Prelude to the Bowl Judgments

15 Then aI saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: bseven angels having the seven last plagues, cfor in them the wrath of God is complete.

2 And I saw something like da sea of glass emingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, fover his image and 1over his mark and over the gnumber of his name, standing on the sea of glass, hhaving harps of God. 3 They sing ithe song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the jLamb, saying:

k“Great and marvelous are Your works,

Lord God Almighty!

lJust and true are Your ways,

O King of the 2saints!

4 mWho shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?

For You alone are nholy.

For oall nations shall come and worship before You,

For Your judgments have been manifested.”

5 After these things I looked, and 3behold, pthe 4temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. 6 And out of the 5temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, qclothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. 7 rThen one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God swho lives forever and ever. 8 tThe temple was filled with smoke ufrom the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying ato the seven angels, “Go and pour out the 1bowls bof the wrath of God on the earth.”

First Bowl: Loathsome Sores

2 So the first went and poured out his bowl cupon the earth, and a 2foul and dloathsome sore came upon the men ewho had the mark of the beast and those fwho worshiped his image.

Second Bowl: The Sea Turns to Blood

3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl gon the sea, and hit became blood as of a dead man; iand every living creature in the sea died.

Third Bowl: The Waters Turn to Blood

4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl jon the rivers and springs of water, kand they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying:

l“You are righteous, 3O Lord,

The One mwho is and who 4was and who is to be,

Because You have judged these things.

6 For nthey have shed the blood oof saints and prophets,

pAnd You have given them blood to drink.

5For it is their just due.”

7 And I heard 6another from the altar saying, “Even so, qLord God Almighty, rtrue and righteous are Your judgments.”

Fourth Bowl: Men are Scorched

8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl son the sun, tand power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they ublasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; vand they did not repent wand give Him glory.

Fifth Bowl: Darkness and Pain

10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl xon the throne of the beast, yand his kingdom became full of darkness; zand they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dried Up

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl aon the great river Euphrates, band its water was dried up, cso that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean dspirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of ethe dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of fthe false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, gperforming signs, which go out to the kings 7of the earth and of hthe whole world, to gather them to ithe battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15 j“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, klest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

16 lAnd they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, 8Armageddon.

Seventh Bowl: The Earth Utterly Shaken

17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, m“It is done!” 18 And nthere were noises and thunderings and lightnings; oand there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake pas had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now qthe great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And rgreat Babylon swas remembered before God, tto give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then uevery island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast

17 Then aone of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying 1to me, “Come, bI will show you the judgment of cthe great harlot dwho sits on many waters, 2 ewith whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and fthe inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

3 So he carried me away in the Spirit ginto the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting hon a scarlet beast which was full of inames of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman jwas arrayed in purple and scarlet, kand adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, lhaving in her hand a golden cup mfull of abominations and the filthiness of 2her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written:

nMYSTERY,

BABYLON THE GREAT,

THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH

6 I saw othe woman, drunk pwith the blood of the saints and with the blood of qthe martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast

7 But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the 3mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and rwill ascend out of the bottomless pit and sgo to 4perdition. And those who tdwell on the earth uwill marvel, vwhose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and 5yet is.

9 w“Here is the mind which has wisdom: xThe seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must ycontinue a short time. 11 The zbeast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to 6perdition.

12 a“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 bThese will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will covercome them, dfor He is Lord of lords and King of kings; eand those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

15 Then he said to me, f“The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, gare peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which you 7saw on the beast, hthese will hate the harlot, make her idesolate jand naked, eat her flesh and kburn her with fire. 17 lFor God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, muntil the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman whom you saw nis that great city owhich reigns over the kings of the earth.”

The Fall of Babylon the Great

18 After athese things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, band the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried 1mightily with a loud voice, saying, c“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and dhas become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and ea cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations fhave drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, gand the merchants of the earth have become rich through the 2abundance of her luxury.”

4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, h“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 iFor her sins 3have reached to heaven, and jGod has remembered her iniquities. 6 kRender to her just as she rendered 4to you, and repay her double according to her works; lin the cup which she has mixed, mmix double for her. 7 nIn the measure that she glorified herself and lived 5luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as oqueen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come pin one day—death and mourning and famine. And qshe will be utterly burned with fire, rfor strong is the Lord God who 6judges her.

The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall

9 s“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her twill weep and lament for her, uwhen they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, v‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! wFor in one hour your judgment has come.’

11 “And xthe merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 ymerchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and zsouls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have 7gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, athat great city bthat was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and …