Blessed is he who reads, and blessed are they who listen to, the words of this prophecy, and lay to heart what is here written; for The Time is near.

From John, to the seven Churches which are in Roman Asia. Blessing and peace be yours from him who is, and who was, and who shall be, and from the seven Spirits that are before his throne,

the mystic meaning of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lamps. The seven stars are the Angels of the seven Churches, and the seven lamps are the seven Churches.

To the Angel of the Church in Ephesus write:-- "These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, and walks among the seven golden lamps:--

I know your life, your toil and endurance, and I know that you cannot tolerate evil-doers. I know, too, how you tested those who declare that they are Apostles, though they are not, and how you proved them false.

To the Angel of the Church in Smyrna write:-- "These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died, but is restored to life:--

I know your persecution and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know, too, the slander that come from those who declare that they are Jews, though they are not, but are a Congregation of Satan.

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The Devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tempted, and may undergo persecution for ten days. Be faithful even to death, and I will give you the Crown of Life.

To the Angel of the Church in Pergamus write:-- "These are the words of him who holds the sharp two-edged sword:--

To the Angel of the Church in Thyatira write:-- "These are the words of the Son of God, 'whose eyes are like flaming fire, and whose feet are like brass':--

Therefore I am laying her upon a bed of sickness, and bringing great suffering upon those who are unfaithful with her, unless they repent and turn from a life like hers.

and 'he shall rule them with an iron rod, as when earthen vessels are broken in pieces' (as I myself have received from my Father)

To the Angel of the Church in Sardis write:-- "These are the words of him who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars;--I know your life, and that men say of you that you are living, though you are dead.

Therefore remember what you have received and heard, and lay it to heart and repent. Unless you are on the watch, I shall come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I am coming to you.

Yet there are some few among you at Sardis who did not soil their robes; they shall walk with me, robed in white, for they are worthy.

To the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia write:-- "These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds 'the Key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, and shuts and no one opens':--

Listen, I give some of the Congregation of Satan, the men who declare that they are Jews, though they are not, but are lying----I will make them 'come and bow down at your feet,' and they shall learn that I loved you.

Because you kept in mind the story of my endurance, I will keep you in the hour of trial that is about to come upon the whole world, the hour that will test all who are living upon earth.

To the Angel of the Church in Laodicaea write:-- "These are the words of the Unchanging One, 'the Witness faithful and true, the Beginning of the Creation of God':--

I know your life; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!

But now, because you are lukewarm, neither hot not cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

You say 'I am rich and have grown rich, and I want for nothing,' and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked!

Out from the throne 'come flashes of lightning, cries, and peals of thunder'! There are seven torches burning in front of the throne, which are the seven spirits of God;

and in front of the throne is what seemed to be a sea of glass, 'resembling crystal, while within the space before the throne and round the throne are four Creatures full of eyes' in front and behind.

These four Creatures have each of them six wings, and all round, and within, they are full of eyes; and day and night they never cease to say-- 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, our God, the Almighty, who was, and who is, and who shall be.'

Then, within the space between the throne and the four Creatures, and in the midst of the Councillors, I saw, standing, a Lamb, which seemed to have been sacrificed. It had seven horns and seven eyes. (These eyes are the seven Spirits of God, and they are sent into all the world.)

And, when he had taken the book, the four Creatures and the twenty-four Councillors prostrated themselves before the Lamb, each of them holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense. (These are the prayers of Christ's People.)

And they are singing a new song--'Thou art worthy to take the book and break its seals, for thou wast sacrificed, and with thy blood thou didst buy for God men of every tribe, and language, and people, and nation,

and didst make them a Kingdom of Priests in the service of our God, and they are reigning upon the earth.'

They cried in a loud voice--'How long, O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, before thou wilt give judgment and avenge our blood upon all who are living upon the earth?'

and they are crying to the mountains and the rocks-- 'Fall upon us, and hide us from the eyes of him who is seated on the throne, and from the Wrath of the Lamb,

And they are crying in a loud voice-- ' Salvation be ascribed to our God who is seated on his throne and to the Lamb.'

Then one of the Councillors turned to me and said 'Who are these who are robed in white? and whence did they come?'

'My Lord,' I answered, 'it is you who know.' 'These,' he said, 'are they who come through the Great Persecution; they washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb.

And therefore it is that they are before the throne of God, and are serving him day and night in his Temple; and he who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

and a third part of all created things that are in the sea--that is, of all living things--died, and a third of the ships was destroyed.

The first Woe has passed; and still there are two Woes to follow!

It spoke to the sixth angel--the angel with the trumpet--and said 'Let loose the four angels that are in chains at the great river Euphrates.'

for the power of the horses lies in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails are like snakes, with heads, and it is with them that they do harm.

Moreover at the time when the seventh angel shall speak, when he is ready to blow his blast, then the hidden purposes of God, of which he told the good news to his servants, the Prophets, are at once fulfilled.

These men are represented by 'the two olive trees and the two lamps that stand before the Lord of the earth.'

These men have the power to close the heavens, that 'no rain may fall' during the time that they are teaching; and they have power 'to turn the streams into blood, and to smite the land with any Curse,' whenever they will.

Those who live on the earth rejoice over them and are merry, and they will send presents to one another, because these two Prophets brought torments upon those who live on the earth.

The nations were enraged, and thy Wrath fell upon them; the time came for the dead to be judged, and for thee to give the reward to thy servants the Prophets, and to the People of Christ, and to those who reverence thy Name--the high and the low alike--and to destroy those who are destroying the earth.'

All who are living on earth will worship it--all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's Book of Life, the Lamb that has been sacrificed from the foundation of the world.

It exercises all the authority of the first Beast under its very eyes; and it makes the earth and all who are living on it worship that first Beast, whose mortal wound was healed.

and in consequence of the marvels which it was allowed to perform under the eyes of the Beast, it is able to deceive all who are living on the earth. It bids those who live on the earth to make a statue in honour of the Beast, who, despite the wound from the sword, yet lived.

They are singing what seems to be a new song, before the throne, and before the four Creatures and the Councillors; and no one was able to learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from earth.

These are the men who never defiled themselves in their intercourse with women; they are as pure as virgins. These are the men who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed as the first-fruits of mankind for God and for the Lamb.

'No lie was ever heard upon their lips.' They are beyond reach of blame.

The smoke from their torture rises for ever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night-- those who worship the Beast and its image, and all who are branded with its name.'

Then I heard a voice from Heaven saying 'Write-- "Blessed are the dead who from this hour die in union with the Lord." "Yes," answers the Spirit, "that they may rest from their toil. Their good deeds go with them."'

Then another angel came out of the altar; he had power over fire, and he called in a loud voice to the angel that had the sharp sickle-- 'Take your sharp sickle, and gather the bunches from the Vine of Earth, for its grapes are ripe.'

They are singing the song of Moses, the Servant of God, and the song of the Lamb-- 'Great and marvelous are thy deeds, O Lord, our God, the Almighty. Righteous and true are thy ways, Eternal King.

And I heard the response from the altar-- 'Yes, O Lord, our God, the Almighty, true and righteous are they judgments.'

They are the spirits of demons, and perform marvels; they go to kings all over the world, to collect them for the battle on the Great Day of Almighty God.

Great hailstones, a pound in weight, are falling upon men from the heavens. And men blasphemed God because of the Curse of the hail, for it was a very terrible Curse.

The Beast that you saw was, but is not, and is about to rise out of the bottomless pit, and is on its way to destruction. Those who are living on earth will be amazed--those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world--when they see that the Beast was, but is not, and yet will come.'

(Here there is need for the discerning mind.) The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman is seated.

They are also seven kings; of whom five have fallen and one remains, while one is not yet come. When he comes, he must stay for a little while.

The ten horns that you saw are ten kings. who have not yet received their kingdoms, but for an hour they receive the authority of kings, together with the Beast.

These kings are of one mind in surrendering their power and authority to the Beast.

They will fight with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings; so, too, will those with him who have received the Call and are chosen and faithful.

And the angel said to me-- 'The waters that you saw, where the Harlot is seated, are throngs of people and men of all nations and languages.

For her sins are heaped up to the heavens, and God has not forgotten her misdeeds.

The fruit that your soul craved is no longer within your reach, and all dainties and luxuries are lost to you, never to be found again.'

for true and righteous are his judgments. For he has passed judgment upon the Great Harlot who was corrupting the earth by her licentiousness, and he has taken vengeance upon her for the blood of his servants.'

Then a voice said to me 'Write-- "Blessed are those who have been summoned to the marriage feast of the Lamb."' And the voice said-- 'These words of God are true.'

His eyes are flaming fires; on his head there are many diadems, and he bears a name, written, which no one knows but himself;

When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be let loose from his prison,

And he who was seated on the throne said-- 'See, I make all things new!' And he said-- 'Write this, for these words may be trusted and are true.'

And he said to me-- 'They are fulfilled. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who thirsts I will give of the spring of the Water of Life, freely.

The City is square; the length and the breadth are the same. The angel measured with his rod; it was twelve hundred miles; its length, and breadth, and height are equal.

And I saw no Temple there, for the Lord, our God, the Almighty, and the Lamb are its Temple.

Then the angel said to me-- 'These words may be trusted and are true. The Lord, the God that inspires the Prophets, sent his angel to show his servants what must quickly take place;