Revelation 10–11

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10Then I saw another mighty angel coming down out of heaven. He was wrapped in a cloud and had a rainbow round his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire. ²He had a small scroll open in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, ³and called out in a loud voice that sounded like the roar of lions. After he had called out, the seven thunders answered with a roar. ⁴As soon as they spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice speak from heaven, “Keep secret what the seven thunders have said; do not write it down!”

^5*Then the angel that I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven ^6*and took a vow in the name of God, who lives for ever and ever, who created heaven, earth, and the sea, and everything in them. The angel said, “There will be no more delay! ^7*But when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, then God will accomplish his secret plan, as he announced to his servants, the prophets.”

^8*Then the voice that I had heard speaking from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go and take the open scroll which is in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.”

^9*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 turn sour in your stomach, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”

^10*I took the little scroll from his hand and ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey in my mouth. But after I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach. ¹¹Then I was told, “Once again you must proclaim God’s message about many nations, races, languages, and kings.”

The Two Witnesses

11^*I was then given a stick that looked like a measuring rod, and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who are worshipping in the temple. ^2*But do not measure the outer courts, because they have been given to the heathen, who will trample on the Holy City for forty-two months. ³I will send my two witnesses dressed in sackcloth, and they will proclaim God’s message during those 1,260 days.”

^4*The two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lamps that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and destroys their enemies; and in this way, whoever tries to harm them will be killed. ^6*They have authority to shut up the sky so that there will be no rain during the time they proclaim God’s message. They have authority also over the springs of water, to turn them into blood; they have authority also to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

^7*When they finish proclaiming their message, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will fight against them. He will defeat them and kill them, ^8*and their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, where their Lord was crucified. The symbolic name of that city is Sodom, or Egypt. ⁹People from all nations, tribes, languages, and races will look at their bodies for three and a half days and will not allow them to be buried. ¹⁰The people of the earth will be happy because of the death of these two. They will celebrate and send presents to each other, because those two prophets brought much suffering upon the earth. ^11*After three and a half days a life-giving breath came from God and entered them, and they stood up; and all who saw them were terrified. ^12*Then the two prophets heard a loud voice say to them from heaven, “Come up here!” As their enemies watched, they went up into heaven in a cloud. ^13*At that very moment there was a violent earthquake; a tenth of the city was destroyed, and seven thousand people were killed. The rest of the people were terrified and praised the greatness of the God of heaven.

¹⁴The second horror is over, but the third horror will come soon!

The Seventh Trumpet

^15*Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The power to rule over the world belongs now to our Lord and his Messiah, and he will rule for ever and ever!” ¹⁶Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones in front of God threw themselves face downwards and worshipped God, ¹⁷saying:

“Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was!

We thank you that you have taken your great power

and have begun to rule!

^18*The heathen were filled with rage,

because the time for your anger has come,

the time for the dead to be judged.

The time has come to reward your servants, the prophets,

and all your people, all who have reverence for you,

great and small alike.

The time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth!”

^19*God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the Covenant Box was seen there. Then there were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.