Beginning

The Two Beasts

13 I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on his horns, and blasphemous names on his heads. ² The beast which I saw was like a leopard. His feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. ³ I saw one of his heads as if it was mortally wounded, but his deadly wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast. ⁴ They worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. And they worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war with him?”

⁵ He was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. And he was given authority to wage war for forty-two months. ⁶ He opened his mouth to speak blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle and those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ It was granted to him to wage war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe and tongue and nation. ⁸ All who dwell on the earth will worship him, all whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.

⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

Here is a call for the patience and the faith of the saints.

¹¹ Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb and he spoke like a dragon. ¹² He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence and causes the earth and those who dwell on it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. ¹³ He performs great signs, making fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. ¹⁴ He deceives those who dwell on the earth by the signs which he was granted to do in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by a sword and lived. ¹⁵ He was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ He causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, ¹⁷ so that no one may buy or sell, except he who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name.

¹⁸ Here is a call for wisdom: Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast. It is the number of a man. His number is six hundred and sixty-six.

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked. The Lamb was standing on Mount Zion and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. ² And I heard a sound from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of a great thunder. I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. ³ They sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are those who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. ⁵ No lie was found in their mouths, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The Messages of the Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. ⁷ He said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

⁸ Another angel followed, saying, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon, that Great City,’^[b] because she made all the nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality.”

⁹ A third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out in full strength into the cup of His anger. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ The smoke of their torment will ascend forever and ever. They have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name.” ¹² Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

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

The Harvest of the Earth

¹⁴ I looked. And there was a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like a Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. ¹⁵ Then another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap. The time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So He who sat on the cloud thrust His sickle on the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven. He also had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ Yet another angel who had authority over fire came out from the altar. He cried with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. ²⁰ The winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one hundred and eighty-six miles.^[c]

The Angels With the Last Plagues

15 I saw another great and marvelous sign in heaven: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete. ² And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. ³ They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:

⁵ After this I looked. And now the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. ⁶ The seven angels came out of the temple with the seven plagues. They were clothed in pure, bright linen, having their chests wrapped with golden sashes. ⁷ Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. ⁸ And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power. No one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

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

² The first went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and foul and grievous sores came on the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image.

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

⁴ The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. ⁵ Then I heard the angel of the waters saying:

⁷ And I heard another from the altar saying:

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. ⁹ Men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give Him glory.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was filled with darkness. They gnawed their tongues because of the anguish, ¹¹ and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

¹² The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the East. ¹³ Then I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. ¹⁴ For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, who go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

¹⁵ “Look, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments on, lest he walk naked and his shame be exposed.”

¹⁶ They gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” ¹⁸ And there were noises and thundering and lightning and a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake, as had never occurred since men were on the earth. ¹⁹ The great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the Great was remembered before God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. ²⁰ Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. ²¹ Great hail, about the weight of a hundred pounds,^[e] fell from heaven upon man. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because that plague was so severe.