John's Story (33 page)

Fifth Trumpet: The Locusts from the Bottomless Pit

9
Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.
²
And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.
³
Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
⁴
They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
⁵
And they were not given
authority
to kill them, but to torment them
for
five months. Their torment
was
like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.
⁶
In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

⁷
The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces
were
like the faces of men.
⁸
They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’
teeth.
⁹
And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings
was
like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.
¹⁰
They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power
was
to hurt men five months.
¹¹
And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew
is
Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

¹²
One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.

Sixth Trumpet: The Angels from the Euphrates

¹³
Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
¹⁴
saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
¹⁵
So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.
¹⁶
Now the number of the army of the horsemen
was
two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
¹⁷
And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses
were
like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.
¹⁸
By these three
plagues
a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.
¹⁹
For their power
a
is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails
are
like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.

²⁰
But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.
²¹
And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries
a
or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

The Mighty Angel with the Little Book

10
I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow
was
on his head, his face
was
like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.
²
He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and
his
left
foot
on the land,
³
and cried with a loud voice, as
when
a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.
⁴
Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices,
a
I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me,
b
“Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”

⁵
The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand
a
to heaven
⁶
and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer,
⁷
but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

John Eats the Little Book

⁸
Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”

⁹
So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”

And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

¹⁰
Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
¹¹
And he
a
said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

The Two Witnesses

11
Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood,
a
saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.
²
But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot
for
forty-two months.
³
And I will give
power
to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God
a
of the earth.
⁵
And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.
⁶
These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

The Witnesses Killed

⁷
When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.
⁸
And their dead bodies
will lie
in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our
a
Lord was crucified.
⁹
Then
those
from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow
a
their dead bodies to be put into graves.
¹⁰
And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

The Witnesses Resurrected

¹¹
Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.
¹²
And they
a
heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.
¹³
In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴
The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed

¹⁵
Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms
a
of this world have become
the kingdoms
of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
¹⁶
And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God,
¹⁷
saying:

“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,

The One who is and who was and who is to come,
a

Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
¹⁸

The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,

And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,

And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,

And those who fear Your name, small and great,

And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant
a
was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

12
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
²
Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

³
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.
⁴
His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
⁵
She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
⁶
Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

Satan Thrown Out of Heaven

⁷
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
⁸
but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them
a
in heaven any longer.
⁹
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

¹⁰
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
¹¹
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
¹²
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

The Woman Persecuted

¹³
Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male
Child.
¹⁴
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
¹⁵
So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
¹⁶
But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
¹⁷
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
a

The Beast from the Sea

13
Then I
a
stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns,
b
and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.
²
Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like
the feet of
a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.
³
And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
⁴
So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who
is
like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

⁵
And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue
a
for forty-two months.
⁶
Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.
⁷
It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe,
a
tongue, and nation.
⁸
All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.