Revelation 6; Revelation 7; Revelation 8; Revelation 9; Revelation 10; Revelation 11

Revelation 6

1 I watched as the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice that sounded like thunder, "Come!"

2 I looked, and there in front of me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow in his hands. He was given a crown. He rode out like a hero on his way to victory.

3 The Lamb broke open the second seal. Then I heard the second living creature say, "Come!"

4 Another horse came out. It was flaming red. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. He was given a large sword.

5 The Lamb broke open the third seal. Then I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there in front of me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.

6 Next, I heard what sounded like a voice coming from among the four living creatures. It said, "A quart of wheat for a day's pay. And three quarts of barley for a day's pay. But don't spoil the olive oil and the wine!"

7 The Lamb broke open the fourth seal. Then I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!"

8 I looked, and there in front of me was a pale horse! Its rider's name was Death. Following close behind him was Hell. They were given power over a fourth of the earth. They were given power to kill people with the sword, hunger and sickness. They could also use the earth's wild animals to kill.

9 He broke open the fifth seal. I saw souls under the altar. They were the souls of people who were killed because of God's word and their faithful witness.

10 They called out in a loud voice. "How long, Lord and King, holy and true?" they asked. "How long will you wait to judge those who live on the earth? How long will it be until you pay them back for killing us?"

11 Then each of them was given a white robe. "Wait a little longer," they were told. "There are still more of your believing brothers and sisters who must be killed."

12 I watched as he broke open the sixth seal. There was a powerful earthquake. The sun turned black like black clothes that were made from the hair of a goat. The whole moon turned as red as blood.

13 The stars in the sky fell to earth. They dropped like ripe figs from a tree shaken by a strong wind.

14 The sky rolled back like a scroll. Every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

15 Everyone hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. This included the kings of the earth, the princes and the generals, rich people and powerful people. It also included every slave and everyone who was free.

16 They called out to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us! Hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne! Hide us from the anger of the Lamb!

17 The great day of their anger has come. Who can live through it?"

Revelation 7

1 After this I saw four angels. They were standing at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth. This kept the winds from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.

2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east. He had the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been allowed to harm the land and the sea.

3 "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees," he said. "Wait until we mark with a seal the foreheads of those who serve our God."

4 Then I heard how many people were sealed. There were 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

5 From the tribe of Judah, 12,000 were sealed. From the tribe of Reuben, 12,000. From the tribe of Gad, 12,000.

6 From the tribe of Asher, 12,000. From the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000. From the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000.

7 From the tribe of Simeon, 12,000. From the tribe of Levi, 12,000. From the tribe of Issachar, 12,000.

8 From the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000. From the tribe of Joseph, 12,000. From the tribe of Benjamin, 12,000.

9 After this I looked, and there in front of me was a huge crowd of people. They stood in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb. There were so many that no one could count them. They came from every nation, tribe, people and language. They were wearing white robes. In their hands they were holding palm branches.

10 They cried out in a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne. Salvation also belongs to the Lamb."

11 All the angels were standing around the throne. They were standing around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces in front of the throne and worshiped God.

12 They said, "Amen! May praise and glory and wisdom be given to our God for ever and ever. Give him thanks and honor and power and strength. Amen!"

13 Then one of the elders spoke to me. "Who are these people dressed in white robes?" he asked. "Where did they come from?"

14 I answered, "Sir, you know." He said, "They are the ones who have come out of the time of terrible suffering. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 So "they are in front of the throne of God. They serve him day and night in his temple. The One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.

16 Never again will they be hungry. Never again will they be thirsty. The sun will not beat down on them. The heat of the desert will not harm them.

17 The Lamb, who is at the center of the area around the throne, will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Revelation 8

1 The Lamb opened the seventh seal. Then there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

2 I saw the seven angels who stand in front of God. Seven trumpets were given to them.

3 Another angel came and stood at the altar. He had a shallow gold cup for burning incense. He was given a lot of incense to offer on the golden altar in front of the throne. With the incense he offered the prayers of all God's people.

4 The smoke of the incense together with the prayers of God's people rose up from the angel's hand. It went up in front of God.

5 Then the angel took the cup and filled it with fire from the altar. He threw it down on the earth. There were rumblings and thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets got ready to blow them.

7 The first angel blew his trumpet. Hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up. A third of the trees were burned up. All the green grass was burned up.

8 The second angel blew his trumpet. Something that looked like a huge mountain on fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood.

9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died. A third of the ships were destroyed.

10 The third angel blew his trumpet. Then a great star fell from the sky. It looked like a blazing torch. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the water turned bitter. Many people died from it.

12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet. Then a third of the sun was struck. A third of the moon was struck. A third of the stars were struck. So a third of each of them turned dark. Then a third of the day had no light. The same thing happened to a third of the night.

13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying high in the air. It called out in a loud voice, "How terrible! How terrible it will be for those living on the earth! How terrible! They will suffer as soon as the next three angels blow their trumpets!"

Revelation 9

1 The fifth angel blew his trumpet. Then I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the tunnel leading down into the Abyss.

2 When the star opened the Abyss, smoke rose up from it like the smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.

3 Out of the smoke came locusts. They settled down on the earth. They were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth.

4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree. They were supposed to harm only the people who didn't have God's seal on their foreheads.

5 They were not allowed to kill them. But they could hurt them over and over for five months. The pain the people suffered was like the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man.

6 In those days, people will look for a way to die but won't find it. They will want to die, but death will escape them.

7 The locusts looked like horses ready for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold. Their faces looked like human faces.

8 Their hair was like women's hair. Their teeth were like lions' teeth.

9 Their chests were covered with something that looked like armor made out of iron. The sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.

10 They had tails and stings like scorpions. And in their tails they had power to hurt people over and over for five months.

11 Their king was the angel of the Abyss. In the Hebrew language his name is Abaddon. In Greek it is Apollyon.

12 The first terrible judgment is past. Two others are still coming.

13 The sixth angel blew his trumpet. Then I heard a voice coming from the corners of the golden altar that stands in front of God.

14 The voice spoke to the sixth angel who had the trumpet. It said, "Set the four angels free who are held at the great river Euphrates."

15 The four angels had been ready for this very hour and day and month and year. They were set free to kill a third of all people.

16 The number of troops on horseback was 200,000,000. I heard how many there were.

17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision had armor on their chests. It was flaming red, dark blue, and yellow like sulfur. The heads of the horses looked like lions' heads. Out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.

18 A third of all people were killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of the horses' mouths.

19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails. The tails were like snakes whose heads could bite.

20 The people who were not killed by these plagues still did not turn away from what they had been doing. They did not stop worshiping demons. They kept worshiping statues of gods made out of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood, which can't see or hear or walk.

21 The people also did not turn away from their murders, witchcraft, sexual sins and stealing.

Revelation 10

1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was wearing a cloud like a robe. There was a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun. His legs were like pillars of fire.

2 He was holding a little scroll. It was lying open in his hand. The angel put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.

3 Then he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.

4 When they had spoken, I was getting ready to write. But I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said. Do not write it down."

5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven.

6 He made a promise in the name of the One who lives for ever and ever. He took an oath in the name of the One who created the sky, earth and sea and all that is in them. He said, "There will be no more waiting!

7 But in the days when the seventh angel is ready to blow his trumpet, the last part of God's plan will be carried out. God told all this to the prophets who served him long ago."

8 Then the voice I had heard from heaven spoke to me again. It said, "Go and take the scroll from the angel standing on the sea and on the land. It is lying open in his hand."

9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will become sour in your stomach. But in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey."

10 I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. In my mouth it tasted as sweet as honey. But when I had eaten it, it became sour in my stomach.

11 Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."

Revelation 11

1 I was given a long stick that looked like a measuring rod. I was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar. Count the worshipers who are there.

2 But do not measure the outer courtyard. It has been given to those who aren't Jews. They will overrun the holy city for 42 months.

3 "I will give power to my two witnesses. They will prophesy for 1,260 days. They will be dressed in black clothes to show how sad they are."

4 The witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand in front of the Lord of the earth.

5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and eats up their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.

6 These witnesses have power to close up the sky. Then it will not rain while they are prophesying. They also have power to turn the waters into blood. And they can strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want to.

7 When they have finished giving their witness, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them. He will overpower them and kill them.

8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city where their Lord was nailed to the cross. The city is sometimes pictured as Sodom, or as Egypt.

9 For three and a half days, people from every tribe, language and nation will stare at their bodies. They will refuse to bury them.

10 Those who live on the earth will be happy about this and will celebrate. They will send each other gifts, because these two prophets had made them suffer.

11 But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered the two witnesses. They stood up. Terror struck those who saw them.

12 Then the two witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven. It said to them, "Come up here." They went up to heaven in a cloud. Their enemies watched it happen.

13 At that very hour there was a powerful earthquake. A tenth of the city crumbled and fell. In the earthquake, 7,000 people were killed. Those who lived through it were terrified. They gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second terrible judgment has passed. The third is coming soon.

15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet. There were loud voices in heaven. They said, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. He will rule for ever and ever."

16 The 24 elders were sitting on their thrones in front of God. They fell on their faces and worshiped God.

17 They said, "Lord God who rules over all, we give thanks to you. You are the One who is and who was. We give you thanks because you have taken your great power and have begun to rule.

18 The nations were angry, and the time for your anger has come. The time has come to judge the dead. It is time to reward your servants the prophets and your own people and those who honor you. There is a reward for all your people, both great and small. It is time to destroy those who destroy the earth."

19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened. Inside it the wooden chest called the ark of his covenant could be seen. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.