For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.

This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

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 this is God's testimony that he has testified 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.

The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

He that hath the Son, hath this life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not this life.

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

This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.

If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I do not say that he should make a request concerning this.

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:

This is love, that we should walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, even as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ came 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 one that transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, this man holdeth both the Father and the Son.

If anyone comes to you, and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not welcome him,

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

I have no greater joy than this, to hear about my children walking in truth.

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

Therefore, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, neither does he himself receive the brothers, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the church.

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 who crept in secretly, even those who were long ago written about for this condemnation: ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Now I desire to remind you, though you already know this, that Jesus, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

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, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John,

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

Blessed is he that readeth, and they who hear the words of this prophecy, and observe the things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

[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 down what you have seen, what is, and what is going to happen after this.

The secret meaning of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and of the seven gold lampstands is this: The seven stars are the guardian angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

"To the messenger of the church in Ephesus, write: "The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lamp stands, says this:

But I have this against you, that you left your first love.

But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

"To the messenger of the church in Smyrna, write: "The first and the last, who was dead and became alive, says this:

"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 you, that you tolerate the woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.

But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as do not have this teaching, who do not know what some call 'the deep things of Satan,' to you I say, I am not putting any other burden on you.

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 that overcometh, this man shall be clothed in white robes; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

"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 these things I looked and saw a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, like a trumpet speaking with me, was one saying, "Come up here, and I will show you the things which must happen after this."

Immediately after this I found myself in a trance, and there stood a throne in heaven with a being seated on it.

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].

After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on 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,

This is why they are before the high seat of God; and they are his servants day and night in his house: and he who is seated on the high seat will be a tent over 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.

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

The four angels were freed who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year, so that they might kill one third of mankind.

And in this manner saw I the horses in the vision, and those who were mounted upon them, having breastplates of the colour of fire, and jacinth, and sulphur; and the horses' heads were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceeded fire and smoke and brimstone.

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.

If anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. If anyone desires to harm them, he must be killed in 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,

because of this be glad, ye heavens, and those in them who do tabernacle; woe to those inhabiting the land and the sea, because the Devil did go down unto you, having great wrath, having known that he hath 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"].

Let anyone who has an ear listen: ??10 Whoever is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes: whoever kills with the sword, by the sword must he be killed. This is what shows the patience and the faith of the saints.

Whoever is destined for captivity will go into captivity; whoever kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. On this fact rests the endurance and 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.

In this case wisdom is needed: Let the person who has understanding calculate the total of the beast, since it is a human multitude, and the sum of the multitude is 600, 60 and 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.

On this fact rests the endurance of God's people, who obey God's commands and cling to their faith in Jesus.

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who from this time forth die as Christians!" "Yes!" answers the Spirit, "Let them rest from their toil, for what they have done will go 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,

Then I heard the angel of the waters say, "You are just in pronouncing this sentence, you who are and were, the Holy One;

For they poured out the blood of the saints and the prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve this."

[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.

Great hailstones, about the weight of a talent, came down out of the sky on people. People blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for this plague is exceedingly severe.

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

This calls for a mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is sitting. They are also seven kings.

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.