Revelation 4–20

The Throne Room of Heaven

4After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing ^aopen in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a ^btrumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

²Immediately ^cI was in the Spirit; and behold, ^da throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. ³¹And He who sat there was ^elike a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; ^fand there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. ^4gAround the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, ^hclothed in white ²robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. ⁵And from the throne proceeded ⁱlightnings, ³thunderings, and voices. ^jSeven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are ^kthe ⁴seven Spirits of God.

⁶Before the throne there ⁵was ^la sea of glass, like crystal. ^mAnd in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. ⁷ⁿThe first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. ⁸The four living creatures, each having ^osix wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

^p“Holy, ⁶holy, holy,

^qLord God Almighty,

^rWho was and is and is to come!”

⁹Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, ^swho lives forever and ever, ^10tthe twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

¹¹“You ^uare worthy, ⁷O Lord,

To receive glory and honor and power;

^vFor You created all things,

And by ^wYour will they ⁸exist and were created.”

The Lamb Takes the Scroll

5And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne ^aa scroll written inside and on the back, ^bsealed with seven seals. ²Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ^c“Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” ³And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.

⁴So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open ¹and read the scroll, or to look at it. ⁵But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, ^dthe Lion of the tribe of ^eJudah, ^fthe Root of David, has ^gprevailed to open the scroll ^hand ²to loose its seven seals.”

⁶And I looked, ³and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood ⁱa Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and ^jseven eyes, which are ^kthe seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand ^lof Him who sat on the throne.

Worthy is the Lamb

⁸Now when He had taken the scroll, ^mthe four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the ⁿprayers of the saints. ⁹And ^othey sang a new song, saying:

^p“You are worthy to take the scroll,

And to open its seals;

For You were slain,

And ^qhave redeemed us to God ^rby Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

¹⁰And have made ⁴us ^skings ⁵and ^tpriests to our God;

And ⁶we shall reign on the earth.”

¹¹Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, ¹²saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

¹³And ^uevery creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

^v“Blessing and honor and glory and power

Be to Him ^wwho sits on the throne,

And to the Lamb, forever and ⁷ever!”

¹⁴Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the ⁸twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped ⁹Him who lives forever and ever.

First Seal: The Conqueror

6Now ^aI saw when the Lamb opened one of the ¹seals; and I heard ^bone of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” ²And I looked, and behold, ^ca white horse. ^dHe who sat on it had a bow; ^eand a crown was given to him, and he went out ^fconquering and to conquer.

Second Seal: Conflict on Earth

³When He opened the second seal, ^gI heard the second living creature saying, “Come ²and see.” ^4hAnother horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to ⁱtake peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth

⁵When He opened the third seal, ^jI heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, ^ka black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of ^lscales ³in his hand. ⁶And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A ⁴quart of wheat for a ⁵denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and ^mdo not harm the oil and the wine.”

Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth

⁷When He opened the fourth seal, ⁿI heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” ^8oSo I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And ⁶power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, ^pto kill with sword, with hunger, with death, ^qand by the beasts of the earth.

Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs

⁹When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under ^rthe altar ^sthe souls of those who had been slain ^tfor the word of God and for ^uthe testimony which they held. ¹⁰And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ^v“How long, O Lord, ^wholy and true, ^xuntil You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹Then a ^ywhite robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them ^zthat they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances

¹²I looked when He opened the sixth seal, ^aand ⁷behold, there was a great earthquake; and ^bthe sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the ⁸moon became like blood. ^13cAnd the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. ^14dThen the sky ⁹receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and ^eevery mountain and island was moved out of its place. ¹⁵And the ^fkings of the earth, the great men, ¹the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, ^ghid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, ^16hand said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who ⁱsits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷For the great day of His wrath has come, ^jand who is able to stand?”

The Sealed of Israel

7After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, ^aholding the four winds of the earth, ^bthat the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. ²Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, ³saying, ^c“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God ^don their foreheads.” ^4eAnd I heard the number of those who were sealed. ^fOne hundred and forty-four thousand ^gof all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

⁵of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were ¹sealed;

of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;

⁶of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;

⁷of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;

⁸of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

⁹After these things I looked, and behold, ^ha great multitude which no one could number, ⁱof all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, ^jclothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ^k“Salvation belongs to our God ^lwho sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ^11mAll the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and ⁿworshiped God, ^12osaying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,

Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,

Be to our God forever and ever.

Amen.”

¹³Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in ^pwhite robes, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴And I said to him, ²“Sir, you know.”

So he said to me, ^q“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and ^rwashed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will ^sdwell among them. ^16tThey shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; ^uthe sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; ¹⁷for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne ^vwill shepherd them and lead them to ³living fountains of waters. ^wAnd God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets

8When ^aHe opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ^2bAnd I saw the seven angels who stand before God, ^cand to them were given seven trumpets. ³Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he…