Sixth Vision: Flying Scroll

5 I looked up again and saw a flying scroll.^{(A) 2} “What do you see?” he asked me.

“I see a flying scroll,” I replied, “thirty feet^[a] long and fifteen feet^[b] wide.”^(B)

³ Then he said to me, “This is the curse^(C) that is going out over the whole land, for everyone who is a thief, contrary to what is written on one side, has gone unpunished,^[c] and everyone who swears falsely, contrary to what is written on the other side, has gone unpunished. ⁴ I will send it out,”^(D)—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies—“and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by my name. It will stay inside his house and destroy it along with its timbers and stones.”^(E)

Seventh Vision: Woman in the Basket

⁵ Then the angel who was speaking with me came forward and told me, “Look up and see what this is that is approaching.”

⁶ So I asked, “What is it?”

He responded, “It’s a measuring basket^[d] that is approaching.” And he continued, “This is their iniquity^[e] in all the land.” ⁷ Then a lead cover was lifted, and there was a woman^(F) sitting inside the basket.^{(G) 8} “This is Wickedness,” he said. He shoved her down into the basket and pushed the lead weight over its opening. ⁹ Then I looked up and saw two women approaching with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork,^(H) and they lifted up the basket between earth and sky.

¹⁰ So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they taking the basket?”

¹¹ “To build a shrine for it in the land of Shinar,”^(I) he told me. “When that is ready, the basket will be placed there on its pedestal.”

Eighth Vision: Four Chariots

6 Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming from between two mountains. The mountains were made of bronze. ² The first chariot had chestnut^[f] horses,^(J) the second chariot black horses,^{(K) 3} the third chariot white horses,^(L) and the fourth chariot dappled^(M) horses—all strong horses. ⁴ So I inquired of the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵ The angel told me, “These are the four spirits^[g](N) of heaven going out after presenting themselves to the Lord of the whole earth. ⁶ The one with the black horses is going to the land of the north, the white horses are going after them, but the dappled horses are going to the land of the south.” ⁷ As the strong horses went out, they wanted to go patrol the earth, and the Lord said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. ⁸ Then he summoned me saying, “See, those going to the land of the north have pacified my Spirit in the northern land.”

Crowning of the Branch

⁹ The word of the Lord came to me:^{(O) 10} “Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go that same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. ¹¹ Take silver and gold, make a crown,^[h] and place it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹² You are to tell him: This is what the Lord of Armies says: Here is a man whose name is Branch;^(P) he will branch out from his place and build the Lord’s temple. ¹³ Yes, he will build the Lord’s temple; he will bear royal splendor^(Q) and will sit on his throne and rule. There will be a priest on his throne, and there will be peaceful counsel between the two of them.^{(R) 14} The crown will reside in the Lord’s temple as a memorial to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen^[i] son of Zephaniah. ¹⁵ People who are far off will come and build the Lord’s temple, and you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me to you. This will happen when you fully obey the Lord your God.”^(S)

Preparation for the Bowl Judgments

15 Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign^[a] in heaven:^(A) seven angels with the seven last plagues; for with them God’s wrath will be completed.^{(B) 2} I also saw something like a sea of glass^(C) mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory over the beast, its image,^[b] and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God.^{(D) 3} They sang the song of God’s servant Moses^(E) and the song of the Lamb:

⁵ After this I looked, and the heavenly temple—the tabernacle of testimony^(J)—was opened.^{(K) 6} Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes wrapped around their chests. ⁷ One of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.^{(L) 8} Then the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power,^(M) and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

The First Bowl

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels,^(N) “Go and pour out the seven^[d] bowls^(O) of God’s wrath on the earth.” ² The first went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and severely painful sores^(P) broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped its image.

The Second Bowl

³ The second^[e] poured out his bowl into the sea. It turned to blood like that of a dead person, and all life in the sea died.^(Q)

The Third Bowl

⁴ The third^[f] poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.^{(R) 5} I heard the angel of the waters say,

⁷ I heard the altar say,

The Fourth Bowl

⁸ The fourth^[g] poured out his bowl on the sun. It was allowed to scorch people with fire, ⁹ and people were scorched by the intense heat. So they blasphemed the name of God,^(X) who has the power^[h] over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.^(Y)

The Fifth Bowl

¹⁰ The fifth^[i] poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast,^(Z) and its kingdom was plunged into darkness.^(AA) People^[j] gnawed their tongues because of their pain ¹¹ and blasphemed the God of heaven^(AB) because of their pains and their sores, but they did not repent of their works.

The Sixth Bowl

¹² The sixth^[k] poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates,^(AC) and its water was dried up^(AD) to prepare the way for the kings from the east. ¹³ Then I saw three unclean spirits like frogs^(AE) coming from the dragon’s mouth,^(AF) from the beast’s mouth,^(AG) and from the mouth of the false prophet.^{(AH) 14} For they are demonic spirits performing signs,^(AI) who travel to the kings of the whole world to assemble them^(AJ) for the battle on the great day of God, the Almighty.^{(AK) 15} “Look, I am coming like a thief. Blessed^(AL) is the one who is alert and remains clothed^[l](AM) so that he may not go around naked and people see his shame.”^{(AN) 16} So they assembled the kings at the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.^[m](AO)

The Seventh Bowl

¹⁷ Then the seventh^[n] poured out his bowl into the air,^[o] and a loud voice came out of the temple^[p](AP) from the throne, saying, “It is done!” ¹⁸ There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. And a severe earthquake occurred like no other since people have been on the earth, so great was the quake.^{(AQ) 19} The great city^(AR) split into three parts, and the cities of the nations^[q] fell. Babylon the Great was remembered in God’s presence; he gave her the cup filled with the wine of his fierce anger.^{(AS) 20} Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared.^{(AT) 21} Enormous hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds,^[r] fell from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God^(AU) for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe.^(AV)

Psalm 147

God Restores Jerusalem