Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

Rejoicing in Heaven

19 After these things I heard something like the loud sound of a great crowd in heaven saying,

³ And a second time they said,

And her smoke goes up forever and ever^[b]. ⁴ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying,

⁵ And a voice came out from the throne, saying,

The Wedding Celebration of the Lamb

⁶ And I heard something like the sound of a great crowd and something like the sound of many waters and something like the sound of powerful thunder, saying,

⁹ And he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet of the wedding celebration of the Lamb!” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” ¹⁰ And I fell down before his feet to worship him, and he said to me, “Do not do that!^[d] I am a fellow slave of you and of your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The Warrior on the White Horse

¹¹ And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and the one seated on it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice^[e] he judges and makes war. ¹² Now his eyes were a flame of fire, and on his head were many royal headbands having a name written that no one except he himself knows. ¹³ And he was dressed in an outer garment dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies that are in heaven, dressed in clean, white fine linen, were following him on white horses. ¹⁵ And out of his mouth came a sharp sword, so that with it he could strike the nations. And he will shepherd them with an iron rod,^[f] and he stomps the winepress of the wine of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful. ¹⁶ And he has a name written on his outer garment and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

¹⁷ And I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly directly overhead^[g],

¹⁹ And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war with the one who is seated on the horse and with his army. ²⁰ And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs before him, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. ²¹ And the rest were killed by the sword of the one who is seated on the horse—the sword that comes out of his mouth—and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Satan Bound for a Thousand Years

20 And I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. ² And he seized the dragon—the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan—and bound him for a thousand years, ³ and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it above him, in order that he could not deceive the nations again until the thousand years are completed. After these things it is necessary for him to be released for a short time.

⁴ And I saw thrones, and they sat down on them, and authority to judge was granted to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and did not receive the mark on their^[h] forehead and on their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.) This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over this person the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand^[i] years.

Satan’s Release and Defeat

⁷ And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and he will go out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to assemble them for battle, whose number^[j] is like the sand of the sea. ⁹ And they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the fortified camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and consumed them. ¹⁰ And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet also are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever^[k].

The Judgment at the Great White Throne

¹¹ And I saw a great white throne and the one who was seated on it, from whose presence^[l] earth and heaven fled, and a place was not found for them. ¹² And I saw the dead—the great and the small—standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and each one was judged according to their deeds. ¹⁴ And Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.