Beginning
Reigning for a thousand years
20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven. In his hand he held the key to the Abyss, and a large chain. 2 He grabbed hold of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and the satan. He tied him up for a thousand years, 3 threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he wouldn’t be able to deceive the nations anymore, until the thousand years were complete. After that he must be let out for a short time.
4 Then I saw thrones, with people sitting on them, who were given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had had their heads cut off because they had borne witness to Jesus, and because of the word of God; and also those who had not worshiped the monster or its image, and had not received the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with the Messiah for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them. They will be priests to God and the Messiah, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
Final judgment
7 When the thousand years are complete, the satan will be released from his prison. 8 Out he will come to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog. He will summon them for battle, a throng like the sand of the sea in number. 9 They came up over the full width of the earth, and closed in on the place where God’s holy people are encamped, and the beloved city. Then fire came down from heaven and burnt them up. 10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the monster and the false prophet had already been thrown. They will be tortured day and night forever and ever.
11 Then I saw a large white throne, and the one who was sitting on it. Earth and heaven fled away from his presence, and there was no room left for them. 12 Then I saw the dead, great and small, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged on the basis of what was written in the books, in accordance with what they had done. 13 The sea gave back the dead that were in it; Death and Hades gave back the dead that were in them; and each was judged in accordance with what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, they were thrown into the lake of fire.
New heaven, new earth
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, from God, prepared like a bride dressed up for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice from the throne, and this is what it said: “Look! God has come to dwell with humans! He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning or weeping or pain anymore, since the first things have passed away.”
5 The one who sat on the throne said, “Look, I am making all things new.” And he said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”
New Jerusalem
6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give water to the thirsty, water from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who conquers will inherit these things. I will be his God and he shall be my son. 8 But as for cowards, faithless people, the unclean, murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—their destiny will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came over and spoke to me. “Come with me,” he said, “and I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb.” 10 Then he took me in the spirit up a great high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It has the glory of God; it is radiant, like the radiance of a rare and precious jewel, like a jasper stone, crystal-clear. 12 It has a great high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names inscribed on the gates, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. 13 There are three gates coming in from the east, three gates from the north, three gates from the south and three gates from the west. 14 And the wall of the city has twelve foundation-stones, and on them are written the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the lamb.
15 The one who was talking with me had a golden measuring-rod, so that he could measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city stands foursquare, with the same length and breadth. He measured the city with his rod: it was twelve thousand stadia (that is, fifteen hundred miles), with the length, the breadth and the height being equal. 17 Then he measured its wall, and it was one hundred and forty-four cubits in terms of human measurement (which was what the angel was using). 18 The material of which the wall is built is jasper, and the city itself is pure gold, like pure glass. 19 The foundations of the city wall are decorated with every kind of precious stone: the first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates are twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The street of the city is pure gold, clear as glass.
God and the lamb are there
22 I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God the Almighty is its temple, together with the lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the lamb. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut by day, for there will be no night there. 26 They will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 Nothing that has not been made holy will ever come into it, nor will anyone who practices abomination or who tells lies, but only those who are written in the lamb’s book of life.
22 Then he showed me the river of the water of life. It was sparkling like crystal, and flowing from the throne of God and of the lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either bank of the river was growing the tree of life. It produces twelve kinds of fruit, bearing this fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 Nothing accursed is there anymore. Rather, the throne of God and of the lamb are in the city, and his servants will worship him; 4 they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them; and they will reign forever and ever.
6 “These words,” he said to me, “are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. 7 Look, I am coming soon. God’s blessing on the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
“I am coming soon!”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard them and saw them, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed them to me. 9 “Look! Don’t do that!” he said to me. “I am a fellow-servant with you, and with the other members of your prophetic family, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!
10 “Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy of this book,” he added. “The time is near, you see. 11 Let the unjust go on being unjust, and the filthy go on being filthy—and let the just go on doing justice, and let the holy still be holy.
12 “Look! I am coming soon. I will bring my reward with me, and I will pay everyone back according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 God’s blessing on those who wash their clothes, so that they may have the right to eat from the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates. 15 But the dogs, the sorcerers, the fornicators, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves to invent lies—they will all be outside.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am David’s root and offspring; I am the bright morning star.”
17 The spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let anyone who hears say, “Come!” Let the thirsty come; let anyone who wants the water of life take it freely.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues that are written in this book. 19 And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life, and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
20 The one who gives this testimony says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.