²So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.

³Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died.

⁴Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood. ⁵And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying,

“You are just, O Holy One, who is and who always was,

because you have sent these judgments.

⁶Since they shed the blood

of your holy people and your prophets,

you have given them blood to drink.

It is their just reward.”

⁷And I heard a voice from the altar, saying,

“Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty,

your judgments are true and just.”

⁸Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire. ⁹Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory.

¹⁰Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, ¹¹and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.

¹²Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance. ¹³And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. ¹⁴They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.

¹⁵“Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

¹⁶And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon.

¹⁷Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple, saying, “It is finished!” ¹⁸Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth. ¹⁹The great city of Babylon split into three sections, and the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble. So God remembered all of Babylon’s sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath. ²⁰And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled. ²¹There was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing as much as seventy-five pounds fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the terrible plague of the hailstorm.

Chapter 17 The Great Prostitute

One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. “Come with me,” he said, “and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who rules over many waters. ²The kings of the world have committed adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality.”

³So the angel took me in the Spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it. ⁴The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality. ⁵A mysterious name was written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.” ⁶I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement.

⁷“Why are you so amazed?” the angel asked. “I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns on which she sits. ⁸The beast you saw was once alive but isn’t now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this world, whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made, will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died.

⁹“This calls for a mind with understanding: The seven heads of the beast represent the seven hills where the woman rules. They also represent seven kings. ¹⁰Five kings have already fallen, the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief.

¹¹“The scarlet beast that was, but is no longer, is the eighth king. He is like the other seven, and he, too, is headed for destruction. ¹²The ten horns of the beast are ten kings who have not yet risen to power. They will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment to reign with the beast. ¹³They will all agree to give him their power and authority. ¹⁴Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.”

¹⁵Then the angel said to me, “The waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and language. ¹⁶The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire. ¹⁷For God has put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes. They will agree to give their authority to the scarlet beast, and so the words of God will be fulfilled. ¹⁸And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world.”

Chapter 18 The Fall of Babylon

After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor. ²He gave a mighty shout:

“Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen!

She has become a home for demons.

She is a hideout for every foul spirit,

a hideout for every foul vulture

and every foul and dreadful animal.

³For all the nations have fallen

because of the wine of her passionate immorality.

The kings of the world

have committed adultery with her.

Because of her desires for extravagant luxury,

the merchants of the world have grown rich.”

⁴Then I heard another voice calling from heaven,

“Come away from her, my people.

Do not take part in her sins,

or you will be punished with her.

⁵For her sins are piled as high as heaven,

and God remembers her evil deeds.

⁶Do to her as she has done to others.

Double her penalty for all her evil deeds.

She brewed a cup of terror for others,

so brew twice as much for her.

⁷She glorified herself and lived in luxury,

so match it now with torment and sorrow.

She boasted in her heart,

‘I am queen on my throne.

I am no helpless widow,

and I have no reason to mourn.’

⁸Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day—

death and mourning and famine.

She will be completely consumed by fire,

for the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”

⁹And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains. ¹⁰They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out,

“How terrible, how terrible for you,

O Babylon, you great city!

In a single moment

God’s judgment came on you.”

¹¹The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods. ¹²She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble. ¹³She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, wagons, and bodies—that is, human slaves.

¹⁴“The fancy things you loved so much

are gone,” they cry.

“All your luxuries and splendor

are gone forever,

never to be yours again.”

¹⁵The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will weep and cry out,

¹⁶“How terrible, how terrible for that great city!

She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens,

decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls!

¹⁷In a single moment

all the wealth of the city is gone!”

And all the captains of the merchant ships and their passengers and sailors and crews will stand at a distance. ¹⁸They will cry out as they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, “Where is there another city as great as this?” ¹⁹And they will weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out,

“How terrible, how terrible for that great city!

The shipowners became wealthy

by transporting her great wealth on the seas.

In a single moment it is all gone.”

²⁰Rejoice over her fate, O heaven

and people of God and apostles and prophets!

For at last God has judged her

for your sakes.

²¹Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted,

“Just like this, the great city Babylon

will be thrown down with violence

and will never be found again.

²²The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets

will never be heard in you again.

No craftsmen and no trades

will ever be found in you again.

The sound of the mill

will never be heard in you again.

²³The light of a lamp

will never shine in you again.

The happy voices of brides and grooms

will never be heard in you again.

For your merchants were the greatest in the world,

and you deceived the nations…

Read in Logos

This passage has been shortened. Keep reading Revelation 16–18 in Logos