Revelation 13–16

The Beast out of the Sea

13The dragon^a stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.^h It had ten horns and seven heads,ⁱ with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.^{j 2}The beast I saw resembled a leopard,^k but had feet like those of a bear^l and a mouth like that of a lion.^m The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.^{n 3}One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.^o The whole world was filled with wonder^p and followed the beast. ⁴People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like^q the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

⁵The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies^r and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.^{s 6}It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.^{t 7}It was given power to wage war^u against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.^{v 8}All inhabitants of the earth^w will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life,^x the Lamb^y who was slain from the creation of the world.^bz

⁹Whoever has ears, let them hear.^a

¹⁰“If anyone is to go into captivity,

into captivity they will go.

If anyone is to be killed^c with the sword,

with the sword they will be killed.”^db

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness^c on the part of God’s people.^d

The Beast out of the Earth

¹¹Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth.^e It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.^{f 12}It exercised all the authority^g of the first beast on its behalf,^h and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast,ⁱ whose fatal wound had been healed.^{j 13}And it performed great signs,^k even causing fire to come down from heaven^l to the earth in full view of the people. ¹⁴Because of the signs^m it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceivedⁿ the inhabitants of the earth.^o It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.^{p 15}The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship^q the image to be killed.^{r 16}It also forced all people, great and small,^s rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,^{t 17}so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark,^u which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.^v

¹⁸This calls for wisdom.^w Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.^ex That number is 666.

The Lamb and the 144,000

14Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb,^y standing on Mount Zion,^z and with him 144,000^a who had his name and his Father’s name^b written on their foreheads.^{c 2}And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters^d and like a loud peal of thunder.^e The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.^{f 3}And they sang a new song^g before the throne and before the four living creatures^h and the elders.ⁱ No one could learn the song except the 144,000^j who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins.^k They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.^l They were purchased from among mankind^m and offered as firstfruitsⁿ to God and the Lamb. ⁵No lie was found in their mouths;^o they are blameless.^p

The Three Angels

⁶Then I saw another angel flying in midair,^q and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth^r—to every nation, tribe, language and people.^{s 7}He said in a loud voice, “Fear God^t and give him glory,^u because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made^v the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”^w

⁸A second angel followed and said, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’^ax which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”^y

⁹A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast^z and its image^a and receives its mark on their forehead^b or on their hand, ¹⁰they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury,^c which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.^d They will be tormented with burning sulfur^e in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever.^f There will be no rest day or night^g for those who worship the beast and its image,^h or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”^{i 12}This calls for patient endurance^j on the part of the people of God^k who keep his commands^l and remain faithful to Jesus.

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

“Yes,” says the Spirit,ⁿ “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

¹⁴I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,^o and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man^bp with a crown^q of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵Then another angel came out of the temple^r and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle^s and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest^t of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.^{u 18}Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar^v and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle^w and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^{x 20}They were trampled in the winepress^y outside the city,^z and blood^a flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^c

Seven Angels With Seven Plagues

15I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign:^b seven angels^c with the seven last plagues^d—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. ²And I saw what looked like a sea of glass^e glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious^f over the beast^g and its image^h and over the number of its name.ⁱ They held harps^j given them by God ³and sang the song of God’s servant^k Moses^l and of the Lamb:^m

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,ⁿ

Lord God Almighty.^o

Just and true are your ways,^p

King of the nations.^a

⁴Who will not fear you, Lord,^q

and bring glory to your name?^r

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship before you,^s

for your righteous acts^t have been revealed.”^b

⁵After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple^u—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law^v—and it was opened.^{w 6}Out of the temple^x came the seven angels with the seven plagues.^y They were dressed in clean, shining linen^z and wore golden sashes around their chests.^{a 7}Then one of the four living creatures^b gave to the seven angels^c seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.^{d 8}And the temple was filled with smoke^e from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple^f until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

16Then I heard a loud voice from the temple^g saying to the seven angels,^h “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”ⁱ

²The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land,^j and ugly, festering sores^k broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.^l

³The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.^m

⁴The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water,ⁿ and they became blood.^{o 5}Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

“You are just in these judgments,^p O Holy One,^q

you who are and who were;^r

⁶for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets,^s

and you have given them blood to drink^t as they deserve.”

⁷And I heard the altar^u respond:

“Yes, Lord God Almighty,^v

true and just are your judgments.”^w

⁸The fourth angel^x poured out his bowl on the sun,^y and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire.^{z 9}They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God,^a who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent^b and glorify him.^c

¹⁰The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast,^d and its kingdom was plunged into darkness.^e People gnawed their tongues in agony ¹¹and cursed^f the God of heaven^g because of their pains and their sores,^h but they refused to repent of what they had done.ⁱ

¹²The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates,^j and its water was dried up to prepare the way^k for the kings from the East.^{l 13}Then I saw three impure spirits^m that looked like frogs;ⁿ they came out of the mouth of the dragon,^o out of the mouth of the beast^p and out of the mouth of the false prophet.^{q 14}They are demonic spirits^r that perform signs,^s and they go out to the kings of the whole world,^t to gather them for the battle^u on the great day^v of God Almighty.

¹⁵“Look, I come like a thief!^w Blessed is the one who stays awake^x and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”^y

¹⁶Then they gathered the kings together^z to the place that in Hebrew^a is called Armageddon.^b

¹⁷The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,^c and out of the temple^d came a loud voice^e from the throne, saying, “It is done!”^{f 18}Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder^g and a severe earthquake.^h…