Beginning
The Amazing Scene in Heaven
4 After these things I looked, and there was[a] a door standing open in heaven![b] And the first voice I had heard speaking to me[c] like a trumpet[d] said: “Come up here so that[e] I can show you what must happen after these things.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit,[f] and[g] a throne was standing[h] in heaven with someone seated on it! 3 And the one seated on it was like jasper[i] and carnelian[j] in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald[k] encircled the throne. 4 In[l] a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were[m] dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns[n] on their heads. 5 From[o] the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring[p] and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God,[q] were burning in front of the throne 6 and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal.[r]
In[s] the middle of the throne[t] and around the throne were four living creatures[u] full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The[v] first living creature was like a lion, the[w] second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying. 8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings[x] and was full of eyes all around and inside.[y] They never rest day or night, saying:[z]
“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful,[aa]
Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor,[ab] and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground[ac] before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns[ad] before his[ae] throne, saying:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
since you created all things,
and because of your will they existed and were created!”[af]
The Opening of the Scroll
5 Then[ag] I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back[ah] and sealed with seven seals.[ai] 2 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” 3 But[aj] no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. 4 So[ak] I began weeping bitterly[al] because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 Then[am] one of the elders said[an] to me, “Stop weeping![ao] Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered;[ap] thus he can open[aq] the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then[ar] I saw standing in the middle of the throne[as] and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed.[at] He had[au] seven horns and seven eyes, which[av] are the seven[aw] spirits of God[ax] sent out into all the earth. 7 Then[ay] he came and took the scroll[az] from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, 8 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground[ba] before the Lamb. Each[bb] of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints).[bc] 9 They were singing a new song:[bd]
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals
because you were killed,[be]
and at the cost of your own blood[bf] you have purchased[bg] for God
persons[bh] from every tribe, language,[bi] people, and nation.
10 You have appointed[bj] them[bk] as a kingdom and priests[bl] to serve[bm] our God, and they will reign[bn] on the earth.”
11 Then[bo] I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their[bp] number was ten thousand times ten thousand[bq]—thousands times thousands— 12 all of whom[br] were singing[bs] in a loud voice:
“Worthy is the lamb who was killed[bt]
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and praise!”
13 Then[bu] I heard every creature—in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them—singing:[bv]
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power[bw] forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground[bx] and worshiped.
The Seven Seals
6 I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice,[by] “Come!”[bz] 2 So[ca] I looked,[cb] and here came[cc] a white horse! The[cd] one who rode it[ce] had a bow, and he was given a crown,[cf] and as a conqueror[cg] he rode out to conquer.
3 Then[ch] when the Lamb[ci] opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” 4 And another horse, fiery red,[cj] came out, and the one who rode it[ck] was granted permission[cl] to take peace from the earth, so that people would butcher[cm] one another, and he was given a huge sword.
5 Then[cn] when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So[co] I looked,[cp] and here came[cq] a black horse! The[cr] one who rode it[cs] had a balance scale[ct] in his hand. 6 Then[cu] I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart[cv] of wheat will cost a day’s pay[cw] and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But[cx] do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”
7 Then[cy] when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” 8 So[cz] I looked[da] and here came[db] a pale green[dc] horse! The[dd] name of the one who rode it[de] was Death, and Hades followed right behind.[df] They[dg] were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword,[dh] famine, and disease,[di] and by the wild animals of the earth.
9 Now[dj] when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed[dk] because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. 10 They[dl] cried out with a loud voice,[dm] “How long,[dn] Sovereign Master,[do] holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Each[dp] of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached[dq] of both their fellow servants[dr] and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.
12 Then[ds] I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge[dt] earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair,[du] and the full moon became blood red;[dv] 13 and the stars in the sky[dw] fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping[dx] its unripe figs[dy] when shaken by a fierce[dz] wind. 14 The sky[ea] was split apart[eb] like a scroll being rolled up,[ec] and every mountain and island was moved from its place. 15 Then[ed] the kings of the earth, the[ee] very important people, the generals,[ef] the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave[eg] and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They[eh] said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,[ei] 17 because the great day of their[ej] wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”[ek]
The Sealing of the 144,000
7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so no wind could blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then[el] I saw another angel ascending from the east,[em] who had[en] the seal[eo] of the living God. He[ep] shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given permission[eq] to damage the earth and the sea:[er] 3 “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants[es] of our God.” 4 Now[et] I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal,[eu] 144,000, sealed from all[ev] the tribes of the people of Israel:[ew]
5 From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand,
6 from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand,
7 from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
9 After these things I looked, and here was[ex] an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe,[ey] people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. 10 They were shouting out in a loud voice,
“Salvation belongs to our God,[ez] who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels stood[fa] there in a circle around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground[fb] before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“Amen! Praise and glory,
and wisdom and thanksgiving,
and honor and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
13 Then[fc] one of the elders asked[fd] me, “These dressed in long white robes—who are they and where have they come from?” 14 So[fe] I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.”[ff] Then[fg] he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They[fh] have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! 15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve[fi] him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them.[fj] 16 They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat,[fk] 17 because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”[fl]
The Seventh Seal
8 Now[fm] when the Lamb[fn] opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then[fo] I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another[fp] angel holding[fq] a golden censer[fr] came and was stationed[fs] at the altar. A[ft] large amount of incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar that is before the throne. 4 The[fu] smoke coming from the incense,[fv] along with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then[fw] the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, roaring,[fx] flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
6 Now[fy] the seven angels holding[fz] the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
7 The[ga] first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that[gb] a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8 Then[gc] the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A[gd] third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures[ge] living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed.[gf]
10 Then[gg] the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky;[gh] it landed[gi] on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 (Now[gj] the name of the star is[gk] Wormwood.)[gl] So[gm] a third of the waters became wormwood,[gn] and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned.[go]
12 Then[gp] the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day[gq] and for a third of the night likewise. 13 Then[gr] I looked, and I heard an[gs] eagle[gt] flying directly overhead,[gu] proclaiming with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!”[gv]
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.