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,

'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord, the God who is, and who was, and who shall be, the Almighty.

I turned to see what voice it was that spoke to me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lamps,

'The hair of his head was as white as wool, as white as snow; his eyes were like flaming fire;

and his feet were like brass' as when molten in a furnace; 'his voice was like the sound of many streams,'

in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like 'the sun in the fulness of its power.'

I know where you dwell, where the Throne of Satan stands. And yet you hold to my Name, and you did not disown my Faith even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death among you where Satan dwells.

I know your life, your love, faith, service, and endurance; and I know that your life of late has been better than it was at first.

Be on the watch, and strengthen what still survives, though once it was all but dead; for I have not found your life perfect in the eyes of my God.

After this, in my vision, I saw an open door in the heavens, and the first voice that I heard was like the blast of a trumpet speaking to me. It said-- 'Come up here and I will show you what must take place.'

Immediately after this I fell into a trance. There stood a throne in Heaven, and on the throne was One seated.

He who was seated on it was in appearance like a jasper and a sardius; and 'round the throne there was a rainbow' of the color of an emerald.

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 I saw at the right hand of him who was 'seated on the throne a book, with writing inside and out, and sealed' with seven seals;

and I saw a mighty angel who was proclaiming in a loud voice-- 'Who is worthy to open the book and break its seals?'

But no one either in Heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the book or look within it.

At this I wept long, because no one could be found who was worthy to open the book or look within it.

The Lamb came forward; and he has taken the book from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

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 they cried in a loud voice--'Worthy is the Lamb that was sacrificed to receive all power, and wealth, and wisdom, and might, and honour, and praise, and blessing.'

And in my vision I saw 'a white horse.' Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Then there went out another horse, 'a red horse,' and to its rider was given the power to deprive the earth of peace, so that men should kill one another; and he was given a great sword.

And in my vision I saw a grey horse. His rider's name was Death, and the Lord of the Place of Death rode behind him; and power was given them over the fourth part of the earth, so that they might 'destroy with sword and famine and death, and by means of the wild beasts of the earth.'

Then to each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to rest yet a little longer, till the number of their fellow-servants and of their Brothers who were about to be put to death, as they had been, should be complete.

And I saw the Lamb break the sixth seal, and then there was a great earthquake. The sun became black, like sackcloth, and the moon, which was at its full, like blood.

The heavens disappeared like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

I heard, too, the number of those who had been sealed. It was one hundred and forty-four thousand; and they were from every tribe of the Israelites.

As soon as the Lamb had broken the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven for, it might be, half-an-hour.

Next, another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer in his hand; and a great quantity of incense was given to him, to mingle with the prayers of all Christ's People upon the golden altar before the throne.

The first blew; and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it fell upon the earth. A third part of the earth was burnt up, and a third of the trees, and every blade of grass.

Then the second angel blew; and what appeared to be a great mountain, burning, was hurled into the sea. A third of the sea became blood,

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 star is called 'Wormwood.') A third of the water became bitter as wormwood, and so bitter was the water that many died from drinking it.

Then the fourth angel blew; and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were blasted, so that a third of them was eclipsed, and for a third part of the day there was no light, and at night it was the same.

Then the fifth angel blew; and I saw a Star that had fallen upon the earth from the heavens, and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

Yet they were not allowed to kill them, but it was ordered that those men should be tortured for five months. Their torture was like the torture caused by a scorpion when it stings a man.

and they had what seemed to be iron breastplates, while the noise of their wings was like the noise of chariots drawn by many horses, galloping into battle.

The number of the hosts of horsemen was ten thousand times ten thousand, twice told; I heard their number.

Then I saw another mighty angel, descending from Heaven. His robe was a cloud; over his head was the rainbow; his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire;

And, when they spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from Heaven say-- 'Keep secret what the seven peals of thunder said, and do not write it down.'

I took the little book out of the angel's hand 'and ate it, and, while in my mouth, it was like the sweetest honey'; but, when I had eaten it, it was bitter to my stomach.

And I was told--' You must prophesy again about men of many peoples, and nations, and languages, and about many kings.'

Then I was given a measure like a rod, and a voice said to me-- 'Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the worshiper there.

Their dead bodies will lie in the streets of the great City, which is mystically spoken of as 'Sodom' and 'Egypt,' where their Master was crucified.

saying-- 'We thank thee, O Lord, our God, the Almighty, who art and who wast, that thou hast assumed thy great power and reigned.

Then the Temple of God in Heaven was opened, and the Ark containing his Covenant was seen in his Temple; and there followed 'flashes of lightning, cries, peals of thunder,' an earthquake, and 'a great storm of hail.'

Then a great portent was seen in the heavens--a woman whose robe was the sun, and who had the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

She was with child; and 'she is crying out in the pain and agony of childbirth.'

Another portent also was seen in the heavens There was a great red Dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

The woman gave birth to a son, a male child, who is destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was at once caught up to God upon his throne.

he did not prevail; and there was no place left for them any longer in the heavens.

Then the great Dragon, the primeval Serpent, known as the 'Devil' and 'Satan,' who deceives all the world, was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him.

Their victory was due to the Blood of the Lamb, and to the Message to which they bore their testimony. In their love of life they shrank not from death.

when the Dragon saw that he was hurled down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

The Dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to fight with the rest of her offspring-- those who lay to heart the commands of God and bear their testimony to Jesus; and he took his stand on the sea-shore.

The Beast that I saw was like a leopard; but its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion. The Dragon gave it his power and his throne, and wide dominion.

The Beast was given 'a mouth that spoke proudly' and blasphemously, and it was empowered to work its will for forty-two months.

Then I saw, rising out of the earth, another wild Beast. It had two horns like those of a lamb, and its voice was like a dragon's.

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.

It was permitted to breathe life into the image of the Beast, so that the image of the Beast might speak; and it was also permitted to cause all who refused to worship the image of the Beast to be put to death.

And I heard a sound from Heaven, 'like the sound of many waters,' and like the sound of a loud peal of thunder; the sound that I heard was like the music of harpers playing on their harps.

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.

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

Then, in my vision, I saw a white cloud, and on the cloud there was sitting one 'like a man.' On his head he had a crown of gold, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

Then another angel came out from the Temple, crying in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud-- 'Take your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come; the Harvest of Earth is ready.'

He who was sitting on the cloud brought his sickle down upon the earth, and the Harvest of Earth was reaped.

After this I saw that the inmost shrine of the Tabernacle of Revelation in Heaven was opened,

'The Temple was filled with smoke from the Glory' and Majesty of God; and no one could enter the Temple, until the seven Curses inflicted by the seven angels were at an end.

And I heard the Angel of the Waters saying-- 'Righteous art thou, thou who art and who wast, the Holy One, in inflicting this judgment;

Then the fourth angel emptied his bowl upon the sun; and he was permitted to scorch men with fire;

Then the sixth angel emptied his bowl upon the great river Euphrates; and the water in the river was dried up, so that the road for the Kings of the East might be made ready.

There followed 'flashes of lightning, cries, and peals of thunder'; and there was a great earthquake, such as had not occurred since man began to be upon the earth--none so great;

and the great City was torn in three, and the cities of the nation fell, and God remembered Babylon the Great, and gave her the maddening wine-cup of his Wrath;

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.

And he bore me away in a trance to a lonely place, and I saw a woman seated upon a scarlet Beast, which was covered with blasphemous names; it had seven heads and ten horns.

The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold ornaments, precious stones, and pearls. In her hand she held a gold cup, full of idolatrous abominations, and the unclean fruits of her licentiousness;

while on her forehead there was written this mystic name--'BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF ALL IDOLATROUS ABOMINATIONS UPON EARTH.'

And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of Christ's People and with the blood of the martyrs for Jesus. When I saw her, I was amazed beyond measure;

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.'

So must the Beast that was, but is not. He counts as an eighth king, although he is one of the seven, and is on his way to destruction.

After this I saw another angel, descending from Heaven, invested with great authority; and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.

Yes, and in her was to be found the blood of the Prophets and of Christ's People, and of all who have been put to death upon the earth.'

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 the twenty-four Councillors and the Four Creatures prostrated themselves and worshiped God who was seated upon the throne, crying-- 'Amen, Hallelujah!';

The Beast was captured, and with him was taken the false Prophet, who performed the marvels before the eyes of the Beast, with which he deceived those who had received the brand of the Beast and those who worshiped his image. Alive, they were thrown, both of them, into the fiery lake 'of burning sulphur.'

Then I saw thrones, and to those who took their seats upon them authority was given to act as judges. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony to Jesus and because of the Message of God, for they had refused to worship the Beast or its image, and had not received the brand on their foreheads and on their hands. They were restored to life, and they reigned with the Christ for a thousand years.

and the Devil, their deceiver, was hurled into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the Beast and the false Prophet already were, and they will be tortured day and night for ever and ever.

Then I saw a great white throne, and him who was seated on it. 'The earth and the heavens fled from his presence; no place was left for them.'

And I saw the dead, high and low, standing before the throne; and books were opened. Then another book was opened, the Book of Life; and the dead were judged, according to their actions, by what was written in the books.

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.'

Its brilliance was like that of some very precious stone, like a jasper, transparent as crystal.

And the angel who was speaking to me had as a measure a gold rod, with which to measure the City and its gates and its wall.

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.

Then he measured the wall; it was two hundred and eighty-eight feet, as men measure, that is as the angel measured.

The material of the wall of the City was jasper, and the City was built of pure gold, which shone like clear glass.

The foundations of the wall of the City were ornamented with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was a jasper; the second a sapphire; the third a chalcedony; the fourth an emerald;

The twelve gates were made of twelve pearls, each gate of one pearl. The street of the City was of pure gold, transparent as glass.

The City has no need of 'the sun or the moon to shine upon it, for the Glory of God illuminated it,' and its Lamp was the Lamb.

in the middle of the street of the City. On each side of the river was a Tree of Life which bore twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.