[This book is from] John [and is being sent] to the seven churches that are in Asia [Note: This refers to the province of Asia Minor, a part of present-day Turkey]. May there be unearned favor and peace to you from God, the One who is [in the present], who was [in the past] and who will come [in the future], and from the seven spirits that are in front of God's throne [Note: Because the number "seven" was regarded as the number of perfection by the Jews, it is thought that this refers to the Holy Spirit].

[It is also] from Jesus Christ, who is the Faithful Witness [to the truth], the Firstborn from the dead [i.e., the first One raised never to die again], the Ruler of the kings of the world. May there be honor and power forever and ever to Christ, who loved us and released us from our sins by His blood [Note: Some manuscripts say "washed us" since the two words are spelled almost alike].

there I was in an exstacy on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a loud voice, like the sound of a trumpet,

And I turned there to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands.

Among the lamp stands there was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash around his chest.

In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword [of judgment]; and His face [reflecting His majesty and the Shekinah glory] was like the sun shining in [all] its power [at midday].

Do not be afraid of what you are going to suffer. See! The devil is going to put some of you into prison to be tested there, and for ten days to endure persecution. Prove faithful even unto death and I will give you the crown of life.

"I know where you live. Satan's throne is there. Yet you hold on to my name and have not denied your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed in your presence, where Satan lives.

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.

In the same way, there are also some among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

But I say to all the rest of you there in Thyatira who have not followed this [false] teaching [See verse 20], that is, those who have not known "the deep things of Satan," as people call them --- I will not burden you with anything else [i.e., beyond this problem about Jezebel's false teaching].

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.

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will go out from there no more. I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my own new name.

You say, I am rich, and have wealth stored up, and I stand in need of nothing; and you do not know that if there is a wretched creature it is *you* -- pitiable, poor, blind, naked.

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."

Immediately I was in the Spirit. Behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting on the throne.

And the one who sat there looked like a jasper stone and a sardius. There was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald to look at.

Around the throne there were twenty-four thrones, with twenty-four elders seated on them, clothed in white and with crowns of gold on their heads.

Out of the throne proceed lightnings, sounds, and thunders. There were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

And before the high seat there was, as it seemed, a clear sea of glass; and in the middle of the high seat, and round about it, four beasts full of eyes round about.

And I was very sad, because there was no one able to get the book open or to see what was in it.

And there between the throne (with the four living creatures) and among the elders I saw a Lamb (Christ) standing, [bearing scars and wounds] as though it had been slain, with seven horns (complete power) and with seven eyes (complete knowledge), which are the seven Spirits of God who have been sent [on duty] into all the earth.

And I saw, and there came to my ears the sound of a great number of angels round about the high seat and the beasts and the rulers; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

And I heard every creature in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, on the ocean and everything in them, saying [See Note at 4:8], "May there be praise and honor and splendor and power forever and ever, to God who sits on His throne and to the Lamb."

And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.

Another came forth, a fiery red horse. To him who sat on it was given power to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was given to him a great sword.

When he broke the third seal, I heard the third animal say, "Come!" And there I saw a black horse, and its rider had a pair of scales in his hand,

And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

And there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled their course .

I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood.

After this I saw four angels in their places at the four points of the earth, keeping back the four winds in their hands, so that there might be no moving of the wind on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.

And, in the east, I saw another angel, ascending, holding the seal of the Living God; and he cried in a loud voice to the four angels, to whom there had been given power to harm the earth and the sea--

And there came to my ears the number of those who had the mark on their brows, a hundred and forty-four thousand, who were marked out of every tribe of the people of Israel.

There were twelve thousand sealed from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand from Reuben, twelve thousand from Gad,

After this I looked, and there was a vast throng that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

And all the angels stood there in a circle around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground before the throne and worshiped God,

saying [See Note at 4:8], "May it be so; May there be praise and splendor and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength to our God forever and ever. May it be so."

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

And I saw the seven angels which stood before God, and there were given to them seven trumpets.

And another angel came, and stood by the altar, holding a golden censer; and there were given to him many perfumes, to offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

The angel took the censer, and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it on the earth. There followed thunders, sounds, lightnings, and an earthquake.

The first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. One third of the earth was burnt up, and one third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

And the second angel sounded, and there was cast into the sea as it were a vast mountain burning with fire: and the third part of the sea became blood;

and there died the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, even they that had life; and the third part of the ships was destroyed.

And the third angel blew the trumpet, and there fell from heaven a great star, burning as a torch, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of water;

And at the sounding of the fourth angel, a third part of the sun, and of the moon, and of the stars was made dark, so that there was no light for a third part of the day and of the night.

And there came to my ears the cry of an eagle in flight in the middle of heaven, saying with a great voice, Trouble, trouble, trouble, to all on the earth, because of the other voices of the horns of the three angels, whose sounding is still to come.

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss.

And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: And unto them was given power as the scorpions of the earth have power.

And the figures of the locusts were like horses equipped for war; and upon their heads there were as crowns, like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

And they had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and they had power to hurt men five months.

The first woe is past. Behold, there are still two woes coming after this.

The number of cavalry troops was 200,000,000. I heard how many there were.

And this is how I saw the horses and their riders in my vision: the riders had breastplates [the color] of fire and of hyacinth (sapphire blue) and of brimstone (yellow); and the heads of the horses looked like the heads of lions; and from out of their mouths came fire and smoke and brimstone (burning sulfur).

Then I saw another powerful angel come down from heaven. He was dressed in a cloud, and there was a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like columns of fire.

and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there will no longer be delay,

"Delay there shall be no more, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to blow his trumpet, then shall there be finished the mystery of God, according to the Good News which he told unto his slaves, the prophets."

AND there was given me a cane like a measuring staff; and the angel stood by, saying, Arise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship therein.

These have the power to keep the heaven shut, so that there may be no rain in the days when they are prophets: and they have power over the waters to make them into blood, and to send every sort of disease on the earth as their pleasure is.

In that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

"The second woe is passed; and there is a third woe soon to follow."

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world are become our Lord's, and his Messiah's, and he shall reign for ever and ever.

And the temple of God was opened in the heaven, and there appeared the ark of his covenant in his temple: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and earthquake, and a great hail.

AND there appeared a great sign in the heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

And there appeared another sign in the heaven; and lo! a great fiery dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven crowns.

The woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her one thousand two hundred sixty days.

There was war in the sky. Michael and his angels made war on the dragon. The dragon and his angels made war.

and they could not prevail; neither was there any more place found for them in the heaven.

Be glad then, O heavens, and you who are in them. But there is trouble for the earth and the sea: because the Evil One has come down to you, being very angry, having the knowledge that he has but a short time.

And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she should fly into the wilderness, unto her place, where she is supported there for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

And I saw a beast coming up out of the ocean. It had ten horns and seven heads, and [it had] ten crowns on his horns and on each head there was a blasphemous name [i.e., a name that slandered God].

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?"

A mouth was given to him speaking proud words and blasphemies. There was given to him authority to act for forty-two months.

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.

'Whoever is destined for captivity goes into captivity.' Whoever shall kill with the sword must inevitably be killed with the sword. (Here there is need for endurance and faith on the part of Christ's People.)

and there was given to it to give a spirit to the image of the beast, that also the image of the beast may speak, and that it may cause as many as shall not bow before the image of the beast, that they may be killed.

And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead;

There is wisdom hidden here! Let everyone of intelligence calculate the animal's number, for it indicates a certain man; its number is 666.

And I looked, and lo, there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with were a hundred and forty and four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.

There are they who were not contaminated by women; for they are virgins. These are they following the Lamb wherever he should lead. These were purchased from men, first fruits to God and the Lamb.

And in their mouth there was no false word, for they are untouched by evil.

And there followed another angel, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen; that great city, for she made all nations drink of the wine of her fornication."

The smoke from their torture goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image or for anyone who receives the mark of its name."

(Here there is need for endurance on the part of Christ's People--those who lay to heart the commands of God and the Faith of Jesus.)

And a voice from heaven came to my ears, saying, Put in writing, There is a blessing on the dead who from now on come to their end in the Lord: yes, says the Spirit, that they may have rest from their troubles; for their works go with them.

Then I looked, and there was a bright cloud with one seated on it like the Son of man, with a crown of gold on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.

And the winepress are trodden without the city, and there came out blood from the winepress, even unto the bridles of the horses, as far as a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Then I saw another great, marvelous portent in heaven. There were seven angels with seven plagues which are to be the last, for they complete the expression of God's wrath.

What man is there who will not have fear before you, O Lord, and give glory to your name? because you only are holy; for all the nations will come and give worship before you; for your righteousness has been made clear.

and there came out from the temple the seven angels that had the seven plagues, arrayed with precious'stone, pure and bright, and girt about their breasts with golden girdles.

And the first angel went, and poured out his vase upon the earth; and there came an ulcer malignant and painful upon the men that had the brand of the beast, and upon those who worshipped his image.

And the second messenger did pour out his vial to the sea, and there came blood as of one dead, and every living soul died in the sea.

And the third messenger did pour out his vial to the rivers, and to the fountains of the waters, and there came blood,

And the fourth angel poured out his vase upon the sun; and there was given to it a charge to burn men with fire.

And I saw, and out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet there came forth three unclean spirits, like frogs:

And the seventh poured out his bowl upon the air; and there came forth a great voice out of the temple, from the throne, saying, It is done:

There were lightnings, voices, and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since man was on the earth, so great an earthquake, so mighty.

Every island fled away, and there was not a mountain anywhere to be seen.

And there fell a great hail, as it had been talents, out of heaven upon the men; and the men blasphemed God, because of the plague of the hail, for it was great and the plague of it sore.