Revelation 13; Revelation 14; Revelation 15; Revelation 16

1 and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. Each of its horns was decorated with a royal crown, and on its heads were blasphemous names.

2 The beast I saw was like a leopard. Its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave it his power, throne, and great authority.

3 One of its heads appeared to have been slain and killed, but its deadly wound was healed. So the whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.

4 They worshipped the dragon because it had given the beast its authority. They worshipped the beast and said, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?"

5 The beast was given a mouth that spoke boastful and blasphemous things, and it was given authority to act for forty-two months.

6 It opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God. It blasphemed God's name and his dwelling place (that is, those who dwell in heaven).

7 It was also allowed to make war on the saints and to gain victory over them. It was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.

8 All who live on earth worshipped it, all whose names hadn't been written—from the time the earth was made—in the scroll of life of the Lamb who was slain.

9 Whoever has ears must listen:

10 If any are to be taken captive, then into captivity they will go. If any are to be killed by the sword, then by the sword they will be killed. This calls for endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.

11 Then I saw another beast coming up from the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it was speaking like a dragon.

12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence. It also makes the earth and those who live in it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

13 It does great signs so that it even makes fire come down from heaven to earth in the presence of the people.

14 It deceives those who live on earth by the signs that it was allowed to do in the presence of the beast. It told those who live on earth to make an image for the beast who had been wounded by the sword and yet came to life again.

15 It was allowed to give breath to the beast's image so that the beast's image would even speak and cause anyone who didn't worship the beast's image to be put to death.

16 It forces everyone—the small and great, the rich and poor, the free and slaves—to have a mark put on their right hand or on their forehead.

17 It will not allow anyone to make a purchase or sell anything unless the person has the mark with the beast's name or the number of its name.

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the one who understands calculate the beast's number, for it's a human being's number. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.

1 Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion. With him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.

2 I heard a sound from heaven that was like the sound of rushing water and loud thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.

3 They sing a new song in front of the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.

4 They weren't defiled with women, for these people who follow the Lamb wherever he goes are virgins. They were purchased from among humankind as early produce for God and the Lamb.

5 No lie came from their mouths; they are blameless.

6 Then I saw another angel flying high overhead with eternal good news to proclaim to those who live on earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people.

7 He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water."

8 Another angel, a second one, followed and said, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She made all the nations drink the wine of her lustful passion."

9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them and said in a loud voice, "If any worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or their hands,

10 they themselves will also drink the wine of God's passionate anger, poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will suffer the pain of fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb.

11 The smoke of their painful suffering goes up forever and always. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, and those who receive the mark of its name."

12 This calls for the endurance of the saints, who keep God's commandments and keep faith with Jesus.

13 And I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: Favored are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "so they can rest from their labors, because their deeds follow them."

14 Then I looked, and there was a white cloud. On the cloud was seated someone who looked like the Human One. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.

15 Another angel came out of the temple, calling in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud: "Use your sickle to reap the harvest, for the time to harvest has come, and the harvest of the earth is ripe."

16 So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.

18 Still another angel, who has power over fire, came out from the altar. He said in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, "Use your sharp sickle to cut the clusters in the vineyard of the earth, because its grapes are ripe."

19 So the angel swung his sickle into the earth, and cut the vineyard of the earth, and he put what he reaped into the great winepress of God's passionate anger.

20 Then the winepress was trampled outside the city, and the blood came out of the winepress as high as the horses' bridles for almost two hundred miles.

1 Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign in heaven. There were seven angels with seven plagues—and these are the last, for with them God's anger is brought to an end.

2 Then I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire. Those who gained victory over the beast, its image, and the number of its name were standing by the glass sea, holding harps from God.

3 They sing the song of Moses, God's servant, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and awe-inspiring are your works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, king of the nations.

4 Who won't fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? You alone are holy. All nations will come and fall down in worship before you, for your acts of justice have been revealed."

5 After this I looked, and the temple in heaven—that is, the tent of witness—was opened.

6 The seven angels, who have the seven plagues, came out of the temple. They were clothed in pure bright linen and had gold sashes around their waists.

7 Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven gold bowls full of the anger of the God who lives forever and always.

8 The temple was filled with smoke from God's glory and power, and no one could go into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven last angels were brought to an end.

1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple say to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the seven bowls of God's anger on the earth."

2 So the first angel poured his bowl on the earth, and a nasty and terrible sore appeared on the people who had the beast's mark and worshipped its image.

3 The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and the sea turned into blood, like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea died.

4 The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they turned into blood.

5 Then I heard the angel of the waters say, "You are just, holy one, who is and was, because you have given these judgments.

6 They poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve it!"

7 And I heard the altar say, "Yes, Lord God Almighty, your judgments are true and just."

8 The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to burn people with fire.

9 The people were burned by intense heat, and they cursed the name of the God who had power over these plagues. But they didn't change their hearts and lives and give him glory.

10 The fifth angel poured his bowl over the beast's throne, and darkness covered its kingdom. People bit their tongues because of their pain,

11 and they cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores; but they didn't turn away from what they had done.

12 Then the sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates. Its water was dried up so that the way was ready for the kings from the east.

13 Then I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, come from the dragon's mouth, the beast's mouth, and the mouth of the false prophet.

14 These are demonic spirits that do signs. They go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (

15 Look! I'm coming like a thief! Favored are those who stay awake and clothed so that they don't go around naked and exposed to shame.)

16 The spirits gathered them at the place that is called in Hebrew, Harmagedon.

17 Then the seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out from the temple, from the throne, saying, "It is done!"

18 There were lightning strikes, voices, and thunder, and a great earthquake occurred. The earthquake was greater than any that have occurred since there have been people on earth.

19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. God remembered Babylon the great so that he gave her the wine cup of his furious anger.

20 Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared.

21 Huge hailstones weighing about one hundred pounds came down from heaven on the people. They cursed God for the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.