Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

The Woman and the Dragon

12 A great sign appeared in heaven. It was a woman wearing the sun like clothes. The moon was under her feet. On her head she wore a crown of 12 stars. ² She was pregnant. She cried out in pain because she was about to have a baby. ³ Then another sign appeared in heaven. It was a huge red dragon. It had seven heads and ten horns. On its seven heads it wore seven crowns. ⁴ The dragon’s tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky. It threw the stars down to earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to have a baby. The dragon wanted to eat her child the moment he was born. ⁵ She gave birth to a son. He “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” (Psalm 2:9) And her child was taken up to God and to his throne. ⁶ The woman escaped into the desert where God had a place prepared for her. There she would be taken care of for 1,260 days.

⁷ Then a war began in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But the dragon wasn’t strong enough. Both he and his angels lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was thrown down to the earth, and his angels with him. The dragon is that old serpent called the devil, or Satan. He leads the whole world astray.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven. It said,

¹³ The dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth. So he chased the woman who had given birth to the boy. ¹⁴ The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle. She was given these wings so that she could fly away. She could fly to the place prepared for her in the desert. There she would be taken care of for three and a half years. She would be out of the serpent’s reach. ¹⁵ Then out of his mouth the serpent spit water like a river. He wanted to catch the woman and sweep her away in the flood. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman. It opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had spit out. ¹⁷ The dragon was very angry with the woman. He went off to make war against the rest of her children. They obey God’s commands. And they hold firmly to the truth they have said about Jesus.

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.