Revelation 13–16

13And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea.^o It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns,^Ep and on its heads were blasphemous names.^{Fq 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.^r The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. ³One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed.

The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.^{s 4}They worshiped the dragon^t because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast?^u Who is able to wage war against it?”

⁵The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies.^v It was allowed to exercise authority^GH for forty-two months.^{w 6}It began to speak^I blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. ⁷And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them.^x It was also given authority^y over every tribe, people, language, and nation.^{z 8}All those who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book^J of life^aa of the Lamb who was slaughtered.^Kab

⁹If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.^ac

¹⁰If anyone is to be taken captive,

into captivity he goes.

If anyone is to be killed^L with a sword,

with a sword he will be killed.^ad

This calls for endurance^M and faithfulness from the saints.^ae

THE BEAST FROM THE EARTH

¹¹Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb,^Aaf but it spoke like a dragon. ¹²It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. ¹³It also performs great signs,^ag even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people.^{ah 14}It deceives those who live on the earth^ai because of the signs that it is permitted to perform in the presence of the beast,^aj telling those who live on the earth to make an image^B of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵It was permitted to give breath^C to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.^{a 16}And it makes everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead,^{b 17}so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of its name.

¹⁸This calls for wisdom:^Dc Let the one who has understanding calculate^E the number of the beast, because it is the number of a person. Its number is 666.^F

THE LAMB AND THE 144,000

14Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion,^d and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.^{e 2}I heard a sound^G from heaven like the sound of cascading waters^f and like the rumbling of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like harpists playing on their harps.^{g 3}They sang^H a new song^h before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders,ⁱ but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, since they remained virgins.^j These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed^I from humanity as the firstfruits^k for God and the Lamb. ⁵No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.^l

THE PROCLAMATION OF THREE ANGELS

⁶Then I saw another angel^m flying high overhead,ⁿ with the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.^{o 7}He spoke with a loud voice:^p “Fear God^q and give him glory,^r because the hour of his judgment has come.^s Worship the one who made heaven and earth,^t the sea and the springs of water.”

⁸And another, a second angel, followed, saying, “It has fallen, Babylon the Great^u has fallen.^J She made all the nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality,^K which brings wrath.”^v

⁹And another, a third angel, followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger.^w He will be tormented with fire and sulfur^x in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, ¹¹and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever.^y There is no rest^Az day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or anyone who receives the mark^aa of its name. ¹²This calls for endurance from the saints,^ab who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.”^B

¹³Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”^ac

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they will rest from their labors, since their works follow them.”

REAPING THE EARTH’S HARVEST

¹⁴Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and one like the Son of Man^Cad was seated on the cloud, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one who was seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the earth is ripe.”^{ae 16}So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷Then another angel who also had a sharp sickle came out of the temple in heaven. ¹⁸Yet another angel, who had authority over fire, came from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vineyard of the earth, because its grapes have ripened.” ¹⁹So the angel swung his sickle at the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^{af 20}Then the press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press up to the horses’ bridles for about 180 miles.^Dag

PREPARATION FOR THE BOWL JUDGMENTS

15Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign^E in heaven:^ah seven angels with the seven last plagues; for with them God’s wrath will be completed.^{ai 2}I also saw something like a sea of glass^a mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory over the beast, its image,^F and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God.^{b 3}They sang the song of God’s servant Moses^c and the song of the Lamb:

Great and awe-inspiring are your works,

Lord God, the Almighty;

just and true^d are your ways,

King of the nations.^Ge

⁴Lord, who will not fear

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.^f

All the nations will come

and worship before you^g

because your righteous acts

have been revealed.

⁵After this I looked, and the heavenly temple—the tabernacle of testimony^h—was opened.^{i 6}Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes wrapped around their chests. ⁷One of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.^{j 8}Then the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power,^k and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

THE FIRST BOWL

16Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels,^l “Go and pour out the seven^A bowls^m of God’s wrath on the earth.” ²The first went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and severely painful soresⁿ broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped its image.

THE SECOND BOWL

³The second^B poured out his bowl into the sea. It turned to blood like that of a dead person, and all life in the sea died.^o

THE THIRD BOWL

⁴The third^B poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.^{p 5}I heard the angel of the waters say,

You are just,

the Holy One,^q who is and who was,^r

because you have passed judgment on these things.

⁶Because they poured out

the blood of the saints and the prophets,^s

you have given them blood to drink;

they deserve it!^t

⁷I heard the altar say,

Yes, Lord God, the Almighty,

true and just are your judgments.^u

THE FOURTH BOWL

⁸The fourth^B poured out his bowl on the sun. It was allowed to scorch people with fire, ⁹and people were scorched by the intense heat. So they blasphemed the name of God,^v who has the power^C over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.^w

THE FIFTH BOWL

¹⁰The fifth^B poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast,^x and its kingdom was plunged into darkness.^y People^D gnawed their tongues because of their pain ¹¹and blasphemed the God of heaven^z because of their pains and their sores, but they did not repent of their works.

THE SIXTH BOWL

¹²The sixth^B poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates,^aa and its water was dried up^ab to prepare the way for the kings from the east. ¹³Then I saw three unclean spirits like frogs^ac coming from the dragon’s mouth,^ad from the beast’s mouth,^ae and from the mouth of the false prophet.^{af 14}For they are demonic spirits performing signs,^ag who travel to the kings of the whole world to assemble them^ah for the battle on the great day of God, the Almighty.^{ai 15}“Look, I am coming like a thief. Blessed^aj is the one who is alert and remains clothed^Aak so that he may not go around naked and people see his shame.”^{al 16}So they assembled the kings at the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.^Bam

THE SEVENTH BOWL

¹⁷Then the seventh^C poured out his bowl into the air,^D and a loud voice came out of the temple^Ea from the throne, saying, “It is done!” ¹⁸There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. And a severe earthquake occurred like no other since people have been on the earth, so great was the quake.^{b 19}The great city^c split into three parts, and the cities of…