John's Story (32 page)

⁶
Before the throne
there was
a
a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne,
were
four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
⁷
The 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.
⁸
The
four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

“Holy, holy, holy,
a

Lord God Almighty,

Who was and is and is to come!”

⁹
Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
¹⁰
the 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 are worthy, O Lord,
a

To receive glory and honor and power;

For You created all things,

And by Your will they exist
b
and were created.”

The Lamb Takes the Scroll

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

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

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

Worthy Is the Lamb

⁸
Now when He had taken the scroll, the 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 prayers of the saints.
⁹
And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll,

And to open its seals;

For You were slain,

And have redeemed us to God by Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

¹⁰
And have made us
a
kings
b
and priests to our God;

And we
c
shall reign on the earth.”

¹¹
Then 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,

¹²
saying 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!”

¹³
And every 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:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

Be
to Him who sits on the throne,

And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
a

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

First Seal: The Conqueror

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

Second Seal: Conflict on Earth

³
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”
a
⁴
Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take 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

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

Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth

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

Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs

⁹
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
¹⁰
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
¹¹
Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that 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

¹²
I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold,
a
there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon
b
became like blood.
¹³
And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
¹⁴
Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
¹⁵
And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders,
a
the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,

¹⁶
and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
¹⁷
For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

The Sealed of Israel

7
After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
²
Then 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,
³
saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
⁴
And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred
and
forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel
were
sealed:

⁵
of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand
were
sealed;
a

of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand
were
sealed;

of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand
were
sealed;

⁶
of 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;

⁷
of 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;

⁸
of 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

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

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,

Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,

Be
to our God forever and ever.

Amen.”

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

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

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

Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets

8
When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
²
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
³
Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer
it
with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
⁴
And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’ shand.
⁵
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw
it
to the earth. And there were noises, thunder ings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

⁶
So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

First Trumpet: Vegetation Struck

⁷
The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth.
a
And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

Second Trumpet: The Seas Struck

⁸
Then the second angel sounded: And
something
like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.
⁹
And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck

¹⁰
Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
¹¹
The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.

Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck

¹²
Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.

¹³
And I looked, and I heard an angel
a
flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”