New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand.
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I saw an Angel descending out of Heaven. He carried the key to the Abyss and a chain - a huge chain.
2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years.
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He grabbed the Dragon, that old Snake - the very Devil, Satan himself! - chained him up for a thousand years,
3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.
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dumped him into the Abyss, slammed it shut and sealed it tight. No more trouble out of him, deceiving the nations - until the thousand years are up. After that he has to be let loose briefly.
4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
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I saw thrones. Those put in charge of judgment sat on the thrones. I also saw the souls of those beheaded because of their witness to Jesus and the Word of God, who refused to worship either the Beast or his image, refused to take his mark on forehead or hand - they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years!
5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)
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The rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years were up. This is the first resurrection -
6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.
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and those involved most blessed, most holy. No second death for them! They're priests of God and Christ; they'll reign with him a thousand years.
7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison.
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When the thousand years are up, Satan will be let loose from his cell,
8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore.
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and will launch again his old work of deceiving the nations, searching out victims in every nook and cranny of earth, even Gog and Magog! He'll talk them into going to war and will gather a huge army, millions strong.
9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.
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They'll stream across the earth, surround and lay siege to the camp of God's holy people, the Beloved City. They'll no sooner get there than fire will pour out of Heaven and burn them up.
10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
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The Devil who deceived them will be hurled into Lake Fire and Brimstone, joining the Beast and False Prophet, the three in torment around the clock for ages without end.
11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide.
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I saw a Great White Throne and the One Enthroned. Nothing could stand before or against the Presence, nothing in Heaven, nothing on earth.
12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.
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And then I saw all the dead, great and small, standing there - before the Throne! And books were opened. Then another book was opened: the Book of Life. The dead were judged by what was written in the books, by the way they had lived.
13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.
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Sea released its dead, Death and Hell turned in their dead. Each man and woman was judged by the way he or she had lived.
14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death.
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Then Death and Hell were hurled into Lake Fire. This is the second death - Lake Fire.
15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
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Anyone whose name was not found inscribed in the Book of Life was hurled into Lake Fire.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.