I, John, your brother and companion in the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance that Jesus brings, found myself on the island called Patmos, for uttering God's message and testifying to Jesus.

I turned to see whose voice it was that was speaking to me, and when I turned I saw seven gold lampstands,

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.

I know what you have done; your hard work and your endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, and that you have tested those who claimed to be apostles when they were not, and have found them to be impostors.

But I hold it against you that you do not love as you did at first.

But it is in your favor that you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, as I do.

Let everyone who can hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will permit him who is victorious to eat the fruit of the tree of life that stands in the Paradise of God.'

Yet I hold it somewhat against you that you have among you some adherents of the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entrap the children of Israel into eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols, and into immoral practices.

So repent, or else I will come to you quickly and make war upon them with the sword that is in my mouth.

I know the things you do, your love and faithfulness and helpfulness and endurance, and I know that you are now doing more than you did at first.

But I hold it against you that you tolerate that Jezebel of a woman who claims to be inspired and who is misleading my slaves and teaching them to practice immorality and to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols.

and I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches men's hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you for what you have done.

To him who is victorious and continues to the end to do the things that please me, I will give authority over the heathen??27 just such authority as I received from my Father; he will shepherd them with an iron staff and shatter them like earthen jars!??28 and I will give him the morning star.

I know what you are doing. See! I have put before you an open door that no one can close. I know that you have little strength, but you have obeyed my message and you have not disowned my name.

I will make some who belong to that synagogue of Satan and claim to be Jews when they are not so, but are lying?? will make them come and bow down at your feet, and learn that I loved you.

Because you have kept in mind the message of what I endured, I also will keep you safe in the time of testing that is going to come upon the whole world, to test the inhabitants of the earth.

I am coming soon. Keep hold of what you have, so that no one may deprive you of your crown.

I know what you are doing, and that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot!

Because you say, "I am rich, I have become wealthy, I need nothing," and you do not know that it is you that are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked,

I advise you to buy of me gold that has been tested with fire, so that you may be rich, and white clothes to put on, to keep your shameful nakedness from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, to make you see.

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."

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."

When he took the roll, the four animals and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each with a harp and gold bowls full of incense, that is, of the prayers of God's people.

saying in a loud voice, "The Lamb that was slaughtered deserves to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing."

Then I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, underneath the earth, and on the sea, and all that they contain, say, "Blessing, honor, glory, and power to him who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever!"

When he broke the sixth seal I saw that there was a great earthquake. The sun turned black as sackcloth; the full moon became like blood;

After that I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.

I heard that the number of those that were marked with the seal was 144,000. They were from every tribe of the children of Israel:

12,000 from the tribe of Judah that were marked; 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben; 12,000 from the tribe of Gad;

After that I saw a great crowd which no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

That is why they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, and he who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

Then another angel with a gold censer came and stood at the altar, and he was given a great quantity of incense so that he might mingle it with the prayers of all the saints on the altar of gold that stood before the throne.

The star is called Apsinthus, that is, Wormwood. Then one third of the waters turned to wormwood, and numbers of people died of the waters, for they had turned bitter.

Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one third of the sun was blasted, and one third of the moon and one third of the stars, so that one third of them were darkened, and there was no light for one third of the day and of the night.

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

They were not allowed to kill anyone, but only to torture them for five months, and the torture they inflicted was like that caused by a scorpion when it stings a man.

They had tails and stings like scorpions; it was in their tails that their power lay to harm men for five months.

Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the corners of the altar of gold that was before God

say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates."

Then the four angels who were held in readiness for that hour and day and month and year were let loose to kill one third of mankind.

One third of mankind were killed by these three plagues??he fire, smoke, and sulphur that poured from their mouths.

and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, that there should be no more delay,

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."

but leave out the court outside the temple; do not measure that, for it has been given up to the heathen, and for forty-two months they will trample on it.

They are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

If anyone tries to hurt them fire comes out of their mouths and consumes their enemies; if anyone tries to hurt them, he will certainly be killed in that way.

They have the power to shut up the sky, so that no rain will fall during the days when they are prophesying, and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to smite the earth with any plague whenever they please.

When they finish their testimony, the animal that comes up out of the abyss will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,

and their bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt??here their Lord also was crucified.

At that moment there was a great earthquake, and one tenth of the city was destroyed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were filled with awe, and acknowledged the glory of the God of heaven.

Therefore, rejoice, you heavens and you who live in them! But alas for the earth and the sea, for the devil has descended upon you in a great rage, for he knows that he has only a short time left."

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled down to the earth, he went in pursuit of the woman who had given birth to the male child.

But the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to her place in the desert, where she is to be taken care of for a time, times, and a half-time, on account of the serpent.

It opened its mouth in blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling-place, that is, those who live in heaven.

It leads the inhabitants of the earth astray by the wonders it is allowed to do on behalf of the animal, telling the inhabitants of the earth to erect a statue to the animal that bears the mark of the sword-thrust and yet lives.

It is also allowed to impart life to the animal's statue so that the animal's statue can speak, and to have all who do not worship the animal's statue killed.

and permits no one to buy or sell anything unless he bears the mark, that is, the animal's name or the number corresponding to its name.

And I heard a sound from heaven, like the sound of great waters, and loud peals of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing on their harps.

The grapes were trodden in the winepress outside the city, and blood poured out of the winepress in a stream so deep that for 200 miles it came up to the horses' bridles.

And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and standing upon the sea of glass those who had come off victorious from the animal and its statue and the number corresponding to its name. They had harps that God had given them,

Afterward I saw the temple, that is, the tent of the testimony, thrown open in heaven,

They are demon spirits that perform wonders, and they go out to the kings all over the world to muster them for battle on the great Day of God Almighty.

(See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who keeps awake, and keeps hold of his clothes, so that he will not have to go naked and be put to shame!)

On her forehead there was written a name that was symbolic: "Mighty Babylon, mother of idolatresses and of earth's abominations."

I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God's people, and the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her I was perfectly amazed,

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.

The animal that you saw was, and is no more; it is going to come up out of the abyss, but it is to go to destruction. The inhabitants of the earth, whose names from the foundation of the world have not been written in the book of life, will be amazed when they see that the animal was, and is no more, and yet is to come.

So must it be with the animal that was, and is no more. It is also an eighth king, although it is one of the seven, and it is to go to destruction.

The ten horns that you saw are also ten kings, who have not yet begun to reign, but for a single hour they receive authority as kings along with the animal.

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

The ten horns that you saw and the animal will hate the idolatrous woman and make her desolate and naked, and eat her flesh and burn her up with fire.

And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth."

Then I heard another voice from heaven say, "Come out of her, my people, so that you may not share in her sins, and suffer from her plagues.

and say, 'Alas! Alas for the great city that was dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and glittered with gold, precious stones, and pearls,

After that I heard what sounded like the loud shout of a great multitude in heaven saying, "Praise the Lord! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our 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."

Then I saw an angel standing on the sun, and shouting in a loud voice to all the birds that fly in midair, "Come! Gather for God's great banquet,

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.

and hurled him into the abyss and he closed it and sealed it over him, to keep him from leading the heathen astray any longer, until the thousand years are over; after that he has to be released for a little while.

Then I saw a great white throne with a being seated on it from whose presence earth and sky fled so far that they could not be found.

The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and the underworld gave up the dead that were in them, and they were all judged by what they had done.

in all the glory of God. It shone with a radiance like that of some very precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal.

He measured the wall and it was about 144 cubits (216 feet), as men measure, for that was the way the angel measured.

There will no longer be anything that is accursed. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his slaves will worship him;

See! I am coming very soon! Blessed is he who heeds the words of prophecy that are in this book."

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.

I warn everyone who hears the message of prophecy in this book read, that if anyone adds anything to it, God will inflict upon him the plagues that are described in this book;