OPENING WORDS

¹Written down in this sacred scroll are the things the Great Spirit revealed to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One. This great revealing was given to the ones who serve him, to show them what will soon happen. He sent his spirit-messenger to He Shows Goodwill (John), his sacred servant, to make this message known to him through signs, omens, and sacred visions.

²He Shows Goodwill (John) as a truth teller wrote down everything he saw and heard as a witness to this message from the Great Spirit and the things told to him by Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One.

³Creator’s blessing rests on the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and on those who hear and take to heart what is written in it, for the time it speaks about is almost here.

THE MESSAGE BEGINS

⁴From He Shows Goodwill (John) to the seven sacred families in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia):

I greet you with great kindness and peace from One Who Is and Was and Is to Come, and from the seven spirits who stand face to face with him as he sits in his seat of honor. ⁵I also greet you from Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One. He is the honorable witness, the first to rise from among the dead, and the Grand Chief over all who rule on earth. All honor belongs to the one who loves us, the one who, by giving up his own lifeblood, set us free from our bad hearts and broken ways.

⁶He has made us to be chiefs of a sacred nation of holy men and women who represent the good road of his Father the Great Spirit. All honor and power belong to him from the ages past to the time beyond the end of all days. Aho! May it be so!

CLOUD RIDER IS COMING

⁷Behold! He comes riding on the clouds! Every eye will see him, even the ones who pierced him. When all the tribes of the land see him, their hearts will be pierced through with sorrow and fall to the ground.1 Aho! May it be so.

⁸“I am Alpha and Omega,2 the one who is before all things and beyond all things,” says the Great Spirit Chief. “I am One Who Is and Was and Is to Come, the All-Powerful One.”

ON THE ISLAND OF WALKING PLACE

⁹I, He Shows Goodwill (John), am your brother in the sacred family and one who walks a path of suffering with you as we walk the good road with firm steps following Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One. I had been banished to the island called Walking Place (Patmos) because I had spoken the truth about Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his message from the Great Spirit.

A LOUD VOICE SPEAKS

¹⁰I was taken up into the spirit world on the day we gather in honor of our Great Chief. I heard a loud voice from behind me that sounded like an eagle bone whistle.3

¹¹The voice said, “Write down in a scroll the things that you see. Send this scroll to the seven sacred family gatherings in Land of the Rising Sun (Asia).

“Send it to the sacred family gatherings in Village of Desire (Ephesus), Village of Bitter Herbs (Smyrna), First in Courage (Pergamum), High Rock House (Thyatira), Safe Place (Sardis), Family of Friends (Philadelphia), and The People Will Decide (Laodicea).”

THE TRUE HUMAN BEING IS REVEALED

¹²I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. ¹³The lampstands encircled one who looked like a True Human Being.4 His regalia was a robe that reached all the way to his feet. He wore a golden sash that was wrapped across his chest. ¹⁴The hair on his head was as white as the tip of an eagle’s tail feathers,5 as white as freshly fallen snow, and his eyes blazed like flames of fire. ¹⁵His feet glowed like molten bronze purified in a furnace of fire, and his voice roared like the sound of great rushing waters. ¹⁶In his right hand he was holding seven stars. Out from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged long knife, and his face shone with the full strength of the sun.

¹⁷When I saw him, I dropped to the ground and lay at his feet as a dead man.

I AM FIRST AND LAST

He put his right hand on me and said, “Do not fear! ¹⁸I am first and last, the Living One, who was dead, and now, behold! I am alive, never to die again. And in my hands I hold the power6 to free people from the Dark Underworld of Death (Hades).

¹⁹“So then,” he said to me, “Write down the things you have just seen and the things that will be shown to you. ²⁰I will tell you the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the mystery of the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the messengers of the seven sacred family gatherings, and the seven lampstands are the seven sacred families.

TO VILLAGE OF DESIRE

¹“Write this to the messenger of the sacred family that gathers in Village of Desire (Ephesus):

TO VILLAGE OF BITTER HERBS

⁸“Write this to the messenger of the sacred family that gathers in Village of Bitter Herbs (Smyrna):

TO VILLAGE OF FIRST IN COURAGE

¹²“Write this to the messenger of the sacred family that gathers in the village of First in Courage (Pergamum):

TO VILLAGE OF HIGH ROCK HOUSE

¹⁸“Write this to the messenger of the sacred family that gathers in the village of High Rock House (Thyatira):

TO VILLAGE OF SAFE PLACE

¹“Write this to the messenger of the sacred family that gathers in the village of Safe Place (Sardis):

TO VILLAGE OF FAMILY OF FRIENDS

⁷“Write this to the messenger of the sacred family that gathers in the village of Family of Friends (Philadelphia):

TO THE VILLAGE OF THE PEOPLE WILL DECIDE

¹⁴“Write this to the messenger of the sacred family that meets in the village of The People Will Decide (Laodicea):

THE SACRED VISION BEGINS

¹After this I looked up and in my sacred vision I saw an opening into the spirit-world above. I heard the voice of the one who had spoken to me at first. The voice that sounded like an eagle bone whistle.10

“Come up here,” the voice said, “and I will show you the things that will take place following what you have seen and heard.”

A VISION OF THE SEAT OF HONOR

²Right then, in my sacred vision, I was taken up through the opening into the spirit-world above. I looked and saw a seat of honor in the world above—and someone was seated on it!

³The one who sat on it had the appearance of a fiery red but clear crystal stone.11 A rainbow that looked crystal green12 encircled the seat of honor.

⁴Encircling the seat of honor were twenty-four elders sitting on twenty-four seats of honor. They wore pure white regalia and golden headdresses.

THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF THE GREAT MYSTERY

⁵From the seat of honor came flashes of lightning and rolling thunder. There were seven torches of fire burning before the seat of honor, which are the seven spirits of the Great Mystery. ⁶Before the seat of honor there was what looked like a great sea, smooth and crystal clear.

Four living spirit animals, with eyes in the front and back, closely encircled the seat of honor.

THE SPIRIT ANIMALS ARE REVEALED

⁷The first spirit animal was like a lion. The second spirit animal was like a young bison. The third spirit animal had the face of a human being. And the fourth spirit animal was like a soaring eagle.

⁸These four spirit animals each had six wings and were covered with eyes all around and even under their wings. Day and night they never stop saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the all-powerful Great Spirit, One Who Is and Was and Is to Come!”

^9-10The spirit animals give shining-greatness and honor and thanks to the one who sits in the seat of honor, all to the one who lived before all days and lives beyond the end of all days. Then the twenty-four elders humble themselves, remove their headdresses, and offer them to the one who sits on the seat of honor.

¹¹“All honor belongs to you, O Great Spirit Chief,” the twenty-four elders say with one voice. “For you are the one who made everything there is. It is from your sacred vision that all things came into being and were created!”

A SCROLL WITH SEVEN SEALS

¹In my sacred vision, I then saw a scroll resting on the right hand of the one sitting on the seat of honor. The scroll was sealed with seven seals, and full of words inside and out.

²Then I saw a powerful spirit-messenger with a thundering voice saying for all to hear, “Who has gained the honor to take the scroll and break open its seven seals?”

³But no one in the spirit-world above or on the earth below or under the earth was able to open the scroll or see what was inside. ⁴Many tears ran down my face as I wept and cried because there was no one who had gained the honor to open the scroll and look inside.

THE LION WHO IS THE LAMB

⁵But one of the elders came to me. “Do not weep!” he said. “Look, there is the Lion from the tribe of Give Him Praise (Judah), the one who has sprouted from the Root of Much Loved One (David). He has won the victory and gained the honor to take the scroll and break open its seven seals.”

⁶Then I looked and saw a Lamb that looked as if he had been violently killed standing in the center near the seat of honor. He stood encircled by the four living spirit animals and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes. These are the seven spirits of Creator that he has sent out into all the earth.

⁷Then the Lamb stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat in the seat of honor. ⁸When he took the scroll, the four living spirit animals and the twenty-four elders all humbled themselves before the Lamb to honor him. They each held a stringed musical instrument and a golden smudge bowl full of sweet-smelling smoke, which are the prayers of Creator’s holy people.

A NEW SONG FOR THE LAMB

⁹Then they sang a new song with these words:

“To you belongs the honor to take hold of the sacred scroll and break open its seven seals, for you died as a lamb led to the slaughter. You paid the highest price by offering your lifeblood to bring people back to the Great Spirit from every tribe and language and people and nation. ¹⁰You have made them chiefs of a sacred nation of holy men and women who will give guidance to all the earth as they represent the good road of the Great Spirit.”

SPIRIT-MESSENGERS HONOR THE LAMB

¹¹Then I heard the sound of countless numbers of spirit-messengers, thousands upon thousands of them, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They made a grand circle around the seat of honor, the spirit animals, and the elders.

¹²With one thunderous voice, they sang, “The Lamb that was violently killed has been honored with power, riches, wisdom, chiefly rule, respect, blessing, greatness, and praise!”

¹³Then I heard all of creation, those in the spirit-world above, on the earth below, under the earth, and in the sea of great waters.

They were singing, “All blessing, respect, honor, and chiefly rule belong to the one who sits on the seat of honor and to the Lamb, to the time beyond the end of all days!”

¹⁴Then the four spirit animals said, “Aho! May it be so!” And the elders humbled themselves before the Great Spirit and before the Lamb to give them the honor they deserved.

A WHITE HORSE AND ITS RIDER

¹I watched as the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals. Then I heard the first of the four spirit animals speak.

“Come forth!” it said with a voice of thunder.

²And when I looked, I saw a white horse with its rider holding a bow. He was given a headdress, and he rode out as a conqueror to conquer again.

A RED HORSE AND ITS RIDER

³When the Lamb broke open the second seal, I heard the voice of the second spirit animal.

“Come forth!” it said.

⁴Another horse came forth—fiery red. Its rider was permitted to take away peace from the land, so that war and violence would break out among the people. And he was given a great and powerful long knife.

A BLACK HORSE AND ITS RIDER

⁵When the Lamb broke open the third seal, I heard the voice of the third spirit animal.

“Come forth!” it said.

I looked, and there before me was a black horse. Its rider had balancing scales in his hand.

⁶From the center of the four spirit animals, I heard a sound like a voice.

“A small basket of wild rice13 or three small baskets of corn14 to trade for a day’s work,” the voice said. “But do no harm to the olive oil and the wine.”

A PALE HORSE AND ITS RIDER

⁷When the Lamb broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth spirit animal.

“Come forth!” it said.

⁸I looked, and there before me was a sickly pale-green horse. The name of its rider was Death. Following close behind him was the Dark Underworld of Death (Hades). They were given power over a fourth of the land, to kill with the long knife, hunger, deadly disease, and by the wild beasts of the land.

THE VOICE OF THE HONORED DEAD

⁹When the Lamb broke open the fifth seal, I looked under the sacred altar and saw the souls of the ones who had been killed for remaining true to the message Creator had given them.

¹⁰They cried out with a loud voice, “O Honored One, who is holy and true! How long will it be before you right the wrong done against us by the people in the land who have shed our blood?”

¹¹Then each of them was gifted with white regalia and told to rest for a little while longer. For there were still a number of their brothers and sisters—who also serve the Great Spirit—who must be killed in the same manner they were.

THE DAY OF FIERCE ANGER HAS COME

¹²When the Lamb broke open the sixth seal, I looked, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as a black cloth, the full moon became blood red, ¹³and, like wild figs flung from a tree shaken by a fierce wind, the stars in the sky fell down on the land. ¹⁴The sky went away like a scroll being rolled up and set to the side. And every mountain and island was moved from its place.

¹⁵The chiefs who ruled the land, the headmen and the war chiefs, the rich and powerful, and everyone, slave or free, hid themselves in caves and behind the rocks in the mountains.

¹⁶“Fall on us!” they said to the mountains and rocks. “Hide us from the face of the one who sits on the seat of honor and from the anger of the Lamb. ¹⁷For the great day of their fierce anger has come, and who is able to stand against them?”

THE FOUR WINDS ARE HELD BACK

¹After this I saw four spirit-messengers standing at the four corners of the land.15 They were holding back the four winds of the earth to keep them from blowing on the land, on the sea, or against any tree.

²Then I saw another spirit-messenger rising from the place where the sun rises, holding the branding iron16 of the living Creator. With a loud voice the messenger called out to the four spirit-messengers who were permitted to harm the land and the sea.

THE SEALING OF THE SERVANTS OF CREATOR

³“Bring no harm to the land, sea, or trees,” the messenger instructed them, “until we have sealed the mark of the Great Spirit on the foreheads of the ones who serve him.”17

⁴I then heard the number that would be sealed—one hundred forty-four thousand—from all of the tribes of children of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).

^5-8Twelve thousand were sealed from each of the tribes named and represented here:

Give Him Praise (Judah), Son of My Vision (Reuben), Counting Many Coups (Gad), Walks with a Glad Heart (Asher), He Will Wrestle (Naphtali), He Made Them Forget (Manasseh), Creator Hears (Simeon), He Brings Together (Levi), He Is My Reward (Issachar), Honored Dwelling (Zebulun), Creator Gives More (Joseph), Son of My Right Hand (Benjamin).

EVERY TRIBE AND LANGUAGE

⁹After this I saw a great crowd of people, too many to count, from every nation, tribe, clan, and language. They were standing before the seat of honor and before the Lamb, dressed in pure white regalia, holding palm tree branches in their hands.

¹⁰They lifted their voices and shouted, “The power to set us free and make us whole belongs to the Great Spirit who sits upon the seat of honor, and to the Lamb!”

¹¹All the spirit-messengers who encircled the seat of honor, along with the elders and the four living spirit animals, humbled themselves and fell face down on the ground before the Great Spirit to give him the honor that he deserves.

¹²“Aho! It is so!” they said with one voice. “Praise and honor and wisdom and respect and power and strength belong to the Great Spirit to the time beyond the end of all days! Aho! It is so!”

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

¹³Then one of the elders spoke to me, “Who are these people who are dressed in white regalia? And from where did they come?”

¹⁴“Honored one,” I said to him, “you must know.”

Then he said to me, “These are the ones who have come through the time of great trouble and suffering. They have washed their regalia in the lifeblood shed by the Lamb, making their regalia pure white.

¹⁵“Because of this they stand before the seat of honor, and they serve the Great Spirit day and night in the inner court of his sacred lodge. The one who sits on the seat of honor will spread his sacred tent over them and cover them in the shadow of his wings. ¹⁶Never again will they hunger or thirst or suffer under the heat of the desert sun.

¹⁷“The Lamb at the center of the seat of honor will watch over them like a shepherd watches over his sheep. He will guide them to springs of life-giving water, and there the Great Spirit will perform the wiping of tears ceremony for each of them.”

SILENCE IN THE WORLD ABOVE

¹When the Lamb broke open the seventh seal, a powerful silence fell on the spirit-world above that remained for about half an hour. ²Then I saw the seven spirit-messengers that stand before the Great Spirit. They were given seven eagle bone whistles.18

SMOKE AND PRAYERS GO UP

³Another spirit-messenger, holding a golden smudge bowl in his hands, came and stood before the sacred altar. He was given much incense to burn as a sweet-smelling smoke offering above the sacred golden altar and offer it up along with the prayers of all the holy ones. ⁴From the golden smudge bowl in the hand of the spirit-messenger the sweet-smelling smoke, mixed with the prayers of Creator’s holy ones, began to rise to the Great Spirit.

PURIFYING FIRE

⁵Then the spirit-messenger filled the smudge bowl with fiery coals from the sacred altar and threw it down on the land. I heard the crashing and rolling thunder and saw flashes of lightning, and the earth began to shake.

⁶Then the seven spirit-messengers who were holding the seven eagle bone whistles19 got ready to sound them.

THE SOUNDING OF THE EAGLE BONE WHISTLES

⁷The first spirit-messenger sounded his eagle bone whistle, and hail and fire mixed with blood came out from the altar and were thrown down on the land. A third part of the land was burned with fire, and a third of the trees, and all the green grass.

⁸The second spirit-messenger sounded his eagle bone whistle, and what looked like a great mountain burning like a wildfire was thrown into the sea. A third of the waters turned into blood, ⁹a third of all the living sea creatures died, and a third of the sea-canoes sank.

¹⁰The third spirit-messenger sounded his eagle bone whistle, and from the sky came a great star flaming like a torch. The flaming star fell down on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. ¹¹The name of the star was Bitterness, and a third of the waters became bitter, and many people died because the water had been made bitter.

¹²The fourth spirit-messenger sounded his eagle bone whistle, and a third of the sun, moon, and the stars were struck with darkness. So for a third of the day the sun gave no light, and for a third of the night the moon and stars did not shine.

¹³Then I heard the screech of an eagle above me, so I looked up and saw an eagle soaring in the sky.

“Warning, warning, warning!” the eagle screeched, “to those who live on the land, because of the remaining eagle bone whistles20 to be sounded by the last three spirit-messengers!”

THE BOTTOMLESS PIT IS OPENED

¹The fifth spirit-messenger sounded his eagle bone whistle,21 and I saw a star falling to earth from the spirit-world above. The star was given the power22 to open the way to the deep, dark underworld.

²The star opened the way, and smoke began to rise from the pit, like smoke from a great fiery furnace. The air was filled with the smoke, and the sun was darkened.

FIERCE GRASSHOPPERS EMERGE

³Out of the smoke came fierce giant grasshoppers on the land. They were given power to sting like earthly scorpions. ⁴They were told not to harm any of the earth’s grass or any green plant or tree, but only the human beings who had not been marked on their foreheads with the seal of the Great Spirit. ⁵They were not permitted to kill anyone, but only to bring them pain and suffering for five moons—pain like the sting of a scorpion.

⁶In those days people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will run and hide from them.

⁷The grasshoppers looked like warhorses prepared for battle. They wore golden headdresses, and their faces looked human. ⁸They had hair like a woman and teeth like a mountain lion. ⁹They wore breastplates of iron, and their wings sounded like many horses galloping into battle. ¹⁰Their tails were like a scorpion’s, and their sting had the power to greatly wound people for five moons. ¹¹Their war-chief is the spirit-messenger of the deep dark underworld. The name of the war-chief in our tribal language23 is Abaddon, meaning Destroyer, and in the language of the Outside Nations24 his name is Apollyon, also meaning Destroyer.

¹²The first time of terrible pain and suffering has passed, but two more times of terrible pain and suffering will soon follow.

A GREAT ARMY OF MANY HORSEMEN

¹³When the sixth spirit-messenger sounded an eagle bone whistle,25 I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before the Great Spirit.

¹⁴The voice spoke to the spirit-messenger, saying, “Unleash the four spirit-messengers who are bound at the great river called Much Fruit (Euphrates).”

¹⁵Then the four spirit-messengers who had been held ready for that very hour and day and moon and year were unleashed to kill a third of humankind. ¹⁶I heard the number of this great herd of horse riders. It was twice ten thousand multiplied by ten thousand.

THE APPEARANCE OF THE HORSES AND RIDERS

¹⁷In my sacred vision I could see the appearance of the riders and their horses. The riders wore breastplates that were fiery red, smoky blue, and yellow like sulfur that burns. The horses had heads like mountain lions, and out from their mouths came fire, smoke, and burning sulfur. ¹⁸It was these three things that killed a third of humankind—the fire, smoke, and burning sulfur that came from the horses’ mouths. ¹⁹The power of the horses was in their mouths and tails, for on the end of their tails were snake-like heads that could bite and injure people.

THE PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT KILLED

²⁰The rest of the people who were not killed in this way did not turn away from the spirit-images they made with their own hands. They continued to follow evil spirits and pray to these spirit-images made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—things that cannot see, hear, or walk. ²¹They also did not turn away from their murders, witchcraft, and sexual impurity, or from taking what is not theirs.

A SPIRIT-MESSENGER AND THE VOICE OF SEVEN THUNDERS

¹Then I saw another powerful spirit-messenger coming down from the spirit-world above. He was clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like towers of fire, ²and a small scroll lay open in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. ³He cried out with a loud voice that roared like a lion. And when he cried out, the seven thunders spoke with rumbling voices.

⁴I was about to write down the message spoken by the seven thunders when I heard a voice from the spirit-world above.

“Do not reveal what the seven thunders have spoken,” the voice instructed me. “Seal up the words and do not write them down.”

THE ANCIENT MYSTERY IS FINISHED

⁵Then the spirit-messenger whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to the spirit-world above. ⁶He made a solemn promise representing the one who lives to the time beyond all days, the one who created all things in the spirit-world above, on the earth below, the great waters of the sea, and all that is in them.

“There shall be no more delay,” he cried out, ⁷“for the time has come for the seventh spirit-messenger to sound his eagle bone whistle!26 When he sounds, the ancient mystery spoken by the Great Spirit will be complete, bringing the full meaning and purpose of the good story that he revealed to his prophets who served him.”

THE SMALL SCROLL IS SWEET AND BITTER

⁸Then I again heard the voice that had spoken to me from the spirit-world above.

“Go,” the voice said to me, “and take the scroll that is lying open in the hand of the spirit-messenger who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

⁹I did as I was told and instructed the spirit-messenger to give me the scroll.

“Take it and eat it,” the messenger said to me. “It will be as sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn bitter in your stomach.”

¹⁰So I took the small scroll from the hand of the spirit-messenger and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I swallowed, it became bitter in my stomach.

¹¹Then I was told, “You must once again prophesy to many peoples, nations, languages, and rulers.”

MEASURING THE SACRED LODGE

¹A measuring reed the size of a walking stick was given to me.

“Rise up,” a voice said to me, “and measure Creator’s sacred lodge and the altar, and count the ones who make their prayers and serve him there. ²But do not measure the courtyard that is outside of the lodge, for it has been given over to the Outside Nations. And for forty-two moons they will trample the sacred village under their feet.

THE TWO TRUTH-TELLER PROPHETS

³“And I will give power to my two truth tellers, and they will prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing rough animal hides27 to show the sorrow in their hearts.”

⁴These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Honored One of all the earth. ⁵Fire will come out from their mouths to burn up all their enemies. All who try to harm them must die in this manner. ⁶They also have the power over the sky to hold back the rain during the days of their prophesying. And they have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and the power to bring all kinds of disasters on the land as often as they desire.

THE TWO PROPHETS ARE KILLED

⁷When they have completed their time of truth telling, the wild beast who rises from the deep, dark underworld will make war with them and defeat and kill them. ⁸Their bodies will lie dead in the pathway of the great Village of Peace (Jerusalem), where our Honored Chief was killed by being nailed to a tree-pole—the cross. This village is spiritually known as Village of Bad Spirits (Sodom) and as Black Land (Egypt).

⁹For three and a half days people from many tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their dead bodies and will not permit them to be buried properly. ¹⁰Those who dwell in the land will celebrate with glad hearts and send gifts one to another, because these two prophets had caused them such great suffering.

THE PROPHETS RETURN TO LIFE

¹¹But after three and a half days, the breath of the Great Spirit entered into them. When they rose to their feet, great fear fell on all who were watching. ¹²Then the two prophets heard a loud voice from the spirit-world above.

“Come up here!” the voice said to them. As their enemies watched, a cloud took them up into the spirit-world above.

¹³At that same time there was a great shaking of the earth. A tenth of the village came crashing down, and seven thousand people were killed. Those who remained were filled with fear and gave honor to the Great Spirit of the world above.

¹⁴The second time of terrible pain and suffering has passed, but a third time of terrible pain and suffering will soon follow.

THE SEVENTH EAGLE BONE WHISTLE

¹⁵Then when the seventh spirit-messenger sounded his eagle bone whistle,28 I heard loud voices in the spirit-world above.

“The power to rule this world now belongs to our Great Spirit Chief and to his Chosen One,” the voices thundered, “and the guidance of his good road will last beyond the end of all days!”

¹⁶Then the twenty-four elders, who sit in seats of honor before Creator, fell face down on the ground to give honor to the Great Spirit.

¹⁷“We offer thanks to you, O Honored One,” they said with one voice. “You are the All-Powerful One, Who Is and Was, for you have revealed your great power and established your good road. ¹⁸The nations were furious, but now the time of your fierce anger has come. It is time for you to decide the fate of the dead and to honor the ones who serve you—both prophets and holy ones—all who have deep respect for your name, from the smallest to the greatest among us. And it is time for you to bring to an end the ones who have brought destruction to the land.”

¹⁹Then I looked and saw that the way into Creator’s sacred lodge in the spirit-world above was open. Inside the lodge the cedar box of the peace treaty came into view. Lightning flashed with the sound of crashing thunder, and the earth shook while large hailstones fell from the sky.

OMENS IN THE WORLD ABOVE

¹A great and mysterious omen was seen in the spirit-world above: a woman wearing the sun for her regalia, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a headdress of twelve stars. ²She was with child and cried out in agony as she was giving birth.

³Then another omen was seen in the spirit-world above: a great fiery-red sea serpent with seven heads and ten horns. On each of its seven heads it wore the headdress of a chief. ⁴With its tail the sea serpent reached up into the spirit-world above and pulled down a third of all the stars and threw them down on the land. Then the fiery-red sea serpent, wanting to swallow up her child as soon as it was born, placed itself in front of the woman, waiting for her to give birth.

A SON IS BORN TO RULE THE NATIONS

⁵The woman gave birth to a son, a male child, the one who holds an iron chief’s staff to rule over all nations. And her child was taken up to the Great Spirit and to his seat of honor.

⁶The woman found safe passage into the desert wilderness, to the place Creator had prepared for her. There she would be fed and kept safe for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

WARFARE IN THE WORLD ABOVE

⁷I looked up and saw that there was an uprising in the spirit-world above. Who Is Like Creator (Michael) and his spirit-messengers were waging war with the fiery-red sea serpent and its spirit-messengers. They fought back, ⁸but they were not powerful enough, and the sea serpent and its spirit-messengers lost their foothold in the spirit-world above.

⁹The great fiery-red sea serpent was thrown down from the spirit-world above. He is the ancient trickster snake, who is also called the evil one and Accuser (Satan). He is the one who takes the whole world down a false path. He was thrown down to the ground, along with all his spirit-messengers.

CREATOR’S GOOD ROAD HAS ARRIVED

¹⁰Then I heard a voice thundering in the spirit-world above, saying, “The good road of the Great Spirit has finally arrived! This good road has the power to set us free and make us whole! The Chosen One has walked this good road to the end and has the right to bring it to us. And now, the one who by day and by night accuses the sacred family members before the Great Spirit has been thrown down to the ground. ¹¹Creator’s holy ones won the victory over him by the lifeblood shed by the Lamb and by boldly telling his story, and, when faced with death, they loved him more than they loved their own lives.

¹²“So let your hearts be glad, you who live in the spirit-world above. But to those who live on land and sea there will be great sorrow and trouble, for the evil trickster snake has come down upon you with great anger, because he knows that his time will soon come to an end.”

EAGLE HELPS THE WOMAN

¹³So when the fiery-red sea serpent saw that he had been thrown down to the ground, he hunted down and mistreated the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so she could fly deep into the desert wilderness to a place where she would be cared for. There she was hidden from the face of the evil trickster snake—for a season, and seasons, and half a season.29

THE LAND HELPS THE WOMAN

¹⁵The sea serpent spewed a raging river of water out from its mouth at the woman, to carry her away in its flood. ¹⁶But the land helped the woman by opening its mouth to swallow the river the sea serpent had spewed from its mouth.

¹⁷The serpent’s anger toward the woman grew fierce, so it left her and attacked the rest of her descendants—the ones who walk in the ways of the Great Spirit and stand true to the message of Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

THE WILD BEAST FROM THE GREAT WATERS

¹The fiery-red sea serpent took its stand on the shore of the great waters. Then I saw a wild beast with ten horns and seven heads emerging from the waters. On each horn was a headdress like a chief would wear. Its heads had names carved into them that spoke evil against the Great Spirit. ²I saw that the wild beast looked like a leopard with feet like a bear and a mouth like a mountain lion. The fiery-red sea serpent gave the wild beast its power, its seat of ruling, and its far-reaching dominion.

³I saw that one of the heads of the wild beast was fatally wounded, but the wound had healed, and all the people of the land were filled with wonder as they followed after the wild beast. ⁴They were all bowing down and honoring the fiery-red sea serpent, because it had given power to the wild beast. So they gave honored service to the wild beast, saying, “Who can be compared to the wild beast? Who can make war with it?”

⁵The fiery-red sea serpent filled the mouth of the wild beast with arrogant words and insults spoken against the Great Spirit. And for forty-two moons the wild beast was permitted to do whatever it wanted. ⁶So it spoke with boldness against the Great Spirit, his name, his sacred lodge in the spirit-world above, and against all who live there. ⁷The wild beast was given the ability to make war against Creator’s holy people and defeat them. It was also given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation. ⁸All who dwell in the land will honor and serve the wild beast—all whose names have not been written down in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was chosen to be violently killed from the formation of the world.30

⁹Let the one who has ears, hear this: ¹⁰“All who lead others into captivity will themselves become captive. All who take up the long knife to kill will by the long knife be killed.”31

This will test the faithfulness of Creator’s holy ones to stay true to the path of trusting in the ways of the Great Spirit.

THE WILD BEAST FROM THE LAND

¹¹Then I saw another wild beast emerging from the land. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a fiery-red sea serpent. ¹²Representing the first wild beast, it used its power to make all who dwell in the land honor and serve the first wild beast whose deadly wound had been healed. ¹³It performed great signs and wonders in the sight of everyone, even making fire come down on the land from the sky.

¹⁴Because of the signs that were done as it represented the first wild beast, it was able to trick the people who live in the land. It instructed them to carve an image to honor the first wild beast who was fatally wounded by the long knife yet lived. ¹⁵It was given the power to give breath to the carved image and make it speak. It could then have anyone killed who would not bow down to honor the carved image of the first wild beast.

¹⁶The second wild beast then required everyone, small or great, rich or poor, slave or free, to be tattooed on their right hand or on their forehead, ¹⁷so that no one could buy or sell without this mark, which represents the name of the wild beast or the number of its name.

¹⁸Wisdom is needed here. The one who understands will count the number representing the name of the wild beast. It is the number of a human being, and this one’s number is six hundred sixty-six.

THE ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR THOUSAND

¹Then I looked, and there on Strong Mountain (Mount Zion) stood the Lamb. Standing with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and the name of his father tattooed on their foreheads. ²And coming from the spirit-world above I heard a voice that sounded like the roar of rushing water or the sound of loud thunder. And the voice I heard was like the sound of music being played on stringed instruments.

³The singers were standing before the seat of honor and the four living spirit animals and the elders. They sang a new song that no one was able to learn except for the one hundred forty-four thousand, who, at a great cost, had been rescued from the land. ⁴These are the ones who have kept themselves spiritually as pure as a virgin. Wherever the Lamb goes, they walk the road with him. They are the first from among humans to be set apart for the Great Spirit and for the Lamb. They are the ceremonial first fruits of the harvest, for a great price has been paid to rescue them and set them free. ⁵They speak only what is true, for they are spiritually pure and have no false ways within them.

A SPIRIT-MESSENGER ANNOUNCES THE GOOD STORY

⁶Then I saw another spirit-messenger flying high above me. The messenger had the words of the good story that tells about the good things of the world to come. This good story is to be told to all who dwell in the land, to every nation, tribe, language, and people!

⁷“Show great respect and honor to the Great Spirit,” the messenger said with a loud voice, “for the time has come for him to decide who has done right and who has done wrong. Bow down and humble yourselves before the one who created the sky above, the earth below, the great waters of the sea, and the springs of water that flow out from the ground.”

⁸A second spirit-messenger followed the first, saying, “It has fallen! The great Village of Confusion (Babylon) has fallen! She is the village that has made the nations drink of the wine of Creator’s anger toward her spiritual impurity.”

A WARNING TO THE FOLLOWERS OF THE WILD BEAST

⁹The first two spirit-messengers were followed by a third spirit-messenger, who spoke with a thundering voice, saying, “All who bow down to serve the wild beast or its carved image or any who accept its mark on their foreheads or on their hands ¹⁰will also drink the wine of Creator’s great anger. The wine in the cup of his deep anger will not be watered down, and those who drink it must face great suffering with fire and burning rocks in the presence of the holy spirit-messengers and the Lamb. ¹¹And the smoke from their suffering will rise to the time beyond the end of all days. And there will be no rest day or night for all who bow down to serve the wild beast or its carved image, or for any who accept the mark that represents its name.”

¹²This is the time when Creator’s holy people, who follow his instructions and trust in the way of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), will be required to walk with firm steps and stay true to the path.

¹³Then I heard a voice from the spirit-world above saying to me, “Write this down: from this time forward Creator’s blessing will rest on those who die, the ones who will make the ultimate sacrifice for their Honored Chief.”

“It is true!” says the Spirit. “The weary will find rest from their troubled path, and what they have done will follow them into the world to come.”

THE LAND IS RIPE FOR THE HARVEST

¹⁴Then I looked up and saw a bright cloud, and there seated on the cloud was one that looked like a True Human Being. He wore a golden headdress and held a sharp harvesting stick in his hand. ¹⁵Another spirit-messenger came out from the sacred lodge. With a loud voice he called out to one who was seated on the cloud, “Take your stick and start harvesting, for the time has come and the land is ripe.”

¹⁶Then the one seated on the cloud swung his stick over the land and harvested the crop.

¹⁷Another spirit-messenger came out from the sacred lodge that is in the spirit-world above. He also had a sharp harvesting stick. ¹⁸He was followed by another spirit-messenger, one who has the power of fire. The messenger came out from the sacred altar and called out to the spirit-messenger with the sharp harvesting stick, “Take your sharp stick and harvest the grapes from the land, for her grapes are ripe.”

¹⁹So the spirit-messenger swung his harvesting stick over the land, gathered the grapes, and threw them into the great winepress of Creator’s fierce anger. ²⁰Then, outside the village, the grapes were trampled on, and blood poured out from the winepress to the height of a horse’s shoulders for a distance of about two hundred miles.

A POWERFUL OMEN FROM ABOVE

¹Then in the spirit-world above I saw another omen. It was powerful enough to take one’s breath away! There were seven spirit-messengers with seven last disasters. After these, Creator’s fierce anger will come to an end.

²And then I saw what seemed to be a great sea, smooth and crystal clear, glowing with fire. And standing on this great sea were the ones who had won the victory over the wild beast, its carved image, and its mark. In their hands they held stringed instruments gifted to them from the Great Spirit. ³They were singing the song of Creator’s servant Drawn from the Water (Moses) and the song of Creator’s Lamb.

“O Great Creator and Honored One!” they sang with one voice. “All that you do is powerful and full of wonder! Your ways are right and true, O Chief of All Nations! ⁴Who is there who does not honor you with deep respect for who you are and what your name represents? Only you are holy! Because your right ways have been clearly shown to all nations, they will come to bring honor to you and serve you.”32

THE SEVEN SPIRIT-MESSENGERS

⁵After this I looked up and in the spirit-world above I saw that the sacred tent of Creator’s peace treaty33 was opened. ⁶The seven spirit-messengers who hold the power of the seven disasters came out from the sacred tent. They wore regalia made from pure, shining white garments with golden sashes wrapped around their chests.

⁷Then one of the four living spirit animals gave to the seven spirit-messengers seven golden smudge bowls that were filled with the fiery anger of the Great Spirit, the one who lives beyond the end of all days. ⁸Smoke that came from Creator’s shining-greatness filled the sacred tent, and no one was able to enter until the seven disasters from the seven spirit-messengers had come to an end.

THE SEVEN SMUDGE BOWLS POURED OUT

¹I then heard a loud voice coming from the sacred lodge in the spirit-world above.

“Go!” the voice said to the seven spirit-messengers, “and pour out on the land the seven smudge bowls of Creator’s fiery anger.”

²So the first spirit-messenger poured his smudge bowl onto the land, and horrible and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the wild beast and bowed down to serve its carved image.

³The second spirit-messenger poured his smudge bowl into the waters of the sea. And the waters turned into blood that was like the blood of a dead body—and all living things in the sea died.

⁴The third spirit-messenger poured his smudge bowl into rivers and springs of water, and their waters also turned into blood.

⁵Then I heard the spirit-messenger of the waters say, “You are upright and true, O Holy One Who Is and Was. Your decisions are right and true! ⁶For the ones who shed the blood of your holy ones and prophets have been given blood to drink, and this is what they deserve.”

⁷And I heard a voice from the sacred altar, saying, “All your decisions are upright and true, O Honored and all-powerful Great Spirit!”

⁸Then the fourth spirit-messenger poured out his smudge bowl on the sun, which was permitted to scorch people with fire. ⁹When scorched by the fierce heat, they cursed the Great Spirit, the one who had the power over these disasters. But they did not return to Creator’s right ways and give him the honor he deserves.

¹⁰The fifth spirit-messenger poured out his smudge bowl on the wild beast’s seat of power. And all that the wild beast ruled over was covered in darkness. The people the wild beast ruled over gnawed their tongues in pain ¹¹and cursed the Great Spirit from the spirit-world above. But they would not turn back from their evil ways to Creator’s right ways.

¹²The sixth spirit-messenger then poured out his smudge bowl on the great river named Much Fruit (Euphrates). The waters of the river dried up to prepare the way for the rulers that would come from the east.

¹³Then I saw three impure frog-spirits coming out from the mouth of the fiery-red sea serpent, the wild beast, and the false prophet. ¹⁴These spirits are evil demons, performing misleading signs and omens. These spirits go out into all the lands, to gather their rulers to make war against the Great Spirit on the day of the great battle when he shows his mighty power.

HE COMES LIKE A THIEF

¹⁵“Behold, I am coming like a thief!” says Creator Sets Free (Jesus).34 “Creator’s blessing will rest on the one who remains awake, wearing regalia, and not naked and ashamed for all to see.”

¹⁶And the evil frog-spirits gathered the rulers together to the place called in our tribal language35 Mountain of Invasion (Armageddon).

¹⁷Then the seventh spirit-messenger poured out his smudge bowl in the air. Out of the sacred lodge came a loud voice from the seat of honor. “It is done!” the voice roared.

¹⁸The lightning flashed, the thunder rumbled, and the earth shook violently! The earthquake was greater than humankind has ever seen or felt before! ¹⁹The great village was split into three parts, and the villages of the Outside Nations fell to the ground. Creator remembered all that the great Village of Confusion (Babylon) had done and gave her the cup that was filled with his fierce anger.

²⁰Every island sank into the great waters, and the mountains could not be found. ²¹Monstrous one-hundred-pound hailstones fell from the sky onto the people. The people cursed the Great Spirit for the hailstones that brought on them such a great disaster.

THE FATE OF THE GREAT VILLAGE OF CONFUSION

¹One of the seven spirit-messengers who had the seven smudge bowls came to talk with me.

“Come,” the spirit-messenger said to me, “and I will show you the fate of the infamous woman who sits on many waters and trades her body for possessions. ²The rulers of the land have participated in her broken and impure ways. And the people of the land have become drunk on the wine of her impurities.”36

THE WOMAN WHO SITS ON THE WILD BEAST

³The spirit-messenger carried me away in the spirit to a desert wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a wild beast that was red in color. The wild beast had seven heads with ten horns and was filled with names that spoke evil against the Great Spirit.

⁴The woman wore purple and red garments sparkling with gold, costly stones, and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup filled with all of her horrible, shameful, and impure ways. ⁵Carved into her forehead was a mysterious name:

⁶I could see that this woman was drunk with the blood of Creator’s holy ones and with the blood of the truth tellers for Creator Sets Free (Jesus). I could only stare at this woman with wonder and amazement.

THE MYSTERY OF THE WOMAN IS REVEALED

⁷“Why are you amazed?” the spirit-messenger asked me. “I will tell you the mystery of this woman and the wild beast with seven heads and ten horns that she rides on.

⁸“The wild beast, which you saw, once was and now is not, but will soon emerge from the dark and bottomless pit and meet with disaster. All who live on the land, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world, will be amazed when they see the wild beast that once was and now is not, but will soon emerge from the dark and bottomless pit.

WISDOM IS NEEDED

⁹“Much wisdom is what is needed to understand this mystery. The seven heads of the wild beast represent the seven mountains that the woman sits on. The seven heads also represent seven rulers— ¹⁰five who have fallen, one who now rules, and the seventh, who has not yet come into power. But when he does, he will remain for only a short time. ¹¹The wild beast that once was and now is not is an eighth ruler, who is of the seven and will come to a bad end.

¹²“The ten horns you saw are ten rulers. They have not yet risen in power. But when they do, they will rule for only one hour with the wild beast. ¹³Their one purpose is to give their power and authority to the wild beast.

MAKING WAR AGAINST THE LAMB

¹⁴“They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will win the victory, because he is Grand Chief over All Chiefs! And those who stand with him are the called-out ones, who have been chosen and are loyal to the Great Spirit.”

THE WOMAN AND THE WILD BEAST

¹⁵Then the spirit-messenger said to me, “The many waters you saw the woman sitting on, the one who trades her body for possessions, are many peoples, tribal groups, and languages. ¹⁶The ten horns and the wild beast that you saw will hate the impure woman. They will ruin her, strip her naked, and eat her flesh, and with fire they will burn her until nothing is left.

¹⁷“With one heart and mind the ten horns gave their ruling power over to the wild beast. This is what Creator wanted them to do, so that the words he had spoken would finally happen.

¹⁸“The woman whom you saw,” the spirit-messenger reminded me, “is that great village that rules over all rulers of the land.”

THE GREAT VILLAGE HAS FALLEN

¹After this I saw another spirit-messenger, one with great power and authority, coming down from the spirit-world above. The whole land was filled with the light that shined out from him. ²With a powerful and thundering voice he cried out: “She has fallen! The great Village of Confusion (Babylon) has fallen! She has become a lair for demons and impure spirits, and a corral for every impure despised bird and wild beast. ³For all the nations have drunk the wine of her furious impurities. The rulers of the land have joined themselves to her, and those in the land who trade in goods have grown rich from the corrupting power of her dark and evil ways.”

COME OUT FROM HER, MY PEOPLE

⁴Then from the spirit-world above I heard another voice.

“My people,” the voice warned, “remove yourselves from her so you will not participate in her wrong ways and suffer under the disasters that will come upon her. ⁵For her wrongdoings have piled up to the spirit-world above, and the Great Spirit has not forgotten the evil she has done. ⁶Do to her twice as much as she has done to others. Make her drink wine from a wineskin of sorrows that is twice as strong as the wine she gave to others. ⁷As much as she boasted in her rich living, give to her the same in sorrow and suffering.

“For this is what she thinks about herself, ‘I rule as a woman chief. I am not like a woman who has lost her husband. I will never know sorrow or grief.’

⁸“This is the reason the disasters of death, misery, and great hunger will fall on her in one day. A raging fire will make her a wasteland. For the one who has decided her fate is our Great and Honored Creator.”

THE RULERS WEEP OVER HER

⁹Again, a voice came from the spirit-world above.

“The rulers of the land,” the voice said, “who participated in her evil desires, will weep many tears when they see the smoke rise from the raging fire that burns her to the ground. ¹⁰And these rulers, because they are afraid to look on her agony, will stand watching from afar.

“‘How terrible! How terrible!’ they will cry out, ‘O great and strong village! O Village of Confusion (Babylon), your fate has come upon you suddenly—in one hour!’”

THE TRADERS IN GOODS WEEP OVER HER

The voice from the spirit-world above continued. ¹¹“And the traders of the land will weep and wail over her. For there will be no one left to trade for all their goods. ¹²No one to trade for their goods of gold, silver, jewels, or pearls. No one to trade for their fancy purple, red, and silk cloths. No one to trade for their sweet-smelling wood and carvings made from wood and animal horns. No one to trade for things made from bronze, iron, or polished rock. ¹³Nor for their cinnamon, spices, sweet-smelling herbs, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, ground flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots. And none to participate in the slave-trading of human beings.

¹⁴“The traders of the land will say, ‘All the fruits you were longing to taste are gone! All the rich and fancy things you hoped for have melted away, never to be found again.’

¹⁵“The ones who gained great possessions from trading with her will stand weeping and wailing, and because they are afraid to look on her agony they will watch from afar ¹⁶and cry out, ‘How terrible! How terrible, O great village! She who was clothed in beautiful red and purple regalia sparkling with gold, costly stones, and pearls has come to a bad end. ¹⁷For in such a short time all her great wealth and many possessions have been burned up.’

“All who travel the waters by canoe, both great and small, and those who make their living on the sea stood far away watching her smoke rise ¹⁸as they cried out, ‘Is there another village as great as this one?’

¹⁹“They threw dirt on their heads as they cried out with many tears and much sorrow, ‘How terrible! How terrible! The great village that made the sea travelers rich with her many possessions has come to a bad end in such a short time!’37

²⁰“Dance with joy, you who live in the spirit-world above! Let your hearts beat with gladness you holy ones, message bearers, and prophets! For the Great Spirit has decided the fate of the great Village of Confusion (Babylon) for what she did to you.”

A GREAT STONE THROWN INTO THE SEA

²¹Then I saw a powerful spirit-messenger take a great stone the size of a huge boulder38 and throw it into the waters of the sea.39

“In this manner the great Village of Confusion (Babylon) will be violently thrown down, never to be found again,” the voice said. ²²“The sound of the music makers, with their drums and flutes, and the shrill of eagle bone whistles40 will not be heard in you any longer. No tentmaker, drum maker, or carver will be found in you, not even the sound of bark being stripped from trees.41 ²³The light from torches will not shine in you. The voice of the bridegroom and the bride will be heard in you no longer. For your traders in goods were the noble people of the land, and all the Outside Nations were led down a false path by your witchcraft. ²⁴The blood of Creator’s prophets and holy people has stained her village pathways. Yes, the blood of all who have been violently killed has been spilled by her throughout the land.”42

PRAISING THE GREAT SPIRIT

¹After this I heard what sounded like the roar of many voices coming from a great gathering in the spirit-world above.

“Give Praise to the Great Spirit (Hallelujah)!” they shouted with one voice. “For his great and shining power has set us free! ²His decisions are upright and true! He has made right the wrongs done by the woman who traded her body for possessions and brought ruin to the land filled with her impure ways. He has carried out his decision against the Village of Confusion (Babylon), which shed the blood of those who faithfully serve him.”

³Then they shouted once again, “Give Praise to the Great Spirit (Hallelujah)! The smoke from her burning will keep rising to the time beyond the end of all days.”

⁴Then the twenty-four elders and the four living spirit animals humbled themselves before the Great Spirit, who sits on his seat of honor, and gave him the praise and honor only he deserves.

With one voice they said, “Aho! It is so! Give Praise to the Great Spirit (Hallelujah)!”

⁵Then a voice came from the seat of honor, saying, “Give praise to our Creator, all you who respect and serve him, both small and great.”

⁶Then like the roar of many waters came what sounded like rolling thunder. The sound was like the voices of a great crowd!

“Give Praise to the Great Spirit (Hallelujah)!” they cried out. “For our Creator, the All-Powerful and Honored One, rules over us!”

THE BRIDE IS READY FOR THE WEDDING

The voices continued to shout, ⁷“Dance for joy with glad hearts and give honor to the Great Spirit, for the time for the wedding ceremony of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”

⁸The wedding regalia she was given to wear was made from soft buckskin,43 bright and shining, pure and white. For pure white buckskin represents the good things done by Creator’s holy people.

⁹Then the spirit-messenger44 said to me, “Write this down, ‘Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who are invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb.’ These words are true,” he said with firm words, “for they come from the mouth of the Great Spirit.”

THE TRUE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY

¹⁰I then humbled myself before the spirit-messenger to give him praise and honor.

“Do not humble yourself to me in this way,” he said. “I am one who stands by your side to serve the Great Spirit. I stand with you and all the sacred family members who have stood firm as truth tellers for Creator Sets Free (Jesus). Give praise and honor only to the Great Spirit. For the spirit of prophecy is at work when the truth is told about Creator Sets Free (Jesus).”

RIDER ON A WHITE HORSE

¹¹I looked up and saw the sky open, and out rode a white warhorse whose rider is called Honorable and True! He rides to make wrongs right again, and his judgments are as straight as an arrow. ¹²His eyes blaze like flames of fire. His headdress has many feathers. He has a name written down that only he knows. ¹³His regalia is dipped in blood. And his name is known as Word of Creator.45

¹⁴Following behind him were all the warriors from the spirit-world above, clothed in pure white buckskin and also riding white warhorses. ¹⁵Out from his mouth comes a sharp long knife to strike down the opposing nations. He will rule over them with an unbreakable iron chief’s staff. He tramples the grapes in the winepress of the fierce anger of the all-powerful Great Spirit. ¹⁶He has this name carved into his regalia and tattooed on his thigh:

¹⁷Then I saw a spirit-messenger standing in the blazing light of the sun. With a loud voice he spoke to the winged ones who were flying high in the sky.

“Come,” he cried out to them, “gather together for the great feast offered by Creator. ¹⁸Come and feast on the flesh of rulers, war chiefs, strong warriors, and horses with their riders. Feast on the flesh of all, whether slave or free, small or great.”

THE WILD BEAST AND HIS ARMY

¹⁹Then I saw the wild beast along with the rulers of the land and their armies. They had gathered to make war against the rider on the white horse and against his band of warriors.

²⁰The wild beast was taken captive along with the false prophet who had stood before the wild beast and performed signs and wonders. These signs and wonders were used to trick those who had accepted the mark of the wild beast and those who had bowed down to honor its carved image. The wild beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into a fiery lake that blazed with burning rocks. ²¹The others were killed by the long knife coming out from the mouth of the rider on the white horse. And all the winged ones ate from their dead flesh until they were full.

THE BINDING OF ACCUSER

¹Then I saw a spirit-messenger coming down from the spirit-world above. In his hand he held the power46 to open or close the way in or out of the dark and bottomless pit. In his hand he also held a large iron chain. ²The spirit-messenger took hold of the fiery-red sea serpent, that ancient trickster snake who is also called the evil one and Accuser (Satan). He wrapped the chain around him and bound him for a thousand winters. ³He then threw him into the dark and bottomless pit, closed the way in or out, and sealed it tight. He did this so Accuser (Satan) could no longer blind the nations and lead them down a false path until a thousand winters have passed. But after that he will be released for a short time.

ONE THOUSAND WINTERS

⁴Then I saw many seats of honor, and sitting on them were those who had been given the right to decide who has done right and who has done wrong. I saw the souls of those who had their heads cut off because they told the truth about Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and stayed true to Creator’s message. I also saw the souls of the ones who had not bowed down to honor the wild beast or its carved image and did not accept its tattoo on their foreheads or hands. All these came to life and ruled with the Chosen One for a thousand winters. ⁵The rest of those who were dead did not come to life until after the thousand winters were complete. This is the first rising from the dead.

⁶The ones who participate in this first rising from the dead are blessed and holy in Creator’s sight. The second death has no power over them. They will be holy men and women representing the Great Spirit and his Chosen One. They will rule by his side for a thousand winters.

ACCUSER IS RELEASED

⁷After a thousand winters Accuser (Satan) will be released from the dark and bottomless pit. ⁸He will go out into the four corners of all the land to gather the Gog and Magog47 nations and trick them into going to war.

Their number is as great as the number of sands on the seashore. ⁹They spread out over the whole width of the land. And when they had surrounded the encampment of Creator’s holy people and his much-loved village, fire came down from the spirit-world above and devoured them. ¹⁰The evil one who had deceived them was thrown into the fiery lake that blazes with burning rocks—where the wild beast and false prophet were thrown. There they will suffer greatly day and night to the time beyond the end of all days.

THE FINAL JUDGMENT

¹¹Then I saw a great seat of honor shining bright and clear, and the one seated there. The land and sky fled from his face, and no place was found for them to hide. ¹²And I saw the dead, both small and great, standing before his seat of honor. Books were opened, and then another book was opened, the book of life. The fate of the dead was decided by what was written down in the books, according to what they had done.

¹³All the great waters of the sea gave up the dead in them. Death and the Dark Underworld of Death (Hades) gave up the dead that were in them, and their fate was decided by what they had done. ¹⁴Then death itself and the Dark Underworld of Death (Hades) were thrown into the fiery lake. The fiery lake is the second death. ¹⁵Anyone whose name was not found written down in the book of life was thrown into the fiery lake.

A NEW SPIRIT-WORLD AND A NEW EARTH

¹Then I saw a new spirit-world above and a new earth below, for the first spirit-world and the first earth had gone away, and the great waters of the sea were no longer there. ²I saw a new Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem), coming down from the Great Spirit in the world above and dressed in wedding regalia, like a bride made ready for her husband.

WIPING OF TEARS CEREMONY

³I heard a voice coming from the seat of honor. “Behold,” the voice said, “the Great Spirit has pitched his sacred tent among human beings. They will be his people, and Creator himself will make his home among them and will be their Great Spirit. ⁴He will perform a wiping of tears ceremony, for death will be no more. There will be no sorrow, or weeping, or pain, because these former things have faded away.”

⁵Then the one on the seat of honor spoke again. “Behold,” he said, “I am making all things fresh and new.” Then he added, “Write these words down, for they are true and trustworthy.”

⁶“It is done!” he said to me. “I am Alpha and Omega,48 the beginning and the end. I will give the free gift of the wellspring of life-giving water to all who are thirsty. ⁷All these blessings will belong to the ones who win the victory. I will be their Great Spirit, and they will be my sons and daughters.

⁸“But the fearful, the untrustworthy, the doers of shameful things, those who murder, the sexually impure, the bad medicine people, the ones who pray to spirit-images, and all who speak lies, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning rocks. This is the second death.”

THE BRIDE, THE LAMB’S WIFE

⁹Then one of the seven spirit-messengers who had the seven smudge bowls that were filled with the seven last disasters came and spoke to me.

“Come,” he said, “and I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

¹⁰The spirit-messenger took me on a spiritual journey to a great and high mountain. There he showed me the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem) coming down from the Great Spirit in the spirit-world above. ¹¹It was filled with Creator’s beauty and honor. The sacred village was bright and shone like a costly stone, like a jasper stone as clear as crystal.

¹²The sacred village had a great and high wall with twelve gates and twelve spirit-messengers, one at each gate. Carved into the gates were the names of the twelve tribes of the families of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). ¹³There were three gates on the east wall, three gates on the south, three gates on the west, and three gates on the north. ¹⁴The wall encircling the sacred village was built on twelve stones. Carved into the stones were the names of the twelve message bearers of the Lamb.

¹⁵The spirit-messenger who spoke to me had a golden measuring stick to measure the sacred village, both its gates and walls. ¹⁶The sacred village was laid out in a square. It measured twelve thousand stadia.49 Its width, length, and height were the same. ¹⁷The spirit-messenger was using human measurements. He measured the wall to be one hundred and forty-four cubits.50 ¹⁸The wall was made of jasper, and the sacred village was made of pure gold, as clear as crystal.

¹⁹The stones the village wall was built on were made of all kinds of costly gemstones. The first stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.51

²¹The twelve gates of the sacred village were made of pearl, and each gate was made from a single pearl. The village had a wide pathway made of gold that was crystal clear.

²²I could see no sacred lodge within the village, because the all-powerful and honored Spirit Chief and the Lamb are its sacred lodge. ²³In this village there is no need for the sun or the moon to shine its light, for the light comes from the beauty of the Great Spirit shining through the Lamb.

²⁴All the nations will walk by its light, and the chiefs of the earth will bring their honor and beauty into the sacred village. ²⁵Its gates will not be closed during the day, night will never come, ²⁶and the beauty and honor of all nations will be brought into it. ²⁷Nothing impure or anyone who participates in shameful ways will go through the gates. Only the ones whose names are written down in the Lamb’s book of life will be able to enter.

THE RIVER OF LIFE-GIVING WATER

¹The spirit-messenger then showed me the river of life-giving water shining as bright as crystal. It flowed out from the seat of honor of the Great Spirit and the Lamb. ²The river flowed down the center of the village’s wide pathway. On each side of the river was the life-giving tree. Every moon this tree was bearing fresh fruit—twelve different crops a year! Its leaves were good medicine for the healing of all nations.

³No curse will be found there, for the seat of honor of the Great Spirit and the Lamb will be in that village, and in that place his people will honor him with their service. ⁴They will see his face, and his name will be tattooed on their foreheads.

⁵Night will be no more. There will no longer be any need of a torch to light the way, or for the light of the sun, because Creator himself, who is their Honored Chief, will be their light. And they will rule with him to the time beyond the end of all days.

⁶“These words are true and trustworthy,” the spirit-messenger said to me, “for our Honored Chief, the Great Spirit of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his spirit-messenger to show the ones who serve him what must soon take place.”

⁷“Behold! I am coming very soon,” said Creator Sets Free (Jesus). “Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who follow the instructions of the words of the prophecy of this sacred book.”

FINAL WORDS

⁸I, He Shows Goodwill (John), am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I did, I humbled myself before the spirit-messenger who was showing these things to me.

⁹“Do not humble yourself before me,” the spirit-messenger told me. “I stand beside you and your family members who are prophets and beside all who follow the words of this book, as one who serves the Great Spirit. Honor the Great Spirit and serve him alone!

¹⁰“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this sacred book,” the spirit-messenger continued, “for the time is almost upon us. There is little time left for those who do wrong to change their ways, or for the impure to cleanse themselves. ¹¹So leave the evil and the impure to continue in their wrong ways. Let the ones who do what is right stay on a good path, and the holy ones, let them continue to walk that good road.”

¹²“Behold! I am coming very soon,” said Creator Sets Free (Jesus). “I am ready to reward everyone for what they have done, whether good or bad. ¹³I am Alpha and Omega,52 first and last. beginning and end.

¹⁴“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who have washed their regalia. This gives them the right to eat from the life-giving tree and to enter through the gates into the sacred village. ¹⁵Outside the gates are wild-dog people, bad-medicine people, the sexually impure, those who murder, the ones who pray to spirit-images, and all who love to speak lies.

¹⁶“I, Creator Sets Free (Jesus), have sent my spirit-messenger to you to tell you these things for the sacred families. I am the descendant of Much Loved One (David), who has sprouted from his roots. I am the bright Morning Star.”

¹⁷The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” Let the ones who hear say, “Come.” Let all who hear say, “Come.” Let all who are thirsty come and freely drink from the wellspring of life-giving water.

¹⁸To all who hear the words of this prophecy, I speak from my heart, “If anyone adds anything to them, Creator will add to that person the disasters found in this book. ¹⁹If anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, then Creator will take away that person’s place in the life-giving tree and in the sacred village this book tells about.”

²⁰The one who tells the truth about these things, Creator Sets Free (Jesus), says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”

Aho! May it be so! Come, our Honored Chief Creator Sets Free (Jesus)!

²¹May the gift of great kindness from Creator Sets Free (Jesus) remain with everyone.