The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

8 When the Lamb opened ^(A)the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ² Then I saw the seven angels ^(B)who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. ³ And another angel came and stood ^(C)at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with ^(D)the prayers of all the saints on ^(E)the golden altar before the throne, ⁴ and ^(F)the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer and ^(G)filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and ^(H)there were peals of ^(I)thunder, rumblings,^[a] flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

The Seven Trumpets

⁶ Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

⁷ The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed ^(J)hail and ^(K)fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a ^(L)third of the earth was burned up, and a third of ^(M)the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

⁸ The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like ^(N)a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea ^(O)became blood. ⁹ A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of ^(P)the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel blew his trumpet, and ^(Q)a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on ^(R)the springs of water. ¹¹ The name of the star is Wormwood.^[b] A third of the waters ^(S)became wormwood, and many people died from the water, ^(T)because it had been made bitter.

¹² The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of ^(U)the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

¹³ Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, ^(V)“Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

9 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and ^(W)I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given ^(X)the key to the shaft of ^(Y)the bottomless pit.^{[c] 2} He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft ^(Z)rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and ^(AA)the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. ³ Then from the smoke came ^(AB)locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. ⁴ They were told ^(AC)not to harm ^(AD)the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have ^(AE)the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ They were allowed to torment them ^(AF)for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. ⁶ And in those days ^(AG)people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

^7 (AH)In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: ^(AI)on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were ^(AJ)like human faces, ⁸ their hair like women's hair, and ^(AK)their teeth like lions' teeth; ⁹ they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was ^(AL)like the noise of many chariots with ^(AM)horses rushing into battle. ¹⁰ They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people ^(AN)for five months is in their tails. ¹¹ They have ^(AO)as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is ^(AP)Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.^[d]

^12 (AQ)The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

¹³ Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from ^(AR)the four horns of the golden altar before God, ¹⁴ saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release ^(AS)the four angels who are bound at ^(AT)the great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released ^(AU)to kill a third of mankind. ¹⁶ The number of ^(AV)mounted troops was ^(AW)twice ten thousand times ten thousand; ^(AX)I heard their number. ¹⁷ And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire^[e] and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were ^(AY)like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. ¹⁸ By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. ¹⁹ For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

²⁰ The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, ^(AZ)did not repent of ^(BA)the works of their hands nor give up worshiping ^(BB)demons ^(BC)and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, ²¹ nor did they repent of their murders or their ^(BD)sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with ^(BE)a rainbow over his head, and ^(BF)his face was like the sun, and ^(BG)his legs like pillars of fire. ^2 (BH)He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, ³ and called out with a loud voice, ^(BI)like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. ⁴ And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ^(BJ)“Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” ⁵ And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land ^(BK)raised his right hand to heaven ⁶ and swore by ^(BL)him who lives forever and ever, ^(BM)who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, ⁷ but that ^(BN)in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, ^(BO)just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

⁸ Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, ^(BP)“Take and ^(BQ)eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰ And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ And I was told, ^(BR)“You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

The Two Witnesses

11 Then I was given ^(BS)a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, ² but do not measure ^(BT)the court outside the temple; leave that out, for ^(BU)it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for ^(BV)forty-two months. ³ And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for ^(BW)1,260 days, ^(BX)clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴ These are ^(BY)the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone would harm them, ^(BZ)fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, ^(CA)this is how he is doomed to be killed. ⁶ They have the power ^(CB)to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and ^(CC)to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. ⁷ And when they have finished their testimony, ^(CD)the beast that rises from ^(CE)the bottomless pit^{[f] (CF)}will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, ⁸ and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically^[g] is called ^(CG)Sodom and ^(CH)Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. ⁹ For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and ^(CI)refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, ¹⁰ and ^(CJ)those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and ^(CK)exchange presents, because these two prophets ^(CL)had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹ But after the three and a half days ^(CM)a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ^(CN)“Come up here!” And ^(CO)they went up to heaven ^(CP)in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³ And at that hour there was ^(CQ)a great earthquake, and ^(CR)a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and ^(CS)gave glory to ^(CT)the God of heaven.

^14 (CU)The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ Then ^(CV)the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and ^(CW)there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ^(CX)“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(CY)his Christ, and ^(CZ)he shall reign forever and ever.” ¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders ^(DA)who sit on their thrones before God ^(DB)fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying,

¹⁹ Then ^(DI)God's temple in heaven was opened, and ^(DJ)the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,^[h] peals of thunder, an earthquake, and ^(DK)heavy hail.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

13 ^(A)And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” ² And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? ^(B)There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

³ And as he sat on ^(C)the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, ^(D)Peter and James and John and ^(E)Andrew asked him ^(F)privately, ⁴ “Tell us, ^(G)when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵ And Jesus began to say to them, ^(H)“See that no one leads you astray. ^6 (I)Many will come in my name, saying, ^(J)‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷ And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, ^(K)do not be alarmed. This ^(L)must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁸ For ^(M)nation will rise against nation, and ^(N)kingdom against kingdom. There will be ^(O)earthquakes in various places; there will be ^(P)famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

^9 (Q)“But ^(R)be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten ^(S)in synagogues, and you will stand before ^(T)governors and ^(U)kings for my sake, ^(V)to bear witness before them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed ^(W)to all nations. ¹¹ And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, ^(X)do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say ^(Y)whatever is given you in that hour, ^(Z)for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ^12 (AA)And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ^13 (AB)And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. ^(AC)But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

¹⁴ “But when you see ^(AD)the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (^(AE)let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ^15 (AF)Let the one who is on ^(AG)the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, ¹⁶ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁷ And ^(AH)alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ¹⁸ Pray that it may not happen in winter. ¹⁹ For in those days there will be ^(AI)such ^(AJ)tribulation as has not been ^(AK)from the beginning of the creation that ^(AL)God created until now, and never will be. ²⁰ And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for ^(AM)the sake of the elect, whom ^(AN)he chose, he shortened the days. ²¹ And ^(AO)then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. ^22 (AP)For false christs and false prophets will arise and ^(AQ)perform signs and wonders, ^(AR)to lead astray, if possible, ^(AS)the elect. ²³ But ^(AT)be on guard; ^(AU)I have told you all things beforehand.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ “But in those days, after ^(AV)that tribulation, ^(AW)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ and ^(AX)the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶ And then they will see ^(AY)the Son of Man coming in clouds ^(AZ)with great power and glory. ²⁷ And then ^(BA)he will send out the angels and ^(BB)gather ^(BC)his elect from ^(BD)the four winds, from ^(BE)the ends of the earth ^(BF)to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁸ “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, ^(BG)at the very gates. ^30 (BH)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ^31 (BI)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(BJ)my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day or Hour

³² “But concerning that day or that hour, ^(BK)no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, ^(BL)nor the Son, ^(BM)but only the Father. ^33 (BN)Be on guard, ^(BO)keep awake.^[a] For you do not know when the time will come. ^34 (BP)It is like a man ^(BQ)going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants^[b] in charge, ^(BR)each with his work, and commands ^(BS)the doorkeeper to stay awake. ^35 (BT)Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, ^(BU)in the evening, or ^(BV)at midnight, or ^(BW)when the rooster crows,^[c] or ^(BX)in the morning— ³⁶ lest ^(BY)he come suddenly and ^(BZ)find you asleep. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: ^(CA)Stay awake.”

Repent or Perish

13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood ^(A)Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And he answered them, ^(B)“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³ No, I tell you; but unless you ^(C)repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in ^(D)Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you; but unless you ^(E)repent, you will all likewise perish.”