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. 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. 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. 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. 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

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— 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.”

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.”

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.

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. They sing (AY)the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the (AZ)Lamb, saying:

(BA)“Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
(BB)Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the [m]saints!
(BC)Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are (BD)holy.
For (BE)all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.”

After these things I looked, and [n]behold, (BF)the [o]temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the [p]temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, (BG)clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. (BH)Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God (BI)who lives forever and ever. (BJ)The temple was filled with smoke (BK)from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

The Seven Bowls

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying (BL)to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the [q]bowls (BM)of the wrath of God on the earth.”

First Bowl: Loathsome Sores

So the first went and poured out his bowl (BN)upon the earth, and a [r]foul and (BO)loathsome sore came upon the men (BP)who had the mark of the beast and those (BQ)who worshiped his image.

Second Bowl: The Sea Turns to Blood

Then the second angel poured out his bowl (BR)on the sea, and (BS)it became blood as of a dead man; (BT)and every living creature in the sea died.

Third Bowl: The Waters Turn to Blood

Then the third angel poured out his bowl (BU)on the rivers and springs of water, (BV)and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying:

(BW)“You are righteous, [s]O Lord,
The One (BX)who is and who [t]was and who is to be,
Because You have judged these things.
For (BY)they have shed the blood (BZ)of saints and prophets,
(CA)And You have given them blood to drink.
[u]For it is their just due.”

And I heard [v]another from the altar saying, “Even so, (CB)Lord God Almighty, (CC)true and righteous are Your judgments.”

Fourth Bowl: Men Are Scorched

Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl (CD)on the sun, (CE)and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they (CF)blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; (CG)and they did not repent (CH)and give Him glory.

Fifth Bowl: Darkness and Pain

10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl (CI)on the throne of the beast, (CJ)and his kingdom became full of darkness; (CK)and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dried Up

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl (CL)on the great river Euphrates, (CM)and its water was dried up, (CN)so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean (CO)spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of (CP)the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of (CQ)the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, (CR)performing signs, which go out to the kings [w]of the earth and of (CS)the whole world, to gather them to (CT)the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15 (CU)“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, (CV)lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

16 (CW)And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, [x]Armageddon.

Seventh Bowl: The Earth Utterly Shaken

17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, (CX)“It is done!” 18 And (CY)there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; (CZ)and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake (DA)as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now (DB)the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And (DC)great Babylon (DD)was remembered before God, (DE)to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then (DF)every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 14:1 NU, M the
  2. Revelation 14:1 NU, M add His name and
  3. Revelation 14:4 M adds by Jesus
  4. Revelation 14:5 NU, M falsehood
  5. Revelation 14:5 NU, M omit the rest of v. 5.
  6. Revelation 14:8 NU Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, which has made; M Babylon the great is fallen. She has made
  7. Revelation 14:12 steadfastness, perseverance
  8. Revelation 14:12 NU, M omit here are those
  9. Revelation 14:13 NU, M omit to me
  10. Revelation 14:15 NU, M omit for You
  11. Revelation 14:20 Lit. stadia, about 184 miles in all
  12. Revelation 15:2 NU, M omit over his mark
  13. Revelation 15:3 NU, M nations
  14. Revelation 15:5 NU, M omit behold
  15. Revelation 15:5 sanctuary, the inner shrine
  16. Revelation 15:6 sanctuary, the inner shrine
  17. Revelation 16:1 NU, M seven bowls
  18. Revelation 16:2 severe and malignant, lit. bad and evil
  19. Revelation 16:5 NU, M omit O Lord
  20. Revelation 16:5 NU, M was, the Holy One
  21. Revelation 16:6 NU, M omit For
  22. Revelation 16:7 NU, M omit another from
  23. Revelation 16:14 NU, M omit of the earth and
  24. Revelation 16:16 Lit. Mount Megiddo; M Megiddo

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) 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) 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. 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. No lie was found in their mouths;(Q) they are blameless.(R)

The Three Angels

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) 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)

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)

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]

Seven Angels With Seven Plagues

15 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign:(BD) seven angels(BE) with the seven last plagues(BF)—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass(BG) glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious(BH) over the beast(BI) and its image(BJ) and over the number of its name.(BK) They held harps(BL) given them by God and sang the song of God’s servant(BM) Moses(BN) and of the Lamb:(BO)

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,(BP)
    Lord God Almighty.(BQ)
Just and true are your ways,(BR)
    King of the nations.[d]
Who will not fear you, Lord,(BS)
    and bring glory to your name?(BT)
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
    and worship before you,(BU)
for your righteous acts(BV) have been revealed.”[e]

After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple(BW)—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law(BX)—and it was opened.(BY) Out of the temple(BZ) came the seven angels with the seven plagues.(CA) They were dressed in clean, shining linen(CB) and wore golden sashes around their chests.(CC) Then one of the four living creatures(CD) gave to the seven angels(CE) seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.(CF) And the temple was filled with smoke(CG) from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple(CH) until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple(CI) saying to the seven angels,(CJ) “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”(CK)

The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land,(CL) and ugly, festering sores(CM) broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.(CN)

The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.(CO)

The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water,(CP) and they became blood.(CQ) Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

“You are just in these judgments,(CR) O Holy One,(CS)
    you who are and who were;(CT)
for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets,(CU)
    and you have given them blood to drink(CV) as they deserve.”

And I heard the altar(CW) respond:

“Yes, Lord God Almighty,(CX)
    true and just are your judgments.”(CY)

The fourth angel(CZ) poured out his bowl on the sun,(DA) and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire.(DB) They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God,(DC) who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent(DD) and glorify him.(DE)

10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast,(DF) and its kingdom was plunged into darkness.(DG) People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed(DH) the God of heaven(DI) because of their pains and their sores,(DJ) but they refused to repent of what they had done.(DK)

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates,(DL) and its water was dried up to prepare the way(DM) for the kings from the East.(DN) 13 Then I saw three impure spirits(DO) that looked like frogs;(DP) they came out of the mouth of the dragon,(DQ) out of the mouth of the beast(DR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(DS) 14 They are demonic spirits(DT) that perform signs,(DU) and they go out to the kings of the whole world,(DV) to gather them for the battle(DW) on the great day(DX) of God Almighty.

15 “Look, I come like a thief!(DY) Blessed is the one who stays awake(DZ) and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”(EA)

16 Then they gathered the kings together(EB) to the place that in Hebrew(EC) is called Armageddon.(ED)

17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,(EE) and out of the temple(EF) came a loud voice(EG) from the throne, saying, “It is done!”(EH) 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder(EI) and a severe earthquake.(EJ) No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth,(EK) so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city(EL) split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered(EM) Babylon the Great(EN) and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.(EO) 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.(EP) 21 From the sky huge hailstones,(EQ) each weighing about a hundred pounds,[f] fell on people. And they cursed God(ER) on account of the plague of hail,(ES) because the plague was so terrible.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 14:8 Isaiah 21:9
  2. Revelation 14:14 See Daniel 7:13.
  3. Revelation 14:20 That is, about 180 miles or about 300 kilometers
  4. Revelation 15:3 Some manuscripts ages
  5. Revelation 15:4 Phrases in this song are drawn from Psalm 111:2,3; Deut. 32:4; Jer. 10:7; Psalms 86:9; 98:2.
  6. Revelation 16:21 Or about 45 kilograms