Beginning
Two Beasts
13 Then I saw a beast rising out of the sea,[a] that had ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten royal crowns, and upon his heads were slanderous names. 2 Now the beast that I saw was like a leopard, his feet like a bear’s, and his mouth like a lion’s. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of his heads seemed to have been slain, but the fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, because he had given authority to the beast. They also worshiped the beast, chanting, “Who is like the beast, and who can make war against him?”[b]
5 The beast was given a mouth uttering great boasts and blasphemies. It was given authority to act for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth with blasphemies against God, to slander His name and His tabernacle—that is, those dwelling in heaven. 7 He was also permitted to make war against the kedoshim and overcome them, and he was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth shall worship him—everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb who was slain.
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
10 If anyone is meant for captivity,
to captivity he goes.
If anyone is to be killed by the sword,
by the sword he must be killed.[c]
Here is the perseverance and faith of the kedoshim.
11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. He had two horns[d] like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast before him, and he makes the earth and all those who dwell in it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven in the sight of men. [e] 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth through the signs he is permitted to perform, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image in honor of the beast who has the sword wound yet lived. 15 The second beast was permitted to give life to the image of the first beast, so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause all who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He also causes all—the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free and the slave—to receive a mark on their right hand or upon their forehead. 17 And so no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark—either 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, for it is a number of a man, and his number is 666.[f]
A Song for the 144,000
14 Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion,[g] and with Him were 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and the booming of loud thunder.[h] The voice I heard was like harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they are singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one is able to learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins.
These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
These have been redeemed from among mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no lie—they are blameless.[i]
Three Angels with Messages
6 And then I saw another angel flying high in the sky, having a timeless message of good news to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made heaven and earth and sea and springs of water.”
8 Another angel, a second one, followed, saying,
“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great[j]—
she who made all nations drink
of the wine of the fury of her immorality.”
9 And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he shall also drink the wine of God’s fury, poured full strength into the cup of His wrath.[k] And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone[l] before the holy angels and before the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever.[m] Those who worship the beast and its image and those who receive the mark of his name have no rest day or night.”
12 Here is the perseverance of the kedoshim—those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Yeshua.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying,[n]
“Write: How fortunate are the dead—those who die in the Lord from now on!”
“Yes,” says the Ruach, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”
Time to Harvest the Earth
14 Then I looked, and behold, there was a white cloud—and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man.[o] He had a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the Temple, crying out with a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud,
“Put in your sickle and reap,
for the hour to reap has come,
because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”
16 So the One seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.[p]
17 Then another angel came out of the Temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel—the one who has authority over fire—came out from the altar; and he called out with a loud voice to the one holding the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sickle and gather the grape clusters from the vineyard of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the clusters from the vineyard of the earth and threw them into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was stomped on outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress as high as a horse’s bridle for 1,600 stadia.[q]
Song of Moses to the Lamb
15 Then I saw another great and wonderful sign in heaven: seven angels who have seven plagues—the last ones, for with them God’s wrath is finished. 2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had overcome the beast and his image[r] and the number of his name standing by the sea of glass, holding the harps of God. 3 And they are singing the song of Moses[s] the servant of God and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and wonderful are Your deeds,
Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot![t]
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the nations![u]
4 Who shall not fear and glorify Your name, O Lord?
For You alone are Holy.
All the nations shall come and worship before You,[v]
for Your righteous acts have been revealed!”
5 After these things I looked, and the Temple of the Tent of Witness in heaven was opened. 6 Out of the Temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, dressed in pure bright linen and wearing wide gold sashes around their chests.
7 Then one of the four living creatures gave 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.[w] No one was able to enter the Temple until the seven angels’ seven plagues were finished.
Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath
16 Then I heard a loud voice from the Temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of God’s wrath.” [x] 2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and foul and painful boils[y] came upon the people having the mark of the beast and worshiping his image. 3 Next the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a corpse; and every living thing in the sea died. [z] 4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. [aa] 5 Then I heard the angel of the waters saying,
“Righteous are You—the Holy One, who
is and who was—
because You have passed these judgments.
6 For they have poured out the blood
of kedoshim and prophets,
and You have given them blood to drink[ab]—
they are deserving!”
7 Then I heard the altar saying,
“Yes, Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot,
true and righteous are Your judgments!”[ac]
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was permitted to scorch people with fire. 9 People were scorched with fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God—the One who has power over these plagues. But they did not repent, to give Him glory.
10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness.[ad] People gnawed their tongues in pain 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their boils. But they did not repent of their deeds.[ae]
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl over the great river Euphrates; and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 Then I saw—coming from the dragon’s mouth and from the beast’s mouth and from the false prophet’s mouth—three unclean spirits like frogs. [af] 14 For they are demonic spirits performing miraculous signs, who go out to the kings of the whole world—to gather them for battle on the great Day of Elohei Tzva’ot.[ag]
15 “Behold, I am coming like a thief! How fortunate is the one who stays alert and keeps his clothes on, lest he walk around naked and they see his shamefulness.”
16 Then the spirits gathered the kings to the place called in Hebrew Har-Megiddo.[ah]
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. A loud voice came out of the Temple[ai] from the throne, saying, “It is done!” [aj] 18 And there were flashes of lightning and rumblings and clashes of thunder and a great earthquake—such as never happened since mankind has been on the earth, so mighty was the quake.[ak]
19 Then the great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to force her to drink the cup of the wine of His furious wrath. [al] 20 Every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 Enormous hail—about a hundred pounds each[am]—falls from heaven on the people. And the people cursed God because of the plague of hail—so extreme was that plague.[an]
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.