² but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months.^{(A) 3} And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth.”^(B)

⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.^{(C) 5} And if anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this manner.^{(D) 6} They have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.^(E)

⁷ When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will wage war on them and conquer them and kill them,^{(F) 8} and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is prophetically^[a] called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.^{(G) 9} For three and a half days members of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, ¹⁰ and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and exchange presents, because these two prophets tormented the inhabitants of the earth.^(H)

¹¹ But after the three and a half days, the breath^[b] of life from God entered the two witnesses,^[c] and they stood on their feet, and those who saw them were terrified.^{(I) 12} Then they^[d] heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watched them.^{(J) 13} At that moment there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.^(K)

¹⁴ The second woe has passed. The third woe is coming very soon.^(L)

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,

¹⁶ Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,^{(N) 17} singing,

¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple, and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.^(Q)

Godlessness in the Last Days

3 You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. ² For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,^{(A) 3} unfeeling, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good,^{(B) 4} treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,^{(C) 5} holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them! ⁶ For among them are those who make their way into households and captivate immature women, overwhelmed by their sins and swayed by all kinds of desires,^{(D) 7} who are always studying yet never able to recognize truth. ⁸ As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these people, of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith, also oppose the truth.^{(E) 9} But they will not make much progress because, as in the case of those two men,^[a] their folly will become plain to everyone.

Paul’s Charge to Timothy

¹⁰ Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,^{(F) 11} my persecutions, and my sufferings, the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.^{(G) 12} Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.^{(H) 13} But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived.^{(I) 14} But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have known sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All scripture is inspired by God and is^[b] useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,^{(J) 17} so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.^(K)

False Asceticism

4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later^[a] times some will renounce^[b] the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,^{(A) 2} through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. ³ They forbid marriage and abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.^(B)

³ Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one^[a] is revealed, the one destined for destruction.^{[b](A) 4} He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.^{(B) 5} Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? ⁶ And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed when his time comes. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed.^{(C) 8} And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus^[c] will destroy^[d] with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming.^{(D) 9} The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders,^{(E) 10} and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.^{(F) 11} For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false,^{(G) 12} so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.^(H)

The Dragon Fights Again on Earth

¹³ So when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued^[a] the woman who had delivered the male child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.^{(A) 15} Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood.^{(B) 16} But the earth came to the help of the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon was angry with the woman and went off to wage war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.^(C)