The Future House of God^(A)

2 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

The Day of the Lord

The New Birth

3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ^2 (A)This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for ^(B)no one can do these signs that You do unless ^(C)God is with him.”

³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(D)unless one is born ^[a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(E)unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is ^(F)flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ^8 (G)The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said to Him, ^(H)“How can these things be?”

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? ^11 (I)Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and ^(J)you do not receive Our witness. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ^13 (K)No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man ^[b]who is in heaven. ^14 (L)And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so ^(M)must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever ^(N)believes in Him should ^[c]not perish but ^(O)have eternal life. ^16 (P)For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten ^(Q)Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ^17 (R)For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

^18 (S)“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, ^(T)that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For ^(U)everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. ²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been ^(V)done in God.”

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and behold, ^[a]a ^(A)Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him ^(B)one hundred and forty-four thousand, ^[b]having His Father’s name ^(C)written on their foreheads. ² And I heard a voice from heaven, ^(D)like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of ^(E)harpists playing their harps. ³ They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song ^(F)except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are the ones who were not defiled with women, ^(G)for they are virgins. These are the ones ^(H)who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These ^(I)were ^[c]redeemed from among men, ^(J)being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. ⁵ And ^(K)in their mouth was found no ^[d]deceit, for ^(L)they are without fault ^[e]before the throne of God.

The Proclamations of Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel ^(M)flying in the midst of heaven, ^(N)having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—^(O)to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— ⁷ saying with a loud voice, ^(P)“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; ^(Q)and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

⁸ And another angel followed, saying, ^(R)“Babylon^[f] is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because ^(S)she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

⁹ Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ^(T)“If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his ^(U)mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he himself ^(V)shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is ^(W)poured out full strength into ^(X)the cup of His indignation. ^(Y)He shall be tormented with ^(Z)fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And ^(AA)the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

^12 (AB)Here is the ^[g]patience of the saints; ^(AC)here^[h] are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven saying ^[i]to me, “Write: ^(AD)‘Blessed are the dead ^(AE)who die in the Lord from now on.’ ”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, ^(AF)“that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow ^(AG)them.”

Reaping the Earth’s Harvest

¹⁴ Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. ¹⁵ And another angel ^(AH)came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ^(AI)“Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come ^[j]for You to reap, for the harvest ^(AJ)of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Reaping the Grapes of Wrath

¹⁷ Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

¹⁸ And another angel came out from the altar, ^(AK)who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, ^(AL)“Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.” ¹⁹ So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into ^(AM)the great winepress of the wrath of God. ²⁰ And ^(AN)the winepress was trampled ^(AO)outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, ^(AP)up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred ^[k]furlongs.

Prelude to the Bowl Judgments

15 Then ^(AQ)I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: ^(AR)seven angels having the seven last plagues, ^(AS)for in them the wrath of God is complete.

² And I saw something like ^(AT)a sea of glass ^(AU)mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, ^(AV)over his image and ^[l]over his mark and over the ^(AW)number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, ^(AX)having harps of God. ³ They sing ^(AY)the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the ^(AZ)Lamb, saying: