Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The angel with the gospel
6-7 Then I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, holding the everlasting Gospel to proclaim to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation and tribe and language and people. He was crying in a loud voice, “Reverence God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment has come! Worship him who made Heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
The angel of doom
8 Then another, a second angel, followed him crying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She who made all nations drink the wine of her passionate unfaithfulness!”
The angel of judgment
9-11 Then a third angel followed these two, crying in a loud voice, “If any man worships the animal and its statue and bears its mark upon his forehead or upon his hand, then that man shall drink the wine of God’s passion, poured undiluted into the cup of his wrath. He shall be tortured by fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. The smoke of such men’s torture ascends for timeless ages, and there is no respite from it day or night. Such are the worshippers of the animal and its statue and among their number are all who bear the mark of its name.”
The call to stand fast
12 In all this stands the endurance of the saints—those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
The security of the saints
13 Then I heard a voice from Heaven, saying, “Write this! From henceforth happy are the dead who die in the Lord!” “Happy indeed,” says the Spirit, “for they rest from their labours and their deeds go with them!”
The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.