders,
the flesh of warriors,[of the powerful]
the flesh of horses and their riders,
and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves,
both unimportant and important.”
19 Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth,
and their armies gathered to wage war against
the rider on the horse and his army.
20 The beast was captured, along with the false prophet
that had used deception to win those who had
received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
21 The rest were killed by the sword
that belonged to the rider on the horse
and that came from his mouth.
And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven,
holding the key to the bottomless pit and a large chain in his hand.
2 He captured the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan,
and tied him up for a thousand years.
3 He threw him into the bottomless pit, locked it,
and sealed it over him to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore
until the thousand years were over.
After that he must be set free for a little while.
4 Then I saw thrones,
and those who sat on them were given authority to judge.
I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
because of their testimony about Jesus
and because of the word of God.
They had not worshiped the beast or its image
and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands.
They came back to life and ruled with the Messiah
for a thousand years.
5 The rest of the dead did not come back to life
until the thousand years were over.
This is the first resurrection.
6 How blessed and holy
are those who participate in the first resurrection!
The second death has no power over them.
They will be priests of God and the Messiah,
and will rule with him for a thousand years.
7 When the thousand years are over,
Satan will be freed from his prison.
8 He will go out to deceive Gog and Magog,
the nations at the four corners of the earth,
and gather them for war.
They are as numerous as the sands of the seashore.
9 They marched over the broad expanse of the earth
and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.
Fire came [from God] out of heaven and burned them up,
10 and the devil
who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur,
where the beast and the false prophet were.
They will be tortured day and night forever and ever.
11 Then I saw a large,
white throne and the one who was sitting on it.
The earth and the heavens fled from his presence,
and no place was found for them.
12 I saw the dead, both unimportant and important,
standing in front of the throne, and books were open.
Another book was opened—the Book of Life.
The dead were judged according to their works,
as recorded in the books.
13 The sea gave up its dead,
and Death and Hades[the realm of the dead] gave up their dead,
and all were judged according to their works.
14 Death and Hades[the realm of the dead] were thrown into the lake of fire.
(This is the second death — the lake of fire.)
15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life
was thrown into the lake of fire.
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
because the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared,
and the sea was gone.
2 I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 I heard a loud voice from the throne say,
“See, the tabernacle of God is among humans!
He will make his home with them,
and they will be his people.
God himself will be with them,
[and he will be their God.]
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There won't be death anymore.
There won't be any grief, crying, or pain,
because the first things have disappeared.”
5The one sitting on the throne said,
“See, I am making all things new!”
He said,
“Write this:
‘These words are trustworthy and true.’
”
6 Then he said to me, “It has happened!
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
I will freely give a drink from the spring of the water of life
to the one who is thirsty.
7 The person who conquers will inherit these things.
I will be his God, and he will be my son.
8 But people who are cowardly, unfaithful, detestable, murderers,
sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters,
and all liars will find themselves in[will have their part in]
the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.
”
9 Then one of the seven-plagues angels came to me and said,
“Come! I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb.”
10 He carried me away in the Spirit
to a large, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven.
11 It had the glory of God,
and its light was like a valuable gem, like jasper, as clear as crystal.
12 It had a large, high wall with twelve gates.
Twelve angels were at the gates,
and written on the gates
were the names of the twelve tribes of Israel .
13 There were three gates on the east,
three gates on the north,
three gates on the south, and
three gates on the west.
14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations,
and written on them were the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the lamb
He measured the city with his rod, and it was about this long:
[12,000 stadia; The Roman mile contained eight stadia,
one stadion was about 604.5 feet long.] 1,374 miles
Its length, width, and height were the same.
17 He also measured its wall. [144 cubits; The royal cubit was about 20-one inches long.]
19 The foundations of the city wall were decorated with all [12] kinds of gems:
21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls,
The street of the city was pure gold, clear as glass.
22I saw no temple in it,
because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple.
23 The city doesn't need any sun or moonlight
because the glory of God gave it light,
and the lamb was its lamp.
24 The nations will walk in its light,
and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
25 Its gates will never be shut at night
— there will be no night .
26 People[they] will bring the glory and wealth[honor] of the nations into it.
[honor means wealth? honor thy parents?]
27 anything unclean, anyone with detestable histories (or liars)
will never enter it.
Only [those who] are written in the lamb's Book of Life .
1 Then the angel[he] showed me the river of the water of life,
as clear as crystal.
flowing from the throne of God and the lamb.
2 Between the street of the city
and the river there was the tree of life visible from both sides.
It produced twelve kinds of fruit,
each month having its own fruit.
The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
3 There will no longer be any curse.
The throne of God and the lamb will be [in it]
in the city.
His servants will worship him 4and see his face,
and his name will be on their foreheads.
5 There will be no more night,
and they will not need any light from lamps
or the sun because the Lord God will shine on them.
They will rule forever and ever.
6 He said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true.
The Lord God of the spirits and of the prophets has sent his messenger[angel ]
to show his servants the things that must happen soon.
”
7 “See! I am coming soon! How blessed is the person
who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book!”
8 I, John, heard and saw these things.
When I had heard and seen them, I bowed down to worship at the feet of the angel
who had been showing me these things.
9 But he told me,
“Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you,
your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words in this book. Worship God!”
10Then he said to me,
“Don't seal up the words of the prophecy in this book,
because the time is near.
11 Let the one who does what is evil continue to do evil,
and let the filthy person continue to be filthy,
and the righteous person continue to do what is right,
and the holy person continue to be holy.”
Concluding Benediction
12“See! I am coming soon! My reward is with me to repay everyone according to his work.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
[The speaker possibly concludes his quotation here
rather than at the end of vs. 16]
14“How blessed are those who wash their robes[who do his commandments]
so that they may have the right to the tree of life
and may go through the gates into the city!
15 Outside are dogs, sorcerers, immoral people, murderers, idolaters,
and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel
to give this testimony to you for the churches.
I am the root and descendent of David, the bright morning star.
”
17 The Spirit and the bride
say, “Come!”
Let everyone who hears this
say, “Come!”
Let everyone who is thirsty
come!
Let anyone who wants the water of life
take it as a gift!
Concluding Warning
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy in this book:
If anyone adds anything to them,
God will strike him with the plagues that are written in this book.
19 If anyone takes away
any words from the book of this prophecy,
God will take away his portion of the tree of life
and the holy city that are described in this book.
Epilogue
20 The one who is testifying to these things says,
“Yes, I am coming soon!”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus
be with all the saints.
[Amen.]
12.18:
. after reading the tail-end of revelation
I'm suspicious that its author was being sarcastic,
or was mocking the movement of that time
or the direction he felt it was headed .
. his whole notion of a city that keeps out behaviors
seems too much like the same old
good jew of Christ's day
-- completely the opposite of Christ's message:
JC was born out of wedlock,
and was incensed by the glass ceiling he was subjected to .
. by the age at which it was obvious that he was
a quiet outcast -- unable to attract a wife --
it was then that he found himself gifted at
pointing out that much of what they called god's
calling to stay sanctified -- separate from the unclean --
was nothing more than demons sneaking in some inhumanity .
12.19:
I'm reminded that being marked was not the problem;
rather, it was about which mark you carried:
that of g*d or the *evil .
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