John to the seven churches in Asia: spiritual blessing and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven spirits that are before His throne,

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come, the Almighty.

On the Lord's day I was in the Spirit's power, and I heard a voice like a trumpet behind me say:

I turned to see who it was that was speaking to me, and as I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,

His feet were like bronze refined to white heat in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters.

In His right hand He was holding seven stars, and a sharp, double-edged sword was coming out of His mouth, and His face was shining like the sun at midday.

yea, the ever-living One. I once was dead, but now I live forever and ever. I carry the keys of death and the underworld.

"To the messenger of the church in Smyrna write: "'The First and the Last, who once was dead but came to life again, speaks as follows:

"I know where you live, where Satan has his throne. Yet you are clinging to my name and have never renounced your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful martyred witness, who was put to death among you, right where Satan lives,

After this I had another vision: A door was standing open in heaven, and the first voice, like a trumpet, that I had heard speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place."

Immediately I was under the Spirit's power, and I saw a throne in heaven with One seated on it.

The One who was seated on it looked like jasper or sardius, and around the throne there was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.

Also in front of the throne there was something like a sea of glass as clear as crystal. Around the throne, at the middle of each side were four living creatures dotted with eyes in front and behind,

The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man's, and the fourth was like an eagle flying.

And the four living creatures have each of them six wings, and they are dotted with eyes all around and beneath the wings. And day and night they never cease saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and is and is to come."

Then I saw in the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne a book with writing on both sides, sealed with seven seals.

He came and took the book from the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne.

Then I looked and heard the voices of many angels surrounding the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. Their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,

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

Then I looked, and a white horse appeared, and his rider was carrying a bow. A crown was given to him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer.

And another horse came forth, as red as fire, and power was given to its rider to take peace away from the earth, and to make men slaughter one another; a great sword was given to him.

When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature, say, "Come!" I looked, and a black horse appeared, and its rider was carrying a pair of scales in his hands,

I looked, and a pale horse appeared, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. Power was given to them over one quarter of the earth, to kill the people with sword, famine, death, and the wild animals of the earth.

Then a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to keep quiet a little while longer, until the number of their fellow-slaves and brothers, who were killed as they had been, was complete.

When He broke the sixth seal, I looked, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun turned black as sackcloth, and the full moon became like blood,

The sky was swept away just like a scroll that is rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

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,

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

Then another angel with a censer of gold came and stood at the altar, and a great quantity of incense was given to him to mingle with the prayers of all God's people, on the altar of gold that stood before the throne.

The first one blew his trumpet, and there was a shower of hail and fire mixed with blood as it hurled itself upon the earth, and one-third of the earth was burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and what seemed to be a great mountain, all ablaze with fire, hurled itself into the sea, and one-third of the sea was turned into blood,

Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one-third of the sun was cursed with a plague, 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 for one-third of the night.

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,

Out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, but the power that was given to them was like the power of earthly scorpions.

They were not permitted to kill them, but only to torture them for five months, and the torture they inflicted was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings a man.

they had breastplates that seemed to be made of steel; the noise of their wings was like the noise of vast numbers of chariots and horses rushing into battle;

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

The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard their number.

One-third of mankind was killed by these three plagues: the fire, smoke, and sulphur that kept pouring out of their mouths.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was clothed in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, his legs were like pillars of fire,

When the seven thunders had rumbled, I was going to write it down, but I heard a voice from heaven say: "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down!"

Then a measuring rod like a staff was given to me, and I was told: "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar, counting those who worship there,

and their lifeless bodies will lie on the streets of the great city that is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord also was crucified.

At that very hour there was a great earthquake, and one-tenth of the city went down. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were stricken with awe, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Then the doors of God's temple in heaven were thrown open, and inside the temple was seen the chest containing God's covenant, and there followed flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and heavy hail.

Then a great symbol was seen in heaven -- a woman clothed in the sun with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

She was about to become a mother, and she cried out in anguish in giving birth to a child.

Another symbol was seen in heaven -- there was a huge dragon, red as fire, with seven heads and ten horns, with seven diadems on his heads.

His tail was dragging after it a third part of the stars of heaven and dashed them down upon the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth to a child, in order to devour her child as soon as it was born.

She gave birth to a son, a male child who is going to rule all the nations with a scepter of iron; and the child was caught up to God, to His throne.

but they were defeated, and there was no room for them in heaven any longer.

So the huge dragon, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him.

So the dragon was enraged against the woman, and he went off to make war with the rest of her descendants, who continue to keep God's commands and to bear testimony to Jesus.

The wild beast which I saw was like a leopard, but his feet were like a bear's, and his mouth was like a lion's mouth. To him the dragon gave his own power and throne with great authority.

I saw that one of his heads seemed to have been mortally wounded, but its mortal wound had been healed. And the whole world was so amazed that they followed the wild beast,

Then there was given to the wild beast a mouth that uttered boastful, blasphemous words, and permission to wield his authority for forty-two months.

Permission was given to him to make war on God's people and to conquer them; authority was given to him over every tribe, people, language, and nation.

Then I looked, and there the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand people who had His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.

And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of great waters and the rumbling of loud thunders. The sound that I heard was like that of harpists playing on their harps.

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.

Then another angel came out of the temple and cried in a loud voice to Him who was seated on the cloud, "Put forth your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, because the earth's harvest is ripe."

So He who was seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

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

(15:7) and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory and power of God, and no one could go into the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were at an end.

Then the second angel emptied his bowl into the sea, and it turned into blood like a dead man's, and every living thing that was in the sea died.

Then the fourth angel emptied his bowl upon the sun, and permission was given it to scorch mankind with its fiery heat,

Then the fifth angel emptied his bowl upon the throne of the wild beast, and his kingdom was shrouded in darkness, and men in agony gnawed their tongues,

Then there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder; then there was a great earthquake, an earthquake so great that none like it had ever been since man first existed on the earth.

The great city was broken into three parts; the cities of the heathen fell, and God remembered to give mighty Babylon the cup of the wine of His raging wrath,

huge hailstones as heavy as talents fell on men from heaven, and men cursed God for the plague of hail, because the torture of it was severe.

The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, decorated in gold and precious stones and pearls, and she had in her hand a cup of gold, full of abominations and the impurities of her immorality.

On her forehead was written a name with a symbolical meaning, "Mighty Babylon, the mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations."

I saw the woman drinking herself drunk with the blood of God's people and the blood of the martyred witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was utterly astonished,

The wild beast that you saw, once was but now is no more; he is going to come up out of the abyss, but he is going to be destroyed. The inhabitants of the earth, whose names from the foundation of the world have not been written in the book of life, will be astonished when they see that the wild beast once was but now is no more, and yet is to come.

So it is with the wild beast that once was but is no more; he is the eighth, and yet is one of the seven, and he is going to be destroyed.

He also said to me: "The waters that you saw, on which the prostitute was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority and the earth was lighted up with his splendor.

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

and cried out when they saw the smoke from her burning, 'What city was like the great city?'

Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, "Amen! Praise the Lord!"

Then I saw heaven thrown open and a white horse appeared. His rider was called Faithful and True, and in justice He passes judgment and wages war.

His eyes were like coals of fire. On His head were many diadems, and on Him a name was written which no one knew but Himself.

He wore a garment dipped in blood, and His name was the Word of God.

Then the wild beast was captured and with him the false prophet who performed wonders in his presence, by which he led astray those who let the mark of the wild beast be put on them and worshiped his statue. Both of them were hurled alive into the fiery lake that burns with brimstone.

Then I saw thrones and those who were seated on them, and permission was granted them to pass judgment, even those who had been beheaded for bearing testimony to Jesus and for preaching the word of God, who refused to worship the wild beast and his statue, and would not let his mark be stamped upon their foreheads and upon their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Then the devil who led them astray was hurled into the fiery lake of burning brimstone, where the wild beast and false prophet were, and there they are to be tortured day and night forever and ever.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it, from whose presence earth and sky fled away, no more to be found.

I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened; it was the book of life, And the dead were judged by what was written in the books in accordance with what they had done.

If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was hurled into the fiery lake.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

Then He who was seated on the throne said, "See! I am making everything new." He continued, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true."

and it continued to retain the glory of God. The luster of it was like a very precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal.

The angel who was talking with me had a measuring rod of gold, to measure the city, its gates and wall.

The city lies in a square, its length the same as its breadth. He measured the city with his rod, and it was one thousand, five hundred miles. Its length, breadth, and height were the same.

The material of its wall was jasper, but the city itself was pure gold, as transparent as glass.

The foundation stones of the city's wall were ornamented with all sorts of precious stones. The first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate built of a single pearl. The Broadway of the city was pure gold, as transparent as glass.

It is I, John, who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell at the feet of the angel who was showing them to me, to worship him.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so as to have a right to the tree of life and to enter the gates of the city.