Revelation – Legacy Edition — 2001 Translation of the Bible

Written for Jesus’ Apostle John, possibly in Aramaic, sometime late in the 1^st Century CE.

A vision of ‘The Day of the Lord.’

Chapter 1

¹ A revelation that The God gave to Jesus the Anointed One to show his slaves the things that must happen very quickly.
He sent it by his messenger to his slave John in signs. ² And [John] testifies that everything he saw was the Word of The God and the testimony of Jesus the Anointed.
³ Those that read it aloud, as well as those that listen to the words of this prophecy and obey the things that are written in it are blest, because the appointed time is near.

⁴ From John, to the seven congregations in Asia [Minor];
May you find loving care and peace from The One that is, that was, and that is coming, as well as from the seven spirits that are in front of His throne, ⁵ and from Jesus the Anointed One, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, that loves us, that freed us from our sins by his own blood ⁶ and that made us to be a Kingdom of Priests to his God and Father.
May he have glory and might through ages of ages…
May it be so!

⁷ Look! He’s coming in the clouds and every eye will see him, including those that pierced him, and all the nations of the earth will wail because of him.
Yes, may it be so!

⁸ ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’
said Jehovah The God;
‘the One that is, that was, and is coming… the Almighty.’

⁹ I (John) am your brother that shares in your difficulties over the Kingdom, and in your endurance in Jesus.
I am now on this island called Patmos because of the Word of God and because of my testimony about Jesus.

¹⁰ It was through the Breath [of God] that I found myself in the Lord’s Day.
For from behind me I heard a voice that was as loud as a trumpet, ¹¹ which said:
‘Write the things that you’re about to see on a scroll and send it to these seven congregations:
Ephesus, Smyrna, PergaMōm, ThyaTira, Sardis, PhilaDelphia, and LaoDikia.’

¹² Then I turned around to see who was speaking to me.
But when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands. ¹³ And between the lampstands, [I saw] someone [that looked] like a son of man. He was dressed in a robe that came down to his feet, and his chest was wrapped in gold.
¹⁴ His head and hair were as bright as white wool or snow, and his eyes were as flames of fire.
¹⁵ His feet looked like the finest copper as it is being poured from a smelter, and his voice sounded like the noise that’s made by large bodies of water.
¹⁶ In his right hand [he held] seven stars, a long, sharp, two-edged sword was protruding from his mouth, and his face glowed as brightly as the sun.

¹⁷ Well when I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man.
Then he laid his right hand on me and said:
‘Don’t be afraid; I’m the first, the last, ¹⁸ and the living one. And though I died, {Look!} I am living through ages of ages. I also hold the keys to death and the place of the dead.

¹⁹ ‘You must now write down the things that you’re about to see…
For they are things that are now and things that will soon be.

²⁰ ‘As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands;
The seven stars signify the messengers of the seven congregations, and the seven lampstands signify the seven congregations.’

Chapter 2

¹ ‘Write this to the messenger of the congregation in Ephesus.
Tell him that one that is holding the seven stars in his right hand and that walks among the seven gold lampstands said this:

² ‘I know what you’re doing… that you’ve worked hard and endured, that you don’t tolerate evil men, and that you’ve put those that say they are Apostles (but really aren’t) to the test, showing them to be liars.
³ You’ve also been patient, because you’ve been bearing my name and you haven’t given up.

⁴ ‘However, you’ve lost the love that you had at first, and I hold this against you.
⁵ So you must recognize how far you’ve fallen and turn around… go back to doing what you did at the first!
For if you don’t (and unless you repent), I’ll be coming to you and I’ll remove your lampstand from its place.

⁶ ‘However, I can say this on your behalf:
You hate what the Nicolaitans are doing, and I also hate what they are doing.

⁷ ‘Let those that have ears hear what [God’s] Breath says to the congregations.
I’ll allow those that conquer to eat from the Tree of Life that is in the Paradise of The God.

⁸ ‘And write this to the messenger of the congregation in Smyrna.
Tell him that this is what the one that is the first, the last, and that died and came to life, has to say:

⁹ ‘I know of your problems and your poverty (although you’re really rich), and about the blasphemy of those that say they are Jews (although they really aren’t, they’re just a synagogue of the Slanderer).

¹⁰ ‘Don’t be afraid of the things that you’re about to suffer, for {Look!} the Slanderer is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you’ll be persecuted for ten days.
But if you’ll be faithful to death, I’ll give you the garland of life.

¹¹ ‘Let those that have ears hear what [God’s] Breath says to the congregations:
The ones that conquer won’t be harmed by the second death!

¹² ‘And write this to the messenger of the congregation in PergaMōm.
Tell him that the one who has the long, sharp, two-edged sword said this:

¹³ ‘I know that the place where you’re living is the very throne of the Slanderer, and yet you keep hanging onto my name.
For you didn’t deny your faith in me even in the days of my faithful witness AntiPas, who was killed among you there where the Slanderer lives.

¹⁴ ‘However, I still hold a few things against you, for there are some among you that are following the teachings of BalaAm – the one that taught Balak how to set a trap before the Sons of IsraEl [by getting them] to eat sacrifices to idols and to be sexually immoral.

¹⁵ ‘You also have those that are following the teachings of the Nicolaitans.
¹⁶ So turn around; for if you don’t, I’ll be there soon and fight a war against you with the long sword from my mouth!

¹⁷ ‘Let those that have ears hear what [God’s] Breath says to the congregations:
To those that conquer, I will give some of the hidden manna and a white pebble.
This pebble has a new name written on it that no one will know other than those that receive it.

¹⁸ ‘And write this to the messenger of the congregation in ThyaTira.
Tell him that the Son of The God (the one that has eyes like flames of fire and whose feet are like fine copper) said this:

¹⁹ I know what you’re doing, and I know of your love, your faith, your service, and your endurance.
[I also know that] what you’ve been doing recently is even more than what you’ve done in the past!

²⁰ ‘However, I do hold this one thing against you:
You’re still putting up with that woman JezeBel… the one that calls herself a prophet but teaches and misleads my slaves into immoral sexual acts and into eating things that are sacrificed to idols.
²¹ And though I have given her enough time to turn around, she doesn’t wish to repent her immorality, ²² so {Look!} I will be throwing her into a bed and I will bring a time of great difficulty upon those that are enjoying sex with her, unless they repent over what they’re doing with her.
²³ I’m also going to put her children to death, so that all the congregations will know I’m the one that searches their kidneys and hearts, and that repays each one according to his deeds.

²⁴ ‘But, to the rest of you in ThyaTira (those of you that are unaware of such teachings and that haven’t come to know about what they call the deep things of the Slanderer), I’m saying that I won’t lay any more loads on you.
²⁵ Just hang on until I get there.
²⁶ For then I’ll give those that conquer and who’ve obeyed everything that I’ve told them to do down to the end, authority over the nations… ²⁷ they will shepherd them with an iron rod with the same [authority] that I received from my Father, and they will shatter them like clay pots.
²⁸ I’ll also give them the morning star.’

²⁹ ‘Yes, let those that have ears listen to what [God’s] Breath says to the congregations!

Chapter 3

¹ ‘And write this to the messenger of the congregation in Sardis.
Tell him that the one that has the seven Breaths of God and the seven stars says this:

‘I know what you’re doing, and though you have the reputation of being alive, you’re really dead!
² So, you must wake up and revive the things that aren’t quite died yet, because I don’t see where you’ve accomplished any of the tasks [that you’ve been assigned] in the sight of my God!

³ ‘You must start remembering [all the things] that you’ve received and heard, then hang onto them and repent!
For if you don’t stay awake, I will come like a thief… and you won’t be aware of it until I’m right there on you!

⁴ ‘However, there are a few names in Sardis that haven’t dirtied their robes. These will walk with me and they’ll wear white [robes], because that’s what they truly deserve.
⁵ Yes, all those that conquer will be dressed like that… in white robes.
I’ll never erase their names from the Scroll of Life, and then I’ll admit to knowing their names before my Father and His messengers.

⁶ ‘Let those that have ears hear what [God’s] Breath says to the congregations!

⁷ ‘And write this to the messenger of the congregation in PhilaDelphia.
Tell him that the one that is holy and true, and that has the key of David that opens what no one can close and closes what no one can open, said this:

⁸ ‘I know what you’re doing, and Look;
I’ve put an open door before you that no one can close!

‘I also know that although you don’t have much strength, you’ve kept my word and you haven’t denied knowing my name.
⁹ So, look at what I’m going to do to those from the synagogue of the Opposer that say they are Jews (but who really aren’t and are just lying)… {Look!} I’m going to make them come and bow at your feet, and I’ll make sure that they know how much I love you.

¹⁰ ‘Also, since you’ve obeyed my instructions to be patient, I’m going to protect you from the hour of trial that’s coming upon the whole habitation of mankind, which will try everyone that lives on the face of the earth.

¹¹ ‘I’m coming soon, so hang on and don’t let anyone steal your garland; ¹² for I will make those that conquer pillars in the Most Holy Place of my God, and they’ll never leave it.
I’ll also write the Name of my God upon them, as well as the name of the city of my God, New JeruSalem, which will come down out of the sky from my God, along with my new name.

¹³ ‘Let those that have ears hear what [God’s] Breath says to the congregations!

¹⁴ ‘And write this to the messenger of the congregation in LaoDikia.
Tell him that the Amen (the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by The God) said this:

¹⁵ ‘I know what you’re doing, and that you’re neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other; ¹⁶ but, since you’re neither hot nor cold (but lukewarm), I’m going to vomit you out of my mouth!
¹⁷ For you’re saying,
I am rich, and because I’m rich, I don’t need anything!
However, what you don’t realize is that you’re really miserable, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

¹⁸ ‘Therefore, I advise you to buy gold that has been refined by fire from me, so that you can become truly rich and wear white robes; and then nobody will see the shame of your nakedness.
Also, buy some salve to rub in your eyes so you can see; ¹⁹ because, I correct and discipline all those whom I really care for.
Yes, [you should] repent and become zealous!

²⁰ ‘Look, I’m standing at your door and knocking! And if anyone hears my voice and opens that door, I’ll come in and we’ll dine together.
²¹ Then I’ll allow the ones that conquer to sit down with me on my throne, just as my Father has allowed me to sit on His throne, because I have conquered.

²² ‘Let those that have ears hear what [God’s] Breath says to the congregations!

Chapter 4

¹ Well, after I saw those things, I saw a door that opened up in the sky.
And the first voice that I heard speaking to me (which sounded like a trumpet) said:
‘Now, come on up here, and I’ll show you what must happen next.’

² And at that, I immediately [became like] the wind.
And look… there was a throne in the sky, and someone was sitting on the throne.
³ The One that was sitting on it looked like jasper and sardius gems, and all around his throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.

⁴ Then, surrounding this throne, there were twenty-four more thrones, upon which sat twenty-four elders that were each dressed in white robes and had gold garlands on their heads.
⁵ And at the time, there was lightning, thunder, and voices coming from the throne.
In front of the throne there were seven flaming lamps, which were the seven Spirits of The God.

⁶ Also in front of the throne was a transparent sea that looked like crystal.
And on each of the four sides of the throne there was a cherub that had many eyes on its front and back sides.

⁷ The first cherub looked like a lion, the second looked like a young bull, the third had the face of a man, and the fourth looked like a flying eagle.
⁸ Also, each of the four cherubs had six wings that were wrapped around them, and the inner parts of their wings were full of eyes. These didn’t rest night or day, and they were saying:
‘Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah God the Almighty… the One that was, that is, and is coming.’

⁹ Then as the cherubs were giving glory, honor, and thanks to the One that was sitting on the throne (the One that lives through the ages of ages), ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fell down before Him and bowed to their faces.
Then they threw their garlands in front of His throne, and said:
¹¹ ‘O Jehovah our God;
You deserve all the glory, honor, and power, because You created everything… yes, everything was created and exists because You willed it to be!’

Chapter 5

¹ Then I saw a scroll that had writing on both sides in the right hand of the One that was sitting on the throne.
However, it had been sealed tightly with seven seals.

² And at that, I saw a mighty messenger that called out in a loud voice:
‘Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?’
³ However, there wasn’t anyone in the heavens or on the earth that was able to open the scroll to examine it.
⁴ So I started crying, because nobody could be found that was worthy to open and examine the scroll.

⁵ But then, one of the elders said to me:
‘Stop crying.
Look! The Lion that is from the tribe of Judah and of the root of David has conquered, so he will be able to open the scroll and its seven seals!’

⁶ And that’s when I saw a lamb that looked like it had been slaughtered standing between the throne and before the four cherubs and the elders.
He had seven horns and seven eyes, which symbolize the seven Spirits of The God that have been sent throughout the entire earth.

⁷ Then [the lamb] went right up and took [the scroll] from the right hand of the One that was sitting on the throne.
⁸ And when he took the scroll, the four cherubs and the twenty-four elders (each of whom held harps and gold bowls that were filled with the incense that symbolizes the prayers of the Holy Ones) fell down in front of him, ⁹ and they sang a new song, which went:
‘You’re the only one that is worthy
To receive the scroll and open it’s seals.
For, you’re the one that was slaughtered
To buy a people for God with your blood
From every tribe, language, country, and race,
¹⁰ That will serve as Kings and Priests of our God,
And to rule as Kings on (gr. epi) the earth.’

¹¹ Then I looked around, because I heard the voices of many messengers (along with the cherubs and the elders) that were all around the throne and that numbered into the millions and tens of millions.
¹² And they were all shouting in a loud voice:
‘This Lamb that was slaughtered deserves to receive the power, the wealth, the wisdom, the strength, the honor, the glory, and the blessings!’

¹³ And after that, I heard all the creatures in the skies, on the ground, under the ground, in the seas, and everything else in those places say:
‘May the One that is sitting on the throne and His Lamb be praised, honored, glorified, and allowed to retain the power through ages of ages.’

¹⁴ And during all of that, the four cherubs kept saying,
‘May it be so,’
as the elders fell down and bowed to their faces.

Chapter 6

¹ It was then that I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four cherubs say in a thundering voice,
‘Come on out!’
² And suddenly {Look!} I saw a white horse, and the one that was sitting on it had a bow.
Then he was given a garland, and he went out to conquer and to finish his victory.

³ And after that, he opened the second seal, and I heard the second cherub say,
‘Come on out!’
⁴ So another horse came out, which was fiery red; and the one that was sitting on it was authorized to remove peace from the earth, so that [people] would slaughter each other… and a large sword was given to him.

⁵ Then he opened the third seal, and I heard the third cherub say,
‘Come on out!’
And at that, I saw {Look!} a black horse; and the one that was sitting on it had a balance scale in his hand.
⁶ I also heard a voice that sounded like it came from the midst of the four cherubs, which said:
‘A quart of wheat for a silver coin and three quarts of barley for a silver coin…
But don’t damage the olive oil or the wine.’

⁷ Then when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth cherub say,
‘Come on out!’
⁸ And I saw {Look!} a greenish-yellow horse; and the one that was sitting on it was named Death… and the Place of the Dead was following closely behind him.
These were given authority over a quarter of the earth to kill with the sword, with famines, with plagues, and with the wild animals of the earth.

⁹ Next he opened the fifth seal, and underneath the Altar I could see the lives of those that had been slaughtered because of the Word of God and because of the things to which they had testified. ¹⁰ They were crying out in loud voices and asking:
‘How much longer, O Sovereign Lord that is holy and true, will You keep holding back Your judgments and from bringing vengeance for our blood upon those that live on the earth?’

¹¹ Well at that, they were each given white robes and they were told to rest just a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow slaves and brothers was to be filled (that were going to be killed as they had been).

¹² Then I saw him open the sixth seal, and there was a great shaking that caused the sun to become as black as haircloth and the entire moon to become like blood.
¹³ And at that, the stars in the skies fell to the earth like a fig tree drops its figs when it’s shaken by a strong wind.

¹⁴ Thereafter, I saw what looked like the sky being rolled up like a scroll, and all the mountains and islands were removed from their places.

¹⁵ Well when that happened, all the kings of the earth, all the important people, all the military commanders, all the rich and powerful, as well as all the slaves and free people went and hid themselves in caves and under rocks on the mountains.
¹⁶ For they were saying to the mountains and rocks:
‘Fall over us and hide us from the face of the One that is sitting on the throne and from the rage of the Lamb…
¹⁷ For the Great Day of their rage has arrived and who will be able to survive?’

Chapter 7

¹ Then I saw four messengers that were standing on each of the four corners of the earth. These were holding onto the four winds of the earth so they couldn’t blow on the lands, on the seas, or on the trees.

² And after that, I saw another messenger arising from the sunrise, and he was carrying the seal of the living God.
Then he shouted loudly to the four messengers that were allowed to harm the lands and the seas, saying:
³ ‘Don’t harm the lands, the seas, or the trees until after we have sealed the slaves of our God in their foreheads.’

⁴ Well, that’s when I heard the number of those that were to be sealed… a hundred and forty-four thousand out of all the tribes of the sons of IsraEl.

⁵ Twelve thousand were to be sealed out of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand out of the tribe of ReuBen, twelve thousand out of the tribe of Gad, ⁶ twelve thousand out of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand out of the tribe of NaphTali, twelve thousand out of the tribe of ManasSeh,
⁷ twelve thousand out of the tribe of SimeOn, twelve thousand out of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand out of the tribe of IsSachar, ⁸ twelve thousand out of the tribe of ZebuLun, twelve thousand out of the tribe of JoSeph, and twelve thousand were to be sealed out of the tribe of BenJamin.

⁹ And after that, I saw {Look!} a crowd so large that no one could count them.
They came from all countries, nationalities, ethnic groups, and languages, and they were all standing within view (gr. enopion) of the Lamb and the throne.
They were each wearing white robes and carrying palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and they were shouting:
‘We owe our salvation to our God that is sitting on the throne and to the Lamb!’

¹¹ Well when that happened, all the messengers that were standing in a circle around the throne (as well as all the elders and the four cherubs) started falling to their faces in front of the throne and bowing low before God ¹² and saying:
‘May it be so! May our God have all the praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength through ages of ages…
May it be so!’

¹³ Then one of the elders asked me:
‘Just who are these that are dressed in the white robes and where did they come from?’

¹⁴ And I replied:
‘My lord; You’re the one that knows!’

So he told me:
‘They’re the ones that have come out of the great time of difficulty and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
¹⁵ This is why they’re under the gaze of the throne of The God, serving Him day and night in His Most Holy Place.
For the One that is sitting on the throne will spread His tent over them, ¹⁶ then they won’t be hungry or thirsty anymore, nor will the sun beat down on them with blistering heat;
¹⁷ For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and guide them to the springs of the waters of life, and God will wipe all the tears from their eyes.’

Chapter 8

¹ Well, after he opened the seventh seal, the skies went silent for about a half hour.
² Then I saw seven trumpets that were being distributed among seven of the messengers that were standing before God.

³ And at that, another messenger arrived that was carrying a gold incense bowl.
So he stopped in front of the Altar and he was given a large quantity of incense that was to be offered on the gold Altar that was in front of the throne, along with the prayers of all the Holy Ones.
⁴ And the smoke from the incense that was being offered by the messenger thereafter kept arising before God along with the prayers of the Holy Ones.

⁵ Well after that, the messenger then took the incense bowl and filled it with some of the fire [that was burning on] the Altar and he threw it down to the earth, which caused thunder, voices, lightning, and a great shaking.
⁶ And that’s when the seven messengers prepared to blow the seven trumpets.

⁷ So the first one blew his trumpet, and hail and fire that was mixed with blood was thrown down to the earth, which caused a third of the lands, a third of the trees, and a third of all of the green plants to be burned.

⁸ Then the second messenger blew his trumpet, and something that looked like a huge burning mountain was thrown down into the sea, which caused a third of the sea to turn into blood, ⁹ and this killed a third of the creatures that live in the seas and it destroyed a third of the ships [that were traveling there].

¹⁰ Then the third messenger blew his trumpet, and a huge star that was burning like a lamp fell out of the sky onto a third of the rivers and onto a third of the springs of water.
¹¹ I was told that the name of this star was Wormwood.
So, a third of the water turned into wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had become so bitter.

¹² Well when the fourth messenger blew his trumpet, a third of the sun was then struck, as was a third of the moon and a third of the stars, which brought darkness upon a third [of the earth], so that the day didn’t appear over a third of [the earth], nor did the night.

¹³ It was then that I saw an eagle that was flying high in the sky, and I heard it shout:
‘Woe, woe, woe to those that are living on the earth, for there are three more trumpet blasts that the three messengers are getting ready to blow!’

Chapter 9

¹ Then the fifth messenger blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fall out of the sky onto the earth, and this one had been given the key to the abyss.
² So it opened the abyss, and smoke poured out of it as though it was coming from a huge furnace.
The smoke from the abyss thereafter darkened the sun and all of the air.

³ Well at that, locusts started dropping to the earth out of the smoke, and they were given the same power as earthly scorpions.
⁴ However, they had been told not to damage any of the earth’s vegetation or trees, only those men that didn’t have God’s seal on their foreheads… ⁵ they weren’t allowed to kill them, just to sting them for five months.
However, the pain that they would bring would be like the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man.
⁶ So during that time, men will look for ways to die, but they won’t find any.
Yes, though they will wish to die, death will escape them.

⁷ These locusts looked like horses that are prepared for battle.
On their heads were what appeared to be gold garlands, and their faces looked like the faces of humans.
⁸ They had women’s hair, they had teeth like lions, ⁹ and they wore breastplates that looked like they were made of iron.
Also, [the flapping] of their wings sounded like the attack of many chariots in a war, ¹⁰ and they had tails with stingers like scorpions.
The tails [of these locusts] were to be allowed to sting the people for five months.

¹¹ And they also had a king that led them… the messenger of the abyss. In Hebrew, his name is AbadDon, but he’s called ApolLyon (the Destroyer) in Greek.

¹² Well, after this first woe passed, {Look!) there were two more woes that were getting ready to follow!

¹³ So then the sixth messenger blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice that came from the gold horned edges on the Altar that are in front of The God.
¹⁴ And they said to the sixth messenger that held a trumpet:
‘Now, release the four messengers that have been tied down at the great EuPhrates River!’

¹⁵ Well at that, four messengers that were prepared to kill a third of all mankind on [a specific] hour, day, month, and year were untied, ¹⁶ and they led an army that I was told numbered two-hundred million horsemen.

¹⁷ This is what the horses and their riders looked like in the vision:
They wore fire-red, hyacinth-blue, and sulfur-yellow breastplates.
Their horses had heads like lions, and fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths.

¹⁸ It was these three plagues (the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths) that killed a third of all mankind.
¹⁹ Also, the power of their horses was all in their mouths and their tails, and their tails were like snakes that had heads… which is what they used to do all the damage.

²⁰ However, the rest of the people that hadn’t been killed by these plagues still refused to repent over the things that they were doing… they refused to stop bowing before the demons, or before their idols of gold, silver, copper, stone, and wood (things that can’t see, hear, or walk);
²¹ Nor did they repent their murders, their occult practices, their sexual immorality, or their thievery.

Chapter 10

¹ Well after that, I saw another very powerful messenger coming down out of the sky that was wrapped in a cloud and he was wearing a rainbow on his head.
His face was [as bright] as the sun, his feet were like columns of fire, ² and he held a small opened scroll in his hand.

Then he put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the ground, ³ and he shouted in a loud voice that sounded like the roar of a lion.
And as he was shouting, there were seven rumbles of thunder that each spoke in its own voice.

⁴ Well I was getting ready to write down the things that the seven thunders were saying, but then I heard a voice from the heavens that said:
‘Don’t write what the seven thunders said… seal up [those words]!’

⁵ Then the messenger that I saw standing on the sea and on the ground raised his right hand toward heaven, ⁶ and he swore this by the One that lives through ages of ages, the One that created the heavens and everything in them and all the lands and everything in them ---.
[He shouted]:
‘The time has finally arrived! ⁷ For when the seventh messenger blows his trumpet (which is about to happen), God’s mystery that has been revealed through the good news that He sent through His slaves the Prophets will then be fulfilled.’

⁸ And at that, I heard the voice from the sky speaking to me again.
It said:
‘Now, go and take that little open scroll out of the hands of the messenger that is standing on the sea and on the ground!’

⁹ As the result, I went over to the messenger and I told him to give me the little scroll.
And he said to me:
‘Yes, you must take it and then eat it! It will be as sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will be very bitter in your stomach.’

¹⁰ So I took the little scroll out of the hand of the messenger and I ate it… and it was in fact as sweet as honey.
However, after I ate it, my stomach became very bitter.

¹¹ Then I was told:
‘Now you must go on to prophesy to peoples, nations, languages, and many kings!’

Chapter 11

¹ Next [he] handed [me] a cane that was like a large walking stick.
And he said:
‘Now, go measure God’s Most Holy, the Altar, and those that are bowing low there.
² Pay no attention to the courtyard outside of the Most Holy… don’t measure it, because it has been given to the nations and they’re going to trample the Holy City under their feet for forty-two months.

³ ‘But after that, I’m going to have my two witnesses prophesy for one thousand, two hundred and sixty days wearing sackcloth.
⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that have been standing on the earth before the Lord.
⁵ And if any of their enemies should wish to harm them, fire will come out of their mouths and consume them.
So if anyone wants to persecute them, that’s how they’re going to die, ⁶ because these have been authorized to close up the skies so that no rain will fall during the period of their prophesying!
They’re also authorized to turn water into blood and to bring every sort of plague onto the earth whenever they wish.

⁷ ‘Then after they’ve finished their testimony, the wild animal will come out of the abyss to fight them, conquer them, and kill them, ⁸ and their corpses will lie in the main street of the great city, which [God’s] Breath refers to as Sodom and Egypt…
Because it’s where their Lord was hung on a pole.

⁹ ‘There the peoples, nationalities, tongues, and ethnic groups will then look at their corpses for three and a half days, during which time they won’t allow them to be buried.
¹⁰ And all the while, those that live on the earth will be happy and approve of what happened to them, even sending gifts to each other, because these two prophets will have brought so much pain to those that live on the earth.’

¹¹ However, after the three and a half days, The God then sent His breath of life into them and they stood up on their feet, which frightened everyone that saw them.

¹² Then [the two witnesses] heard a loud voice from heaven that said to them,
‘Come on up here.’
And their enemies saw them ascend into the sky in a cloud.
¹³ This was followed by a tremendous shaking, and a tenth of the city ([Sodom and Egypt]) toppled, destroying the names of seven thousand people.

Of course, this frightened all those that were left, and they gave glory to The God of the heavens.

¹⁴ Well, this ended the second woe.
But look; a third woe was on its way!

¹⁵ Then the seventh messenger blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in the heavens that were shouting:
‘The kingdom of this world now belongs to Jehovah and to His Anointed One, and He will be its ruler through ages of ages!’

¹⁶ Well at that, the twenty-four elders that were sitting on their thrones fell to their faces before The God and bowed low before Him, ¹⁷ saying:
‘We thank You, O Jehovah God the Almighty (the One that is and that was), because You’ve finally assumed Your great power and started ruling as King.
¹⁸ Yes, this made the nations angry, but [the time for] Your rage has arrived when the dead will be judged, when Your slaves (the Prophets, the Holy Ones, and those that fear Your Name – the small and the great) will be rewarded, and when those that are corrupting the earth will be thoroughly corrupted.’

¹⁹ Then the heavenly Most Holy Place of God became visible to me.
And inside of His Most Holy Place I could see the Chest of His Sacred Agreement.
This was all followed by lightning, voices, thundering, shaking, and a great hailstorm.

Chapter 12

¹ And thereafter, a great sign appeared in the sky… there was a woman that had the sun wrapped around her, the moon was under her feet, and there was a garland of twelve stars on her head.
² She was also pregnant and screaming in labor and agony to give birth.

³ Then another sign appeared in the sky.
{Look!} There was a huge fire-red Dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads there were seven royal turbans.
⁴ It was dragging a third of the stars of the sky with its tail, and then it then threw down on the ground!

This Dragon then went and stood in front of the woman that was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he could swallow [her child] down!

⁵ Well, she then did give birth… to a son a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod.

And thereafter, her child was snatched away to God and to His throne, ⁶ as the woman escaped into the desert to a place that God had prepared for her, where she was to be fed for a thousand, two hundred and sixty days.

⁷ Next, a war broke out in heaven. MichaEl and his messengers battled with the Dragon, and the Dragon and his messengers fought back.
⁸ However, [the Dragon] lost [the battle] and he could no longer stay in the heavens.
⁹ So the huge Dragon (the original snake that is called the Slanderer and Opposer) who is misleading the whole habitation [of mankind] was thrown down…
He was thrown down to the earth along with [all of] his messengers.

¹⁰ And at that, I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
‘Now the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of God has arrived;
For His Anointed has now been empowered,
And the accuser of our brothers has been cast down,
Who blames them before God both day and night!

¹¹ ‘By the blood of the Lamb, he was conquered,
And by the things to which they have testified.
For they did not value their lives
As they stared death in the face!

¹² ‘So rejoice you heavens and all those that live there;
But woe to the earth and the sea,
For the Slanderer has come down to you in great rage,
Knowing that he has little time.’

¹³ Then when the Dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he started persecuting the woman that gave birth to the male [child].
¹⁴ However, the woman was given the two wings of a huge eagle so she could fly away to her place in the desert where she was to be fed for a time, [two] times, and half a time, and where the snake couldn’t reach her.

¹⁵ Then this snake shot a river of water out of its mouth after the woman in an attempt to drown her.
¹⁶ But the ground came to the woman’s aid… it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the Dragon shot out of its mouth.
¹⁷ This made the Dragon so angry with the woman that he went off to wage war with the rest of her seed… those who are obeying God’s instructions and carrying the testimony of Jesus.

¹⁸ And thereafter, [the Dragon] came to a stop on the sands of the sea.

Chapter 13

¹ Well at that, I saw a wild animal that had seven heads and ten horns come up out of the sea.
On its horns there were ten royal turbans, and on its heads were blasphemous names.
² This wild animal that I saw looked like a leopard, but it had feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion.
Then the Dragon gave [this beast] power, a throne, and great authority.

³ One of [the animal’s] heads looked like it had been mortally wounded, but this deathblow had been healed and the whole earth started following it admiringly.

⁴ They also bowed to the ground before the Dragon, because it is what gave the wild animal its authority.
And they bowed before the wild animal too, saying:
‘Who else is like this wild animal and who can stand against it?’

⁵ Then [the animal] was given a mouth to speak great things and blasphemies, and it was given the authority to act for forty-two months.
⁶ So it opened its mouth and spoke blasphemous things against The God… it blasphemed His Name, His Tent, and all those that are tenting in the heavens.

⁷ Thereafter, he was allowed to go to war with the Holy Ones and conquer them, and he was given power over every nation, people, language, and ethnic group, ⁸ so that all those on the earth whose names aren’t written in the Lamb’s Scroll of Life would have to bow low before him…
This one that had been slaughtered since the founding of the system of things.

⁹ Now, all who have ears should listen to this:
¹⁰ If anyone is a jailer, he’ll be thrown in jail, and if anyone kills with the sword, he’ll be killed with a sword!
For this is where the Holy Ones will need faith and endurance.

¹¹ Then I saw another wild animal coming up out of the ground.
It had two horns like a lamb, but it started speaking like the Dragon.
¹² It had all the authority of the first wild animal, which it used in its presence to force all the lands and all those that dwell in them to bow low before the first wild animal whose deathblow had been healed.

¹³ It also performed great signs, even making fire come down from the skies onto the earth before everyone, ¹⁴ so as to mislead those that live on the earth with the signs that it is allowed to perform in front of the wild animal.

It also told those that live on the earth to make an image to the wild animal that had survived the sword stroke.
¹⁵ Then it was allowed to give breath to the image of the wild animal so that the image could speak and cause everyone that doesn’t bow low before the image of the wild animal to be killed.

¹⁶ Thereafter, it forced everyone (the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free and the slaves) to receive a branding on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that no one would be able to buy or sell other than those that have the branding…
Which is the name of the wild animal or the number of its name.

¹⁸ This is where wisdom is required:
Let those that can reason calculate the number of the wild animal…
It’s a human number, six hundred and sixty-six.

Chapter 14

¹ Then {Look!} I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion; and with him there were a hundred and forty-four thousand that had his name and his Father’s Name written on their foreheads.
² I also heard a noise coming from the sky that sounded like a lot of water and loud thunder.

Well, the sound that I heard was of people that were all playing harps and singing.
³ They were singing a new song before the throne and before the four cherubs and the elders, and no one was able to master that song but the hundred and forty-four thousand that had been purchased from the earth.
⁴ These hadn’t defiled themselves with women. In fact, they are virgins that kept following the Lamb no matter where he went.
They were bought from among mankind as first fruitage to God and to the Lamb, ⁵ for no lies were found in their mouths and they didn’t have any defects.

⁶ Then I saw another messenger flying high in the middle of the sky, and he had age-long good news to proclaim to those that live on the earth… to every ethnic group, nation, language, and people.
⁷ He was shouting aloud:
‘Fear God and glorify Him, because His hour of judgment has arrived.
So bow low before this One that made the skies, the lands, the seas, and the springs of water!’

⁸ Then another (a second) messenger followed him, saying:
‘She has fallen… the Great Babylon has fallen!
She’s the one that made all the nations drink the wine of her sexually-immoral rampage!’

⁹ He was followed by a third messenger that was shouting aloud:
‘If anyone bows low before the wild animal and its image and receives its brand on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he will have to drink the pure wine of the wrath of God that is being mixed in the cup of His rage, and he will be examined through torture by fire and with burning rocks in front of the holy messengers and in front of the Lamb.
¹¹ The smoke from this torture of those that bow low before the wild animal and its image and all those that receive the branding of its name will ascend through ages of ages, and they won’t have any rest either day or night.

¹² ‘Yes, this is where the Holy Ones (those that keep the commandments of God and have faith in Jesus) must really hang on!’

¹³ Then I heard a voice coming from the sky that said,
‘Write this:
From now on, the dead that die in the Lord are blest!
Yes, [God’s] Breath said,
Let them rest from their hard labor… and may their [good] deeds follow them!’

¹⁴ Well after that, I saw {Look!} a white cloud, and someone was sitting on top of the cloud that looked like a son of man.
He had a gold garland on his head and he held a sharp sickle in his hand.

¹⁵ Then another messenger came out of the Most Holy and he shouted this at the one that was sitting on the cloud:
‘Now, take that sickle and start harvesting, because it’s time for the harvest…
And the harvest is absolutely ripe!’

¹⁶ So at that, the one that was sitting on the cloud lowered his sickle to the ground and started harvesting.

¹⁷ Then another messenger came out of the Most Holy in the heavens that also carried a sharp sickle.
¹⁸ [He was followed by] a messenger that arose from the Altar, whose responsibility was to burn.
And this one shouted to the messenger that held the sharp sickle:
‘Now, take that sharp sickle and harvest the clumps of grapes from the vine of the earth…
For its grapes are now ripe!’

¹⁹ So the messenger lowered his sickle to the ground and harvested the grapes of the earth.
Then he threw them into the great winepress of God’s rage, ²⁰ where they were trampled by foot outside of the city.
And what came out of this winepress was blood that flowed in a stream that was as deep as a horse’s bridle for two hundred miles.

Chapter 15

¹ Well after that, I saw another great and wonderful sign in the sky…
There were seven messengers [that were bringing] seven plagues.
These were the last ones, because they would bring an end to God’s rage.

² Then I saw what looked like a sea of crystal and fire.
And standing beside the crystal sea were those that had conquered the wild animal, its image, and the number of its name. They were each holding harps of God, ³ and they were singing the song of God’s slave Moses and the song of the Lamb.
It went:
‘Everything that You may do,
O Jehovah the Almighty God,
Is wonderful and great, King of ages.

‘For Your ways are all righteous and true,
⁴ And who doesn’t fear You, Jehovah?
[Yes, who won’t] honor Your Name?

‘And because You’re the One we can trust,
All the nations will come and bow before You;
For Your righteous deeds have now been revealed.’

⁵ Well at that, I looked I and saw that the heavenly Most Holy (which is [inside] the Tent of Proofs) had been opened up.
⁶ And at that, seven messengers that had the seven plagues came out of the Most Holy wearing clean, bright linen, and they had gold braids around their chests.

⁷ Then one of the four cherubs gave [each of] the seven messengers one of the seven golden bowls that were full of the wrath of The God that lives through ages of ages.

⁸ And then the Most Holy became so filled with smoke because of the glory of God and His power that no one could enter it until after the seven plagues that were being brought by the seven messengers had been delivered.

Chapter 16

¹ Well after that, I heard a loud voice coming from the Most Holy that told the seven messengers to go and pour the seven bowls of the wrath of God onto the earth.

² So the first one went and poured his bowl out on the ground.
And with that, the men that had the brand of the wild animal and that were bowing low before its image broke out in very bad malignant sores.

³ Then the second one poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of dead men.
So everything in the sea – every living creature – died.

⁴ And after that, the third one poured his bowl into the rivers and springs, and they turned into blood.

⁵ Then I heard the messenger that was over the waters say:
‘O Holy One that is and that was;
You are righteous, because You’ve passed judgment on these things.
⁶ Since they’ve shed the blood of Your Holy Ones and Prophets, You’ve given them blood to drink… and that is what they deserve!’

⁷ And after that, I heard the Altar speak. It said:
‘Yes, O Jehovah God the Almighty; Your judgments are righteous and true.’

⁸ Then the fourth [messenger] poured his bowl out on the sun, which caused it to sear men with fire.
⁹ And though the tremendous heat seared the men, they just blasphemed the Name of The God that has the power over these plagues, and they didn’t turn back and glorify Him.

¹⁰ Thereafter, the fifth one poured his bowl out on the throne of the wild animal, which made its whole kingdom become dark and its [people] were biting their tongues in pain.
¹¹ However, they just blasphemed the God of the heavens for all of their pain, and they didn’t repent ---.

¹² So then the sixth one poured out his bowl into the great EuPhrates River, and this dried up all of its water.
[He did this] to prepare the way for the kings from the sunrise.

¹³ And then I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs come out of the mouths of the Dragon, the wild animal, and the false prophet.
¹⁴ These were the unseen powers of demons that were to serve as signs.
They were sent to all the kings of the habitation of mankind in order to assemble them for the battle of the Great Day of the Almighty God.

¹⁵ ‘Look, I’m coming as a thief!
So, whoever stays awake and keeps his clothes on will be blest… he won’t have to walk around naked and have people see his shame.’

¹⁶ They then assembled [all the earth’s kings] at the place that is called in Hebrew, Har-Mageddon.

¹⁷ And at that, the seventh [messenger] poured his bowl out into the air.
Then a loud voice from --- the throne inside the Most Holy proclaimed:
‘It is now finished!’

¹⁸ This was followed by thunder, lightning, voices, and a shaking that was so great and covered so large an area that nothing has been seen like it since men have lived on the earth.
¹⁹ For it split the great city into three parts, and all the cities of the nations fell into ruin!

It was then that God looked at The Great Babylon and He remembered to also give her the cup of the wine of His anger and rage.
²⁰ For by then, all the islands were gone and there weren’t any more mountains.
²¹ Also, a great hailstorm had come out of the sky upon the people (each of its stones weighed about a hundred pounds).
However, the people just blasphemed God over the plague of hail, though it was an unusually bad plague.

Chapter 17

¹ Then one of the seven messengers that had the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. He said:
‘Come here and I’ll show you the judgment on the great whore that sits over many waters.
² [She’s the one] with whom the earth’s kings have had sex and that made the people of the earth drunk from the wine of her sexual immorality.’

³ So he carried me on the wind into the desert, and there I saw a woman that was sitting on a scarlet-colored wild animal that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
⁴ This woman was wearing purple and scarlet clothes that were covered with gold, precious gems, and pearls, and in her hand [she held] a gold cup that was full of disgusting things and the filth of her immoral sexual acts.
⁵ She also had a mysterious name written on her forehead:
‘The Great Babylon, the Mother of Whores and of [all] the Disgusting Things of the Earth.’

⁶ It was then that I realized that this woman had been getting drunk on the blood of the Holy Ones, as well as on the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.

Well when I saw her, I was both confused and amazed.
⁷ So the messenger asked me:
‘Why are you so confused? I’ll tell you the mystery of the woman and of the wild animal with the seven heads and ten horns that she’s riding.
⁸ The wild animal that you see had once been, but then it was not. However, it has about to come out of the abyss again, and then it will go off into destruction.
Yet when they see the return of the wild animal that once was but is no longer, those that live on the earth will marvel at it… but their names haven’t been written in the Scroll of Life since the founding of the world.

⁹ ‘Here’s where intelligence and wisdom are required:
The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman is sitting.
¹⁰ And there are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, and the other hasn’t arrived yet. But when he gets here, he will only be allowed to stay for a little while.
¹¹ However, the wild animal that was but isn’t is an eighth king that comes from the seven, and it will go off into destruction.

¹² ‘Now, the ten horns that you saw represent ten kings that haven’t received a kingdom yet; however, they will be authorized to be kings for one hour with the wild animal.
¹³ And they’ll all have the same idea in mind… to give their power and authority to the wild animal.
¹⁴ Then they will go and fight against the Lamb; but because he’s the Lord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb and those that are with him (the called, elected, and faithful) will conquer them.’

¹⁵ And then he said this:
‘The waters over which you saw the whore sitting mean peoples, crowds, ethnic groups, and languages.
¹⁶ And because the ten horns and the wild animal that you saw will hate the whore, they’re going to take away everything that she has and leave her naked…
Yhen they’ll eat her flesh and burn [what’s left] in a fire!
¹⁷ For God will put [the thought] into their hearts to do what He knows she deserves, and He’s also the One that will give them the idea to hand their kingdoms over to the wild animal, so that whatever God says will be fulfilled.

¹⁸ ‘Now, the woman that you saw means the great city that dominates the kings of the earth.’

Chapter 18

¹ Well after all that, I saw another messenger coming down out of the sky.
This one was so very powerful that the earth glowed with his glory.

² Then he shouted in a mighty voice, saying:
‘She has fallen… the Great Babylon has fallen and she has become a home for demons, a prison for unclean spirits, and a cage for scavenger birds!
³ Because, all the nations have fallen [victim] to the wine of the rage of her sexual immorality, all the kings of the earth have had immoral sex with her, and the earth’s businessmen have become rich through the power of her shameless luxury.’

⁴ And at that, I heard another voice coming from the sky that said:
‘Come out of her my people!
Come on out, so you don’t share in her sins and receive part of her plagues!
⁵ For her sins have piled all the way to the heavens, and God has remembered all the unjust things that she has done.
⁶ So, now she must be paid back for all of those [bad] things that she’s done!
In fact, pay her back with twice as much… double the payback for the things that she did!
If she poured [poison] into a cup, then pour in twice as much for her!

⁷ ‘Also, as she glorified herself and lived in shameless luxury, pay her back that much more in pain and sorrow!
Because she keeps saying in her heart,
I’m sitting as a queen. I’m nobody’s widow and I’ll never have to mourn!
⁸ So, that’s why her plagues will come upon her in a single day – death, mourning, and famine – and she’ll be consumed by fire, because the Almighty God Jehovah is passing judgment on her!

⁹ ‘Then those kings of the earth that had sex and lived in shameless luxury with her will bawl and beat themselves in grief over her, as they stand and watch the smoke from her fire.
¹⁰ However they’ll stand at a distance, because they’ll be afraid of her torture.
And they’ll say,
Woe, woe, you great city… O Babylon you mighty city; for your judgment has arrived in a single hour!’

¹¹ ‘The earth’s businessmen will also bawl and mourn over her, because there won’t be anyone to buy their complete stock of goods anymore…
¹² any of the gold and silver, the precious stones and pearls, the fine linen, the purple, the silk, the scarlet, any of the scented wood, or any of the things made of ivory, precious wood, copper, or iron… or the marble,
¹³ the cinnamon, the Indian spice, the incense, the perfumed oil, the frankincense, the wine, the olive oil, the fine flour and wheat… or the cattle, sheep, horses, coaches, slaves, or the lives of humans.
¹⁴ Yes, all the juicy fruit that she so deeply desired has been taken from her, as have all the fatty foods and the bright colors.
They’re no longer available to her, and she’ll never have them again.

¹⁵ ‘Then the men that sold these things and that became rich from her will cry and mourn at some distance from her, because they’ll [also] be afraid of her torture.
¹⁶ They’ll say,
O woe, woe, you great city that wore all the fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and that was so richly covered in gold, precious stones, and pearls; ¹⁷ because all of that great wealth has been taken away in a single hour!

‘And this was also true of the ship captains, all those that sail, the seamen, and everyone that makes a living at sea.
They too stood some distance away ¹⁸ and called out as they watched the smoke of her burning, saying,
What other city was like this great city?

¹⁹ ‘Then they threw dust on their heads, bawled, and mourned, shouting,
O woe, woe, for this great city that made so many shipping companies rich with her wealth, because everything has been taken away from her in a single hour!’

²⁰ ‘O heavens, you Holy Ones, and you Apostles and Prophets;
Rejoice over this, because God’s judgment has brought vengeance upon her for your sakes!’

²¹ Then a mighty messenger picked up a stone that looked like a huge millstone and threw it into the sea, shouting:
‘This is how fast that city (the Great Babylon) will be thrown down, and she’ll never be found again!

²² ‘Then the sounds of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpet players will no longer be found in her, nor will craftsman and tradesman be found there anymore. ---
²³ No lamplight will ever shine in her again, and the voices of brides and grooms won’t be heard in her thereafter.
For though her traveling merchants were once the most important men on the earth and she misled all the nations with her sorcery;
²⁴ the blood of the Prophets, the Holy Ones, and of all those who’ve been slaughtered throughout the whole earth have been found within her!’

Chapter 19

¹ Well after all that, I heard what sounded like the voices of a huge crowd proclaiming from the skies:
‘Praise Jah! [Yes, praise] the salvation, the glory, and the power of our God, ² for His judgments are righteous and true!
Now He has finally passed judgment on the great whore that made the whole earth filthy with her immoral sex, and He has avenged the blood of His slaves [that died] at her hands!’

³ Then they shouted a second time:
‘Praise Jah; because, the smoke from her will keep ascending through ages of ages!’

⁴ And at that, the twenty-four elders and the four cherubs fell down and bowed low before The God as He sat on His throne, saying:
‘May it be so!
Praise Jah!’

⁵ Then a voice came out of the throne that said:
‘Praise our God, all of you that are His slaves… yes you, the great and the small that fear Him!’

⁶ Then I heard what sounded like the voices of a huge crowd, along with the noise of a lot of water and heavy thunder.
They were shouting:
‘Praise Jah! For Jehovah our God the Almighty has started ruling as king!
⁷ Let’s rejoice, shout in joy, and glorify Him, since it’s time for the Lamb’s wedding!

‘Yes, his bride has now prepared herself, ⁸ and she’s been found worthy to be dressed in bright, clean, fine linen…
For the fine linen represents the righteousness of the Holy Ones.’

⁹ Then he said to me:
‘Write this down:
Those that are invited to the Lamb’s wedding banquet are blest!’
And he added:
‘God really said this.’

¹⁰ Well when that happened, I fell down in front of his feet to bow low before him.
But he warned me, saying:
‘Be careful… don’t do that!
For I’m just a fellow slave of you and your brothers that are witnesses of Jesus. And testifying for Jesus is the spirit behind this prophecy.
You should just bow low before God!’

¹¹ Then I saw the sky opening up, and Look…
There was a white horse, and the one that was sitting on it was called Faithful and True, because he judges and he fights his wars for righteousness!
¹² His eyes were like flames of fire and he wore many royal turbans on his head.
He also had a name that was written, which nobody knew but him, ¹³ and he was wrapped in a robe that was splattered with blood.
This name that he was called is, The Word of The God.

¹⁴ Then following behind him were all the armies of the heavens, [riding] on white horses and wearing white, clean, fine linen.

¹⁵ He also had a long sharp sword protruding from his mouth that he could use to strike the nations;
For he will shepherd them with an iron rod.

[It was then that I realized that this is the same one that I saw] crushing the grapes with his feet in the winepress of the Almighty God’s anger and rage.
¹⁶ For on his robe and on his thigh he had the name written:
‘King of kings and Lord of lords.’

¹⁷ And I also saw a messenger that was standing on the sun and shouting in a loud voice.
He was saying to all the creatures that fly high in the skies:
‘You should all come and gather for God’s great supper.
¹⁸ For here you can eat the flesh of kings, generals, mighty men, horses, and riders, as well as the flesh of all the freemen and slaves…
Yes, both the small and the great!’

¹⁹ Then I noticed the wild animal along with the kings of the earth and their armies all gathering to wage war against the one that was sitting on the [white] horse and his army.

²⁰ However, the wild animal was thereafter captured along with the false prophet that performed the signs in front of it that he had used to mislead those that received the branding of the wild animal, as well as those that bowed low before its image.
Then, while they were all still alive, they were tossed into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

²¹ And after that, the long sword that was in the mouth of the one that was riding the [white] horse killed off all the rest…
Then the birds came and ate their fill of flesh.

Chapter 20

¹ Well after that, I saw a messenger coming down out of the sky that had a long chain in his hand [that held] the key to the abyss.
² Then he grabbed the Dragon – the original snake, the Slanderer and Opposer – and chained him up for a thousand years (or possibly, thousands of years).
³ And then he threw him into the abyss… he closed it up and locked it up over him, so he couldn’t mislead the nations anymore until the after the thousand years had ended.
However, he will be set free for a little while after that.

⁴ Next I saw thrones…
And those that sat down on them were the ones that had been executed with axes for testifying about Jesus, for telling about God, and those that hadn’t worshiped the wild animal or its image, nor had they received its branding on their foreheads or on their hands.
For they were appointed to be judges.
Yes, they came to life and ruled as kings with the Anointed One for a thousand years…
⁵ This is the first resurrection.
⁶ Those that have a part in the first resurrection are blest and holy, because the second death won’t have any power over them.
For they will be Priests of God and of the Anointed One and they will rule for a thousand years.

⁷ However, after the thousand years have ended, the Slanderer will be set free from his prison ⁸ and he’ll go out to mislead people – Gog and Magog – in all four corners of the earth.
Then he’ll assemble them all for a war…
There will be as many as the sands of the seas!

⁹ These will thereafter march across the whole earth and they’ll surround the camp of the Holy Ones and the loved city…
But then fire will come from the sky and consume them!
¹⁰ And the Opposer that misled them will then be thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the wild animal and the false prophet will already have been, and they will be tortured there day and night through ages of ages.

¹¹ Then after that, I saw someone sitting on a huge white throne… and before him the land and the sky just vanished and couldn’t be found.
¹² I also saw the dead – the great and the small – standing before the throne, and several scrolls were opened.
Then another scroll was opened, which was the Scroll of Life. And the dead were judged by the things that were written in the scrolls, according to the things that they had done.

¹³ Then the sea gave up its dead, and death and the place of the dead gave up the dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they had done.

¹⁴ And finally, death and the place of the dead were thrown into the lake of fire (the lake of fire symbolizes the second death), ¹⁵ and anyone whose name wasn’t found written in the Scroll of Life was also thrown into the lake of fire.

Chapter 21

¹ Well at that, I saw new skies and new lands, because the previous skies and lands had disappeared, as had the seas.

² I also saw the Holy City, New JeruSalem, stepping down out of the sky from God, prepared like a bride that had been adorned for her man.

³ Then I heard a loud voice from the throne say:
‘Look! The Tent of God is with mankind! He’s going to pitch His Tent among them, then they’ll be His people and He’ll be their God.
⁴ He’s going to wipe all the tears from their eyes and there won’t be any more death, mourning, wailing, or pain, because all that once was will be gone!’

⁵ And the One that was sitting on the throne said:
‘Look! I’m making everything new!’
And he added:
‘Write this down, because these words are faithful and true.’

⁶ Then He said to me:
‘It has all been accomplished!
I am the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end – and I’m going to give everyone that is thirsty a free drink from the Spring of the Water of Life!

⁷ Yes, those that conquer will inherit these things…
Then I’ll be their God and they’ll be My sons!
⁸ But as for the cowards, the unbelievers, the nasty, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those that cast spells, the idol worshipers, and all the liars;
Their inheritance is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur… the second death.’

⁹ Well at that, one of the seven messengers with the seven bowls that were full of the seven last plagues came and spoke to me, and said:
‘Come here and I’ll show you the bride… the Lamb’s woman!’

¹⁰ So he carried me off on the wind to an enormously high mountain, and there he showed me JeruSalem, the Holy City, as it was coming down out of the sky from God.
¹¹ It had all the glory of God, it sparkled like the most precious of gems, and it gleamed like crystal-clear jasper stones.
¹² It had high, thick walls and twelve gates.

There was also a messenger standing at each of the twelve gates, and each gate was inscribed with the name of one of the twelve tribes of the sons of IsraEl.
¹³ There were three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side, and three gates on the west side.
¹⁴ The city wall also had twelve foundation stones upon which the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb were written.

¹⁵ Now, the one that was talking to me held up a ruler (a gold reed) that he used to measure the city, along with its gates and its walls.
¹⁶ The city was square… as long as it was wide.
For he then measured the entire city with the reed; and its length, width, and height (which were all equal) measured twelve-thousand stadions.

¹⁷ Then he measured [the thickness of] its walls.
These were the length of a man’s forearm (which is about the same as for a messenger [of God]), times one hundred and forty-four.

¹⁸ The walls were made of jasper, and the entire city was made of gold that was as pure as clear crystal.
¹⁹ The foundation stones for its walls were also decorated with all sorts of precious gems.

The first one was decorated with jasper, the second with sapphires, the third with chalcedony, the fourth with emeralds, ²⁰ the fifth with rubies, the sixth with sardius, the seventh with peridots, the eighth with beryls,
the ninth with topaz, the tenth with chrysoprase, the eleventh with hyacinth, and the twelfth with amethysts.

²¹ Also, the twelve gates were twelve pearls (each of the gates was made of a single pearl), and the city’s main street was paved with gold that was as pure as clear crystal!

²² I didn’t see a Most Holy within [the city], because Jehovah God the Almighty and the Lamb are its Most Holy.
²³ Nor did the city need the sun or moon to shine upon it, because it was lit by the glory of God… and the Lamb was its lamp.
²⁴ So, all the nations were able to walk in its light, and the earth’s kings were bringing their glorious things into it.

²⁵ Its gates won’t ever be closed during the day, and night won’t exist there.
²⁶ For this is where they will carry the glory and honor of the nations.
²⁷ And nothing that’s dirty, or anyone that does disgusting things or tells lies will ever enter it… only those [whose names] are written in the Lamb’s Scroll of Life.

Chapter 22

¹ Well after that, he showed me the River of the Water of Life…
It was crystal clear and it flowed out [from under] the Throne of The God and of the Lamb, ² down the middle of the street.
And along both of its banks were the Trees of Life, which bore twelve [crops of] fruit, putting out the fruit every month;
And the Trees’ leaves were used to heal the nations.

³ Then, everything that might cause people to sin will thereafter be gone.
For the Throne of The God and of the Lamb will always be there, where His slaves can come to bow low before Him ⁴ and see His face, and they’ll wear His Name on their foreheads.

⁵ Also, since there won’t be any night, they won’t need lamps or sunlight, because Jehovah (The God) will be shining upon them…
And they’ll rule as kings through ages of ages.

⁶ Then he said to me:
‘These words are faithful and true.
Yes, Jehovah (The God that gave His Breath to the Prophets) sent His messenger to show His slaves the things that will happen very quickly.
⁷ And look… I’m coming quickly!
Blest is the one that obeys the things that are prophesied in this scroll.’

⁸ Well, I (John) was the one that saw and heard these things.
And after I saw and heard it all, I fell down to bow at the feet of the messenger that had shown me these things.
⁹ But he warned me again, saying:
‘Be careful… don’t do that!
For I’m just a fellow slave of you and your brothers that are Prophets and are obeying [the things that] are spoken of in this scroll.
Rather, bow low before The God!’

¹⁰ He also warned me:
‘Now, don’t seal up the things that are said in the prophecy of this scroll, because the season is near.
¹¹ So may those that are acting unrighteously stay unrighteous, and may the filthy stay filthy.
However, may those that are righteous remain righteous, and those that are holy remain holy.

¹² ‘Look, I’m coming quickly!
And the reward that I’m bringing is the repayment to each one for what he has done.

¹³ ‘I’m the Alpha and the Omega;
The first and the last;
The beginning and the end.

¹⁴ ‘Blest are those that wash their robes, for they’ll be allowed access to the trees of life and they will be able to enter these city gates.
¹⁵ But the dogs, those that cast spells, those that are immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and everyone that enjoys lying will be left on the outside.’

¹⁶ ‘I am Jesus, and I sent my messenger to testify to you about these things that will be [coming] to the congregations.
I am the root and the descendant of David… the bright morning star.

¹⁷ ‘Now the Spirit and the bride are saying to you,
Come!
And let all those that hear this also say,
Come!
Yes, let all that are thirsty come; for anyone that wishes to do so may partake of the water of life freely!

¹⁸ ‘I’m also testifying to everyone that hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll, that if anyone adds anything to it, God will add the plagues to him that are written about in this scroll.
¹⁹ And if anyone removes any of the words of this scroll of prophecy, God will remove his share from the Tree of life and from the things that are written in this scroll concerning the Holy City.

²⁰ ‘So, the one that is testifying to you about these things has said,
Yes, I’m coming quickly!’

May it be so!
Come Lord Jesus!

²¹ May the loving care of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One be with all of the Holy Ones.

The Ancient Scriptures of Israel

The Christian Era Scriptures

Note that this is the legacy version of the translation last updated in December 2020. You can also see the latest version.

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2001 Translation

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