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,

Wake up, and strengthen what is left, although it is already on the point of death, for I have found nothing you have done complete in the sight of my God.

I will permit him who is victorious to take his seat beside me on my throne, just as I have been victorious and taken my seat beside my Father on his throne.

Afterward I had another vision: There was a door standing open in the heavens and the first voice like a trumpet that I had heard speak to me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place."

In front of the throne was what looked like a sea of glass, like crystal. Around the throne, in the middle of each side, were four animals covered with eyes in front and behind.

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."

The four animals said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped.

And they said to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us, and conceal us from the sight of him who is seated on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb,

Then one of the elders addressed me and said, "Who are these people dressed in white robes, and where do they come from?"

I said to him, "You know, my lord." He said to me, "They are the people who come through the great persecution, who have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb.

and he had a little scroll open in his hand. He set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,

When the seven thunders had spoken I was going to write it down, but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said! Do not write it down!"

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, and said, "Go and take the little scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."

So I went up to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, "Take it and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but in your mouth it will taste 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.

Then they said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings!"

and worshiped the dragon for having given the animal his authority, and they worshiped the animal, and said, "Who is there like the animal? Who can fight with it?"

Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and spoke to me. "Come," he said, "I will show you the doom of the great idolatress who is seated on many waters,

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.

They are also seven kings; five have fallen, one is reigning, the other has not yet come, and when he does his stay must be brief.

"The waters that you saw," he said to me, "on which the idolatrous woman was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.

The more she has given herself to pride and luxury the more you must give her torture and grief. Because she says to herself, 'I sit on a throne; I am not a widow, I shall never have any sorrow,'

Then they said again, "Praise the Lord! For smoke will go up from her forever and ever!"

Then the twenty-four elders and the four animals fell down and worshiped God who was seated upon the throne. "Amen!" they said, "Praise the Lord!"

Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are they who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' These," he said to me, "are the true words of God."

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."

The rest were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of him who sat on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves upon their bodies.

Then he who sat upon the throne said, "See! I am making everything new! Write this," he said, "for these words are trustworthy and true.

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke to me. "Come," he said, "I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

"These words are trustworthy and true," he said to me; "For the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his slaves what must happen very soon.

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!

"Do not seal up the words of prophecy that are in this book," he said to me, "for the time of their fulfilment is very near.