John's Revelation

My translation of the Book of Revelation which can be found in The New Peace Treaty: A New Translation of the New Testament for a New Millennium

    This is the message God has given to Jesus the Anointed King so that he could reveal it to all those who serve God. God has predetermined to make everything contained in this message happen very soon! Jesus chose to reveal this message by sending an angel to his servant, John, who relayed everything that he understood about God’s Word and Jesus the Anointed King like someone who has taken the witness stand and is under oath. Those who get to read this message when the church is gathered for worship, and who take what is said in this prophecy to heart, are blessed because the designated time is almost here.


    From:    John

    To:    The seven churches in Asia


    May your lives be filled with the grace and peace that comes from the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is yet to come; and also from the seven spirits that are in front of his throne; and from Jesus the Anointed King, who has faithfully born witness to him, and who is the first person to be permanently raised from the dead, and who rules over the kings of the earth. He is the one who loves us and who has used his blood to give us all clean slates. He made us into a kingdom! He made us ordained clergy for God, his Father! Glory and sovereignty are his forever and ever! Amen.      

        Check it out! He’s coming with the clouds!
        Every eye will see him,
        Even those who pierced him.
        All the people of the earth will mourn for him.
        Yes! 
        Amen.

        “I am the letter A to the letter Z,” says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is yet to come, the one who governs the entire universe.


    It’s me, John, your fellow-believer, who shares in the hard times with all of you, as well as sharing in the kingdom, and in the patient endurance that comes with loyalty to Jesus. I happened to be on an island called Patmos because I have passed on everything about God’s Word and Jesus the King as I have understood it, just like someone who has taken the witness stand and is under oath. I was in the spirit on the Lord’s Day, when I heard a loud voice behind me that sounded like a trumpet. It said, “Write down what you are about to see in a book and then send it to the seven churches in Asia. Send it to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamus, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea!”

    So I turned around to see who was speaking to me, but when I turned around, I just saw seven golden lamps. Then, in the middle of the lamps, someone who looked like the Son of Man appeared. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash wrapped around his chest. His head and his hair where as white as wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like the flames of a fire. His feet were like very shiny brass as it melts in an extremely hot furnace. His voice was like the sound of a bunch of waves crashing on the beach. He held seven stars in his right hand. A sharp, double-edged sword protruded from his mouth. His face burned like the sun during the hottest part of the day.

    And when I saw him, I fell to his feet as if I had dropped dead, and he put his right hand on me saying, “Don’t be afraid! I’m the first and the last, the one who lives, who died, and check it out! I am the one who lives forever and ever! I also have the keys of death and the grave. So write down what you saw, write down what is happening now, and write down what is destined to happen later. Here’s the meaning of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lamps: the seven stars are angels of the seven churches and the seven lamps are the seven churches.”
                                    
    “Write to the angel of the chosen people in Ephesus:

The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks around in the middle of the seven golden lamps says this:

I know the kind of things that you’re doing and the kinds of things that result from it. I’m also aware of how you patiently endure difficult circumstances and that you aren’t able to put up with wicked people. You’ve tested those who call themselves apostles, but who really aren’t, discovering that they are liars. You have patiently endured, and you endure because of my name, and you haven’t tired of it. 

Nevertheless, I hold this against you: you have abandoned your first love! So remember from where you have come, and change the way you think about the world! Do the kind of things that you used to do! If you won’t, then here’s what’s going to happen: I’m going to come and take your lamp away from its place unless you change the way you think about the world. You do have this one thing in your favor: you hate the kind of things that the Nicolatians are doing. I hate them as well! 

Anyone with an ear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the chosen people! I will allow anyone who conquers to eat from the tree of life that is in God’s paradise.

    “And write to the angel of the chosen people in Smyrna:

The one who is first and the one who is last, who died and came back to life, says this:

I know that it’s rough where you are and that you live in a state of poverty. Nevertheless, you’re rich! I know how those who call themselves Jews, but who really aren’t, are insulting God. They are Satan’s chosen people! Don’t be afraid of the predetermined suffering that you are going to endure! Check it out, it was predetermined that the devil would toss some of you in jail so that you can be tested. It’s going to get extremely rough for all of you for ten days. Be faithful to the point of death and I will give you the victory crown of life. 

Anyone with an ear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the chosen people! Anyone who conquers can never be harmed by the second death.

    “And write to the angel of the chosen people in Pergamus:

    The one who has a sharp, double-edged sword says this:

I know that you live where Satan’s throne is. I also know that you cling to my name, and that you didn’t even deny your faith in me during the time when my faithful witness, Antipas, was killed right in front of you"where Satan lives. 

Nevertheless, there are a few things that I’m holding against you. You have among you those who cling to Balaam’s teaching. Balaam taught Balak how to trip up the Children of Israel by getting them to eat meat sacrificed to false gods and to commit various acts of sexual immorality. In addition to that, you also have people among you who adhere to what the Nicolatians are teaching. So change the way you think about the world! If you don’t, I’m going to come quickly and fight against them with the sword from my mouth. 
        
Anyone with an ear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the chosen people! I will give hidden manna to anyone who conquers. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it that nobody knows except the person who receives it. 

    “And write to the angel of the chosen people in Thyatira:

The Son of God, the one whose eyes are like flames of fire, and whose feet are like polished brass says this:

I know the kind of things you are doing. I know of your love, faith, and justice, as well as how you patiently endure difficult circumstances. I also know that things that you are doing now are even greater than the kind of things you did when you first started out.

Nevertheless, this is what I’m holding against you: you tolerate the woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. She’s teaching and misleading my servants, so that they do all the wrong things. They are engaging in various kinds of sexually immoral acts and eating meat sacrificed to false gods. I’ve given her time to change the way she thinks about the world, but she refuses to rethink her evil deeds. Check it out! I’m going the toss her, and everyone who commits adultery with her, into a large bed that is filled with suffering (unless, of course, they all change the way they think about her evil deeds). I’m also going to kill any children that their adulterous relationships produce. Then everyone among all the chosen people will know that I am the one who examines hearts and minds, and that I will repay each of you according to the kinds of things that you’ve done. Everyone else in Thyatira who doesn’t participate in her teaching (that is to say, those who don’t know about the so-called “deep secrets of Satan”) won’t have any additional burdens placed on you by me. But cling to what you have received until I come to you. I’ll give the authority to rule over nations to anyone who conquers and who continues to do what I want until the end. He’ll rule over them like a shepherd with an iron staff and he’ll shatter them like clay pots. I will give him the morning star just as it was given to me by my Father.

Anyone with an ear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the chosen people! 

    “And write to the angel of the chosen people in Sardis:

The one who has the seven spirits of God and who holds the seven stars says this:

I know the kind of things that you’re doing. You have a reputation of being alive, but you’re really dead! Wake up! Focus on making those things that you still have, which are about to die, healthy and strong again! As God is my witness, I have yet to find any action that you’ve followed through on! So remember what you’ve received and what you’ve heard. Pay attention to it and change the way you think about the world! If you don’t wake up, I’ll come like a thief and you won’t have the slightest clue about the time of my arrival. 

Nevertheless, there are a few of you in Sardis who have yet to sully their clothes. Those people will walk with me wearing white clothes because they are worthy to do so. I will clothe anyone who conquers like this in white clothes. Their names won’t ever be erased from the Book of Life. I will also plainly state his name in front of my Father, and in front of his angels.

Anyone with an ear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the chosen people! 

    “And write to the angel of the chosen people in Philadelphia:

The one who is holy, the one who is true, the one who has the key of David, the one who opens what no one will ever be able to close, and the who closes what no one will ever be able to open says this:

I know the kind of things that you’re doing. Check it out! I’ve put a door in front of you that has been opened and that no one can close because you have very little power, and yet, you have paid attention to what I have said and you have never denied my name. Check it out! I’ll force those in Satan’s church, who call themselves Jews, but who really aren’t, to come before you and fall down at your feet, so that they will understand that I loved you. I will also protect you from the hard times that has been predetermined to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth because you have patiently endured and have paid attention to what I have said. I am coming quickly! Cling to what you have, so that no one can take away your victory crown! I will make anyone who conquers into a pillar in my God’s church! He won’t ever leave it! I’ll write my God’s name on him. I’ll also write the name of my God’s city on him (the new Jerusalem that is coming down from heaven where my God is). I’ll also write my new name on him. 

Anyone with an ear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the chosen people!

    “And write to the angel of the chosen people in Laodicea:

The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation says this:

I know the kind of things that you’re doing. You’re neither hot nor cold! I wish that you were either hot or cold! Since this is how it is, it has been predetermined for me to vomit you from my mouth because you are lukewarm! You say things like, ‘I’m rich and I‘ve always been rich! I don’t need anything!’ You’ve no idea how miserable, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked you really are! I suggest that you buy gold from me that has been purified by fire, so that you can truly be rich. Buy white clothes, so that you can have something to wear and so you won’t be ashamed and naked. Buy ointment to rub on your eyes so that you can see. It’s those that I love that I try to correct! So be zealous and change the way you think about the world! Check it out! I’m standing at the door and I’m knocking on it. I’ll go inside and eat with anyone who hears the sound of my knocking and comes to the door and opens it. I’ll allow anyone who conquers to sit next to me on my throne, just like I have conquered and sit next to my Father on his throne. 

Anyone with an ear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the chosen people! 

    After all this, check it out! I noticed a door that had been opened in heaven. Then I heard the first voice that sounded like a trumpet when it spoke say,  “Get up here! I’ll show you what has to happen from now on.”

    And bam! I became like a spirit. Check it out! There was a throne in heaven and someone sits on that throne. The one who sits on the throne looks kind of like an expensive, multicolored stone, though there was a lot of green and red. There’s a rainbow that surrounds the throne that looks like it is made of emerald. There’s also twenty-four thrones positioned around the throne, and twenty-four elders sit on those thrones. They are dressed in white clothes and wear golden victory crowns on their heads. Flashes of lightning, ominous sounds, and peals of thunder come from out of the throne. There are also seven lamps of fire burning in front of the throne (these are the seven spirits of God). There’s also something that looks like a crystal sea in front of the throne. In the middle of all this, surrounding the throne, there are four alive things that are completely covered with eyes, front and back. The first alive thing looks like a lion. The second alive thing looks like a young bull. The third alive thing looks like it has a human face. The fourth alive thing looks like a flying eagle. Each of the four alive things has six wings. The wings are also completely covered with eyes, inside and out. Day and night they never stop saying: 

        The Lord God, who governs the entire universe,
        The one who was, the one who is, and the one who is coming,
        is holy, holy, holy!

The twenty-four elders fall down in front of the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, tossing their victory crowns in front of the throne whenever the four alive things offer praise, honor and thanksgiving to the one sitting on the throne, saying: 

        Our Lord and our God, you are worthy
        To receive praise and honor and power
        Because you have created everything that is!
        Everything that exists was created by you 
        Because that’s how you wanted it!

    I saw a book in the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. The book had been completely covered with writing, inside and out. There were seven official seals that kept the book from being opened. I saw an important angel, who loudly exclaimed, “Who is worthy to open the book and tear open its official seals?” No one in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, could open the book, or even look at it. I cried bitterly because no one was found to be worthy to open the book, or even look at it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Don’t cry! Check it out! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the descendant of David, has conquered! He can open the book and tear open its seven seals.”

     I saw a Lamb standing the middle of the throne, the four alive things, and in the middle of the elders. It looked like it had been slaughtered. It had seven horns and seven eyes. (The seven eyes are the seven spirits of God sent into every part of the earth.) 

    The Lamb went and took the book out of the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. The four alive things and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb when he took the book. Each one had a harp and golden bowls filled with incense. (The bowls of incense are the prayers of the holy ones.) They sang a new song, saying:

You are worthy to take the book and tear open its seals
Because you were slaughtered.

    By your blood you purchased people for God

         From every tribe and language and people and nation, 

    And you made them a kingdom and priests for our God. 
    They will rule on the earth!

    Then I noticed that I also heard the sound of a lot of angels joining in with the alive things and the elders. There were something like one hundred trillion of them and they had encircled the throne. All of them, angels, the alive things, and the elders, loudly said:

The Lamb who has been slaughtered is worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.

And I heard every creature in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and everything that is in them say:

Let there be praise and honor and glory and dominion to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb, forever and ever.

The four alive things said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

    I saw that the lamb had torn open one of the seven seals and I heard one of the four alive things say with a voice that sounded like thunder, “Go!” And check it out! I saw a white horse. The rider of the horse has a bow and he was given a victory crown. Then he rode away, looking like a conqueror who was spoiling for a fight. 

    When the Lamb tore open the second seal, I heard the second alive thing say, “Go!”  Another horse, a fiery-red one, went out. The rider of that horse was given the power to take peace from the earth. He was also given a giant sword so that they will slaughter one another.

    When the Lamb tore open the third seal, I heard the third alive thing say, “Go!” And check it out! I saw a black horse. The rider of that horse holds a scale in his hand. Then I heard something that sounded like a voice coming from the middle of the four alive things that said, “A day’s pay for a quart of wheat and a day’s pay for three quarts of barley! But don’t harm the olive oil and the wine!”                            

    When the Lamb tore open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth alive thing saying, “Go!” And check it out! I saw a pale-green horse. The rider of this horse is named Death and the grave follows behind him. He was given the authority to kill a quarter of the earth’s population by means of the sword, disease, famine, and the wild animals that live on earth.

    When the Lamb tore open the fifth seal, I saw the souls of those who were slaughtered because of the Word of God and because of the testimony they gave. They were beneath the altar. A loud voice cried out, “How long will it be, Holy and True Master? Why haven’t you yet judged those living on the earth and why haven’t you avenged our blood?” Then each one was given a white robe and they were told that they will rest a little while longer, until the predetermined number of their coworkers and fellow-believers, who are supposed to be killed like they were, is reached.

    When the Lamb tore open the sixth seal, I saw that there was a massive earthquake. The sun became as dark as a black suit worn at a funeral. The whole moon turned the color of blood, and the stars of heaven fell upon the earth, just like a fig tree throws ripe figs to the ground when a strong wind shakes it. The sky came apart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved from their places. The rulers of the earth, the movers and shakers, the military commanders, the rich and powerful, and every person, both slave and free, hid themselves in caves and among the rocks on the mountainsides. They told the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us! Hide us from the face of the one sitting on the throne, and from the Lamb’s anger because the great day of their anger has come! Who can stand it?”

    After all this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the earth’s four winds. The result was that not even the slightest breeze could blow on the earth, or on the sea, or through the branches of any tree. I saw another angel coming out of the east, holding the seal of the living God. He yelled out loudly to the four angels who were allowed to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, “Don’t hurt the earth, the sea, or the trees until we can seal the foreheads of God’s servants.” I heard the number of those who were sealed. It was one-hundred-forty-four thousand.  Those who were sealed were from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

    Twelve thousand were sealed from the tribe of Judah;
    Twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben;
    Twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad;
    Twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher;
    Twelve thousand from the tribe of Nephthali;
    Twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh;
    Twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon;
    Twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi;
    Twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar;
    Twelve thousand from the tribe of Zabulon;
    Twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph;
    Twelve thousand were sealed from the tribe of Benjamin.

 
   I noticed something after that. Check it out! There was a crowd of people so large that no one could count them all. The people of the crowd were from every nation, tribe, people and language. They were standing in front of the throne and in front of the lamb. They were dressed in white robes and they held palm branches in their hands. They yelled out loudly, saying something like, “It’s our God sitting on the throne, and it’s the Lamb who saves!” All the angels standing around the throne, the elders and the four alive things, fell on their faces in front of the throne, worshiping God and saying:
Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength are with our God forever and ever! Amen!

    One of the elders said to me, “Who are those people who are dressed in white robes? Where are they from?”  

    I said to him, “Sir, you tell me. You’re the one who knows the answer to that.”  

    He said to me:

        They’re the ones who faced terrible suffering and persecution.
            They washed their robes in the Lamb’s blood and made them white.
            They stand in front of God’s throne because of that,
            And they worship him day and night in his sanctuary.
        The one sitting on the throne will live among them.
They won’t be hungry ever again. They won’t be thirsty ever again.
            The sun, or anything else that’s hot, won’t ever scorch them.
Because the Lamb, in the middle of the throne, will be their shepherd.
        He will lead them to the spring of living water,
            And God himself will wipe away every tear that falls from their eyes.

 
   When he tore open the seventh seal, it was profoundly quiet in heaven for about thirty minutes or so. I saw that the seven angels that stood in front of God were given seven trumpets. Another angel arrived and it stood on the altar. It held an incense holder made out of gold. The angel was given a lot of incense, so that it could offer up in front of God, all the prayers of the holy ones while burning the incense on the altar. The smoke of the incense rose up with the prayers of the holy ones from the angel’s hand in front of God. Then the angel took the incense holder, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it down on to the earth. Thunder, and ominous sounds, along with flashes of lightning and earthquakes started happening. The seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

    The first angel blew a trumpet: There was hail and fire mixed with blood. It was thrown to the earth and a third of the earth was consumed. A third of the trees and all green vegetation were also consumed.

    The second angel blew a trumpet: Something like a giant, burning mountain was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, and a third of the creatures living in the sea died. A third of the ships that were sailing on the sea were also destroyed.     

    And the third angel blew a trumpet: A large, burning star that looked like a lantern fell from the sky. It fell on a third of the rivers and natural water sources. The star had a name. It was called Wormwood. A third of the waters turned to wormwood and a lot of people died from drinking water because it had become so bitter.        

    The fourth angel blew a trumpet: A third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck with darkness, so that a third of them would be dark. A third of the light of day was kept from shining, as well as a third of the light of night. 

    I looked up and saw a solitary vulture flying high in the sky. I heard it saying loudly, “How horrible, horrible, horrible! It’s going to get bad for those who live on the earth because three trumpet blasts are still to come, and they are about to be blown by the three angels!”

    The fifth angel blew a trumpet: I saw that a star had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the pit where demons and evil spirits live. It unlocked the door to the pit. Smoke rose up from out of the pit, looking like the smoke that comes out of a large furnace. The smoke from the pit blocked out the sun and the air was blackened. Then locusts came out of the smoke and filled the earth. They were given the same kind of power that common scorpions have. They were told that they couldn’t destroy the earth’s vegetation, or anything green, or even a single tree. They could only hurt those people who didn’t have God’s seal on their foreheads. They weren’t allowed to kill those people, but they were allowed to torture them for five months. Their form of torture was just like the agony caused by a scorpion when it stings someone. People will look for ways to die during those days, but they won’t find it. They’ll want to die, and death will flee from them. 

    The locusts looked something like war-horses ready for battle. They wore something that looked like golden victory crowns on their heads. Their faces looked human. Their hair was long like the hair of a woman. They had lions teeth and iron breastplates on their chests. The sound of their wings sounded like the noise made by a lot of horse-drawn chariots charging into battle. They had tails and stingers like that of scorpions, and it was their tails that gave them their power to harm people for five months. They are led by a king, the angel from where demons and evil spirits live. Its name in Hebrew is Abaddon. It also goes by the name Apollyon in Greek. The first horror is over. But check it out! There are still two horrors left to come.

    Then the sixth angel blew a trumpet: I heard the four horns of the golden altar that’s in front of God speaking with a single voice. It said to the sixth angel with the trumpet, “Release the four angels imprisoned in the great Euphrates river!” The four angels that have been prepared for that exact moment were released so they could kill a third of humanity. Their calvary was numbered at two hundred million (I overheard their number). 

    I noticed that the horses and their riders looked like this: they had red, blue and yellow chests. The horses’ heads were like those of lions. Fire, smoke, and sulphur poured from their mouths. One-third of all the people on the earth died from these three plagues. They died from the fire, smoke, and sulphur that pours out of their mouths. The horses’ strength was in their mouths. It was also in their tails because their tails were like snakes with heads that could bite and hurt people. 

    Everyone that was left (that is, those who weren’t killed in these plagues), didn’t change the way they think about the world or about how they behaved. Since they didn’t change the kind of things that they did, they’ll end up worshiping demons and false gods that are carved out of gold, silver, copper, stone, and wood. These gods can’t see anything, neither can they hear anything, nor can they even move around. The people didn’t change the way they thought about the world or about how they were murdering people, or about their drug abuse, or about their sexual immorality, or about their stealing.

    Then I saw another important angel descending from heaven. It was clothed with a cloud, and it had a rainbow on its head. Its face was like the sun, and its feet burned like a pillar of fire. It held a small book that was opened in its hand. It stood with its right foot on the sea and its left foot on the land, and it yelled out loudly, sounding just a roaring lion. The seven thunders spoke when it yelled. I was going to write down what I heard the seven thunders say, but then I heard a voice telling me, “Don’t write that down! Keep what the seven thunders said a secret!” 

    The angel that I saw (the one who was standing on both the sea and the land), lifted his right hand to heaven and swore an oath by the one who lives forever and ever, the one who created heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. The oath it swore was that time’s run out. In the days when the seventh angel blows the trumpet (at the time that has been predetermined for it to be blown), God’s secret plan will be made clear to everyone, just as he had promised his servants the prophets. 

    Then the voice from heaven that I heard before said to me again, “Go and take the open book that the angel that stands on both the sea and the land is holding.” 

    So I went out to the angel and told it, “Give me that small book.”  

    It said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will taste like honey in your mouth, but it will upset your stomach.” So I took the small book from its hand and I ate it. It tasted like honey in my mouth, but when I had finished eating it, my stomach was upset.  Then they told me, “You should proclaim again what has been revealed to you about the many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

    Then I was given a reed that looked like a wand. I was told, “Get up and measure God’s sanctuary, the altar, and everyone worshiping in it. But don’t measure the courtyard. That has been turned over to foreigners who worship false gods. They’ll trample the holy city for forty-two months. Then I’ll give my two witnesses the power to preach everything that I’ve revealed to them for one-thousand-two-hundred-sixty days. They’ll be dressed like they’re going to a funeral.” They are the two olive trees and the two lamps that have always stood in front of the Lord of the earth. If anyone wants to hurt them, fire comes out of their mouths and burns up everyone who opposes them. Anyone who wants to hurt them has to be killed in this way. They can lock up the sky, so that no rain falls during the time they are preaching. They can change all the water to blood. They can inflict the people of the earth with all kinds of diseases whenever they want to.  

    When they are finished with their testimony, the wild animal that comes up from the pit where demons and evil spirits live will make war against them. It will subdue and kill them. Their corpses will lay in the street of that all-important city that is given the symbolic names of “Sodom” and “Egypt.” This is also the city where their Lord was crucified. People from all over the world will look at their corpses laying in the street for three-and-a-half days. They won’t let anyone bury their bodies. Everyone living throughout the entire earth will be ecstatic and celebrate the fact that they are dead. They’ll exchange presents with each other because those two prophets tormented everyone living on the earth. 

    Three-and-a-half days later, God’s spirit of life went into them, and they stood up on their feet. Everyone who saw them were terrified. Then they heard a loud voice coming from heaven say, “Get up here!” The two witnesses went up into heaven as their enemies watched. A powerful earthquake happened at the same time. A tenth of the city collapsed and seven thousand people were reported dead as a result of the quake. Everyone else was terrified and glorified the God of heaven. The second horror is over. Check it out! The third horror is just around the corner. 

    The seventh angel blew a trumpet: There were loud voices in heaven that said:

The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and his Anointed King! He will rule over it forever and ever!

And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones in front of God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:

    We thank you, Lord, the all-governing God,
         The one who is and the one who was,
    Because you have taken your vast power and ruled as King.
         The nations were furious,
         And your anger has come.
         The time for the dead to be judged has come.
    The time has come to pay your servants, 
          The prophets, the holy ones, and the insignificant and the powerful 
          Who respect your name.
    The time has come to destroy those who are destroying the earth.

 
   Then God’s sanctuary in heaven was opened and the Ark of his Peace Treaty could be seen in it. There was lightning, ominous sounds, and thunder. An earthquake happened and giant hailstones fell.

    Something really significant appeared in heaven. There was a pregnant woman, clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet. She wore a victory crown on her head that was made out of twelve stars. She was in labor, crying and screaming in pain. Then something else that was significant was seen in heaven. Check it out! There was a monstrous, fiery-red dragon. It had seven heads and ten horns. Each of the seven heads had a royal crown on it. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and knocked them down to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it could devour the child. She gave birth to a boy. He is meant to tend every nation like a shepherd with an iron staff. The child was snatched up and taken to God and his throne. Then the woman ran away into the desert, to a place that had been prepared for her by God so she could take care of herself for one-thousand-two-hundred-sixty days.

    Then a war erupted in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but the dragon couldn’t oppose them and heaven wasn’t big enough for all of them anymore. So the monstrous dragon, the ancient snake, who is called the devil and Satan, and who fools everyone in the whole world, along with all of its angels, were kicked out of heaven and thrown down to the earth. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying:

    Salvation and power, 
        Our God’s Kingdom,
        And the authority of his Anointed King, 
        Have now come into existence.
    Because the one who accuses our fellow-believers,
        The one who accuses them in front of our God day and night has been kicked out.
        They conquered him with the Lamb’s blood
             And by the manner of their testimony.
        They could have stayed alive and well, but they chose to face death.
    Let the heavens and everything in them celebrate because of this!
    It’s going to get bad for the earth and the sea,
        Because the devil, who is furious,
        Has been thrown down to you
        And he knows that his time is running out.

    When the dragon realized that it had been thrown down to earth, he chased after the woman that gave birth to the boy. So the woman was given two giant eagle’s wings, so that she could fly away to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she was taken care of for three-and-a-half years, far away from the snake. The snake vomited something like a river of water from its mouth in the direction of the woman, so that she would be swept away in its current. But the earth came to the woman’s aid. It opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon vomited from its mouth. Then the dragon went postal. It was so angry with the woman that it went away to make war against her children (those who keep God’s commandments and who testify about Jesus). 
 
   The dragon stood on the beach next to the sea. Then I saw a wild animal coming up out of the seawater. It had ten horns and seven heads. It wore ten royal crowns on its horns and it had names that were offensive to God written on its heads. The wild animal that I saw looked a lot like a leopard, with the feet of a bear, and a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave its power, its throne, and its ample authority to the wild animal. One of its heads looked like it had been murdered, but the wound that caused its death was healed.

    The entire world was mystified and followed after the wild animal. They worshiped the dragon, who had given the wild animal its authority. They also worshiped the wild animal, saying things like, “Is there anything else like this wild animal? Who can fight against it?” The wild animal was given a mouth and said arrogant and insulting things against God. It was given the authority to act for forty-two months. When it opened its mouth, it uttered insulting words against God. It insulted God’s name, his dwelling place, and even those who dwell in heaven. It was allowed to make war against the holy ones and conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. Everyone living on the earth will worship it"that is, those people whose names haven’t been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (the same Lamb that has been slaughtered since before the creation of the universe).
Anyone who can hear needs to listen!    

    Anyone chosen for captivity will be a captive;
    Anyone chosen to be killed by the sword will be killed by the sword.
    This is what the faithful, patient endurance of the Christians looks like.

    Then I saw another wild animal rising up out of the earth. It had two horns that appeared to be like those of a lamb, but sounded like a dragon when it spoke. It wields all of the authority of the first wild animal when it is with it. It makes the earth, and everyone living in it, worship the first wild animal whose fatal wound had been healed. It does miraculous things. It could even make fire fall from the sky to the earth while everyone watched. It fools everyone living on the earth with the miraculous things it does when it’s with the first wild animal. It told those who live on the earth to make a statue of the wild animal that was wounded by the sword and lived. It was given the ability to make the statue of the wild animal come to life. The statue could speak and kill anyone that refused to worship it. It forces everyone from the most insignificant to the most important, the rich and the poor, free people and slaves, to receive a seal on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that no one could ever buy or sell anything unless he has been sealed with the name of the wild animal, or the numerical equivalent of its name. Insight is needed here. Anyone who understands this needs to figure out who the wild animal is because the numerical value of its name represents a particular person’s name. The number is 666.

    And check it out! I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, accompanied by the 144,000 who have his name and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads. I heard a sound coming out of heaven that sounded like a lot of rushing water, mixed with thunder. The sound that I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. They sang [what sounded like] some kind of new song in front of the throne, the four alive things, and the elders. The only ones who were able to learn the song were the 144,000 from the earth who were bought and paid for.

They are the people who haven’t defiled themselves with women. They are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. Out of all the people on earth, they have been bought and paid for. They are a down-payment to God and to the Lamb. They’ve never uttered a single lie. They are immaculate.

    I saw another angel flying in the middle of the sky that had eternal good news to announce to everyone living on the earth, and every nation, tribe, language, and people. It shouted:

Fear God and give him glory because the time of his judgment has come!  Worship the one who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water!

A second angel followed saying:

It fell! Babylon, the all-important city fell! 
    It made all the nations sip from the wine of her unrestrained perversions.

Then a third angel followed it, yelling loudly:

Anyone who worships the wild animal or its statue, and who receives a seal on his forehead or on his hand, will also sip from the wine of God’s fury! It is undiluted and has been poured into the cup of his furious anger. That person will be tormented in fire and sulphur in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. The smoke of their torment will rise up forever and ever. Everyone who worships the wild animal or its statue, and everyone who receives the stamp of its name, won’t ever find any kind of rest, day or night. This is why the Christians (those who follow God’s set of instructions and those who trust in Jesus) patiently endure suffering. 

    Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down! Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!”

    “Yes!” the Spirit agrees, “They will find rest from all of their work and all of their good deeds will follow them.” 

    And check it out! I saw a white cloud with someone riding on it who looked like the Son of Man. He wore a golden victory crown on his head and he held a sharp sickle in his hand. Another angel came out of the sanctuary, yelling loudly to the one who was riding on the cloud:

“Use your sickle and gather the crop because the harvest season has arrived and the earth’s crop is ripe for the picking!”

So the one riding on the cloud threw his sickle on the earth and the earth was harvested.

    Another angel came out of the sanctuary in heaven. It also held a sharp sickle. And still another angel, who was in charge of the fire, came out from where the altar was. It yelled loudly to the angel that was holding the sickle, saying, “Use your sickle to gather the bunches of grapes from the earth’s vines because its clusters of grapes are ripe.” The angel threw its sickle to the earth and gathered the earth’s grapes and tossed them into the giant winepress of God’s furious anger. The grapes in the winepress were stamped outside the city and blood poured from the winepress. It flowed as high as a horse’s bridle for the distance of 200 miles. 

    I saw another significant thing in heaven. It was magnificent and wonderful! There were seven angels that had the last seven plagues. With them, God’s anger will be satisfied. I saw something that looked like a glass sea that was mixed with fire. Everyone who conquered the wild animal and its statue, and the number of its name were standing on the glass sea and holding God’s harps. They sang the Song of Moses, God’s servant, and they sang the Lamb’s Song, saying:

    Your actions are great and wonderful,
        Lord God, who governs everything!
    Your ways are just and true!
        You are the King of all the nations!
    Lord, who isn’t afraid of you
        And who can refuse to praise your name?
    You alone are holy,
        All the nations will come
        And worship in front of you,
    Because your just deeds have been revealed.

    After this, I saw that in the sanctuary, the tabernacle of testimony was opened. The seven angels that have the seven plagues came out of the sanctuary. They were dressed in shiny white linen clothes, with gold sashes wrapped around their chests. One of the four alive things gave the seven angels seven bowls that were filled with God’s anger (the same God who lives forever and ever). The sanctuary filled up with smoke that came from God’s glory and power. Nobody could go into the sanctuary until the seven plagues were finished. 

    I heard a loud voice from the sanctuary say to the seven angels, “Go! Pour out the seven bowls of God’s anger onto the earth!” The first angel went out and poured its bowl on the earth: All the people who have been marked with the wild animal’s seal, or who worshiped its statue were afflicted with painful, blistering sores. The second angel poured its bowl on the sea: The sea turned the color of blood oozing from a corpse and every living thing in the sea died. The third angel poured its bowl onto the rivers and the natural springs of water: They all turned to blood. 

    Then I heard the angel of the waters saying:

    “You, the one who is, and the one who was, the Holy One, are just
        Because you pass judgment on them,
    They spilled the blood of Christians and prophets
        So you have given them blood to drink.
        It’s a fitting punishment.”

And I heard the altar saying, 

    Yes, Lord God, who governs everything,
    Your judgments are reliable and just.

    Then the fourth angel poured its bowl onto the sun: The sun was able to set people on fire. The people were engulfed in flames and they hurled insults against the name of God, who has the power to make these plagues stop, but they didn’t change the way they think about the world. 

    The fifth angel poured its bowl onto the wild animal’s throne: Its kingdom was covered with an oppressive darkness that was so heavy that people bit their own tongues because it hurt less than living within that darkness. They insulted the God of heaven because of the pain they experienced and because of their sores, but they didn’t change the way they think about the world, or even change their behaviors. 

    The sixth angel poured its bowl on the great Euphrates river: The water dried up, allowing a way for the eastern rulers to invade. 

    Then I saw something come out of the mouths of the dragon, the wild animal, and the false prophet. A frog came out of each of them (they’re the demonic powers behind all their significant miracles). The frogs moved among all the rulers of the world and encouraged them to rush off to the war that will bring about the great day of God, who governs the entire universe.

Check it out! I’m coming like a thief. Anyone who pays attention and keeps his clothes, so he won’t walk around naked and ashamed, is blessed!

The frogs assembled them in the place that is called Armageddon in Hebrew. 
 
   Then the seventh angel poured its bowl onto the atmosphere: I heard a loud voice come out of the sanctuary saying, “It’s happened!” There was lightning, ominous sounds, thunder, and a powerful earthquake. There had never been an earthquake as extreme as that one ever since people walked the earth. The all-important city was split into three parts. Cities and nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon, that all-important city, and gave it the cup containing the wine of his furious anger. Every island fled. Not a single mountain could be found. Giant hailstones, weighing about ninety pounds each, fell from the sky, crushing everyone they landed on. The people insulted God because the severity of the plague of hailstones was so intense.

    Then one of the seven angels who have the seven bowls came and spoke with me saying, “Come! I will show you the judgment of the influential w***e who sits on many waters, the one that the kings of the earth had sex with and who got everyone living in the earth drunk from the wine of her sexual perversions.”

    And he carried me in the spirit into a deserted place. And I saw a woman sitting on top of a wild animal that was scarlet in color. The animal is covered with names insulting God. It has seven heads and ten horns. The woman wore purple and scarlet clothes. She was adorned with gold, expensive jewels and pearls. She holds a gold cup in her hand. The gold cup is filled with all of her detestable and immoral perverse sexual acts. A mysterious name has been written upon her forehead:

BABYLON THE ALL-IMPORTANT:
THE MOTHER OF W****S AND THE DISGUSTING THINGS OF THE EARTH.

And I saw the woman getting drunk from the blood of Christians, and from the blood of those who testify about Jesus. I was pretty freaked out when I saw her.

    And the angel said to me, “Why are you so freaked out? I will explain about this mysterious woman myself, as well as the wild animal carrying her that has the seven heads and ten horns. The wild animal that you saw once existed, but doesn’t exist right now. It’s destined to rise up from the pit where demons and evil spirits live and go to its destruction. Those who live on the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the beginning of the universe, will be shocked when they see that the wild animal, that once existed, but doesn’t exist right now, exists again. Here’s a clue for the wise. The seven heads that the woman sits on are seven hills. They are also seven kings. Five of them have died, one still lives, and the other one hasn’t arrived yet. He is destined to rule for only a little while when he comes. The wild animal that once existed, but doesn’t exist right now, is an eighth king. He is also one of the seven. He’s going to his destruction. The ten horns that you saw are ten kings. They have not yet taken a kingdom, but they will rule together with the wild animal for one hour. They are all united in purpose and they give their power and authority to the wild animal. They will make war against the Lamb and the Lamb will conquer them because he is the Lord of lords, and the King of kings. Those who are with the Lamb are called “The Chosen” and “The Faithful.”

    Then the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw the w***e sitting on are peoples and crowds and nations and languages. The ten horns that you saw and the wild animal will despise the w***e. They will make a wasteland out of her. She will be stripped naked. They will devour her flesh, and burn what’s left of her in a raging fire. That’s because God has put this idea in their heads and they will carry out what God has planned. It is God’s plan to make them united in purpose and to give their kingdoms to the wild animal until the time when God follows through on everything that he says will happen. The woman that you saw is the all-important city that rules over the kings of the earth.

    After that, I saw another angel. It has a lot of authority. The earth was filled with the light of its glory as it descended from heaven. It yelled out loudly:
It fell! Babylon the all-important city fell! It became a place where demons live and a prison for every kind of unclean spirit. It is also a prison for every kind of unclean bird [and a prison for every kind of unclean animal]. It has become despised because every nation has guzzled the wine of her furious and fevered sexual acts. The kings of the earth had sex with her, and the merchants of the earth got rich through the lure of her sensuality.”

And I heard another voice from heaven saying:

Leave her, my people, so that none of you will ever participate in her misdeeds, and so that none of you will ever share her misfortune because everything that she has ever done wrong has been piled up and it’s like a skyscraper. God remembered her injustices! Pay her back for what she has done to others! Pay her back twice as much for all the things she has done. Make the drink she drinks twice as strong as the one she mixed herself and gave to others! Let her experience torment and sorrow to the same degree that she glorified herself and lived in luxury! Because in her heart she says “I’m enthroned like a queen!” and “I am not a widow!” and “I won’t ever experience any kind of sorrow!” Because of that, all of her misfortunes will come on her in a single day"death, sorrow, and famine. She will be consumed by fire because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”        

    The kings of the earth who had sex with her, and who lived in luxury, will weep and mourn for her when they see the smoke rising from her funeral pyre. Nevertheless, they’ll keep to a safe distance. They’ll stay far away from her because they are afraid of how much she was tormented. They’ll say things like:

    “How horrible!  How horrible!  The great city,
        Babylon the all-important city,
    Because your judgment came in a single hour!”

    And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her because there’s no one to buy their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, expensive jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, every kind of scented wood, every kind of ivory object, every kind of expensive wood, copper, iron, marble, cinnamon, spices from India, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, four-wheeled carriages, slaves, and human lives. 

    And the fruit of your soul’s desire 
        Left you!
    All the luxuries and splendid things slipped away from you!
        They won’t ever be found again.

    Those who sell these kinds of things, who got rich because of her, will keep their distance from her because they’ll be afraid of how much she was tormented. They’ll weep and mourn, saying things like:

    How horrible! How horrible! The All-important City!
        It has been dressed in fine linen and purple
             And scarlet.
    It has been adorned with gold, expensive jewels
        And pearls,

    Because in a single hour all this immense wealth became worthless!
And every captain, and every passenger on board a ship, and sailors, and those who make their living by the sea, keep a safe distance from her. They cried out when they saw the smoke of her funeral pyre, saying, “What else is like that all-important city?” They threw dust on their heads and they cried out, weeping and mourning, saying:

    How horrible! How horrible! The All-important City!
        Everyone who has ships on the sea
    Became rich because of her wealth.
        Yet, it became worthless in a single hour!
    Celebrate over her demise, heaven,
        Christians, apostles, and prophets!
    Because God decided in your favor in your case against her!

 
   A powerful angel picked up a stone that was like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying:

It’s with the same kind of violence as this, that Babylon, the All-important City, will be thrown down!

        It won’t ever be found again.
    The sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters
        Won’t be heard in you ever again.
    Every kind of artisan of every kind of trade
        Won’t be found in you ever again.
    The sound of a millstone
        Won’t be heard in you ever again.
    Lamp light
        Won’t shine in you ever again.
    And the voices of brides and grooms
        Won’t be heard in you ever again.
    Because your merchants were the magistrates of the earth,
    Because all the nations were bewitched by your magic potions,
    The blood of prophets, Christians, 
    And all those who have been murdered on the earth
    Were discovered within her. 

After these things I heard in heaven a loud sound, like many crowds, saying:

    Praise the LORD!
    Salvation and glory and power belongs to our God,
        Because his judgments are true and just!
    Because he judged the all-important w***e
        Who corrupted the earth with her sexual acts,
    And avenged the blood of his servants who died
        By her hand.
And they yelled out a second time:
    Praise the LORD!
    Her smoke rises forever and ever!

And the twenty-four elders and the four alive things fell down and worshiped the God who sits on the throne saying:

    Amen! Praise the LORD!

And a voice came out from the throne saying :

    Give praise to our God,
        Everyone who serves him" 
        [And] everyone who fears him,
        The insignificant and the important!

And I heard a sound like many crowds, and like the sound of a lot of rushing water, and like the sound of a powerful burst of thunder, saying:

    Praise the LORD!
    Because [our] Lord God, the one who governs the universe, became king!
    Let’s celebrate and be ecstatic! Let’s glorify him!
    Because it’s time for the Lamb’s wedding celebration and his wife is ready.
    She was given a dazzling, white linen dress to wear;
    Because the linen dress is woven from all the good deeds of the Christians. 

    The voice said to me, “Write this down! Blessed are they who have been invited to the Lamb’s wedding feast!” The voice also said to me, “These are God’s true words!” I fell down at the feet of the one who spoke so I could worship it, but it said to me, “Don’t even think about it! I am one of your fellow-servants and one of your fellow-believers who has Jesus’ testimony within me. God is the one to worship!” That’s because Jesus’ testimony is the spirit of prophecy.

    And I saw that the sky had been opened, and check it out! A white horse with a rider [who is named] “Faithful” and “True.” He is in a right relationship with God and he judges and makes war. His eyes are like fiery flames. There are a lot of royal crowns on his head. There’s a name written on the royal crowns that no one but him can read. The clothing that he wears has been dipped in blood. He has been called by the name, “God’s Word.” The heavenly soldiers rode behind him on white horses. They were dressed in dazzling, white linen clothes. A sharp sword goes out from his mouth so that the nations can be slain by it. He himself will rule them with an iron scepter and he himself stomps in the wine press, making the wine of God’s furious anger, the God who governs the universe. A name has been written on his clothes and on his thigh. It says, “King of kings” and “Lord of lords.”

    I saw an angel standing on the sun. It yelled out loudly saying to all the birds flying high in the sky, “Come! Gather together for God’s huge banquet, so that all of you can eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of high ranking officers, and the flesh of the powerful, and the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, insignificant and powerful!”

    And I saw the wild animal, the kings of the earth, and their soldiers gathering together to make war against the rider of the horse and his soldiers. The wild animal was captured. The false prophet, who performed significant miracles in its presence that fooled everyone who received the wild animal’s seal and who worshiped its statue, was also captured. The two were thrown alive into the lake of fire of burning sulphur. Everyone else was killed by the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider of the horse. All the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

    And I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding in its hand the key on a large chain"the key was to the pit where demons and evil spirits live. He grabbed the dragon, the ancient snake, who is the devil and Satan, and imprisoned him for a thousand years in the pit where demons and evil spirits live. The angel locked the pit above him and put a seal on it. This was so none of the nations would be fooled until the thousand year period is over. The dragon has to be set free for a little while when the thousand year period is over.

    Then I saw thrones and the people who sat on them. They were made judges. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus, and because of God’s Word. These people neither worshiped the wild animal nor its statue. They also never received its seal on their forehead or on their hand. They lived and reigned with the Anointed King for a thousand years.

    Satan will be set free from his prison when the thousand year period is finished. He’ll go out and fool the nations at the four corners of the earth (Gog and Magog). Satan’s intention is to gather them together for war. The soldiers of the armies were as numerous as the sand on the beach. They spread out over the width of the whole earth and surrounded the camp of Christians and the cherished city. Then fire came down from the sky and consumed them. The devil, who fooled them, was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur. The wild animal and the false prophet were there as well. They’ll be tormented day and night forever and ever. 

    I saw a large white throne and the one who sits on it. The earth and the sky fled from his presence and were never seen again. Then I saw the dead, the important and the insignificant, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened. Another book was opened (the Book of Life).  The dead were judged based on what has been written in the book. Everything that they’ve ever done was recorded in the book. Death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name couldn’t be found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

    Then I saw a new sky and a new earth because the first sky and earth were gone. The sea was gone. I saw the new, holy city of Jerusalem coming down from the sky. It came from God and it has been prepared like a bride who has been adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:

Check it out! God is living among the people. He will live with them and they will be his people. God himself will be with them [as their God]. He will wipe away every tear that falls from their eyes. There won’t be any more death. There won’t be any more sorrow, wailing, or pain. That’s because the things that used to be have gone.

    And the one who sits on the throne said, “Check it out! I’m making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down because these words are faithful and true.” Then he said to me, “It has happened! I [myself] am the letter A to the letter Z, the starting line and the finish line. I will give anyone who is thirsty a drink from the spring of living water. It won’t cost him a thing. Anyone who conquers will inherit these things. I will be his God and he will be my child. But I will give the cowards, the unfaithful, the corrupt, murderers, the w****s, the sorcerers, those who worship fake gods, and every liar, their place in the burning lake of fire and sulphur. This is the second death.”

    And one of the seven angels with the seven bowls filled with the final seven plagues came and spoke with me. It said, “Come! I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” It carried me in spirit to the top of a gigantic mountain. It showed me the holy city of Jerusalem as it was coming down from heaven from God. It had God’s glory. It sparkled like an expensive jewel, like jasper that’s crystal clear. It had a gigantic wall that had twelve gates. There were twelve angels over the gates and the names of the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel have been written on the gates. There are 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. The city wall has twelve foundation stones and the names of the Lamb’s twelve Apostles are on them. 

    The angel had a golden measuring rod so that it could measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The layout of the city is a square"it’s as long as it is wide. The city measured almost 1400 miles long, wide, and high. The wall was 216 feet high (the angel used the same measurement that a person would). The foundation of the wall is Jasper. The city is pure gold, as clear as pure glass. The foundations of the city wall has been decorated with every kind of expensive jewel: the first foundation is jasper, the second is sapphire, the third is agate, the fourth is emerald, the fifth is sardonyx, the sixth is carnelian, the seventh is chrysolite, the eighth is beryl, the ninth is topaz, the tenth is chrysoprase, the eleventh is hyacinth, the twelfth is amethyst. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls"each gate is a pearl and the city street is pure gold, as transparent as glass. 

    I couldn’t see any kind of sanctuary within the city because the Lord, the all-governing God, is the sanctuary. The Lamb is also the sanctuary. The city didn’t need the sun or the moon to give it light because God’s glory gives it light and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will live by its light. The kings of the earth bring their splendor to it. Its gates will never close. They stay open all day and there’s never any night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into the city. But every unclean thing, everyone who does disgusting things and everyone who lies won’t ever be allowed to enter the city. Only those whose names have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are allowed to enter the city.

    The angel showed me a river of crystal clear, running water. It flowed out from God’s (and the Lamb’s) throne. In the middle of the city street, and on both sides of the river, there’s a Tree of Life that produces twelve kinds of fruit"a different fruit each month. The tree’s leaves are medicine for the nations. God’s curse won’t apply anymore. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will hold religious services for him. They will see his face and his name will be written on their foreheads. There won’t be any kind of night anymore. They won’t need a lamp for light because God will shine on them. They will rule forever and ever. 

    The angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord God who inspires the prophets sent out his angel to show his servants what has to happen soon.”  

    “Check it out! I’m coming soon! Blessed is anyone who keeps the words of the prophecy within this book!” 

    I’m John. I’m the one who heard and saw these things. I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me all these things after I heard and saw everything, but it said to me, “Don’t even think about it! I’m merely one of your fellow-servants and one of your fellow-believers, along with the prophets and everyone who takes the words in this book seriously. Save your worship for God!”

    The angel also told me, “Don’t hide the words of this prophecy because the predetermined time is near. Unjust people, continue with your acts of injustice! Filthy people, continue with your filthy deeds! Just people, continue with your acts of justice! Holy people, continue being holy!”

    “Check it out! I’m coming quickly! I’m coming with my reward to repay each person according to his deeds. I am the letter A to the letter Z, the beginning and the end, the starting line and the finish line. Behold I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to pay each person according to his deeds. Those who wash their clothes are blessed because they will have the right to eat from the Tree of Life and they will be allowed to enter the city. The dogs, the sorcerers, the w****s, the murderers, those who worship false gods, and everyone who loves lies and who is insincere have to stay outside.”

    “I, Jesus, sent my angel to testify about these things to all of you. I did this for the chosen people. I myself am the root of David, his descendant, the twinkling morning star.”

    The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears says, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty, who wants to freely drink the water of life, come!

    I myself am testifying like someone who is under oath to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy in this book. If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that have been written about in this book. If anyone cuts out any of the prophetic words in this book, God will cut him off from his portion of the Tree of Life and from the holy city which have been written about in this book. 

    The one who testifies about these things says, “Yes! I am coming quickly!” 
    Amen! 
    Come, Lord Jesus!                                

    May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with everyone.    

From The New Peace Treaty: A New Translation of the New Testament for a New Millennium