When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. But he laid his right hand upon me, and said, "Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last,

yea, the ever-living One. I once was dead, but now I live forever and ever. I carry the keys of death and the underworld.

"I know what you've been doing, your toil, and your endurance. I also know that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles, but are not, and have found them to be false.

But I have this against you, that you left your first love.

Remember then from whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and practise thy first works; but if not, I am coming to thee quickly, and I will remove thy lamp out of its place, except thou repent.

But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

"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:

"I know your afflictions and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. [For] look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you may be tested, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. [But], you should be faithful [to God] even to the point of dying [for Him], and I will give you the crown of [never ending] life.

But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

Repent! but if not, I am coming to thee quickly, and will war against them with the sword of my mouth.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows but he who receives it.

But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.

I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.

But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as do not have this teaching, who do not know what some call 'the deep things of Satan,' to you I say, I am not putting any other burden on you.

But what you have, keep safe till I come.

"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: "He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars says these things: "I know your works, that you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

"I know what you've been doing. You are known for being alive, but you are dead. Be alert, and strengthen the things that are left, which are about to die. I note that your actions are incomplete before my God.

Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. But if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come against you.

But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments: and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy.

He who is victorious will be clothed thus, in white clothing, and I will not erase his name from the book of life, but I will acknowledge him as mine in the presence of my Father and his angels.

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it; because thou hast but little strength, yet hast thou kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Behold, I give of the synagogue of Satan, of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

but since thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

you say you are rich, and have increased your gain, and have need of nothing; but you do not consider that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

But no one in heaven or on earth or underneath the earth could open the roll or look into it.

But one of the elders said to me, "Do not cry! See! The lion who is of the tribe of Judah, of the line of David, has been victorious so that he can open the roll and break its seals."

Then I noticed a Lamb standing in the midst of the throne and the four living Creatures and the Presbyters; it seemed to have been slain, but it had seven horns and seven eyes (they are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth),

and I heard a voice which seemed to come from the midst of the four animals say, "Wheat at a dollar a quart, and barley three quarts for a dollar, but you must not injure the oil and wine!"

But they were each given a white robe, and told to remain quiet for a little longer, until their number was completed by their fellow-servants and their brothers who were to be killed like themselves.

Out of the smoke locusts descended upon the earth, but with powers like those of earthly scorpions.

They were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those people who do not have God's seal on their foreheads.

They were given power not to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion, when it strikes a person.

In those days men will seek death and never find it. They will want to die, but death will fly from them.

the figure of the locusts were like that of horses prepared to battle; but on their heads they had, as it were, crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

Their faces seemed human and they had hair like women's hair, but their teeth resembled those of lions.

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

Thus one wo is past, but behold two woes more are coming after.

And the rest of the people, who were not put to death by these evils, were not turned from the works of their hands, but went on giving worship to evil spirits, and images of gold and silver and brass and stone and wood which have no power of seeing or hearing or walking:

When the seven thunders sounded, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from the sky saying, "Seal up the things which the seven thunders said, and do not write them."

but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as he declared to his servants, the prophets.

I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it, and eat it up. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey."

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

But the exterior court of the temple leave out, and measure it not; because it is given to the Gentiles: and they shall trample under foot the holy city forty-two months.

But I will allow my two witnesses to prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clad in sackcloth

But, when they have finished their testimony, the Beast that ascends from the abyss will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,

And men belonging to all peoples, tribes, languages and nations gaze at their dead bodies for three days and a half, but they refuse to let them be laid in a tomb.

But 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.

The heathen were enraged, but now your anger has come, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your slaves the prophets and your people high and low who revere your name, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth!"

She gave birth to a son, a boy, who is to rule all the nations with an iron scepter. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne.

But the woman fled into the wilderness, where there is a place prepared for her by God, to be tended there for twelve hundred and sixty days.

Then a battle took place in the heavens. Michael and his angels fought with the Dragon. But though the Dragon, with his angels, fought,

but they were defeated, and there was no place for them any longer in heaven.

But they have conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the message to which they bore testimony, because they did not cling to life but courted death.

Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the land and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time."

But the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to her place in the desert, where she is to be taken care of for a time, times, and a half-time, on account of the serpent.

But the earth helped the woman, for the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured out of his mouth.

The wild beast which I saw was like a leopard, but his feet were like a bear's, and his mouth was like a lion's mouth. To him the dragon gave his own power and throne with great authority.

One of its heads seemed to have received a mortal wound, but its mortal wound had been healed. And the whole earth followed the animal in wonder,

Then I saw another animal come up out of the land. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.

and he deceived the inhabitants of the earth, by the prodigys which he had power to effect by the influence of the beast, by telling the inhabitants of the earth, that he had made an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, but yet did revive.

and that no man may buy or sell, but he that hath the mark impressed, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

and they sang as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living beings, and the presbyters: and no person could learn that song, but the hundred forty-four thousand, who were redeemed from the earth.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, from henceforward: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may have rest from their labours; but their works follow after them.

and they were dreadfully scorched, but they reviled the name of God who had control of these plagues, and would not repent and give him glory.

and reviled the God of heaven for their sufferings and sores, but they would not repent of what they had done.

And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people, but they blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it was so horrendous.

but the angel said to me, "Why are you amazed? I will explain to you what the woman and the animal with seven heads and ten horns that carries her symbolize.

The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, but is to come.

And these are seven kings: five have fallen, and the one exists, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must abide but a little while.

And the beast who was, but is not, is himself also an eighth, although he is one of the seven kings, and is on his way to perdition.

The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.

They will make war upon the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, and His chosen, elect, and faithful followers will conquer with Him, too, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings."

I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that. I am only a fellow-slave of yours and of your brothers who have accepted the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is what inspires prophecy."

His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He had a name written which no one knows but he himself.

But the Beast was seized, together with the false Prophet who had performed in his presence the miracles by means of which he seduced those who received the mark of the Beast and worshipped his statue; both of them were flung alive into the lake of fire that blazes with brimstone,

But the rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the Rider on the horse. And the birds all fed ravenously upon their flesh.

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years are completed. This is the first resurrection.

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years.

But when the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison,

And they overspread the surface of the earth, and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the beloved city: but fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

But for the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

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

But I saw no temple in the City, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.

There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

And there shall be no more curse, but the seat of God and the lamb shall be in it: and his servants shall serve him.

But he said to me, "You must not do that. I am only a fellow-slave of yours and of your brothers the prophets and the men who heed the words of this book. Worship God!

But without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and every one who loveth and maketh a lie.

I testify to every person who hears the words of the prophecy of this book [Note: This is probably Jesus speaking, but could possibly be John]. If anyone adds to these words, God will add to him the calamities described in this book.