Revelation 4-8 (Contemporary English Version)

Revelation 4

Worship in Heaven

 ¹After this, I looked and saw a door that opened into heaven. Then the voice that had spoken to me at first and that sounded like a trumpet said, "Come up here! I will show you what must happen next." ²Right then the Spirit took control of me, and there in heaven I saw a throne and someone sitting on it. ³The one who was sitting there sparkled like precious stones of jasper ^[a] and carnelian. ^[b] A rainbow that looked like an emerald ^[c] surrounded the throne. ⁴Twenty-four other thrones were in a circle around that throne. And on each of these thrones there was an elder dressed in white clothes and wearing a gold crown. ⁵Flashes of lightning and roars of thunder came out from the throne in the center of the circle. Seven torches, which are the seven spirits of God, were burning in front of the throne. ⁶Also in front of the throne was something that looked like a glass sea, clear as crystal.

   Around the throne in the center were four living creatures covered front and back with eyes. ⁷The first creature was like a lion, the second one was like a bull, the third one had the face of a human, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. ⁸Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and their bodies were covered with eyes. Day and night they never stopped singing,

   "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord,

   the all-powerful God,

   who was and is

   and is coming!"

    ⁹The living creatures kept praising, honoring, and thanking the one who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever. ¹⁰At the same time the twenty-four elders knelt down before the one sitting on the throne. And as they worshiped the one who lives forever, they placed their crowns in front of the throne and said,

    ¹¹"Our Lord and God,

   you are worthy

   to receive glory,

   honor, and power.

   You created all things,

   and by your decision they are

   and were created."

   

Revelation 5

The Scroll and the Lamb

 ¹In the right hand of the one sitting on the throne I saw a scroll ^[d] that had writing on the inside and on the outside. And it was sealed in seven places. ²I saw a mighty angel ask with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" ³No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or see inside it. ⁴I cried hard because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or see inside it. ⁵Then one of the elders said to me, "Stop crying and look! The one who is called both the `Lion from the Tribe of Judah' <sup>[e]</sup> and `King David's Great Descendant' ^[f] has won the victory. He will open the book and its seven seals."

    ⁶Then I looked and saw a Lamb standing in the center of the throne that was surrounded by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb looked as if it had once been killed. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits ^[g] of God, sent out to all the earth. ⁷The Lamb went over and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. ⁸After he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders knelt down before him. Each of them had a harp and a gold bowl full of incense, ^[h] which are the prayers of God's people. ⁹Then they sang a new song, "You are worthy

   to receive the scroll

   and open its seals,

   because you were killed.

   And with your own blood

   you bought for God

   people from every tribe,

   language, nation, and race.

    ¹⁰You let them become kings

   and serve God as priests,

   and they will rule on earth."

    ¹¹As I looked, I heard the voices of a lot of angels around the throne and the voices of the living creatures and of the elders. There were millions and millions of them, ¹²and they were saying in a loud voice,

   "The Lamb who was killed

   is worthy to receive power,

   riches, wisdom, strength,

   honor, glory, and praise."

    ¹³Then I heard all beings in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea offer praise. Together, all of them were saying,

   "Praise, honor, glory,

   and strength

   forever and ever

   to the one who sits

   on the throne

   and to the Lamb!"

    ¹⁴The four living creatures said "Amen," while the elders knelt down and worshiped.

   

Revelation 6

Opening the Seven Seals

 ¹At the same time that I saw the Lamb open the first of the seven seals, I heard one of the four living creatures shout with a voice like thunder. It said, "Come out!" ²Then I saw a white horse. Its rider carried a bow and was given a crown. He had already won some victories, and he went out to win more.

    ³When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come out!" ⁴Then another horse came out. It was fiery red. And its rider was given the power to take away all peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. He was also given a big sword.

    ⁵When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come out!" Then I saw a black horse, and its rider had a balance scale in one hand. ⁶I heard what sounded like a voice from somewhere among the four living creatures. It said, "A quart of wheat will cost you a whole day's wages! Three quarts of barley will cost you a day's wages too. But don't ruin the olive oil or the wine."

    ⁷When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come out!" ⁸Then I saw a pale green horse. Its rider was named Death, and Death's Kingdom followed behind. They were given power over one fourth of the earth, and they could kill its people with swords, famines, diseases, and wild animals.

    ⁹When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of everyone who had been killed for speaking God's message and telling about their faith. ¹⁰They shouted, "Master, you are holy and faithful! How long will it be before you judge and punish the people of this earth who killed us?"

    ¹¹Then each of those who had been killed was given a white robe and told to rest for a little while. They had to wait until the complete number of the Lord's other servants and followers would be killed.

    ¹²When I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, I looked and saw a great earthquake. The sun turned as dark as sackcloth, ^[i] and the moon became as red as blood. ¹³The stars in the sky fell to earth, just like figs shaken loose by a windstorm. ¹⁴Then the sky was rolled up like a scroll, ^[j] and all mountains and islands were moved from their places. ¹⁵The kings of the earth, its famous people, and its military leaders hid in caves or behind rocks on the mountains. They hid there together with the rich and the powerful and with all the slaves and free people. ¹⁶Then they shouted to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us! Hide us from the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb. ¹⁷That terrible day has come! God and the Lamb will show their anger, and who can face it?"

   

Revelation 7

The 144,000 Are Marked for God

 ^1-2After this I saw four angels. Each one was standing on one of the earth's four corners. The angels held back the four winds, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. These angels had also been given the power to harm the earth and the sea. Then I saw another angel come up from where the sun rises in the east, and he was ready to put the mark of the living God on people. He shouted to the four angels, ³"Don't harm the earth or the sea or any tree! Wait until I have marked the foreheads of the servants of our God."

    ⁴Then I heard how many people had been marked on the forehead. There were one hundred forty-four thousand, and they came from every tribe of Israel:

    ⁵12,000 from Judah,

   12,000 from Reuben,

   12,000 from Gad,

    ⁶12,000 from Asher,

   12,000 from Naphtali,

   12,000 from Manasseh,

    ⁷12,000 from Simeon,

   12,000 from Levi,

   12,000 from Issachar,

    ⁸12,000 from Zebulun,

   12,000 from Joseph, and

   12,000 from Benjamin.

   

People from Every Nation

 ⁹After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰as they shouted,

   "Our God, who sits

   upon the throne,

   has the power

   to save his people,

   and so does the Lamb."

    ¹¹The angels who stood around the throne knelt in front of it with their faces to the ground. The elders and the four living creatures knelt there with them. Then they all worshiped God ¹²and said,

   "Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom,

   thanks, honor, power,

   and strength belong to our God

   forever and ever! Amen!"

    ¹³One of the elders asked me, "Do you know who these people are that are dressed in white robes? Do you know where they come from?"

    ¹⁴"Sir," I answered, "you must know."

   Then he told me:

   "These are the ones

   who have gone through

   the great suffering.

   They have washed their robes

   in the blood of the Lamb

   and have made them white.

    ¹⁵And so they stand

   before the throne of God

   and worship him in his temple

   day and night.

   The one who sits on the throne

   will spread his tent

   over them.

    ¹⁶They will never hunger

   or thirst again,

   and they won't be troubled

   by the sun

   or any scorching heat.

    ¹⁷The Lamb in the center

   of the throne

   will be their shepherd.

   He will lead them to streams

   of life-giving water,

   and God will wipe all tears

   from their eyes."

   

Revelation 8

The Seventh Seal Is Opened

 ¹When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ²I noticed that the seven angels who stood before God were each given a trumpet.

    ³Another angel, who had a gold container for incense, ^[k] came and stood at the altar. This one was given a lot of incense to offer with the prayers of God's people on the gold altar in front of the throne. ⁴Then the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God's people, went up to God from the hand of the angel. ⁵After this, the angel filled the incense container with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth. Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and the earth shook.

   

The Trumpets

 ⁶The seven angels now got ready to blow their trumpets.

    ⁷When the first angel blew his trumpet, hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. A third of the earth, a third of the trees, and a third of all green plants were burned.

    ⁸When the second angel blew his trumpet, something like a great fiery mountain was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, ⁹a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

    ¹⁰When the third angel blew his trumpet, a great star fell from heaven. It was burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on a third of the springs of water. ¹¹The name of the star was Bitter, and a third of the water turned bitter. Many people died because the water was so bitter.

    ¹²When the fourth angel blew his trumpet, a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck. They each lost a third of their light. So during a third of the day there was no light, and a third of the night was also without light.

    ¹³Then I looked and saw a lone eagle flying across the sky. It was shouting, "Trouble, trouble, trouble to everyone who lives on earth! The other three angels are now going to blow their trumpets."