Amplified Bible (AMP)

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

1 This istherevelation of Jesus Christ [His unveiling of the divine mysteries], which God [the Father] gave to Him to show to His bond-servants (believers) the things which must soon take place [in their entirety]; and He sent and communicated it by His angel (divine messenger) to His bond-servant John,

2 who testifiedandgave supporting evidence to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ,evento everything that he saw [in his visions].

3 Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and who keep the things which are written in it [heeding them and taking them to heart]; for the time [of fulfillment] is near.

Message to the Seven Churches

4 John, to the seven churches that are in [the province of]Asia:Grace [be granted] to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being], from Him Who is [existing forever] and Who was [continually existing in the past] and Who is to come, and fromthe seven Spirits that are before His throne,

5 and from Jesus Christ, thefaithfulandtrustworthy Witness, theFirstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who [always] loves us and who [has once for all]freed us [or washed us] from our sins by His own blood (His sacrificial death)–

6 and formed us into a kingdom [as His subjects],priests to His God and Father–to Him be the gloryandthe powerandthe majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes (nations) of the earth will mourn over Him [realizing their sin and guilt, and anticipating the coming wrath].So it is to be. Amen.

8 “I am theAlpha and the Omega[the Beginning and the End],” says the Lord God,“Who is[existing forever]and Who was[continually existing in the past]and Who is to come, the Almighty[the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all].”

The Patmos Vision

9 I, John, your brother and companion in thetribulation and kingdom and patient endurancewhich arein Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, [exiled there] because of [my preaching of] the word of God [regarding eternal salvation] and the testimony of JesusChrist.

10 I was in theSpirit [in special communication with the Holy Spirit and empowered to receive and record the revelation from Jesus Christ] on theLord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like thesoundof a trumpet,

11 saying,“Write on a scroll what you see[in this revelation],and send it to theseven churches–to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands;

13 and in the midst of the lampstandsI sawsomeonelike the Son of Man, dressed in a robe reaching to His feet, and with a golden sash wrapped around His chest.

14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, [glistening white] like snow; and His [all-seeing] eyes were [flashing] like a flame of fire [piercing into my being].

15 His feet were like burnished [white-hot] bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was [powerful] like the sound of many waters.

16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword [of judgment]; and His face [reflecting His majesty and theShekinah glory] was like the sun shining in [all] its power [at midday].

17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. And He placed His right hand on me and said,“Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last[absolute Deity, the Son of God],

18 and the Ever-living One[living in and beyond all time and space].I died, but see, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of[absolute control and victory over]death and of Hades (the realm of the dead).

19 So write the thingswhich you have seen[in the vision],and the thingswhich are[now happening],and the thingswhich will take place after these things.

20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels (divine messengers) of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Message to Ephesus

1 “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church inEphesus write:

“These are the words of the One who holds[firmly]the seven stars[which are the angels or messengers of the seven churches]in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands (the seven churches):

2 ‘I knowyour deeds and your toil, and your patient endurance, and that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and have testedandcritically appraised those who call themselves apostles (special messengers, personally chosen representatives, of Christ), and[in fact]are not, and have found them to be liarsandimpostors;

3 and[I know that]you[who believe]are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name’s sake, and that you have not grown weary[of being faithful to the truth].

4 ~‘But I havethis[charge]against you, that you have left your first love[you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me].

5 ~‘So rememberthe heightsfrom which you have fallen, and repent[change your inner self–your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior–seek God’s will]and do the works you did at first[when you first knew Me];otherwise, I will visit you and remove your lampstand (the church, its impact) from its place–unless you repent.

6 ~‘Yet you have this[to your credit],that you hate the worksandcorrupt teachings of theNicolaitans[that mislead and delude the people],which I also hate.

7 ~‘He who has an ear, let him hearandheed what the Spirit says to the churches. To him whoovercomes[the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God],I will grant[the privilege]to eat[the fruit]from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’

Message to Smyrna

8 “And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church inSmyrna write:

“These are the words of the First and the Last[absolute Deity, the Son of God]who died and came to life[again]:

9 ‘I know your suffering and your poverty (but you are rich), and how you are blasphemedandslandered by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan[they are Jews only by blood, and do not believe and truly honor the God whom they claim to worship].

10 ~‘Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. Be aware that the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested[in your faith],and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful to the point of death[if you must die for your faith],and I will give you the crown[consisting]of life.

11 ~‘He who has an ear, let him hearandheed what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes[the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God]will not be hurt by the second death (the lake of fire).’

Message to Pergamum

12 “And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church inPergamum write:

“These are the words of Him who hasandwields the sharp two-edged sword[in judgment]:

13 ‘I know where you dwell,[a place]where Satan sits enthroned. Yet you are holding fast to My name, and you did not denyMy faith even in the days ofAntipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed (martyred) among you, where Satan dwells.

14 ~‘But I have a few things against you, because you have there some[among you]who are holding to the[corrupt]teaching of Balaam, who taughtBalak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel,[enticing them]to eat things that had been sacrificed to idols and to commit[acts of sexual]immorality.

15 ~‘You also have some who in the same way are holding to the teaching of theNicolaitans.

16 ~‘Therefore repent[change your inner self–your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior–seek God’s will];or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make warandfight against them with the sword of My mouth[in judgment].

17 ~‘He who has an ear, let him hearandheed what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes[the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God],to him I will give[the privilege of eating]someof thehidden manna, and I will give him awhite stone with a new name engraved on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it.’

Message to Thyatira

18 “And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church inThyatira write:

“These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes[that flash]like a flame of fire[in righteous judgment],and whose feet are like burnished[white-hot]bronze:

19 ‘I know your deeds, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your last deeds are more numerousandgreater than the first.

20 ~‘But I have this[charge]against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess[claiming to be inspired],and she teaches and misleads My bond-servants so that they commit[acts of sexual]immorality and eat food sacrificed to idols.

21 ~‘I gave her time to repent[to change her inner self and her sinful way of thinking],but she has no desire to repent of her immoralityandrefuses to do so.

22 ~‘Listen carefully, I will throw her on a bedof sickness,and those who commit adultery with her[I will bring]into great anguish, unless they repent of her deeds.

23 ~‘And I will kill her children (followers) withpestilence[thoroughly annihilating them],and all the churches will know[without any doubt]that I am He who searches theminds and hearts[the innermost thoughts, purposes];and I will give to each one of you[a reward or punishment]according to your deeds.

24 ~‘But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not exploredandknown thedepths of Satan, as they call them–I place no other burden on you,

25 except to hold tightly to what you have until I come.

26 ~‘And he who overcomes[the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God]and he who keeps My deeds[doing things that please Me]until the[very]end,to himIwill give authorityandpower over the nations;

27 and he shallshepherdandrule them with a rod of iron,as the earthen pots are broken in pieces, as I also have receivedauthority[and power to rule them]from My Father;

28 and I will give him theMorning Star.

29 ~‘He who has an ear, let him hearandheed what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Sardis

1 “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church inSardis write:

“These are the words of Him who hasthe seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds; you have a name (reputation) that you are alive, but[in reality]you are dead.

2 ~‘Wake up, and strengthenandreaffirm what remains[of your faithful commitment to Me],which is about to die; for I have not found[any of]your deeds completed in the sight of My Godormeeting His requirements.

3 ~‘So rememberandtake to heart the lessons you have received and heard. Keepandobey them, and repent[change your sinful way of thinking, and demonstrate your repentance with new behavior that proves a conscious decision to turn away from sin].So then, if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

4 ~‘But you[still]have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes[that is, contaminated their character and personal integrity with sin];and they will walk with Me[dressed]in white, because they are worthy (righteous).

5 ~‘He who overcomes[the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God]will accordingly be dressed in white clothing; and I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, and I will confessandopenly acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels[saying that he is one of Mine].

6 ~‘He who has an ear, let him hearandheed what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Philadelphia

7 “And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church inPhiladelphia write:

“These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He who has the key[to the house]of David, He who opens and no one will[be able to]shut, and He who shuts and no one opens:

8 ‘I know your deeds. See, I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut, for you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not renouncedordenied My name.

9 ~‘Take note, I will makethoseof the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie–I will make them come and bow down at your feet andmake themknow[without any doubt]that I have loved you.

10 ~‘Because you have kept the word of My endurance[My command to persevere],I will keep you[safe]from the hour of trial, thathourwhich is about to come on the whole[inhabited]world, to test those who live on the earth.

11 ~‘I am coming quickly. Hold tight what you have, so that no one will take your crown[by leading you to renounce the faith].

12 ~‘He who overcomes[the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God],I will make him apillar in the temple of My God; he will most certainly never be put out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven from My God, and My[own]new name.

13 ~‘He who has an ear, let him hearandheed what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Laodicea

14 “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church inLaodicea write:

“These are the words of the Amen, the trustedandfaithful and true Witness, theBeginningandOrigin of God’s creation:

15 ‘I know your deeds, that you areneither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you werecold or hot.

16 ~‘So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth[rejecting you with disgust].

17 ~‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have prosperedandgrown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked[without hope and in great need],

18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hotandrefined by fire so that you may becometrulyrich; and white clothes[representing righteousness]to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; andhealingsalve to put on your eyes so that you may see.

19 ~‘Those whom I[dearly and tenderly]love, I rebuke and discipline[showing them their faults and instructing them];so be enthusiastic and repent[change your inner self–your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior–seek God’s will].

20 ~‘Behold, I stand at the door[of the church]andcontinuallyknock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me.

21 ~‘He who overcomes[the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God],I will grant to him[the privilege]to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne.

22 ~‘He who has an ear, let him hearandheed what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Scene in Heaven

1 After this I looked, and behold,a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice which I had heard, likethe soundof a [war] trumpet speaking with me, said,“Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”

2 At once I was in [special communication with] the Spirit; and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne.

3 And He who sat there appeared like [the crystalline sparkle of]a jasper stone and [the fiery redness of] a sardius stone, and encircling the thronethere wasa rainbow that looked like [the color of an] emerald.

4 Twenty-four [other] thrones surrounded the throne; and seated on these thrones weretwenty-four elders dressed in white clothing, with crowns of gold on their heads.

The Throne and Worship of the Creator

5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and [rumbling] sounds and peals of thunder. Seven lamps of fire were burning in front of the throne, which arethe seven Spirits of God;

6 and in front of the thronethere was somethinglike a seaorlarge expanse of glass, like [the clearest] crystal. In the center and around the throne were four livingcreatures who were full of eyes in front and behind [seeing everything and knowing everything that is around them].

7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like a calf (ox), the third creature had the face of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.

8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes all over and within [underneath their wings]; and day and night they never stop saying,

“Holy,holy,holy[is the] LordGod,theAlmighty[the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all],who was and who is and who is to come[the unchanging, eternal God].”

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,

10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they exist, and were createdandbrought into being.”

The Scroll with Seven Seals

1 I saw in the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, closedandsealed with seven seals.

2 And I saw a strong angel announcing with a loud voice, “Who is worthy [having the authority and virtue] to open the scroll and tobreak its seals?”

3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in Hades, the realm of the dead] was able to open the scroll or look into it.

4 And Ibeganto weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it.

5 Then one of the [twenty-four] elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look closely, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcomeandconquered! He can open the scroll and [break] its seven seals.”

6 And therebetween the throne (with the four living creatures) and among the elders I saw a Lamb (Christ) standing, [bearing scars and wounds] as though it had been slain, with seven horns (complete power) and with seven eyes (complete knowledge), which arethe seven Spirits of God who have been sent [on duty] into all the earth.

7 And He came andtook the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

8 And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb (Christ), each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of fragrant incense, which are the prayers of the saints (God’s people).

9 And they sang a new song [of glorious redemption], saying,

“Worthyanddeserving are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchasedpeoplefor God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

10 “You have made them to be a kingdom [of royal subjects] and priests to our God; and they will reign on the earth.”

Angels Exalt the Lamb

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and [the voice] of the living creatures and the elders; and they numbered myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands (innumerable),

12 saying in a loud voice,

“Worthyanddeserving is the Lamb that was sacrificed to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

13 And I heard every created thing that is in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in Hades, the realm of the dead] or on the sea, and everything that is in them, saying [together],

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb (Christ), be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped [Him who lives forever and ever].

The First Seal–The Conqueror

1 Then I saw as the Lamb (Christ) broke one of the sevenseals [of the scroll initiating the judgments], and I heard one of the four living creatures call out as with a voice of thunder, “Come.”

2 I looked, and behold, awhite horse [of victory] whose rider carried abow; and a crown [of victory] was given to him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer.

The Second Seal–War

3 When He (the Lamb) broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, “Come.”

4 And another, afiery red horse [of bloodshed], came out; and its rider was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that men would slaughter one another; and a great sword [of war and violent death] was given to him.

The Third Seal–Famine

5 When He (the Lamb) broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse [of famine]; and the rider had in his hand a pair of scales (a balance).

6 And I heardsomethinglike a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius (a day’s wages), and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do notdamage the oil and the wine.”

The Fourth Seal–Death

7 When He (the Lamb) broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, “Come.”

8 So I looked, and behold, an ashen (pale greenish gray) horse [like a corpse, representing death and pestilence]; and its rider’s name was Death; and Hades (the realm of the dead) was following with him. They were given authorityandpower over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and withplague (pestilence, disease) and by the wild beasts of the earth.

The Fifth Seal–Martyrs

9 When He (the Lamb) broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained [out of loyalty to Christ].

10 They cried in a loud voice, saying, “O Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood on those [unregenerate ones] who dwell on the earth?”

11 Then they were each given a white robe; and they were told to restandwait quietly for a little while longer, untilthe number oftheir fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed.

The Sixth Seal–Terror

12 I looked when He (the Lamb) broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black assackcloth [made] of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree shedding its late [summer] figs when shaken by a strong wind.

14 The sky was split [separated from the land] and rolled up like a scroll, and every mountain and island were dislodgedandmoved out of their places.

15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and themilitary commanders and the wealthy and the strong and everyone, [whether] slave or free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;

16 and they called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the [righteous] wrathandindignation of the Lamb;

17 for the great day of their wrathandvengeanceandretribution has come, and who is able to [face God and] stand [before the wrath of the Lamb]?”

An Interlude

1 After this I saw four angels stationed at the four corners of the earth, holding back thefour winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.

2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and with a loud voice he called out to the four angels to whom it was granted [to have authority and power] to harm the earth and the sea,

3 saying, “Do not harm the earth nor the sea nor the trees until weseal (mark) the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

The 144,000

4 And I heard how many were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand; [twelve thousand] sealed fromevery tribe of the sons of Israel:

5 Twelve thousand were sealed from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad,

6 twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh,

7 twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar,

8 twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and twelve thousand from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed (marked, redeemed, protected).

A Multitude from the Tribulation

9 After these things I looked, and this is what I saw: a vast multitude which no one could count, [gathered] from every nation and from all the tribes and peoples and languages [of the earth], standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Christ), dressed in white robes, withpalm branches in their hands;

10 and in a loud voice they cried out, saying,

“Salvation [belongs] to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [our salvation is the Trinity’s to give, and to God the Trinity we owe our deliverance].”

11 And all the angels were standing around the throne andaroundthe [twenty-four] elders and the four living creatures; and they fell to their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

12 saying,

“Amen! Blessing and gloryandmajesty and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are dressed in the long white robes–who are they, and from where did they come?”

14 I said to him, “My lord, you know [the answer].” And he said to me, “These are the people who come out of the great tribulation (persecution), and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb [because of His atoning sacrifice].

15 For this reason, they are [standing] before the throne of God; and they serve Him [in worship] day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne willspread His tabernacle over themandshelterandprotect them [with His presence].

16 They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sunbeat down on them, nor any [scorching] heat;

17 for the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the waters of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes [giving them eternal comfort].”

The Seventh Seal–the Trumpets

1 When He (the Lamb) broke open the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour [in awe of God’s impending judgment].

2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seventrumpets were given to them.

3 Another angel came and stood at the altar. He had a goldencenser, and muchincense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints (God’s people) on the golden altar in front of the throne.

4 And the smokeandfragrant aroma of the incense, with the prayers of the saints (God’s people), ascended before God from the angel’s hand.

5 So the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunderandloud rumblings and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them [initiating the judgments].

7 The first [angel] sounded [his trumpet], and there was [a storm of] hail and fire, mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

8 The second angel sounded [his trumpet], andsomethinglike a great mountain blazing with fire was hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea was turned to blood;

9 and a third of the living creatures that were in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10 The third angel sounded [his trumpet], and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch [flashing across the sky], and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of [fresh] waters.

11 The name of the star isWormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters, because they had become bitter (toxic).

12 Then the fourth angel sounded [his trumpet], and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and a third of the daylight would not shine, and the night in the same way [would not shine].

13 Then I looked, and I heard a solitary eagle flying inmidheaven [for all to see], saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe [great wrath is coming] to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpets which the three angels are about to sound [announcing ever greater judgments]!”

The Fifth Trumpet–the Bottomless Pit

1 Then the fifth angel sounded [his trumpet], and I saw a star (angelic being) that had fallen from heaven to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit (abyss) was given to him (the star-angel).

2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke like the smoke of a great furnace flowed out of the pit; and the sun and the atmosphere were darkened by the smoke from the pit.

3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power [to hurt] was given to them, like the power which the earth’s scorpions have.

4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but [to hurt] only the people who do not have the seal (mark of ownership, protection) of God on their foreheads.

5 They were not permitted to kill anyone, but to tormentandcause them extreme pain for five months; and their torment was like the torment from a scorpion when it stings a man.

6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; and they will long to die [to escape the pain], but [will discover that] death evades them.

7 The locusts resembled horses preparedandequipped for battle; and on their heads appeared to be [something like] golden crowns, and their faces resembled human faces.

8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were likethe teethof lions.

9 They had breastplates (scales) like breastplates made of iron; and the [whirring] noise of their wings was like the [thunderous] noise of countless horse-drawn chariots charging [at full speed] into battle.

10 They have tails like scorpions, and stingers; and in their tails is their power to hurt people for five months.

11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss (the bottomless pit); in Hebrew his name is Abaddon (destruction), and in Greek he is called Apollyon (destroyer-king).

12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

The Sixth Trumpet–Army from the East

13 Then the sixth angel sounded [his trumpet], and I heard a solitary voice from the four horns of the golden altar which stands before God,

14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the [appointed] hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.

16 The number of the troops of cavalry was twice ten thousand times ten thousand (two hundred million); I heard the number of them.

17 And this is how I saw the horses and their riders in my vision:the ridershad breastplates [the color] of fire and of hyacinth (sapphire blue) and of brimstone (yellow); and the heads of the horses looked like the heads of lions; and from out of their mouths came fire and smoke and brimstone (burning sulfur).

18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues–by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone that came from the mouths of the horses.

19 For the power of the horses [to do harm] is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and it is with them that they do harm.

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues,did not repent even then of the works of their hands, so as to cease worshipingandpaying homage to the demons and the idols of gold and of silver and of bronze and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;

21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries (drugs, intoxications) nor of their [sexual] immorality nor of their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Book

1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed in a cloud, with a rainbow (halo) over his head; and his face was like the sun, and his feet (legs) were like columns of fire;

2 and he had a little book (scroll) open in his hand. He set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land;

3 and he shouted with a loud voice, like the roaring of a lion [compelling attention and inspiring awe]; and when he had shouted out, the seven peals of thunder spoke with their own voices [uttering their message in distinct words].

4 And when the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them down.”

5 Then the angel whom I had seen standing on the sea and the land raised his right hand [to swear an oath] to heaven,

6 and swore [an oath] by [the name of] Him who lives forever and ever,who created heaven and the things in it,and the earth and the things in it,and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer,

7 butwhen it is time for thetrumpet call of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God [that is, His hidden purpose and plan] is finished, as He announced the gospel to His servants the prophets.

8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven,I heardagain speaking to me, and saying, “Go, take the book (scroll) which is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

9 So I went up to the angel and told him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.”

10 So I took the little book from the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey; but once I had swallowed it, my stomach wasbitter.

11 Then they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”