19 After this, I heard what sounded like a lot of voices in heaven, and they were shouting,

^3 (B) Then the crowd shouted,

⁴ After this, the 24 elders and the four living creatures all knelt before the throne of God and worshiped him. They said, “Amen! Praise the Lord!”

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

^5 (C) From the throne a voice said,

^6 (D) Then I heard what seemed to be a large crowd that sounded like a roaring flood and loud thunder all mixed together. They were saying,

^9 (E) Then the angel told me, “Put this in writing. God will bless everyone who is invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” The angel also said, “These things God has said are true.”

¹⁰ I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, “Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

The Rider on the White Horse

^11 (F) I looked and saw heaven was open, and a white horse was there. Its rider was called Faithful and True, and he is always fair when he judges or goes to war. ^12 (G) He had eyes like flames of fire, and he was wearing a lot of crowns. His name was written on him, but he was the only one who knew what the name meant.

^13 (H) The rider wore a robe that was covered with^[a] blood, and he was known as “The Word of God.” ¹⁴ He was followed by armies from heaven that rode on white horses and were dressed in pure white linen. ^15 (I) From his mouth a sharp sword went out to attack the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod and will show the fierce anger of God All-Powerful by trampling the grapes in the pit where wine is made. ¹⁶ On the part of the robe that covered his thigh was written, “KING OF KINGS AND Lord OF LordS.”

^17 (J) I then saw an angel standing on the sun, and he shouted to all the birds flying in the sky, “Come and join in God's great feast! ¹⁸ You can eat the flesh of kings, rulers, leaders, horses, riders, free people, slaves, important people, and everyone else.”

¹⁹ I also saw the beast and all kings of the earth come together. They fought against the rider on the white horse and against his army. ^20 (K) But the beast was captured and so was the false prophet. This is the same prophet who had worked miracles for the beast, so he could fool everyone who had the mark of the beast and worshiped the idol. The beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into a lake of burning sulfur. ²¹ But the rest of their army was killed by the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse. Then birds stuffed themselves on the dead bodies.

A Song about a Vineyard

The Lord said:

Isaiah Condemns Social Injustice

⁸ You are in for trouble! You take over house after house and field after field, until there is no room left for anyone else in all the land. ⁹ But the Lord All-Powerful has made this promise to me:

Those large and beautiful homes will be left empty, with no one to take care of them. ¹⁰ Four hectares of grapevines will produce only 27 liters of juice, and 180 liters of seed will produce merely 18 liters of grain.

^11 (B) You are in for trouble! You get up early to start drinking, and you keep it up late into the night. ¹² At your drinking parties you have the music of stringed instruments, tambourines, and flutes. But you never even think about all the Lord has done, ¹³ and so his people know nothing about him. That's why many of you will be dragged off to foreign lands. Your leaders will starve to death, and everyone else will suffer from thirst.

¹⁴ The world of the dead has opened its mouth wide and is eagerly waiting for the leaders of Jerusalem and for its noisy crowds, especially for those who take pride in that city. ¹⁵ Its citizens have been put down, and its proud people have been brought to shame. ¹⁶ But the holy Lord God All-Powerful is praised, because he has shown who he is by bringing justice. ¹⁷ His people will be like sheep grazing in their own pasture, and they will take off what was left by others.^[a]

¹⁸ You are in for trouble! The lies you tell are like ropes by which you drag along sin and evil. ¹⁹ And you say, “Let the holy God of Israel hurry up and do what he has promised, so we can see it for ourselves.” ²⁰ You are headed for trouble! You say wrong is right, darkness is light, and bitter is sweet.

²¹ You think you are clever and smart. ²² And you are great at drinking and mixing drinks. But you are in for trouble. ²³ You accept bribes to let the guilty go free, and you cheat the innocent out of a fair trial.

²⁴ You will go up in flames like straw and hay! You have rejected the teaching of the holy Lord God All-Powerful of Israel. Now your roots will rot, and your blossoms will turn to dust.

²⁵ You are the Lord's people, but you made him terribly angry, and he struck you with his mighty arm. Mountains shook, and dead bodies covered the streets like garbage. The Lord is still angry, and he is ready to strike you again.^[b]

Foreign Nations Will Attack

²⁶ The Lord has signaled for the foreign nations to come and attack you. He has already whistled, and they are coming as fast as they can. ²⁷ None of them are tired. They don't sleep or get drowsy, and they run without stumbling. Their belts don't come loose; their sandal straps don't break. ²⁸ Their arrows are sharp, and their bows are ready. The hoofs of their horses are hard as flint; the wheels of their war chariots turn as fast as a whirlwind.

²⁹ They roar and growl like fierce young lions as they grab their victims and drag them off where no one can rescue them. ³⁰ On the day they attack, they will roar like the ocean. And across the land you will see nothing but darkness and trouble, because the light of day will be covered by thick clouds.

A Vision of the Lord in the Temple

6 ^(C) In the year that King Uzziah died,^[c] I had a vision of the Lord. He was on his throne high above, and his robe filled the temple. ² Flaming creatures with six wings each were flying over him. They covered their faces with two of their wings and their bodies with two more. They used the other two wings for flying, ^3 (D) as they shouted,

^4 (E) As they shouted, the doorposts of the temple shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. ⁵ Then I cried out, “I'm doomed! Everything I say is sinful, and so are the words of everyone around me. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful.”

⁶ One of the flaming creatures flew over to me with a burning coal that it had taken from the altar with a pair of metal tongs. ⁷ It touched my lips with the hot coal and said, “This has touched your lips. Your sins are forgiven, and you are no longer guilty.”

⁸ After this, I heard the Lord ask, “Is there anyone I can send? Will someone speak for us?”

“I'll go,” I answered. “Send me!”

^9 (F) Then the Lord told me to go and speak this message to the people:

The Lord also said,

¹¹ Then I asked the Lord, “How long will this last?”

The Lord answered:

Until their towns are destroyed and their houses are deserted, until their fields are empty, ¹² and I have sent them far away, leaving their land in ruins. ¹³ If only a tenth of the people are left, even they will be destroyed. But just as stumps remain after trees have been cut down,^[d] some of my chosen ones will be left.