For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith.

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood.

The Spirit is the witness to this, for the Spirit is truth.

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for the witness of God is this, that he hath borne witness concerning his Son.

Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his own heart. Whoever does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has borne to His Son.

And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

The person who has the Son [in his heart] possesses this "life;" the one who does not have the Son of God does not possess this "life."

I have written this to you who believe in the person of the Son of God, so that you may know that you already have eternal life.

And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:

If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: not concerning this do I say that he should make request.

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

The elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the elect (chosen) lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not only I, but also all who know and understand the truth—

Because of this true knowledge which is in us, and will be with us for ever:

And this is love, that we should walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, even as ye heard from the beginning, that ye should walk in it.

For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

This is the seducer and the antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not the things we have wrought, but receive a full reward.

Every man transgressing, and not abiding in the doctrine of the Christ, does not have God. The man abiding in the doctrine of the Christ, this man has both the Father and the Son.

If any one cometh unto you, and bringeth not this teaching, receive him not into your house, and give him no greeting:

The elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the beloved and esteemed Gaius, whom I love in truth.

Greater joy have I none than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.

Dear friend, you are showing faithfulness by whatever you do for the brothers, especially when they are strangers.

Because of this, if I come, I will remember his works that he does, prating against us with evil words. And not being satisfied in these, he himself does not even accept the brothers, and he forbids those who would, and expels them

Demetrius has received a good report from everyone, including the truth itself. We, too, can testify to this report, and you know that our testimony is true.

Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, [writes this letter],

To those who are the called (God’s chosen ones, the elect), dearly loved by God the Father, and kept [secure and set apart] for Jesus Christ:

For there are certain men crept in privily, even they who were of old written of beforehand unto this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

My mind is therefore to put you in remembrance, forasmuch as ye once know this, how that the Lord - after that he had delivered the people out of Egypt - destroyed them which afterward believed not:

But, when the ruling angel Michael disputed with the devil over [the final disposal of] the body of Moses, [even] he did not dare to bring derogatory charges against him [i.e., the devil], but said, "May the Lord rebuke you." [Note: Some suggest that this account appeared in an apocryphal book, possibly "The Assumption of Moses"].

These people are like rotten spots [contaminating the food] at your love feasts, while they gorge themselves without fear [i.e., unashamed of their selfish indulgence]. [Note: This passage may mean "like selfish shepherds, looking out only for themselves, they eat the grain set out for the animals"]. They are like clouds that blow over without producing rain; [they are like] trees in the fall that do not produce any fruit and have been uprooted, [thus] being dead twice [i.e., fruitless and rootless].

This is the revelation of Jesus Christ [His unveiling of the divine mysteries], which God [the Father] gave to Him to show to His bond-servants (believers) the things which must soon take place [in their entirety]; and He sent and communicated it by His angel (divine messenger) to His bond-servant John,

who testified about this message from God and the testimony about Jesus the Messiah.

Blessed be the man who reads them and the people who hear the messages of this prophecy read, and heed what is written in it, for the time is near.

[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].

Look! He is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see Him,
including those who pierced Him.
And all the families of the earth
will mourn over Him.
This is certain. Amen.

Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this.

The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks, is this. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks are the seven churches."

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: "This is what the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand says, the one who walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands:

But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love.

But this thou hast, because thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans; which deeds I also hate.

"And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: "This is what the first and the last says, who was dead and came to life:

"And to the messenger of the congregation in Pergamum write, 'This saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges.

"And unto the messenger of the congregation of Thyatira write, 'This saith the son of God, which hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, whose feet are like brass:

But I have this against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess; and she teacheth and seduceth my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.

Unto you I say, and unto others of them of Thyatira, as many as have not this learning, and which have not known the deepness of Satan, as they say; I will put upon you none other burden,

Nevertheless, hold on firmly to what you [already] have [i.e., the qualities mentioned in verse 19] until I come [Note: This probably refers to coming with judgment on wrongdoing. See verse 16].

"And to the person who has victory [in the Christian life], and who continues to do what I want until the end [of his life], I will give him authority over the nations [Note: This probably refers to a spiritual reign with Christ during the Christian age. See 20:4].

and he will shepherd them with an iron scepter;
he will shatter them like pottery—

just as I have received this from My Father.

at this point]. [His authority will be] like that which I have received from my Father.

And write unto the messenger of the congregation of Sardis, 'This saith he that hath the spirit of God, and the seven stars. I know thy works, thou hast a name that you livest, and thou are dead.

He who overcomes, this man will be clothed in white garments, and I will, no, not erase his name out of the book of life. And I will acknowledge his name before my Father, and before his agents.

"And write unto the tidings-bringer of the congregation of Philadelphia, 'This saith he that is holy and true, which hath the key of David; which openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth.

I know about your deeds. (See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can close). [Note: This probably refers to their being assured of some unspecified opportunity]. [I know] that you have [only] a little bit of strength, but [in spite of that] you have obeyed my word and did not deny my name.

Take note! I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—note this—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.

"And unto the messenger of the congregation which is in Laodicea write, 'This saith - amen - the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creatures of God.

After this I looked, and behold a door was open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said, "Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be fulfilled hereafter.

Immediately, I was in [i.e., under the influence of] the Holy Spirit [See 1:10], and there before me was situated a throne in heaven, with Someone sitting on it [Note: From the following description, this appears to have been God].

And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who deserves to break the seals on it and open the book?" [Note: This "book" was probably a rolled up scroll written on both sides, with wax seals keeping it from unrolling and its contents from being exposed].

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

And they sang a new song [which went like this]: "You deserve to take the book and break the seals on it, for you were killed and, with your blood, you purchased people for God from every tribe and language and race and nation,

And I heard what sounded like a voice coming from among the four living beings, saying, "A quart [measure] of wheat sells for a day's pay [Note: This amount would be $60-$84 in 1994, based on one day of a farm laborer's wages. See Matt. 20:2]; three quart measures of barley sell for a day's pay; but do not damage the [olive] oil and wine [i.e., the orchards and vineyards].

And after this I saw four agents standing at the four corners of the earth, restraining the four winds of the earth, so that wind would not blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree.

And I saw another angel coming up from the east; he held the seal of the living God. [Note: This "seal" was a mark of identification or ownership]. And he called out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given [the power] to harm the land and the ocean,

Then I heard the number of those who were sealed. [It was] one hundred forty-four thousand [in all] from every tribe of the Israelites [Note: This could refer to Christians of Jewish descent].

After this I beheld, and lo a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and people, and tongues, stood before the seat, and before the lamb, clothed with long white garments, and palms in their hands,

Because of this they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. And he who sits on the throne will dwell among them.

Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky upon the earth. To this angel the key to the pit of the abyss was given,

Their mission was not to kill, but to cause awful agony for five months; and this agony was like that which a scorpion inflicts when it stings a man.

One woe is past, and behold two woes come after this.

And the four angels who had been ready for this hour and day and month and year were [now] released to kill one third of mankind.

In my vision the horses and the horsemen looked like this: Their breastplates were red, blue, and yellow; the horses' heads were like lions' heads, and fire, smoke, and sulphur kept pouring out of their mouths.

Then there was given me a reed like a rod: with this direction, rise and measure the temple of God, with the altar, and those that worship therein.

And if any man wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies. And if any man wants to harm them, he must be killed this way.

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city [Note: See the following passages on this "great city," 14:8; 16:19; 17:5,18; 18:2,10,16,18,19,21] where the Lord was crucified, which is spiritually called Sodom, or Egypt.

And the seventh angel blew, and there were made great voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world are our Lord's and his Christ's, and he shall reign for evermore."

At this the twenty-four Councillors, who were seated on their thrones before God, prostrated themselves on their faces and worshiped Him,

Rejoice because of this, O heavens, and ye who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has little time.

This made the Dragon furiously angry with the woman, and he went elsewhere to make war upon her other children--those who keep God's commandments and hold fast to the testimony of Jesus.

And everyone who lives on earth will worship the beast, [even those] people whose names had not been recorded in the book of life belonging to the Lamb, who was killed [in prospect] from the creation of the world. [Note: This sentence could also read "...not been recorded from the creation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed"].

If anyone has an ear, he should listen [to this].

Whoever leads others into captivity will go into captivity himself. Whoever kills with the sword must be killed with the sword himself. In this way will be shown the patient endurance and the fidelity of God's people.

And he [i.e., this second beast] performs great [miraculous] signs, including making fire come down from heaven to earth in [full] view of people.

and to this statue of the Beast he was allowed to impart the breath of life, so that the statue of the Beast should actually speak. He has everyone put to death who will not worship the statue of the Beast,

And this second beast forced everyone to be branded with a mark on their right hand and on their forehead --- insignificant and important people, rich and poor people, and free people and slaves ---

so that no one is able to buy or sell, except those that bear this brand--either the name of the Beast or the number indicated by the letters of his name.

This calls for wisdom; the person who has understanding should calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. And his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

And they [i.e., the 144,000] were singing a new song in front of God's throne, and in front of the four living beings and the [twenty-four] elders. No one could learn [to sing] this song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand [See 7:4,9] who had been purchased from the earth.

These people are the ones who did not practice sexual immorality with women, for they were virgins [Note: This probably has reference to people who avoided idolatry]. These are people who followed the Lamb wherever He went. They were purchased from among mankind to be the firstfruits [devoted] to God and to the Lamb.

In this way is shown the patient endurance of God's people, who always cling to God's commands and their faith in Jesus.

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who from this time die as Christians.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "let them rest from their toils, for the things they have done are going with them."

And I saw the semblance of a glassy sea, mingled with fire; and standing by this glassy sea, with harps of God, were those who came off conquerors from the beast and from his image and from the cipher of his name.

After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of testimony was thrown open in heaven,

And I heard the angel of the waters saying. "Righteous art thou, thou who art and wast, The Holy One, Because thou didst inflict this judgment.

For men poured out the blood of thy saints and prophets, And thou hast given them blood to drink. And this they deserved."

[Note: At this point the Lord's voice breaks into John's vision]. ("Look, I am coming like a thief. That person is happy who stays alert and is dressed [properly], so he does not appear naked and have to be shamefully exposed").

And there were lightnings and sounds and thunders, and there was a great earthquake, as has not happened from the [time] humanity has been on the earth--so great in this way [was] the earthquake.

And huge hailstones, weighing about one hundred pounds each, fell on people from the sky, and they cursed God because of this plague of hailstones, for it was an extremely severe plague.

Upon her forehead this mystical title was written, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth.

but the angel said to me-- 'Why were you amazed? I will tell you the mystic meaning of the vision of this woman, and of the Beast, with the seven heads and ten horns, that carries her.

Here is the mind which has wisdom [and this is what it knows about the vision]. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits;

And the wild beast which was, and is not, and this is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes forward into perdition.

they all agree in this, to give their power and strength to the beast.