Revelation 4–20

The Throne Room of Heaven

4After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet ^bsaid, “Come up here, ^cand I will show you what must take place after this.” ^d

²Immediately I was in the Spirit, ^efand a throne was set there in heaven. ^gOne was seated on the throne, ³and the One seated ^hlooked like jasper ⁱand carnelian ^jstone. ^kA rainbow that looked like an emerald surrounded the throne. ^l4Around that throne were 24 thrones, and on the thrones sat 24 elders ^mdressed in white clothes, ⁿwith gold crowns on their heads. ^o5Flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder came from the throne. ^pSeven fiery torches were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. ^q6Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne. ^rFour living creatures ^scovered with eyes in front and in back were in the middle ^tand around the throne. ⁷The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like a calf; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. ^u8Each of the four living creatures had six wings; ^vthey were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night ^wthey never stop, ^xsaying:

Holy, holy, holy, ^y

Lord God, the Almighty,

who was, who is, and who is coming. ^z

⁹Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne, the One who lives forever and ever, ^a10the 24 elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, ^bworship the One who lives forever and ever, cast their crowns before the throne, and say:

¹¹Our Lord and God, ^c

You are worthy ^dto receive

glory and honor and power, ^e

because You have created all things, ^f

and because of Your will

they exist and were created.

The Lamb Takes the Scroll

5Then I saw in the right hand of the One seated on the throne a scroll with writing on the inside and on the back, ^gsealed with seven seals. ^h2I also saw a mighty angel ⁱproclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look in it. ⁴And I cried and cried because no one was found worthy to open ^jthe scroll or even to look in it.

⁵Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop crying. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, ^kthe Root of David, ^lhas been victorious ^mso that He may open the scroll and ⁿits seven seals.” ⁶Then I saw One like a slaughtered lamb ^ostanding between ^pthe throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God ^qsent into all the earth. ⁷He came and took the scroll ^rout of the right hand of the One seated on the throne.

The Lamb Is Worthy

⁸When He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp ^sand gold bowls ^tfilled with incense, ^uwhich are the prayers of the saints. ⁹And they sang a new song: ^v

You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because You were slaughtered,

and You redeemed ^wpeople ^x

for God by Your blood

from every tribe and language

and people and nation. ^y

¹⁰You made them a kingdom ^z

and priests to our God, ^a

and they will reign on the earth.

¹¹Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands. ^b12They said with a loud voice:

The Lamb who was slaughtered is worthy

to receive power and riches

and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and blessing!

¹³I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, ^con the sea, and everything in them say: ^d

Blessing and honor and glory and dominion

to the One seated on the throne,

and to the Lamb, forever and ever!

¹⁴The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The First Seal on the Scroll

6Then I saw ^ethe Lamb open one of the seven ^fseals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, ^g“Come!” ^hi2I looked, and there was a white horse. ^jThe horseman on it had a bow; ^ka crown ^lwas given to him, and he went out as a victor to conquer. ^m

The Second Seal

³When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” ^no4Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, ^pand its horseman was empowered ^qto take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him. ^r

The Third Seal

⁵When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” ^stAnd I looked, and there was a black horse. ^uThe horseman on it had a set of scales in his hand. ^v6Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius ^w—but do not harm the olive oil and the wine.” ^x

The Fourth Seal

⁷When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ^yz8And I looked, and there was a pale green ^ahorse. The horseman on it was named Death, and Hades was following after him. ^bAuthority was given to them ^cdover a fourth of the earth, to kill by the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the earth. ^e

The Fifth Seal

⁹When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the people ^fslaughtered because of God’s word and the testimony they had. ^gh10They cried out with a loud voice: “Lord, ⁱthe One who is holy and true, ^jhow long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” ^k11So a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little while longer until the number would be completed of their fellow slaves and their brothers, who were going to be killed just as they had been.

The Sixth Seal

¹²Then I saw Him open ^lthe sixth seal. A violent earthquake occurred; ^mthe sun turned black like sackcloth ⁿmade of goat hair; the entire moon ^obecame like blood; ^p13the stars ^qof heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind; ¹⁴the sky separated like a scroll being rolled up; ^rand every mountain and island was moved from its place. ^s

¹⁵Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the military commanders, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. ^t16And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us ^ufrom the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, ¹⁷because the great day of Their ^vwrath has come! And who is able to stand?” ^w

The Sealed of Israel

7After this I saw four angels ^xstanding at the four corners of the earth, ^yrestraining the four winds of the earth ^zso that no wind could blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. ²Then I saw another angel, who had the seal of the living God ^arise up from the east. ^bHe cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were empowered ^cto harm the earth and the sea: ³“Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees ^duntil we seal the slaves of our God on their foreheads.” ^e4And I heard the number of those who were sealed:

144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites: ^f

⁵12,000 sealed from the tribe of Judah,

12,000 ^gfrom 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 sealed from the tribe of Benjamin.

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

⁹After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, ^hwhich no one could number, ⁱstanding before the throne and before the Lamb. They were robed in white with palm branches in their hands. ^j10And they cried out in a loud voice:

Salvation belongs to our God, ^k

who is seated on the throne,

and to the Lamb!

¹¹All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²saying:

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom

and thanksgiving and honor

and power and strength

be to our God forever and ever. Amen. ^l

¹³Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people robed in white, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴I said to him, “Sir, ^myou know.”

Then he told me:

These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. ⁿ

They washed their robes and made them white ^o

in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵For this reason they are before the throne of God,

and they serve Him day and night ^pin His sanctuary. ^q

The One seated on the throne will shelter ^rthem: ^s

¹⁶They will no longer hunger;

they will no longer thirst;

the sun will no longer strike them,

nor will any heat. ^t

¹⁷For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne

will shepherd them; ^u

He will guide them to springs of living waters, ^v

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. ^w

The Seventh Seal

8When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence ^xin heaven for about half an hour. ²Then I saw the seven angels who stand in the presence of God; ^yseven trumpets were given to them. ^z3Another angel, with a gold incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the gold altar in front of the throne. ^a4The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel’s hand. ⁵The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, ^band hurled it to the earth; there were rumblings of thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. ^c6And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

The First Trumpet

⁷The first angel ^dblew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth. ^eSo a third of the…