The Lord’s Great Victory Over the Nations

38 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, set your face against Gog,^(A) of the land of Magog,^(B) the chief prince of^[a] Meshek and Tubal;^(C) prophesy against him ³ and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of^[b] Meshek and Tubal.^{(D) 4} I will turn you around, put hooks^(E) in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords.^{(F) 5} Persia, Cush^[c](G) and Put^(H) will be with them, all with shields and helmets, ⁶ also Gomer^(I) with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah^(J) from the far north^(K) with all its troops—the many nations with you.

⁷ “‘Get ready; be prepared,^(L) you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. ⁸ After many days^(M) you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations^(N) to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.^{(O) 9} You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm;^(P) you will be like a cloud^(Q) covering the land.^(R)

¹⁰ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind^(S) and you will devise an evil scheme.^{(T) 11} You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people^(U)—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars.^{(V) 12} I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.^[d]” ¹³ Sheba^(W) and Dedan^(X) and the merchants of Tarshish^(Y) and all her villages^[e] will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?^(Z)”’

¹⁴ “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety,^(AA) will you not take notice of it? ¹⁵ You will come from your place in the far north,^(AB) you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.^{(AC) 16} You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud^(AD) that covers the land.^(AE) In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy^(AF) through you before their eyes.^(AG)

¹⁷ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. ¹⁸ This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁹ In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake^(AH) in the land of Israel.^{(AI) 20} The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble^(AJ) at my presence. The mountains will be overturned,^(AK) the cliffs will crumble^(AL) and every wall will fall to the ground.^{(AM) 21} I will summon a sword^(AN) against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother.^{(AO) 22} I will execute judgment^(AP) on him with plague and bloodshed;^(AQ) I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones^(AR) and burning sulfur^(AS) on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.^{(AT) 23} And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(AU)’

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb,^(A) standing on Mount Zion,^(B) and with him 144,000^(C) who had his name and his Father’s name^(D) written on their foreheads.^{(E) 2} And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters^(F) and like a loud peal of thunder.^(G) The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.^{(H) 3} And they sang a new song^(I) before the throne and before the four living creatures^(J) and the elders.^(K) No one could learn the song except the 144,000^(L) who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins.^(M) They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.^(N) They were purchased from among mankind^(O) and offered as firstfruits^(P) to God and the Lamb. ⁵ No lie was found in their mouths;^(Q) they are blameless.^(R)

The Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in midair,^(S) and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth^(T)—to every nation, tribe, language and people.^{(U) 7} He said in a loud voice, “Fear God^(V) and give him glory,^(W) because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made^(X) the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”^(Y)

⁸ A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’^[a](Z) which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”^(AA)

⁹ A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast^(AB) and its image^(AC) and receives its mark on their forehead^(AD) or on their hand, ¹⁰ they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury,^(AE) which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.^(AF) They will be tormented with burning sulfur^(AG) in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever.^(AH) There will be no rest day or night^(AI) for those who worship the beast and its image,^(AJ) or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”^{(AK) 12} This calls for patient endurance^(AL) on the part of the people of God^(AM) who keep his commands^(AN) and remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord^(AO) from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit,^(AP) “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

¹⁴ I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,^(AQ) and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man^[b](AR) with a crown^(AS) of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ Then another angel came out of the temple^(AT) and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle^(AU) and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest^(AV) of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.^{(AW) 18} Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar^(AX) and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle^(AY) and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^{(AZ) 20} They were trampled in the winepress^(BA) outside the city,^(BB) and blood^(BC) flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^[c]

Psalm 118