And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as [though I were] dead. And He placed His right hand on me and said, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last,

After [seeing all] these things, I looked, and there in heaven I saw [a vision of] an open door, and the voice I had first heard speaking to me like [the sound of] a trumpet [See 1:10], said, "Come up here [i.e., to heaven], and I will show you the things which must happen after these things [i.e., the things just revealed]."

Then one of the [twenty-four] elders said to me, "Do not cry; look, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of King David, has gained the victory, so He can break the seven seals on the book and open it."

And the four living beings said, "May it be so." And the elders fell down and worshiped.

And I answered him, "Sir, [surely] you know." And he said to me, "These are the people who have come through the terrible persecution, and they have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb.

It said to the sixth angel with the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are tied up at the great Euphrates River."

And when the seven thunders spoke [words], I started to write down [what the voices said], but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have [just] said, and do not write them down."

So, I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little book. And he said to me, "Take it and eat it; it will be sweet as honey to your taste, but will cause you to have a sour stomach."

And they said to me [Note: The plural "they" may mean simply "it was told to me"], "You must prophesy again about many races, and nations, and language groups and kings."

And he said [to them] in a loud voice, "Fear God and honor Him, for the time has come for Him to judge people. Worship Him who made the heaven, the earth, the ocean and the springs of water."

Then [I saw] a second angel following [him]. He said, "Fallen! Great Babylon has fallen. She has forced all the nations to drink the wine of her passionate sexual immorality [Note: The word "passionate" here could also mean "angry"]."

Then a third angel followed them. He said in a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his statue, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,

Then the angel [See verse 1] said to me, "Why are you so amazed? I will explain to you the secret [meaning] of the woman and the beast with seven heads and ten horns that she is riding on.

Then the angel [See verses 1,7] said to me, "The waters you saw, on which the prostitute sits [See verse 1] are races, crowds, nations and language groups.

Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who sits on His throne. They said, "May it be so, Hallelujah!"

Then the angel said to me [See 17:1; 18:1-2], "Write [this]: Those who are invited to the wedding reception of the Lamb are blessed." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."

Then I fell down in front of him to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do that; I am [only] a fellow-servant with you and with your brothers who hold onto the testimony about Jesus. You should worship God. For the testimony about Jesus is the spirit [i.e., the purpose, or source] of prophecy."

Then the One who is seated on the throne [i.e., Christ, or God] said, "Listen, I am making everything new!" Then He said, "Write [this], because these words are trustworthy and true."

Then He said to me, "These things have already happened. [Note: These words express the certainty of what has been predicted in this book, even though not all the events had actually taken place yet]. I am the Alpha and the Omega [See note at 1:8], the beginning and the end. I will give the person who is [spiritually] thirsty [a drink] from the spring of water of life without his having to pay for it.

Then the angel [See 21:9] said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His servants [i.e., through the apostle John] the things that must happen soon [See 1:1].

But he said to me, "Do not do that; I am [only] a fellow-servant with you and with your brothers, the prophets, and with those who obey the words of this book. You should worship God."

Then the angel said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near [i.e., for the events of its prophecies to begin to happen].