Beginning

The Vision of God’s Throne

4 After these things, I saw a door standing open in heaven. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” ² Instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven with a person seated on the throne. ³ The person sitting there looked like jasper and carnelian, and there was a rainbow around the throne that looked like an emerald. ⁴ Around the throne were 24 other thrones, and on these thrones sat 24 elders wearing white robes and gold victor’s crowns on their heads. ⁵ Flashes of lightning, noises, and peals of thunder came from the throne. Burning in front of the throne were seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God.

⁶ In front of the throne was something like a sea of glass as clear as crystal. In the center of the throne and on each side of the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature was like an ox, the third living creature had a face like a human, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. ⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and were full of eyes inside and out. Without stopping day or night they were saying,

⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the 24 elders bow down and worship in front of the one who sits on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever. They throw their victor’s crowns in front of the throne and say,

The Vision of the Scroll with Seven Seals

5 Then I saw in the right hand of the one who sits on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the outside, sealed with seven seals. ² I also saw a powerful angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³ No one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth could open the scroll or look inside it. ⁴ I began to cry bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.

⁵ “Stop crying,” one of the elders told me. “Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered. He can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The Vision of the Lamb Taking the Scroll

⁶ Then I saw a lamb standing in the middle of the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders. He looked^[a] like he had been slaughtered. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth. ⁷ He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sits on the throne.

⁸ When the lamb had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders bowed down in front of him. Each held a harp and a gold bowl full of incense, the prayers of the saints. ⁹ They sang a new song:

The Vision of the Song of the Lamb

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels, the living creatures, and the elders surrounding the throne. They numbered 10,000’s times 10,000 and thousands times thousands. ¹² They sang with a loud voice,

¹³ I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and on the sea, and everything that is in them, saying,

¹⁴ Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!”, and the elders bowed down and worshipped.

The Vision of the First Seal Opened

6 Then I saw the lamb open the first of the seven seals. I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Go!” ² Then I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow, and a victor’s crown had been given to him. He went out as a conqueror to conquer.

The Vision of the Second Seal Opened

³ When the lamb^[d] opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Go!” ⁴ A second horse went out. It was fiery red, and its rider was given permission to take peace away from the earth and to make people slaughter one another. So he was given a large sword.

The Vision of the Third Seal Opened

⁵ When the lamb^[e] opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Go!” I looked, and there was a black horse! Its rider held a scale in his hand. ⁶ I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “One day’s ration of wheat for a day’s wage, or three day’s ration of barley for a day’s wage!^[f] But don’t damage the olive oil or the wine!”

The Vision of the Fourth Seal Opened

⁷ When the lamb^[g] opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Go!” ⁸ I looked, and there was a pale green horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades^[h] followed him. They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth to kill people using wars, famines, plagues, and the wild animals of the earth.

The Vision of the Fifth Seal Opened

⁹ When the lamb^[i] opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and the testimony they had given. ¹⁰ They cried out in a loud voice,

¹¹ Each of them was given a white robe. They were told to rest a little longer until the number of^[j] their fellow servants and their brothers was completed, who would be killed as they themselves had been.

The Vision of the Sixth Seal Opened

¹² Then I saw the lamb^[k] open the sixth seal. There was a powerful earthquake. The sun turned as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon turned as red as blood.^{[l] 13} The stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree drops its fruit when it is shaken by a strong wind. ¹⁴ The sky vanished like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. ¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth, the important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and all the slaves and free people concealed themselves in caves and among the rocks in the mountains. ¹⁶ They told the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. ¹⁷ For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to endure it?”

The Vision of the Sealing of 144,000 People

7 After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on the land, on the sea, or on any tree. ² I saw another angel coming from the east having the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been permitted to harm the land and sea, ³ “Don’t harm the land, the sea, or the trees until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.”

⁴ I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000. Those who were sealed were from every tribe of Israel: ⁵ 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, ⁶ 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, ⁷ 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, ⁸ 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, and 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

The Vision of Tribulation Saints

⁹ After these things, I looked, and there was a crowd so large that no one was able to count it! They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They were standing in front of the throne and the lamb and were wearing white robes, with palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ They cried out in a loud voice,

¹¹ All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell on their faces in front of the throne and worshipped God, ¹² saying,

¹³ “Who are these people wearing white robes,” one of the elders asked me, “and where did they come from?”

¹⁴ I told him, “Sir, you know.”

Then he told me, “These are the people who are coming out of the terrible suffering.^[m] They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. ¹⁵ That is why:

The Vision of the Seventh Seal Opened

8 When the lamb^[p] opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

The Vision of Seven Angels Given Seven Trumpets

² Then I saw the seven angels who stand in God’s presence, and seven trumpets were given to them. ³ Another angel came with a gold censer and stood at the altar. He was given a large quantity of incense to offer on the gold altar before the throne, along with the prayers of all the saints. ⁴ The smoke from the incense and the prayers of the saints went up from the angel’s hand to God. ⁵ The angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth. Then there were peals of thunder, noises, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. ⁶ The seven angels who had the seven trumpets got ready to blow them.

The Vision of the First Four Trumpets

⁷ When the first angel blew his trumpet, hail and fire were mixed with blood and thrown on the earth. One-third of the earth was burned up, one-third of the trees was burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

⁸ When the second angel blew his trumpet, something like a huge mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the sea turned into blood, ⁹ one-third of the creatures that were living in the sea died, and one-third of the ships was destroyed.

¹⁰ When the third angel blew his trumpet, a huge star blazing like a torch fell from heaven. It fell on one-third of the rivers and on the springs of water. ¹¹ The name of the star is Wormwood. One-third of the water turned into wormwood, and many people died from the water because it had turned bitter.

¹² When the fourth angel blew his trumpet, one-third of the sun, one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars were struck so that one-third of them turned dark. One-third of the day was kept from having light, as was the night.

The Vision of the Eagle Flying

¹³ Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying overhead say in a loud voice,