Part 43
AND I saw, and lo, a lamb stood upon the mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty-four thousand, having the name of his Father inscribed on their foreheads. (2)And I heard a voice from heaven, as the sound of many waters, and as the roar of loud thunder; and I heard the sound of harpers harping on their harps: (3)and they sang as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living beings, and the presbyters: and no person could learn that song, but the hundred forty-four thousand, who were redeemed from the earth. (4)These are they who have not defiled themselves with women; for they are virgins: these are they who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth: these have been redeemed among men, as first-fruits to God, and to the Lamb. (5)And in their mouth no guile is found; for they are blameless before the throne of God.
(6)And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach the glad tidings to the inhabitants of the earth, to every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people, (7)saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made the heaven and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
(8)And another angel followed, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because all nations have been made to drink of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom.
(9)And a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any person worship the beast, and his image, and receive the brand upon his forehead, and upon his right hand, (10)he also shall drink of the wine of the fury of God, which is mixed undiluted with water in the cup of his wrath; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: (11)and the smoke of their torment ascendeth for ever and ever: and they have no respite day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the brand of his name. (12)Here is the patience of the saints: here are they who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (13)And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, from henceforward: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may have rest from their labours; but their works follow after them.
(14)And I saw, and, lo! a white cloud, and upon the cloud sat one like to a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. (15)And anther angel came forth out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat upon the cloud, Put in thy sickle, and reap: for the hour is come for thee to reap; because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe. (16)And he who sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle upon the earth, and the earth was reaped.
(17)And another angel came forth out of the temple which is in heaven, having also himself a sharp sickle. (18)And another angel came forth from the altar, having authority over fire; and he cried with a loud voice to him who held the sharp sickle, saying, Put in thy sharp sickle, and gather the bunches of the vine of the earth; for her clusters are ripe. (19)And the angel thrust in his sickle upon the earth, and gathered the grapes of the vine of the earth, and cast them into the great winepress of the wrath of God. (20)And the wine-press was trodden without the city, and blood issued from the wine-press, as high as the horses' bridles, for the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
CHAP. XV.
AND I saw another sign in the heaven, great and wonderful, seven angels having the seven last plagues because by them is the wrath of God completely executed. (2)And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and those who had obtained the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name standing upon the sea of glass, holding the harps of God. (3)And they sung the sacred ode of Moses the servant of the Lord, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty; righteous and true are thy ways, O King of saints. (4)Who should not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? because thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee, because thy righteous judgments are made evident. (5)And after these things I beheld, and, lo! the temple of the tabernacle of witness in heaven was opened: (6)and the seven angels having the seven plagues came forth out of the temple, clothed in linen white and shining, and girded about the breasts with golden girdles. (7)And one of the four living beings gave unto the seven angels seven golden vases full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. (8)And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no person was able to enter into the temple, until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completely executed.
CHAP. XVI.
AND I heard a loud voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out the vases of the wrath of God upon the earth. (2)And the first angel went, and poured out his vase upon the earth; and there came an ulcer malignant and painful upon the men that had the brand of the beast, and upon those who worshipped his image.
(3)And the second angel poured his vase upon the sea and it became blood as of a dead man: and every living creature died in the sea.
(4)And the third angel poured out his vase upon the rivers and upon the fountains of waters; and they became blood. (5)And I heard the angel of the waters saying, Righteous art thou, O Lord, who art, and who wast, even the holy one, because thou hast judged these things. (6)For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. (7)And I heard another angel from the altar saying, Yea, Lord God Almighty, true and just are thy judgments.
(8)And the fourth angel poured out his vase upon the sun; and there was given to it a charge to burn men with fire. (9)And the men were scorched with a fierce heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, who had power over these plagues: and they repented not, to give him glory.
(10)And the fifth angel poured out his vase upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness, and they gnawed their own tongues from anguish, (11)and they blasphemed the God of heaven, in the midst of their anguish, and of their ulcers, and repented not of their works.
(12)And the sixth angel poured out his vase upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings who come from the rising of the sun might be prepared.
(13)And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. (14)For they are the spirits of demons doing wonders, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole habitable globe, to gather them together unto the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (15)Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he who watcheth, and keepeth his garments, that he walk not about naked, and men see his shame. (16)And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew, Armageddon.
(17)And the seventh angel poured out his vase into the air; and a loud voice come out from the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. (18)And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not from the day that men were upon the earth, an earthquake of such a kind, and so great. (19)And the great city was cleft into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and Babylon the great came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. (20)And every island fled, and the mountains were no more found. (21)And a great storm of hail, each about a talent weight, fell from heaven upon men: and men blasphemed God for the plague of hail: for great was the plague of it, exceedingly great.
CHAP. XVII.
AND one of the seven angels who had the seven vases, came to me, and talked with me, saying to me, Come hither, I will shew thee the judgment of the great harlot, who sitteth upon many waters: (2)with whom the kings of the earth have committed whoredom, and all the inhabitants of the world have intoxicated themselves with the wine of her whoredom. (3)And he bore me away in spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads, and ten horns. (4)And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and all over decked with gold, precious stones, and pearls, holding a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and of the impurity of her whoredom. (5)And upon her forehead was there a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and of the abominations of the earth. (6)And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great amazement. (7)And the angel said unto me, Wherefore dost thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast which carrieth her, which hath seven heads and ten horns. (8)The beast which thou seest was, and is not; and shall come up out of the abyss _of hell_, and shall go into perdition: and the dwellers upon earth will wonder, (whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,) when they shall see the beast which was, and is not, though he is. (9)Here is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman is seated even upon them. (10)And these are seven kings: five have fallen, and the one exists, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must abide but a little while. (11)And the beast which was, and is not, though he is himself the eighth, yet is of the seven, and shall go away into perdition. (12)And the ten horns which thou sawest, are ten kings, who have not yet received their kingdoms; but will receive authority as kings for one hour with the beast. (13)They hold one sentiment, and will give their own power and authority to the beast. (14)They shall make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: because he is Lord of lords, and King of kings and they that are with him, are called, and elect, and faithful. (15)And he saith to me, The waters which thou sawest, on which the whore sat, are people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. (16)And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, they shall hate the whore, and make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her up with fire. (17)For God hath put it into their hearts to do his will, to perform one purpose, even to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. (18)And the woman which thou sawest is the great city, which holds dominion over the kings of the earth.
CHAP. XVIII.
AND after these things I saw an angel descending from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was enlightened by his glory. (2)And he cried mightily with a great voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of demons, and the hold of every impure spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. (3)Because all nations have drunk of the wine of the rage of her whoredom, and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her, and the merchants of the earth have been enriched by the excess of her profligate luxury.
(4)And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth out of her, my people, that ye have no share in her sins, and that so ye may not receive of her plagues. (5)For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. (6)Render to her as she also hath done to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she hath mingled mingle for her double. (7)As much as she hath glorified herself, and rioted in luxury, so much torment and sorrow give her: because she hath said in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. (8)Therefore in one hour shall all her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine: and she shall be consumed with fire; because mighty is the Lord God, who judgeth her.
(9)And the kings of the earth who have committed whoredom with her, and shared in her luxuries, shall bewail her, and lament bitterly over her, when they see the smoke of her burning, (10)standing afar off through terror of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that strong city! how in one hour is thy judgment come upon thee!
(11)And the merchants of the earth wept and wailed over her: because no man buyeth their merchandise any more: (12)the merchandise of gold and of silver, and of precious stones, and of pearl, and of fine linen, and of purple, and of silk, and of scarlet, and every sweet scented wood, and every ivory vessel, and every vessel of most precious wood, and of gold, and of iron, and of marble, (13)and cinnamon, and perfumes, and myrrh, and libanum, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and of horses, and of chariots, and of bodies, and the souls of men. (14)And the delicate autumnal fruit of thy soul's earnest longing is gone from thee, and all things that are dainty and that are splendid are departed from thee, and never shalt thou find them any more.
(15)The merchants of these things who enriched themselves by her, shall stand afar off through terror of her torment, weeping and wailing, (16)and saying, Alas, alas, the great city, which was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and overlaid with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! how in one hour is so great wealth laid waste!
(17)And every pilot, and all the crew in the ships, and the mariners, and as many as exercise their labours on the sea, stood afar off, (18)and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What is like that great city! (19)And they cast dust upon their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, by which all who occupied ships on the sea were enriched from her opulence! how in one hour is she made desolate!
(20)Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye the holy apostles and prophets, for God hath adjudged her to punishment, for the judgment inflicted on you by her. (21)And a mighty angel took up a stone as a great milstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, So with rapidity shall the great city Babylon be hurled into the deep, and never shall be found more. (22)And the sound of harpers, and musicians, and flute players, and trumpeters, shall never be heard in thee more; and no artificer of whatever trade shall be found in thee any more; and the sound of a milstone shall be heard in thee no more; (23)and never shall the light of a lamp shine in thee any more; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard in thee no more: because thy merchants were the grandees of the earth; because all nations were deluded by thy magical incantation. (24)And in her was found the blood of prophets, and holy men, and of all who have been slaughtered upon the earth.
CHAP. XIX.
AND after these things I heard a loud sound as of a vast multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah: Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power be to the Lord our God: (2)because true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great harlot, that corrupted the earth with her whoredom, and hath avenged the blood of his servants shed by her hand. (3)And the second time they said, Hallelujah. And her smoke ascended up for ever and ever. (4)And the four and twenty presbyters fell prostrate, and the four living beings, and they worshipped God who was seated on the throne, saying, Amen; Hallelujah.
(5)And there came a voice out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye servants of his, and all that fear him, both the small and the great. (6)And I heard as it were the voice of a vast multitude, and as the noise of many waters, and as the roar of mighty thunderings, saying, Hallelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (7)Let us rejoice and exult, and give him glory: because the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his bride hath made herself ready. (8)And it was granted her to be clothed in fine linen, clean and splendid: for the fine linen is _the emblem of_ the righteousness of the saints. (9)And he said to me, Write, Blessed are they that are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God.
(10)And I fell down before his feet to worship him: and he said unto me, See thou dost not so: I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.
(11)And I saw heaven opened, and lo a white horse; and he that sat upon it, is called Faithful and True, and with righteousness doth he judge and make war. (12)And his eyes were as a flame of fire, and upon his head were many diadems; and he hath a name inscribed which no man knoweth but himself. (13)And he was clothed in a garment dipt in blood, and his name is styled the word of God. (14)And the hosts which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (15)And out of his mouth proceeded a sharp sword, that therewith he may smite the heathen and he will rule them with an iron sceptre: and he will tread the wine-press of the fury and of the wrath of God Almighty. (16)And he hath upon his vesture and upon his thigh this name written, king of kings, and lord of lords.
(17)And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls which fly in the midst of heaven, Come hither and flock together unto the supper of the great God: (18)that ye may eat the carcasses of kings, and the carcasses of military commanders, and the carcasses of mighty men, and the carcasses of horses, and of those who ride upon them, and the carcasses of all, freemen and slaves, both small and great.
(19)And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war with him that was sitting upon the horse, and with his army. (20)And the beast was seized upon, and with him the false prophet who performed the wonders before him, by which he deceived those who received the brand of the beast, and those who worshipped his image. They were both hurled alive into the lake of fire which burneth with brimstone. (21)And all the rest were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which issued from his mouth: and all the fowls were gorged with their carcasses.
CHAP. XX.
AND I saw an angel descending from heaven, having the key of the abyss _of hell_, and a great chain in his hand: (2)and he seized on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3)and cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and put a seal upon it, that he might deceive the nations no more until the thousand years are completed: and after that he must be loosed a short time. (4)And I saw thrones, and persons were seated upon them, and authority to judge was given to them: and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who had not worshipped the beast, nor his image, and had not received the brand in their foreheads, and upon their right hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (5)But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years are completed. This is the first resurrection. (6)Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; over these the second death hath no dominion: but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years. (7)And when the thousand years shall be completed, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison; (8)and he shall go forth to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. (9)And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and encircled the camp of the saints, and the beloved city: and there came down fire from God out of heaven, and devoured them up. (10)And the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
(11)And I saw a great white throne, and one sat upon it, from whose presence fled the earth and the heaven, and no place was found for them. (12)And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the things written in the books according to their works. (13)And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead that were in them; and every one was judged according to his works. (14)And death and the grave were cast into the lake of fire: this is the second death. (15)And if any one was not found inscribed on the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
CHAP. XXI.
AND I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (2)And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (3)And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall pitch his tent with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, their own God. (4)And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more; nor shall mourning, nor crying, nor toil be any more: because the former things are passed away. (5)And he that sat upon the throne said, Lo! I make all things new: and he said unto me, Write that these sayings are true and faithful. (6)And he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end; I will give to him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. (7)He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be to him a God, and he shall be to me a son. (8)But to those who shrink back through fear, and to the infidels, and to the abominable, and to murderers, and to whoremongers, and to those who use magical incantations, and to idolaters, and to all liars, is their portion _appointed_ in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.