Chronological

The Woman and the Dragon

12 And then a great wonder appeared in heaven: There was a woman who was clothed with the sun. The moon was under her feet. She had a crown of 12 stars on her head. ² The woman was pregnant. She cried out with pain because she was about to give birth. ³ Then another wonder appeared in heaven: There was a giant red dragon. He had seven heads with seven crowns on each head. He also had ten horns. ⁴ The dragon’s tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and threw them down to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was ready to give birth to a baby. He wanted to eat the woman’s baby as soon as it was born. ⁵ The woman gave birth to a son. He will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. But her child was taken up to God and to his throne. ⁶ The woman ran away into the desert to a place God prepared for her. There she would be taken care of for 1,260 days.

⁷ Then there was a war in heaven. Michael^[a] and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But the dragon was not strong enough. He and his angels lost their place in heaven. ⁹ He was thrown down out of heaven. (The giant dragon is that old snake called the devil or Satan. He leads the whole world the wrong way.) The dragon with his angels was thrown down to the earth.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

¹³ The dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth. So he hunted down the woman who had given birth to the son. ¹⁴ But the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle. Then she could fly to the place that was prepared for her in the desert. There she would be taken care of for three and a half years. There she would be away from the snake. ¹⁵ Then the snake poured water out of its mouth like a river. He poured the water toward the woman, so that the flood would carry her away. ¹⁶ But the earth helped her. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that came from the mouth of the dragon. ¹⁷ Then the dragon was very angry at the woman. He went off to make war against all her other children. Her children are those who obey God’s commands and have the truth that Jesus taught.

¹⁸ And the dragon^[b] stood on the seashore.

The Two Beasts

13 Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. There was a crown on each horn. A name against God was written on each head. ² This beast looked like a leopard, with feet like a bear’s feet. He had a mouth like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast all of his power and his throne and great authority. ³ One of the heads of the beast looked as if it had been wounded and killed. But this death wound was healed. The whole world was amazed and followed the beast. ⁴ People worshiped the dragon because he had given his power to the beast. And they also worshiped the beast. They asked, “Who is as powerful as the beast? Who can make war against him?”

⁵ The beast was allowed to say proud words and words against God. He was allowed to use his power for 42 months. ⁶ He used his mouth to speak against God. He spoke against God’s name, against the place where God lives, and against all those who live in heaven. ⁷ He was given power to make war against God’s holy people and to defeat them. He was given power over every tribe, people, language, and nation. ⁸ All who live on earth will worship the beast. These are all the people since the beginning of the world whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life. The Lamb is the One who was killed.

⁹ If anyone has ears, he should listen:

This means that God’s holy people must have patience and faith.

¹¹ Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he talked like a dragon. ¹² This beast stands before the first beast and uses the same power that the first beast has. He uses this power to make everyone living on earth worship the first beast. The first beast was the one that had the death wound that was healed. ¹³ The second one does great miracles. He even makes fire come down from heaven to earth while people are watching. ¹⁴ This second beast fools those who live on earth. He fools them by the miracles he has been given the power to do. He does these miracles to serve the first beast. The second beast ordered people to make an idol to honor the first beast. This was the one that was wounded by the sword but did not die. ¹⁵ The second beast was given power to give life to the idol of the first one. Then the idol could speak and order all who did not worship it to be killed. ¹⁶ The second animal also forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to have a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. ¹⁷ No one could buy or sell without this mark. This mark is the name of the beast or the number of his name. ¹⁸ Whoever has understanding can find the meaning of the number. This requires wisdom. This number is the number of a man. His number is 666.^[c]

The Song of the Saved

14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb. He was standing on Mount Zion.^[d] There were 144,000 people with him. They all had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. ² And I heard a sound from heaven like the noise of flooding water and like the sound of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like people playing harps. ³ And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living things and the elders.^[e] The only ones who could learn the new song were the 144,000 who had been saved from the earth. No one else could learn the song. ⁴ These 144,000 are the ones who did not do sinful things with women. They kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb every place he goes. These 144,000 were saved from among the people of the earth. They are the first people to be offered to God and the Lamb. ⁵ They were not guilty of telling lies. They are without fault.

The Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying high in the air. The angel had the eternal Good News to preach to those who live on earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. ⁷ The angel said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him praise. The time has come for God to judge all people. Worship God. He made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water.”

⁸ Then the second angel followed the first angel and said, “She is destroyed! The great city of Babylon is destroyed! She made all the nations drink the wine of her adultery and of God’s anger.”

⁹ A third angel followed the first two angels. This third angel said in a loud voice: “It will be bad for the person who worships the beast and his idol and gets the beast’s mark on the forehead or on the hand. ¹⁰ He will drink the wine of God’s anger. This wine is prepared with all its strength in the cup of God’s anger. He will be put in pain with burning sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke from their burning pain will rise forever and ever. There will be no rest, day or night, for those who worship the beast and his idol or who get the mark of his name.” ¹² This means that God’s holy people must be patient. They must obey God’s commands and keep their faith in Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven. It said, “Write this: From now on, the dead who were in the Lord when they died are happy.”

The Spirit says, “Yes, that is true. They will rest from their hard work. The reward of all they have done stays with them.”

The Earth Is Harvested

¹⁴ I looked and there before me was a white cloud. Sitting on the white cloud was One who looked like a Son of Man.^[f] He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle^[g] in his hand. ¹⁵ Then another angel came out of the temple. This angel called to the One who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and gather from the earth. The time to harvest has come. The fruit of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So the One that was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth. And the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven. This angel also had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ And then another angel came from the altar. This angel has power over the fire. This angel called to the angel with the sharp sickle. He said, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the bunches of grapes from the earth’s vine. The earth’s grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel swung his sickle over the earth. He gathered the earth’s grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s anger. ²⁰ The grapes were crushed in the winepress outside the city. And blood flowed out of the winepress. It rose as high as the heads of the horses for a distance of 200 miles.

The Last Troubles

15 Then I saw another wonder in heaven. It was great and amazing. There were seven angels bringing seven troubles. These are the last troubles, because after these troubles God’s anger is finished.

² I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire. All of those who had won the victory over the beast and his idol and over the number of his name were standing by the sea. They had harps that God had given them. ³ They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:

⁵ After this I saw the temple (the Tent of the Agreement) in heaven. The temple was opened. ⁶ And the seven angels bringing the seven troubles came out of the temple. They were dressed in clean, shining linen. They wore golden bands tied around their chests. ⁷ Then one of the four living things gave seven golden bowls to the seven angels. The bowls were filled with the anger of God, who lives forever and ever. ⁸ The temple was filled with smoke from the glory and the power of God. No one could enter the temple until the seven troubles of the seven angels were finished.

The Bowls of God’s Anger

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

² The first angel left. He poured out his bowl on the land. Then ugly and painful sores came upon all those who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his idol.

³ The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea. Then the sea became blood like that of a dead man. Every living thing in the sea died.

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

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun. The sun was given power to burn the people with fire. ⁹ They were burned by the great heat, and they cursed the name of God. God is the One who had control over these troubles. But the people refused to change their hearts and lives and give glory to God.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast. And darkness covered the beast’s kingdom. People bit their tongues because of the pain. ¹¹ They cursed the God of heaven because of their pain and the sores they had. But they refused to change their hearts and turn away from the evil things they did.

¹² The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates. The water in the river was dried up. This prepared the way for the kings from the east to come. ¹³ Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs. They came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. ¹⁴ These evil spirits are the spirits of demons. They have power to do miracles. They go out to the kings of the whole world. They go out to gather the kings for battle on the great day of God All-Powerful.

¹⁵ “Listen! I will come as a thief comes! Happy is the person who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him. Then he will not have to go without clothes and be ashamed because he is naked.”

¹⁶ Then the evil spirits gathered the kings together to the place that is called Armageddon^[i] in the Hebrew language.

¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. Then a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne. The voice said, “It is finished!” ¹⁸ Then there were flashes of lightning, noises, thunder, and a big earthquake. This was the worst earthquake that has ever happened since people have been on earth. ¹⁹ The great city split into three parts. The cities of the nations were destroyed. And God did not forget to punish Babylon the Great. He gave that city the cup filled with the wine of his terrible anger. ²⁰ Every island disappeared, and there were no more mountains. ²¹ Giant hailstones fell on people from the sky. The hailstones weighed about 100 pounds each. People cursed God because of the hail. This trouble was a terrible thing.

The Woman on the Animal

17 One of the seven angels came and spoke to me. This was one of the angels that had the seven bowls. He said, “Come, and I will show you the punishment that will be given to the famous prostitute. She is the one sitting over many waters. ² The kings of the earth sinned sexually with her. And the people of the earth became drunk from the wine of her sexual immorality.”

³ Then the angel carried me away by the Spirit to the desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a red beast. He was covered with names against God written on him. He had seven heads and ten horns. ⁴ The woman was dressed in purple and red. She was shining with the gold, jewels, and pearls she was wearing. She had a golden cup in her hand. This cup was filled with evil things and the uncleanness of her sexual immorality. ⁵ She had a title written on her forehead. This title has a hidden meaning. This is what was written:

⁶ I saw that the woman was drunk. She was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people. She was drunk with the blood of those who were killed because of their faith in Jesus.

When I saw the woman, I was fully amazed. ⁷ Then the angel said to me, “Why are you amazed? I will tell you the hidden meaning of this woman and the beast she rides—the one with seven heads and ten horns. ⁸ The beast that you saw was once alive. He is not alive now. But he will be alive and come up out of the bottomless pit and go away to be destroyed. The people who live on earth will be amazed when they see the beast. They will be amazed because he was once alive, is not alive now, but will come again. These are the people whose names have never been written in the book of life since the beginning of the world.

⁹ “You need a wise mind to understand this. The seven heads on the beast are the seven hills where the woman sits. They are also seven kings. ¹⁰ Five of the kings have already died. One of the kings lives now. And the last king is coming. When he comes, he will stay only a short time. ¹¹ The beast that was once alive but is not alive now is an eighth king. This eighth king also belongs to the first seven kings. And he will go away to be destroyed.

¹² “The ten horns you saw are ten kings. These ten kings have not yet begun to rule. But they will receive power to rule with the beast for one hour. ¹³ All ten of these kings have the same purpose. And they will give their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴ They will make war against the Lamb. But the Lamb will defeat them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. He will defeat them with his chosen and faithful followers—the people that he has called.”

¹⁵ Then the angel said to me, “You saw the water where the prostitute sits. These waters are the many peoples, the different races, nations, and languages. ¹⁶ The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will take everything she has and leave her naked. They will eat her body and burn her with fire. ¹⁷ God made the ten horns want to carry out his purpose: They agreed to give the beast their power to rule. They will rule until what God has said is completed. ¹⁸ The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

Babylon Is Destroyed

18 Then I saw another angel coming down from heaven. This angel had great power. The angel’s glory made the earth bright. ² The angel shouted in a powerful voice:

⁴ Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

⁹ The kings of the earth who sinned sexually with her and shared her wealth will see the smoke from her burning. Then they will cry and weep because of her death. ¹⁰ They will be afraid of her suffering and stand far away. They will say:

¹¹ And the businessmen of the earth will cry and weep for her. They will be sad because now there is no one to buy the things they sell. ¹² They sell gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen cloth, purple cloth, silk, and red cloth. They sell all kinds of citron wood and all kinds of things made from ivory, expensive wood, bronze, iron, and marble. ¹³ They also sell cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, and olive oil; fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages. They sell the bodies and souls of men.

¹⁴ They will say,

¹⁵ The businessmen will be afraid of her suffering and stand far away from her. These are the men who became rich from selling those things to her. The men will cry and be sad. ¹⁶ They will say:

Every sea captain, all those who travel on ships, the sailors, and all the people who earn money from the sea stood far away from Babylon. ¹⁸ They saw the smoke from her burning. They said loudly, “There was never a city like this great city!” ¹⁹ They threw dust on their heads and cried to show how sad they were. They said:

²¹ Then a powerful angel picked up a stone like a large stone for grinding grain. The angel threw the stone into the sea and said: