Beginning
The Two Beasts
13 Then[a] I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It[b] had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns,[c] and on its heads a blasphemous name.[d] 2 Now[e] the beast that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The[f] dragon gave the beast[g] his power, his throne, and great authority to rule.[h] 3 One of the beast’s[i] heads appeared to have been killed,[j] but the lethal wound had been healed.[k] And the whole world followed[l] the beast in amazement; 4 they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority[m] to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?”[n] 5 The beast[o] was given a mouth speaking proud words[p] and blasphemies, and he was permitted[q] to exercise ruling authority[r] for forty-two months. 6 So[s] the beast[t] opened his mouth to blaspheme against God—to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place,[u] that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 The beast[v] was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them.[w] He was given ruling authority[x] over every tribe, people,[y] language, and nation, 8 and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast,[z] everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world[aa] in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed.[ab] 9 If anyone has an ear, he had better listen!
10 If anyone is meant for captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed by the sword,[ac]
then by the sword he must be killed.
This[ad] requires steadfast endurance[ae] and faith from the saints.
11 Then[af] I saw another beast[ag] coming up from the earth. He[ah] had two horns like a lamb,[ai] but[aj] was speaking like a dragon. 12 He[ak] exercised all the ruling authority[al] of the first beast on his behalf,[am] and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed. 13 He[an] performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people[ao] 14 and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told[ap] those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived. 15 The second beast[aq] was empowered[ar] to give life[as] to the image of the first beast[at] so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He also caused[au] everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave[av]) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. 17 Thus no one was allowed to buy[aw] or sell things[ax] unless he bore[ay] the mark of the beast—that is, his name or his number.[az] 18 This calls for wisdom:[ba] Let the one who has insight calculate the beast’s number, for it is man’s number,[bb] and his number is 666.[bc]
An Interlude: The Song of the 144,000
14 Then[bd] I looked, and here was[be] the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000, who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 I also heard a sound[bf] coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. Now[bg] the sound I heard was like that made by harpists playing their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No[bh] one was 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[bi] with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from humanity as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, 5 and no lie was found on their lips;[bj] they[bk] are blameless.
Three Angels and Three Messages
6 Then[bl] I saw another[bm] angel flying directly overhead,[bn] and he had[bo] an eternal gospel to proclaim[bp] to those who live[bq] on the earth—to every nation, tribe,[br] language, and people. 7 He declared[bs] in a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has arrived, and worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water!”
8 A[bt] second[bu] angel[bv] followed the first,[bw] declaring:[bx] “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city![by] She made all the nations[bz] drink of the wine of her immoral passion.”[ca]
9 A[cb] third angel[cc] followed the first two,[cd] declaring[ce] in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand, 10 that person[cf] will also drink of the wine of God’s anger[cg] that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur[ch] in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke from their[ci] torture will go up[cj] forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have[ck] no rest day or night, along with[cl] anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 12 This requires[cm] the steadfast endurance[cn] of the saints—those who obey[co] God’s commandments and hold to[cp] their faith in Jesus.[cq]
13 Then[cr] I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:
‘Blessed are the dead,
those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work,[cs] because their deeds will follow them.”[ct]
14 Then[cu] I looked, and a white cloud appeared,[cv] and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man![cw] He had[cx] a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then[cy] another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use[cz] your sickle and start to reap,[da] because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” 16 So[db] the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then[dc] another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Another[dd] angel, who was in charge of[de] the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel[df] who had the sharp sickle, “Use[dg] your sharp sickle and gather[dh] the clusters of grapes[di] off the vine of the earth,[dj] because its grapes[dk] are now ripe.”[dl] 19 So[dm] the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard[dn] of the earth and tossed them into the great[do] winepress of the wrath of God. 20 Then[dp] the winepress was stomped[dq] outside the city, and blood poured out of the winepress up to the height of horses’ bridles[dr] for a distance of almost 200 miles.[ds]
The Final Plagues
15 Then[dt] I saw another great and astounding sign in heaven: seven angels who have seven final plagues[du] (they are final because in them God’s anger is completed).
2 Then[dv] I saw something like a sea of glass[dw] mixed with fire, and those who had conquered[dx] the beast and his image and the number of his name. They were standing[dy] by[dz] the sea of glass, holding harps given to them by God.[ea] 3 They[eb] sang the song of Moses the servant[ec] of God and the song of the Lamb:[ed]
“Great and astounding are your deeds,
Lord God, the All-Powerful![ee]
Just[ef] and true are your ways,
King over the nations![eg]
4 Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and glorify[eh] your name, because you alone are holy?[ei]
All nations[ej] will come and worship before you
for your righteous acts[ek] have been revealed.”
5 After[el] these things I looked, and the temple (the tent[em] of the testimony)[en] was opened in heaven, 6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, dressed in clean bright linen, wearing wide golden belts[eo] around their chests. 7 Then[ep] one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath[eq] of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and from his power. Thus[er] no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues from the seven angels were completed.
The Bowls of God’s Wrath
16 Then[es] I heard a loud voice from the temple declaring to the seven angels: “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.”[et] 2 So[eu] the first angel[ev] went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Then[ew] ugly and painful sores[ex] appeared on the people[ey] who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
3 Next,[ez] the second angel[fa] poured out his bowl on the sea and it turned into blood, like that of a corpse, and every living creature that was in the sea died.
4 Then[fb] the third angel[fc] poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood. 5 Now[fd] I heard the angel of the waters saying:
“You are just[fe]—the one who is and who was,
the Holy One—because you have passed these judgments,[ff]
6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets,
so[fg] you have given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!”[fh]
7 Then[fi] I heard the altar reply,[fj] “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful,[fk] your judgments are true and just!”
8 Then[fl] the fourth angel[fm] poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was permitted to scorch people[fn] with fire. 9 Thus[fo] people[fp] were scorched by the terrible heat,[fq] yet[fr] they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority[fs] over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory.
10 Then[ft] the fifth angel[fu] poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast so that[fv] darkness covered his kingdom,[fw] and people[fx] began to bite[fy] their tongues because[fz] of their pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings[ga] and because of their sores,[gb] but nevertheless[gc] they still refused to repent[gd] of their deeds.
12 Then[ge] the sixth angel[gf] poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and dried up its water[gg] to prepare the way[gh] for the kings from the east.[gi] 13 Then[gj] I saw three unclean spirits[gk] that looked 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 the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth[gl] to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful.[gm]
15 (Look ! I will come like a thief!
Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose[gn] his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition[go] be seen.)[gp]
16 Now[gq] the spirits[gr] gathered the kings and their armies[gs] to the place that is called Armageddon[gt] in Hebrew.
17 Finally[gu] the seventh angel[gv] poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying: “It is done!” 18 Then[gw] there were flashes of lightning, roaring,[gx] and crashes of thunder, and there was a tremendous earthquake—an earthquake unequaled since humanity[gy] has been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake. 19 The[gz] great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations[ha] collapsed.[hb] So[hc] Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup[hd] filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath.[he] 20 Every[hf] island fled away[hg] and no mountains could be found.[hh] 21 And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a 100 pounds[hi] each, fell from heaven[hj] on people,[hk] but they[hl] blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it[hm] was so horrendous.[hn]
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