THE REVELATION OF THE THINGS TO COME

The revelation of Jesus Christ which God made known by sending His angel to His servant John. Blessed is the one who reads this prophecy, and blessed are those who listen, if they treasure all that it says.

From John to the seven churches:

Grace and peace to you from Him Who is, Who was, and Who is to come. He loves us and has washed away our sins with His Blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve God the Father.

To Him be glory and power unto ages of ages. Amen

My name is John. I was sent to the island of Patmos for having preached God's word and witnessed to Jesus. It was the Lord's Day, and the Spirit took hold of me, and I heard a voice trumpeting from behind me:

“Write what you see and send it to the seven churches.”

This is last of the seven messages John was given for the seven churches:

“I know all about you: how you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other. But since you are neither, but only lukewarm, I spit you out of My mouth. For you say, 'I am rich, I am successful, I have all I want.' You do not recognize that you are wretched and pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I warn you: Buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich. Buy from Me white garments to cover your shameful nakedness. Buy from Me salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. I am the One who corrects and disciplines all those He loves; so turn in earnest sorrow for your sinfulness. Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and share his meal, side by side with him. Those who overcome will share My throne, just as I myself overcame and took My place with My Father on His throne. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”

Then, in my vision, I saw an open door in heaven, and heard the same voice trumpeting to me:

“Come up here; I will show you what will take place in the future.”

With that, the Spirit took hold of me, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, and the One who was sitting on the throne. A rainbow encircled the throne. Flashes of lightning were coming from the throne, and peals of thunder. In a circle around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on them I saw twenty-four priestly rulers sitting, dressed in white robes with golden crowns on their heads. In front of the throne were seven fiery torches, the seven spirits of God.

Before the throne was a sea of glass, like crystal.

Around the throne were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature was like an ox, the third living creature had the face of a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and eyes all around as well as within, and day and night they never ceased to sing:

+ + + Holy! Holy! Holy! + + +

Is the Lord God Almighty:

He who was and is and is to come.

I saw that in the right hand of the One seated on the throne there was a scroll, with writing on back and front, and sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a powerful angel who called out in a powerful voice:

“Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

But one of the rulers said to me:

“There is no need to weep. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then I saw, standing between the throne with its four living creatures and the circle of priestly rulers, a Lamb. The Lamb seemed to have been sacrificed.

The Lamb came forward to take the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne, and when He took it, the four animals prostrated themselves before Him and with them the twenty-four rulers; each one of them was holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sang a new psalm, chanting:

“You are worthy to take the scroll, and break the seals of it, because You were sacrificed, and with Your Blood, You ransomed men for God of every race, language, people and nation, and made them a line of kings and priests to serve our God and to rule the world.”

After this the Lamb opened the seals, one by one, and terrible disasters were let loose onto the earth. These were to bring the people to have sorrow for their sins and turn to God.

Six seals were opened, and then I saw another angel rising from where the sun rises, from the East, carrying the seal of the living God. He called out loudly to the four angels who had been given power to harm the earth and the sea:

Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.

A great multitude were sealed in this way.

After that I saw a tremendous multitude, too great for any man to count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and had palm branches in their hands. And they chanted in a great voice:

Salvation and victory belongs to our God Who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!

Then one of the rulers asked me, "Do you know who these people are, dressed in white robes, and where they have come from?" I said to him, "Tell me, my lord."

“These are the people who have been through the great suffering.

“Because they have washed their robes white again in the Blood of the Lamb, they now stand before God's throne and serve Him day and night in His Holy Place. He Who sits upon the throne will shelter them with His presence.

“They will hunger no more, nor will they thirst; The sun will not plague them, nor any scorching wind, for the Lamb Who is at the throne will be their shepherd, and He will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Then the Lamb broke the seventh seal, and there was reverent silence in heaven for some time.

Then the voice from heaven was speaking to me again. "Go," it said, "and take that open scroll out of the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land." I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll, and he said, "Take and eat it. It will turn your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey." So I took it out of the angel's hand, and swallowed it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach turned bitter. Then I was told, "You are to prophesy again, about sweet things and about bitter things."

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and mighty voices could be heard chanting in heaven:

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ, and He will reign unto all ages.”

The twenty-four priestly rulers, enthroned in the presence of God, fell on their faces and worshipped God with these words:

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, Who were and are now, for using Your power and beginning Your reign. The nations raged; and now the time has come for Your own holy rage. The time has come for the dead to be judged. The time has come for Your servants the prophets, for the saints and all who worship You, small or great, to be rewarded. The time has come to destroy those who are destroying the earth.”

Then the Most Holy Place of God in heaven opened, and the Ark of the Covenant could be seen inside it. Then came flashes of lightning, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a violent storm.

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a Woman, clothed with the sun, standing on the moon, and with twelve stars on her head for a crown. She was pregnant, and in labor, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth.

Then a second sign appeared in the sky: a huge red dragon, which had seven heads and ten horns. Its tail dragged a third of the stars from heaven and dropped them to the earth. And now war broke out in heaven, for Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, the ancient serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had deceived all the world. He was hurled down to earth, and his angels were hurled down with him.

Then I heard a great voice chanting from heaven:

“Salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the rule of His Christ have been won forever. Now the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down.

“They have triumphed over him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the witness of their testimony, because even in the face of death they would not cling to life. Let the heavens rejoice and all who live there.”

Next in my vision I saw Mount Zion, and standing on it the Lamb, and with Him a great multitude of people, all with His Name and His Father's Name written on their foreheads. I heard a tremendous voice from heaven like the rush of the mighty ocean. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing their harps.

There in front of the throne they were singing a new psalm; this psalm could only be learned by the multitude who had been redeemed from the earth. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes; they have been redeemed from among men as first fruits for God and for the Lamb.

After this I seemed to hear the great sound of a huge crowd in heaven, singing:

“Alleluia! Victory and glory and power to our God! He judges fairly, He punishes justly, and He has condemned those who were evil. He has avenged His servants whom they harmed.”

And I seemed to hear the voices of a huge crowd, like the rush of the mighty ocean or the great roar of thunder, answering:

“Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun. Let us be glad and joyful and give praise to God, because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb. His bride is ready, and it has been given to her to dress herself in dazzling white linen, because her linen is made of the good works of the saints.”

The angel said, write this:

“Happy are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”

He added, "All the things you have written are true messages from God." Then I knelt at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a servant just like you and all your brothers who are witnesses to Jesus. It is God that you must worship."

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, beautiful as a bride dressed for her husband.

Then I heard a great voice call from the throne:

“Do you see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make His home among them; they will be His people and He will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there will be no more death, no mourning or crying or pain or sadness. The world of the past is gone.”

And He Who sat on the throne said:

“Behold, I make all things new. To the thirsty I will give water without price from the fountain of the water of life. He who overcomes will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”

In this city there was no temple, for the Lord God and the Lamb were the temple. The city did not need the sun or the moon for light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the Lamb. The gates of the city will never be shut by day, and there will be no night there. I saw the crystal-clear river of life rising from the throne of God and the Lamb, and flowing down the middle of the city street. In this city all who love God will worship Him. They will see Him face to face, and His name will be written on their foreheads.

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. The angel said to me, "Do not keep the prophecies in this book a secret, because the time is near."

The Spirit and the Bride say:

“Come.”

Let everyone who listens answer:

“Come.”

Then let all who are thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.

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