Revelation 4–20

4TH CHAPTER

A Vision of God’s Throne in Heaven

¹After these things I saw a door standing open in heaven. I heard the first voice like a trumpet speaking to me. It said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 

²Instantly, I came under the Spirit’s power. I saw a throne in heaven, and someone was sitting on it. ³The one sitting there looked like gray quartz and red quartz. There was a rainbow around the throne which looked like an emerald. 

⁴Around that throne were 24 other thrones, and on these thrones sat 24 leaders wearing white clothes. They had gold crowns on their heads. ⁵Lightning, noise, and thunder came from the throne. Seven flaming torches were burning in front of the throne. These are the seven spirits of God. 

⁶In front of the throne, there was something like a sea of glass as clear as crystal. In the center near the throne and around the throne were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back. ⁷The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like a young bull, the third had a face like a human, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. ⁸Each of the four living creatures had six wings and were covered with eyes, inside and out. Without stopping day or night they were singing, 

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, 

who was, who is, and who is coming.” 

⁹Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, to the one who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰the 24 leaders bow in front of the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever. They place their crowns in front of the throne and say, 

¹¹“Our Lord and God, you deserve to receive glory, honor, and power 

because you created everything. 

Everything came into existence and was created because of your will.” 

5TH CHAPTER

The Lamb Takes the Scroll That Has Seven Seals

¹I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who sits on the throne. It had writing both on the inside and on the outside. It was sealed with seven seals. ²I saw a powerful angel calling out in a loud voice, “Who deserves to open the scroll and break the seals on it?” ³No one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth could open the scroll or look inside it. ⁴I cried bitterly because no one was found who deserved to open the scroll or look inside it. 

⁵Then one of the leaders said to me, “Stop crying! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has won the victory. He can open the scroll and the seven seals on it.” 

⁶I saw a lamb standing in the center near the throne with the four living creatures and the leaders. The lamb looked like he had been slaughtered. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent all over the world. ⁷He took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sits on the throne. 

⁸When the lamb had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 leaders bowed in front of him. Each held a harp and a gold bowl full of incense, the prayers of God’s holy people. ⁹Then they sang a new song, 

“You deserve to take the scroll and open the seals on it, 

because you were slaughtered. 

You bought people with your blood to be God’s own. 

They are from every tribe, language, people, and nation. 

¹⁰You made them a kingdom and priests for our God. 

They will rule as kings on the earth.” 

¹¹Then I heard the voices of many angels, the four living creatures, and the leaders surrounding the throne. They numbered ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands times thousands. ¹²In a loud voice they were singing, 

“The lamb who was slain deserves to receive 

power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise.” 

¹³I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and on the sea. Every creature in those places was singing, 

“To the one who sits on the throne and to the lamb 

be praise, honor, glory, and power forever and ever.” 

¹⁴The four living creatures said, “Amen!” Then the leaders bowed and worshiped. 

6TH CHAPTER

The Lamb Opens the First Six Seals

¹I watched as the lamb opened the first of the seven seals. I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Go!” ²Then I looked, and there was a white horse, and its rider had a bow. He was given a crown and rode off as a warrior to win battles. 

³When the lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Go!” ⁴A second horse went out. It was fiery red. Its rider was given the power to take peace away from the earth and to make people slaughter one another. So he was given a large sword. 

⁵When the lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Go!” I looked, and there was a black horse, and its rider held a scale. ⁶I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s pay or three quarts of barley for a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine.” 

⁷When the lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Go!” ⁸I looked, and there was a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death. Hell followed him. They were given power over one-fourth of the earth to kill people using wars, famines, plagues, and the wild animals on the earth. 

⁹When the lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of God’s word and the testimony they had given about him. ¹⁰They cried out in a loud voice, “Holy and true Master, how long before you judge and take revenge on those living on earth who shed our blood?” ¹¹Each of the souls was given a white robe. They were told to rest a little longer until all their coworkers, the other Christians, would be killed as they had been killed. 

¹²I watched as the lamb opened the sixth seal. A powerful earthquake struck. The sun turned as black as sackcloth made of hair. The full moon turned as red as blood. ¹³The stars fell from the sky to the earth like figs dropping from a fig tree when it is shaken by a strong wind. ¹⁴The sky vanished like a scroll being rolled up. Every mountain and island was moved from its place. ¹⁵Then the kings of the earth, the important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and all the slaves and free people hid themselves in caves and among the rocks in the mountains. ¹⁶They said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the lamb, ¹⁷because the frightening day of their anger has come, and who is able to endure it?” 

7TH CHAPTER

144,000 People Are Sealed

¹After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth to keep them from blowing on the land, the sea, or any tree. ²I saw another angel coming from the east with the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been allowed to harm the land and sea, ³“Don’t harm the land, the sea, or the trees until we have put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 

⁴I heard how many were sealed: 144,000. Those who were sealed were from every tribe of the people of Israel: 

⁵12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 

12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 

12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 

⁶12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 

12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 

12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 

⁷12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 

12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 

12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 

⁸12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 

12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 

12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. 

God’s People around His Throne in Heaven

⁹After these things I saw a large crowd from every nation, tribe, people, and language. No one was able to count how many people there were. They were standing in front of the throne and the lamb. They were wearing white robes, holding palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰and crying out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the lamb!” 

¹¹All the angels stood around the throne with the leaders and the four living creatures. They bowed in front of the throne with their faces touching the ground, worshiped God, ¹²and said, 

“Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength 

be to our God forever and ever! Amen!” 

¹³One of the leaders asked me, “Who are these people wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” 

¹⁴I answered him, “Sir, you know.” 

Then he told me, 

“These are the people who are coming out of the terrible suffering. 

They have washed their robes 

and made them white in the blood of the lamb. 

¹⁵That is why they are in front of the throne of God. 

They serve him day and night in his temple. 

The one who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 

¹⁶They will never be hungry or thirsty again. 

Neither the sun nor any burning heat will ever overcome them. 

¹⁷The lamb in the center near the throne will be their shepherd. 

He will lead them to springs filled with the water of life, 

and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” 

8TH CHAPTER

The Lamb Opens the Seventh Seal

¹When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 

Seven Angels with Seven Trumpets

²Then I saw the seven angels who stand in God’s presence, and they were given seven trumpets. ³Another angel came with a gold incense burner and stood at the altar. He was given a lot of incense to offer on the gold altar in front of the throne. He offered it with the prayers of all of God’s people. ⁴The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God along with the prayers of God’s people. ⁵The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth. Then there was thunder, noise, lightning, and an earthquake. 

⁶The seven angels who had the seven trumpets got ready to blow them. 

The First Four Angels Blow Their Trumpets

⁷When the first angel blew his trumpet, hail and fire were mixed with blood, and were thrown on the earth. One-third…