Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
9 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fall from ·the sky [or heaven] to the earth. The star was given the key to the ·deep hole [shaft] ·that leads to the bottomless pit [L of the Abyss; C the place of the dead and/or a prison for fallen angels; Luke 8:31; Rom. 10:7]. 2 Then ·it [or he] opened up the ·hole that leads to the bottomless pit [shaft of the Abyss], and smoke came up from the ·hole [shaft] like smoke from a ·big [great; giant] furnace. Then the sun and ·sky [air] became dark because of the smoke from the ·hole [shaft]. 3 Then locusts came down to the earth out of the smoke [C similar to the eighth Egyptian plague; Ex. 10:1–20; see also Joel 1:2—2:10], and they were given the power ·to sting like [L like the power of] scorpions [L of the earth]. 4 They were told not to ·harm [damage] the grass on the earth or any ·plant [greenery] or tree. They could ·harm [damage] only the people who did not have the ·sign [seal] of God on their foreheads [7:3]. 5 These locusts were not ·given the power [permitted] to kill anyone, but to ·cause pain to [torture; torment] the people for five months [C perhaps referring to the limited life span of a locust]. And ·the pain they felt was like the pain a scorpion gives [L their torture/torment was like the torture/torment of a scorpion] when it stings someone. 6 During those days people will ·look for a way to die [L seek death], but they will not find it. They will ·want [long; desire] to die, but death will ·run away [flee] from them.
7 The locusts looked like horses ·prepared [equipped; trained] for battle [Joel 2:4]. On their heads they wore what looked like crowns of gold [C indicating their victory; 2:10], and their faces looked like human faces. 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth [Joel 1:6]. 9 Their chests looked like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horses and chariots ·hurrying [charging; running] into battle [Joel 2:5]. 10 The locusts had tails with stingers like scorpions, and in their tails was their ·power [authority] to ·hurt [damage; harm] people for five months. 11 The locusts had a king who was the ·angel [or messenger] of the ·bottomless pit [L Abyss; 9:1]. His name in the Hebrew language is Abaddon and in the Greek language is Apollyon [C both mean “Destroyer”; perhaps a reference to Satan].
12 The first ·trouble [L woe] is past; there are still two other ·troubles [L woes] that will come [8:13].
13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns [C some ancient manuscripts specify that there are four horns; protrusions on the four corners of the altar symbolizing God’s strength] on the golden altar [C the incense altar; Ex. 30:1–10] that is before God. 14 The voice said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “·Free [Release] the four angels who are ·tied [bound] at the great river Euphrates [7:1].” 15 And they ·let loose [released] the four angels who had been ·kept ready [prepared] for this hour and day and month and year so they could kill a third of ·all people on the earth [L humanity; mankind]. 16 I heard how many troops on horses were in their army—two hundred million.
17 The horses and their riders I saw in the vision looked like this: They had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue [L hyacinth-colored], and yellow like sulfur [brimstone]. The heads of the horses looked like heads of lions, with fire, smoke, and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 18 A third of ·all the people on earth [humanity; mankind] were killed by these three ·terrible disasters [plagues] coming out of the horses’ mouths: the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur. 19 The horses’ ·power [authority] was in their mouths and in their tails; their tails were like snakes with heads [12:9; Gen. 3:1–7], and with them they ·hurt [damaged; injured; wounded] people.
20 The ·other [rest of the] people who were not killed by these ·terrible disasters [plagues] still did not ·change their hearts and turn away from what they had made with their own hands [L repent from the works of their hands]. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—things that cannot see or hear or walk [Ps. 115:4–7; 135:17; Jer. 10:1–16]. 21 These people did not ·change their hearts and turn away from [repent of] murder or ·evil magic [sorcery], from their ·sexual sins [fornication] or stealing.
The Angel and the Small Scroll
10 Then I saw another ·powerful [mighty; strong] ·angel [messenger; 5:2] coming down from heaven ·dressed [wrapped; robed] in a cloud with a ·rainbow [or halo] over his head. His face was like the sun, and his ·legs [or feet] were like pillars of fire. 2 The angel was holding a small scroll open in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. 3 Then he ·shouted [cried out] loudly like the roaring of a lion [Hos. 11:10; Amos 3:8]. And when he ·shouted [cried out], the voices of seven thunders [Ps. 29] spoke. 4 When the seven thunders spoke, I ·started [was about] to write. But I heard a voice from heaven say, “·Keep hidden [L Seal up; Dan. 12:4] what the seven thunders said, and do not write them down.”
5 Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven [C as when taking an oath; Ex. 6:8; Deut. 32:40], 6 and he ·made a promise [swore an oath] ·by the power of the One [L by the One] who lives forever and ever [Dan. 12:7]. He is the One who ·made [created] the ·skies [or heavens] and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it [Gen. 1]. The angel ·promised [swore an oath], “There will be no ·more waiting [delay; L time]! 7 [L But] In the days when the seventh angel is ready to blow his trumpet, God’s ·secret [mystery; hidden plan] will be ·finished [completed]. This ·secret [mystery; hidden plan] is ·the Good News God told [or just as he announced] to his servants, the prophets [Amos 3:7; 1 Pet. 1:10–12].”
8 Then I heard the same voice from heaven again, saying to me: “Go and take the open scroll that is in the hand of the angel that is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. And he said to me, “Take the scroll and eat it [C a symbol of internalizing the word]. It will be ·sour [bitter] in your stomach [C because it is a message of judgment], but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey [C because it is God’s word and because it brings salvation and vindication to his people; Ps. 119:103; Jer. 15:16; Ezek. 2:8—3:3].” 10 So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. In my mouth it tasted sweet as honey, but after I ate it, it was ·sour [bitter] in my stomach. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings [C he must share the word he just received].”
The Two Witnesses
11 I was given a ·measuring stick [C a reed or cane used for measuring] like a ·rod [staff; walking stick], and I was told, ·Go [Get up] and measure the temple of God and the altar, ·and count [or including] the people worshiping there [C probably to show God’s control and protection of his people; Ezek. 40:3, 5]. 2 But do not measure the ·yard [courtyard] outside the temple. Leave it ·alone [out], because it has been given to ·those who are not God’s people [the Gentiles; the nations]. And they will trample on the holy city [C Jerusalem] for forty-two months [C a period of oppression—either literal or symbolic—equal to three and a half years; see Dan. 7:25; 12:7, 11–12]. 3 And I will ·give power to [or appoint; L give to] my two witnesses to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days [C 42 months reckoned as 30 days each], ·and they will be dressed in rough cloth to show their sadness [L dressed in sackcloth; C mourning clothes].”
4 These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth [C reminiscent of Zerubbabel and Joshua whom God used to build the second temple in spite of opposition; Zech. 4:2–6]. 5 And if anyone ·tries [wants] to ·hurt [harm; damage] them, fire comes from their mouths and ·kills [consumes; devours] their enemies [Jer. 5:14]. And if anyone ·tries [wants] to ·hurt [harm; damage] them in whatever way, in that same way that person ·will [or must] die. 6 These witnesses have the ·power [authority] to ·stop the sky [close the heavens] from raining during the time they are prophesying [1 Kin. 17:1]. And they have ·power [authority] to make the waters become blood [8:8; 16:3–4; Ex. 7:17–21], and they have ·power [authority] to send every kind of ·trouble [plague] to the earth as many times as they want.
7 When the two witnesses have finished ·telling their message [giving their witness/testimony], the beast [C probably the Antichrist; 13:1; 17:8; Dan. 7] that comes up from the ·bottomless pit [Abyss; 9:1] will fight a war against them. He will ·defeat [conquer] them and kill them. 8 The ·bodies [corpses] of the two witnesses will lie in the ·street [public square; C to be left unburied as a sign of disdain] of the great city where the Lord was ·killed [L crucified; C Jerusalem, perhaps here symbolic of the world’s opposition to God]. ·This city is named Sodom and Egypt, which has a spiritual meaning [L …which is figuratively/symbolically/spiritually called Sodom and Egypt; C Jerusalem is symbolically named after places judged by God for wickedness (Sodom) and for oppressing God’s people (Egypt); Gen. 19; Ex. 7—12]. 9 Those from every race of people, tribe, language, and nation will look at the bodies of the two witnesses for three and one-half days, and they will ·refuse to bury them [L not let them be placed in a tomb]. 10 People who live on the earth will rejoice and ·be happy [celebrate] because these two are dead. They will send each other gifts, because these two prophets brought much ·suffering [torment] to those who live on the earth.
11 But after [L the] three and one-half days, ·God put the breath of life into the two prophets again [L a breath/spirit of life from God entered them; Gen. 2:7]. They stood on their feet, and everyone who saw them became very afraid. 12 Then the two prophets heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here!” And they went up into heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched.
13 In the same hour there was a ·great [violent] earthquake, and a tenth of the city ·was destroyed [collapsed; L fell]. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and those who did not die were very afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven [Ezek. 38:19–20; Zech. 14:4].
14 The second ·trouble [L woe] is finished. ·Pay attention [Look; T Behold]: The third ·trouble [L woe] is coming ·soon [quickly; 8:13].
The Seventh Trumpet
15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet. And there were loud voices in heaven, saying:
“·The power to rule the world now belongs to [or The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of] our Lord and his Christ [C Greek for Messiah or Anointed One],
and he will ·rule [reign] forever and ever [2 Sam. 7:16; Dan. 7:14, 18; Luke 1:32–33].”
16 Then the twenty-four elders [4:4], who sit on their thrones before God, ·bowed down [fell] on their faces and worshiped God. 17 They said:
“We give thanks to you, Lord God ·Almighty [All-powerful],
[the One] who is and [the One] who was [C in contrast with 1:4, 8; 4:8, this lacks the future reference, “who is coming,” because here God has commenced his future reign],
because you have ·used [or taken; or received] your great power
and have begun to rule!
18 The ·people of the world [nations; Gentiles] were angry [Ps. 2:1],
but your ·anger [wrath] has come.
The time has come to judge the dead [Dan. 12:2],
and to reward your servants the prophets
and your ·holy people [T saints],
·all who respect you [L those who fear your name], small and great.
The time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth!”
19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened. The ·Ark that holds the agreement God gave to his people [L Ark of his Covenant] could be seen in his temple. Then there were flashes of lightning, ·noises, thunder [rumbling thunder], an earthquake, and a great hailstorm [C typical accompaniments to the arrival of God; 4:5].
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