The Sixth Seal: Terror

¹² And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great ^(A)earthquake; and the ^(B)sun became as black as ^(C)sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; ¹³ and ^(D)the stars of the sky fell to the earth, ^(E)as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. ^14 (F)The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and ^(G)every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵ Then ^(H)the kings of the earth and the eminent people, and the commanders and the wealthy and the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; ¹⁶ and they *^(I)said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the ^[a]sight of Him ^(J)who sits on the throne, and from the ^(K)wrath of the Lamb; ¹⁷ for ^(L)the great day of Their wrath has come, and ^(M)who is able to stand?”

A Multitude from the Tribulation

⁹ After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from ^(A)every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing ^(B)before the throne and ^(C)before the Lamb, clothed in ^(D)white robes, and ^(E)palm branches were in their hands; ¹⁰ and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying,

¹¹ And all the angels were standing ^(H)around the throne and around ^(I)the elders and the ^(J)four living creatures; and they ^(K)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying,

¹³ Then one of the elders ^(O)responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the ^(P)white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴ I ^[a]said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the ^(Q)great tribulation, and they have ^(R)washed their robes and made them ^(S)white in the ^(T)blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ For this reason they are ^(U)before the throne of God, and they ^(V)serve Him day and night in His ^[b](W)temple; and ^(X)He who sits on the throne will spread His ^(Y)tabernacle over them. ^16 (Z)They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun ^[c]beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; ¹⁷ for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their ^(AA)shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the ^[d](AB)water of life; and ^(AC)God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

³ Then out of the smoke came ^(A)locusts ^[a]upon the earth, and power was given them, as the ^(B)scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were told not to ^(C)hurt the ^(D)grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the ^(E)seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And ^[b]they were not permitted to kill ^[c]anyone, but to torment for ^(F)five months; and their torment was like the torment of a ^(G)scorpion when it ^[d]stings a person. ⁶ And in those days ^(H)people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death ^[e]will flee from them!

¹¹ And after the three and a half days, ^(A)the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. ¹² And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “^(B)Come up here.” And they ^(C)went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³ And ^[a]at that time there was a great ^(D)earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; ^[b]seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and ^(E)gave glory to the ^(F)God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second ^(G)woe has passed; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.