Beginning

The Beast From the Sea

13 I saw a beast rising out of the sea. He had ten horns with ten crowns on his horns, and seven heads with blasphemous names^[a] on his heads. ² The beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth was like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. ³ One of his heads seemed to have been fatally wounded,^[b] but his fatal wound was healed.

And the whole world that followed the beast was amazed. ⁴ They worshipped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. They worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can go to war against him?” ⁵ The beast was also given a mouth that spoke arrogant and blasphemous things. He was given authority to do these things for forty-two months.

⁶ The beast opened his mouth to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name, his dwelling, and^[c] those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ He was also given permission to wage war against the saints and to overcome them, as well as authority over every tribe and people and language and nation. ⁸ All those who make their home on the earth will worship the beast—those whose names have^[d] not been written from the beginning of the world in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb that was slain.^[e]

⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

Here patient endurance and confidence are needed by the saints.

The Beast From the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like the Lamb, and he spoke like the dragon. ¹² He exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf. He causes the earth and those who make their home on it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. ¹³ He performs great miracles, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of people. ¹⁴ He also deceives those who make their home on the earth because of the miracles that he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, telling those who make their home on the earth to make an image for the beast who had been wounded by the sword but lived.

¹⁵ This beast was also given the ability to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast spoke and caused whoever did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ He also makes all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ in order that no one may buy or sell unless he has the mark—the name of the beast or the number of his name. ¹⁸ Here is wisdom: Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man. His number is 666.

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. ² And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of a loud thunderclap. The sound that I heard was also like the sound of harpists playing their harps. ³ They were singing^[h] a new song in front of the throne and the four living creatures and the elders. No one was able to learn that song except the 144,000, who had been purchased from the earth. ⁴ These are the ones who were not defiled with women, because they are virgins. They continually follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb. ⁵ And no lie was found in their mouths. They are blameless.^[i]

The Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in the middle of the sky. He had the everlasting gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth, to every nation, tribe, language, and people. ⁷ He said with a loud voice:

⁸ Another angel, a second,^[j] followed. He said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great,^[k] who made every nation drink from the wine of her adulterous desire.”

⁹ Another angel, a third one, followed them. He said with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he will also drink from the wine of God’s wrath, which has been poured undiluted^[l] into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment is going to rise forever and ever. Those who worship the beast and his image, and anyone who receives the mark of his name, are going to have no rest day and night.”

¹² Here patient endurance is needed by the saints, who hold on to the commands of God and their faith in Jesus. ¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven say,^[m] “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “because they will rest from their labors, for their works follow them.”

The Harvest

¹⁴ Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ Another angel came out of the temple and cried with a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, “Swing your sickle and begin reaping, for the time to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is very ripe.” ¹⁶ And the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel, who also had a sharp sickle, came out of the temple, which is in heaven. ¹⁸ And another angel, who was in charge of the fire, came from the altar and cried with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and harvest the grape clusters from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ Then the angel swung his sickle over the earth, and he harvested the earth’s vine and threw it into the great winepress of God’s wrath. ²⁰ The winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^[n]

The Angels With the Seven Last Plagues

15 Then I saw another great and remarkable sign in heaven: seven angels with seven plagues—the last plagues, because in them God’s wrath is completed.

² And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire. I also saw those who had won the victory over the beast and his image^[o] and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass. They held the harps of God, ³ and they were singing the song of Moses, God’s servant, and the song of the Lamb. They said:

⁵ After these things I looked, and the sanctuary of the Tent of the Testimony was opened in heaven. ⁶ The seven angels who hold the seven plagues came out of the sanctuary. They were clothed with clean bright linen, and they wore gold sashes around their chests.

⁷ One of the four living creatures gave the seven angels the seven gold bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. ⁸ And the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. No one was able to enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

The First Five Bowls

16 I heard a loud voice from the temple say to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”

² The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible and painful sores came on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image.

³ The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man, and every living creature in the sea died.

⁴ The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they^[r] turned into blood. ⁵ And I heard the angel of the waters say:

⁷ And I heard the incense altar, saying,^[t] “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.”

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to burn people with fire. ⁹ People were scorched by the fierce heat. Then they blasphemed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues, but they did not repent and give him praise.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast. The beast’s kingdom was darkened. People gnawed their tongues in their torment. ¹¹ They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their torments and their sores. But they did not repent of their deeds.

The Sixth Bowl: The Battle of Armageddon

¹² The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates. Its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings coming from the east. ¹³ I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, which came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. ¹⁴ They are, in fact, miracle-working, demonic spirits, which go out to the kings of the whole earth^[u] to bring them together for the battle on the great day of the Almighty God.

¹⁵ “Look: I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes on, so that he does not walk around naked and his shame is not seen.”

¹⁶ Then they brought them together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

The Seventh Bowl: The End of the World

¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl on the air. And a loud voice came out of the temple^[v] from the throne, saying, “It is done.” ¹⁸ There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and crashes of thunder. There was also a great earthquake of a kind that has not occurred since mankind has been^[w] on the earth.

¹⁹ And the great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. Babylon the Great was remembered by God, and he gave her the wine cup filled with his fierce wrath. ²⁰ Every island vanished, and the mountains could no longer be found. ²¹ Massive hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell on people from the sky. And the people blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, because the plague was so severe.