Beginning

The Beast Who Comes Out of the Sea

13 The dragon stood on the seashore. I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. There were ten crowns on its horns. On each head was an evil name that brought shame to God. ² The beast I saw looked like a leopard. But it had feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. ³ One of the beast’s heads seemed to have had a deadly wound. But the wound had been healed. The whole world was amazed and followed the beast. ⁴ People worshiped the dragon, because he had given authority to the beast. They also worshiped the beast. They asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against it?”

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to brag and speak evil things against God. The beast was allowed to use its authority for 42 months. ⁶ The beast opened its mouth to speak evil things against God. It told lies about God and about the place where God lives. And it told lies about those who live in heaven with him. ⁷ The beast was allowed to make war against God’s holy people and to overcome them. It was given authority over every tribe, people and nation, no matter what language they spoke. ⁸ Many people who live on the earth will worship the beast. They are the ones whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life. The Lamb is the one whose death was planned before the world was created.

⁹ Whoever has ears should listen.

So God’s people must be patient and faithful.

The Beast Who Comes Out of the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw a second beast. This one came out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb. But it spoke like a dragon. ¹² This beast had all the authority of the first beast. It did what the first beast wanted. It made the earth and all who live on it worship the first beast. The first beast was the one whose deadly wound had been healed. ¹³ The second beast performed great signs. It even made fire come from heaven to the earth. And the fire was seen by everyone. ¹⁴ The first beast had given the second beast the power to perform these signs. By these signs, the second beast tricked those who live on the earth. The second beast ordered people to set up a statue to honor the first beast. The first beast was the one who had been wounded by a sword and still lived. ¹⁵ The second beast was allowed to give breath to this statue so it could speak. The statue could kill all who refused to worship it. ¹⁶ It also forced everyone to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. People great or small, rich or poor, free or slave had to receive the mark. ¹⁷ They could not buy or sell anything unless they had the mark. The mark is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

¹⁸ This problem requires wisdom. Anyone who is wise should figure out what the beast’s number means. It is the number of a man. And that number is 666.

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 I looked, and there in front of me was the Lamb. He was standing on Mount Zion. With him were 144,000 people. Written on their foreheads were his name and his Father’s name. ² I heard a sound from heaven. It was like the roar of rushing waters and loud thunder. The sound I heard was like the music of harps being played. ³ Then everyone sang a new song in front of the throne. They sang it in front of the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000. They had been set free from the evil of the earth. ⁴ They had not committed sexual sins with women. They had kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among human beings as a first offering to God and the Lamb. ⁵ They told no lies. They are without blame.

The Three Angels

⁶ I saw another angel. He was flying high in the air. He came to tell everyone on earth the good news that will always be true. He told it to every nation, tribe and people, no matter what language they spoke. ⁷ In a loud voice he said, “Have respect for God. Give him glory. The hour has come for God to judge. Worship him who made the heavens and the earth. Worship him who made the sea and the springs of water.”

⁸ A second angel followed him. He said, “ ‘Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen!’ (Isaiah 21:9) The city of Babylon made all the nations drink the strong wine of her terrible sins.”

⁹ A third angel followed them. He said in a loud voice, “There will be trouble for anyone who worships the beast and its statue! There will be trouble for anyone who has its mark on their forehead or their hand! ¹⁰ They, too, will drink the wine of God’s great anger. His wine has been poured full strength into the cup of his anger. They will be burned with flaming sulfur. The holy angels and the Lamb will see it happen. ¹¹ The smoke of their terrible suffering will rise for ever and ever. Day and night, there will be no rest for anyone who worships the beast and its statue. There will be no rest for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” ¹² God’s people need to be very patient. They are the ones who obey God’s commands. And they remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven. “Write this,” it said. “Blessed are the dead who die as believers in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Holy Spirit. “They will rest from their labor. What they have done will not be forgotten.”

The Harvest of the Earth

¹⁴ I looked, and there in front of me was a white cloud. Sitting on the cloud was one who looked “like a son of man.” (Daniel 7:13) He wore a gold crown on his head. In his hand was a sharp, curved blade for cutting grain. ¹⁵ Then another angel came out of the temple. He called in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud. “Take your blade,” he said. “Cut the grain. The time has come. The earth is ready to be harvested.” ¹⁶ So the one sitting on the cloud swung his blade over the earth. And the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple in heaven. He too had a sharp, curved blade. ¹⁸ Still another angel came from the altar. He was in charge of the fire on the altar. He called out in a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp blade. “Take your blade,” he said, “and gather the bunches of grapes from the earth’s vine. Its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ So the angel swung his blade over the earth. He gathered its grapes. Then he threw them into a huge winepress. The winepress stands for God’s anger. ²⁰ In the winepress outside the city, the grapes were stomped on. Blood flowed out of the winepress. It spread over the land for about 180 miles. It rose as high as the horses’ heads.

Seven Angels With Seven Plagues

15 I saw in heaven another great and wonderful sign. Seven angels were about to bring the seven last plagues. The plagues would complete God’s anger. ² Then I saw something that looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire. Standing beside the sea were those who had won the battle over the beast. They had also overcome its statue and the number of its name. They held harps given to them by God. ³ They sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb. They sang,

⁵ After this I looked, and I saw the temple in heaven. And it was opened. The temple is the holy tent where the tablets of the covenant law were kept. ⁶ Out of the temple came the seven angels who were bringing the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen. They wore gold strips of cloth around their chests. ⁷ Then one of the four living creatures gave seven golden bowls to the seven angels. The bowls were filled with the anger of God, who lives for ever and ever. ⁸ The temple was filled with smoke that came from the glory and power of God. No one could enter the temple at that time. They had to wait until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

The Seven Bowls of God’s Great Anger

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple speaking to the seven angels. “Go,” it said. “Pour out the seven bowls of God’s great anger on the earth.”

² The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land. Ugly and painful sores broke out on people. Those people had the mark of the beast and worshiped its statue.

³ The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea. It turned into blood like the blood of a dead person. Every living thing in the sea died.

⁴ The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water. They became blood. ⁵ Then I heard the angel who was in charge of the waters. He said,

⁷ Then I heard the altar reply. It said,

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun. The sun was allowed to burn people with fire. ⁹ They were burned by the blazing heat. So they spoke evil things against the name of God, who controlled these plagues. But they refused to turn away from their sins. They did not give glory to God.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast. The kingdom of the beast became very dark. People chewed on their tongues because they were suffering so much. ¹¹ They spoke evil things against the God of heaven. They did this because of their pains and their sores. But they refused to turn away from the sins they had committed.

¹² The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates. Its water dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. ¹³ Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs. They came out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. ¹⁴ They are spirits of demons that perform signs. They go out to gather the kings of the whole world for battle. This battle will take place on the great day of the God who rules over all.

¹⁵ “Look! I am coming like a thief! Blessed is anyone who stays awake and keeps their clothes on. Then they will be ready. They will not be caught naked and so be put to shame.”

¹⁶ Then the evil spirits gathered the kings together. In the Hebrew language, the place where the kings met is called Armageddon.

¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. Out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne. It said, “It is done!” ¹⁸ Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, thunder and a powerful earthquake. There has never been an earthquake as terrible as this. One like this hasn’t happened while human beings have lived on earth. ¹⁹ The great city split into three parts. The cities of the nations crumbled and fell. God remembered Babylon the Great. He gave Babylon the cup filled with the wine of his terrible anger. ²⁰ Every island ran away. The mountains could not be found. ²¹ Huge hailstones weighing about 100 pounds each fell from the sky. The hail crushed people. And they spoke evil things against God because of the plague. That’s because the plague of hail was so terrible.