Beginning

4 After this, I looked and saw a door open in heaven. I heard the same voice that I had heard before. It was like the sound of a horn or trumpet. It said, `Come up here. I will show you the things that must happen after this.'

² Right away, I was in the Spirit. I saw a throne or chief chair in heaven.

³ The one who sat on the throne looked very fine and bright. He looked like fine stones called jasper and carnelian. All around his chair was a rainbow that looked like a fine stone called emerald.

⁴ Around his throne I saw twenty-four other thrones. On them sat twenty-four leaders. They wore white clothes and had gold crowns on their heads.

⁵ From the throne came lightning, loud noises, and thunder. In front of the throne, seven bright lamps were burning. These lamps are the seven Spirits of God.

⁶ In front of the throne, it was like a sea of glass. It looked like a stone called crystal. Around the throne on the four sides of it were four living beings. They had many eyes in their faces and in their back.

⁷ The first living thing was like a lion. The second one was like a young cow. The third one had the face of a man. The fourth one was like a flying eagle.

⁸ Each of the four living beings had six wings. They had many eyes all over their bodies and under their wings. They say all the time, day and night: `Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God. He has all power. He always has lived. He lives now. And he always will live.'

⁹ The living beings give praise and honour and thanks to the one who sits on the throne and lives for ever and ever.

¹⁰ Every time they do this, the twenty-four leaders kneel down in front of the one who sits on the throne. And they worship the one who lives for ever and ever. They take the crowns off their heads and lay them down in front of his throne.

¹¹ They say: `Our Lord and God, it is right for you to have praise and honour and power. You made all things. They were made and have life because you wanted them.'

5 I saw a book in the right hand of the one who sat on the chief chair. It had writing on the front and the back. It was locked with seven locks.

² I saw a strong angel calling with a loud voice. He said, `Who can open the book and break its locks?'

³ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the book or look in it.

⁴ I cried very much because no one could open the book or look in it.

⁵ Then one of the leaders said to me, `Do not cry. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has won! The One who was born into David's family has won! He can open the book and break its seven locks.'

⁶ I saw a Lamb standing in front of the throne and the four living beings, and in front of the leaders. It looked as if it had been killed. It had seven horns and seven eyes. They are the seven Spirits of God who are sent out all over the earth.

⁷ He went and took the book from the right hand of the One who sat on the throne.

⁸ And when he took the book, the four living beings and the twenty-four leaders kneeled down in front of the Lamb. Every one of them had a harp and a gold bowl. The bowls were full of incense that smelled very sweet when it was burned. These bowls are the words of God's people when they talk to him.

⁹ And the four living beings and the leaders sang a new song. The new song was: `You are able to take the book and to open its locks, because you were killed. You have set the people free and bought them for God with the cost of your blood. They are from every tribe, language, nation, and country.

¹⁰ You have made them into kings and priests for our God. They will rule on the earth.'

¹¹ Then I saw and heard many angels. They were around the chair, and the living beings, and the leaders. There were many, many thousands.

¹² They said with a loud voice, `The Lamb of God who was killed is the only one good enough to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, praise, and blessing!'

¹³ Then I heard everything in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and on the sea, and everything in them say, `Blessing, honour, praise, and power belong for ever and ever to the One who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'

¹⁴ Then the four living beings said, `Amen! May it be so!' And the leaders kneeled down and worshipped the One who lives for ever and ever.

6 I saw the Lamb open one of the seven locks. I heard the voice of one of the four living beings call, `Come!' It sounded like thunder.

² And I looked and saw a white horse. The man who rode on it had a bow to shoot arrows. A gold crown for his head was given to him. And he went out fighting to win the victory over his enemies.

³ When the Lamb opened the second lock, I heard the second living being call, `Come!'

⁴ And another horse came out. It was red. The man who rode on it was allowed to take peace away from the earth, so that men would kill each other. The man who rode on it was given a long knife or sword.

⁵ When the Lamb opened the third lock, I heard the third living being call, `Come!' I looked and saw a black horse. The man who rode on it had scales in his hand to weigh things.

⁶ I heard a voice among the four living beings. It said, `Four cups of wheat for bread will sell for a day's wages. Twelve cups of barley will sell for a day's wages. But do not destroy the oil and the wine.'

⁷ When the Lamb opened the fourth lock, I heard the fourth living being call, `Come!'

⁸ I saw a horse the colour of ashes. The name of the man who rode it was Death. And the one who controls the world of the dead followed him. They were given power over a fourth part of the world. They could kill people with a sword, or by making them go without food to eat, or by making them sick, or with wild animals.

⁹ When the Lamb opened the fifth lock, I saw the souls of people who had been killed. They were under the holy table where incense is burned. They had been killed because they believed God's word and said they believed it.

¹⁰ They called in a loud voice, `Lord, you are holy and true. How long will you wait before you judge and punish the people on earth because they killed us?'

¹¹ Then each one of them was given a white gown to wear. They were told to wait a little longer for the other Christian brothers. Those who worked with them for the Lord would be killed as they had been.

¹² I saw the Lamb opening the sixth lock. The earth shook very much. The sun became very dark, like the black cloth people wear to show they are sad. The full moon became red like blood.

¹³ The stars in the sky fell to the earth. They fell like figs that are not ripe when the fig tree is shaken by a strong wind.

¹⁴ The sky was taken away like paper being rolled up. Every big hill and island was shaken out of its place.

¹⁵ The kings of the world, the great men, the army captains, the rich people, the strong people, every slave, and every freeman hid themselves in holes and the rocks on the big hills.

¹⁶ They called to the hills and to the rocks and said, `Fall on us! Hide us so the One on the throne will not see us. Hide us from the Lamb who is angry with us.

¹⁷ The great day has come, and he is very angry with us. Who can stand before him?'

7 After this, I saw four angels standing at four different places on the earth. They were holding back the winds coming from every way. They did this so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.

² Then I saw another angel coming up from the place where the sun rises. He had something to put the mark of the living God on people. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels. They had been given power to hurt the earth and the sea.

³ The angel said, `Do not hurt the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have put a mark on the foreheads of God's servants.'

⁴ And I heard that one hundred and forty-four thousand people were marked. They were from every tribe of Israel.

^5-8 welve thousand people were marked from each of these tribes: Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin .

⁹ After this, I looked and saw many people. There were so many that no person could count them all. They were from every country, tribe, nation, and language. I saw them standing in front of the throne and the Lamb. They wore white clothes and they had palm branches in their hands.

¹⁰ They called in a loud voice and said, `Our God who sits on the throne, and the Lamb: they are the Ones who save people. Salvation belongs to them!'

¹¹ All the angels were standing around the throne and around the leaders and the four living beings. They bowed down their faces in front of the throne and worshipped God.

¹² They said, `May it be so! Blessing, praise, glory and wisdom, thanks, honour, power, and strength belong to our God for ever and ever! Amen!'

¹³ Then one of the leaders talked to me. He said, `Who are these people wearing white clothes? Where did they come from?'

¹⁴ Then I said to him, `Sir, I do not know.' And he said to me, `These are the people who have had much trouble. They have washed their clothes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

¹⁵ That is why they are in front of God's throne. They worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will keep them safe because he is with them.

¹⁶ They will not be hungry or thirsty again. The sun or any other heat will not burn them.

¹⁷ The Lamb who is in front of the throne will take care of them. He will guide them to the places where there is water that gives life. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.'

8 When the Lamb opened the seventh lock, all was quiet in heaven for about a half hour.

² Then I saw the seven angels stand in front of God. Seven horns or trumpets were given to them.

³ Another angel came and stood at the altar. He had a gold bowl. Plenty of incense was given to him. He was to put it with all the words of all God's people when they talk to him. He was to put it on the gold altar in front of God's throne.

⁴ The sweet smelling smoke of the burning incense went up at the same time as the prayer words of God's people. They went up from the hand of the angel that was standing in front of God.

⁵ Then the angel took the bowl and filled it with fire from the altar. He threw it on the earth. There was thunder, loud noises, and lightning. And the earth shook.

⁶ The seven angels who had the seven horns or trumpets got ready to blow them.

⁷ The first angel blew his trumpet. Rain like stones, and fire mixed with blood, fell on the earth. A third part of the earth was burned. A third of the trees was burned. And one third of all the green grass was burned.

⁸ The second angel blew his trumpet. Then something like a big hill, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea.

⁹ Then a third of the sea became blood. A third of all things that lived in the sea died. A third of all the boats was broken.

¹⁰ The third angel blew his trumpet. A big star fell from the sky. It burned and gave a bright light. It fell on a third of the rivers and places where there is water.

¹¹ The name of the star is Bitter. A third part of the water became bitter. Many men died because the water was made bad to drink.

¹² The fourth angel blew his trumpet. A third of the sun was made dark. And a third of the moon and a third of the stars were made dark. A third part of them became dark. A third part of the day had no light, and also a third part of the night.

¹³ Then I looked and heard an angel who was flying across the sky. He called in a loud voice and said, `Trouble! Trouble! Trouble to the people who live on earth! Big trouble will come when the sound of the other trumpets is heard. The three angels are now ready to blow their trumpets!'