I turned to see who it was that was speaking to me, and as I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,

His head and hair were as white as white wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like coals of fire;

"To the messenger of the church in Ephesus write: 'The One who is holding the seven stars in His right hand and is walking among the golden lampstands speaks as follows:

But I hold it against you that you do not love me as you did at first.

So remember the heights from which you have fallen, and repent and do as you did at first, or else I will surely come and move your lampstand from its place -- if you do not repent.

But you have it to your credit that you hate what the Nicolaitans are doing, as I do too.

"To the messenger of the church in Smyrna write: "'The First and the Last, who once was dead but came to life again, speaks as follows:

"To the messenger of the church in Pergamum write: 'The One who is wielding the sharp, double-edged sword speaks as follows:

"To the messenger of the church in Thyatira write: 'The Son of God, whose eyes are like coals of fire, and whose feet are like bronze refined to white heat, speaks as follows:

But to the rest of you at Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching and have not learned the 'deep things' of Satan -- as they speak of them -- to you I say, I have no extra burden to lay on you,

he will govern them with a scepter of iron and shatter them like earthen jars -- just such authority as I have received from my Father --

"To the messenger of the church at Sardis write: 'The One who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars speaks as follows: "I know what you are doing; you have the reputation of being alive, but in reality you are dead.

Whoever conquers will be clothed this way -- in white clothes -- and I will never blot his name out of the book of life, but I will own him as mine in the presence of my Father and His angels.

"To the messenger of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The Holy and True One, who carries the keys of David, who opens and no one can shut, who shuts and no one can open, speaks as follows:

"To the messenger of the church in Laodicea write: 'The Amen, the true and faithful witness, the origin of God's creation, speaks as follows:

As it is, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.

I will give to him who conquers the privilege of taking his seat with me on my throne, just as I have conquered and taken my seat with my Father on His throne.

Also in front of the throne there was something like a sea of glass as clear as crystal. Around the throne, at the middle of each side were four living creatures dotted with eyes in front and behind,

Then I saw, midway between the throne and the four living creatures, standing among the elders, a Lamb that looked as though He had been slaughtered. He had seven horns and seven eyes; the latter are the seven spirits of God which are sent on duty to every portion of the earth.

And another horse came forth, as red as fire, and power was given to its rider to take peace away from the earth, and to make men slaughter one another; a great sword was given to him.

Then a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to keep quiet a little while longer, until the number of their fellow-slaves and brothers, who were killed as they had been, was complete.

When He broke the sixth seal, I looked, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun turned black as sackcloth, and the full moon became like blood,

and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, just as a fig tree, when shaken by a violent wind, drops its unripe figs.

The first one blew his trumpet, and there was a shower of hail and fire mixed with blood as it hurled itself upon the earth, and one-third of the earth was burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

They had over them as king the angel of the abyss; in Hebrew he is called Abaddon, in Greek, Apollyon.

But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works their hands had done, so as to give up worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot either see or hear or move;

So I went up to the angel and asked him to give me the little book. And he said to me, "Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey."

So I took the little book from the angel's hand and ate it all, and in my mouth it did taste as sweet as honey, but when I had eaten it all, it made my stomach bitter.

They have the power to shut up the sky, so that no rain will fall upon the earth as long as they prophesy, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with any plague as often as they please.

And they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies looked on as spectators.

Another symbol was seen in heaven -- there was a huge dragon, red as fire, with seven heads and ten horns, with seven diadems on his heads.

His tail was dragging after it a third part of the stars of heaven and dashed them down upon the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth to a child, in order to devour her child as soon as it was born.

These are the men who have not been defiled by relations with women, for they are as pure as virgins, These are the men who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been redeemed from among men as the first fruits for God and the Lamb,

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who from this time die as Christians.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "let them rest from their toils, for the things they have done are going with them."

huge hailstones as heavy as talents fell on men from heaven, and men cursed God for the plague of hail, because the torture of it was severe.

The ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet become kings, but for a single hour they accept authority as kings allied with the wild beast.

Pay her back in her own coin; give her double for what she has done. In the cup that she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.

To the same degree in which she has lived in splendor and luxury, give her torture and tears. Because she is always boasting in her heart, 'I sit enthroned as queen; I am not a widow, I shall never experience any sorrow' --

and it continued to retain the glory of God. The luster of it was like a very precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal.

The city lies in a square, its length the same as its breadth. He measured the city with his rod, and it was one thousand, five hundred miles. Its length, breadth, and height were the same.

He measured its wall, two hundred and sixteen feet as a man measures, which is the way the angel measured.

The material of its wall was jasper, but the city itself was pure gold, as transparent as glass.

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate built of a single pearl. The Broadway of the city was pure gold, as transparent as glass.

Then he showed me a river of living water, clear as crystal, which continued to flow from the throne of God and of the Lamb

"See! I am coming soon, and my rewards are with me, to repay each one just as his work has been.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so as to have a right to the tree of life and to enter the gates of the city.