John's Story (35 page)

¹²
“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.
¹³
These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.
¹⁴
These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those
who are
with Him
are
called, chosen, and faithful.”

¹⁵
Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.
¹⁶
And the ten horns which you saw on
a
the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
¹⁷
For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
¹⁸
And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

The Fall of Babylon the Great

18
After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.
²
And he cried mightily
a
with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
³
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”

⁴
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
⁵
For her sins have reached
a
to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
⁶
Render to her just as she rendered to you,
a
and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.
⁷
In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit
as
queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’
⁸
Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong
is
the Lord God who judges
a
her.

The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall

⁹
“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning,
¹⁰
standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’

¹¹
“And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:
¹²
merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
¹³
and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.
¹⁴
The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you,
a
and you shall find them no more at all.
¹⁵
The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
¹⁶
and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
¹⁷
For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance
¹⁸
and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What
is
like this great city?’

¹⁹
“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’

²⁰
“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and
you
holy apostles
a
and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”

Finality of Babylon’s Fall

²¹
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw
it
into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.
²²
The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore.
²³
The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.
²⁴
And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.”

Heaven Exults over Babylon

19
After these things I heard
a
a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power
belong
to the Lord
b
our God!
²
For true and righteous
are
His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants
shed
by her.”
³
Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!”
⁴
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!”
⁵
Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both
a
small and great!”

⁶
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the
a
Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
⁷
Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
⁸
And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

⁹
Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed
are
those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
¹⁰
And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See
that you do
not
do that!
I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Christ on a White Horse

¹¹
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him
was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
¹²
His eyes
were
like a flame of fire, and on His head
were
many crowns. He had
a
a name written that no one knew except Himself.
¹³
He
was
clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
¹⁴
And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,
a
followed Him on white horses.
¹⁵
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp
a
sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
¹⁶
And He has on
His
robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

The Beast and His Armies Defeated

¹⁷
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,
a
¹⁸
that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all
people,
free
a
and slave, both small and great.”

¹⁹
And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
²⁰
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
²¹
And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Satan Bound 1000 Years

20
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
²
He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is
the
Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
³
and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

The Saints Reign with Christ 1000 Years

⁴
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then
I saw
the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received
his
mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a
a
thousand years.
⁵
But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This
is
the first resurrection.
⁶
Blessed and holy
is
he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Satanic Rebellion Crushed

⁷
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison
⁸
and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number
is
as the sand of the sea.
⁹
They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
¹⁰
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where
a
the beast and the false prophet
are.
And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Great White Throne Judgment

¹¹
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
¹²
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,
a
and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is
the Book
of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
¹³
The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
¹⁴
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
a
¹⁵
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

All Things Made New

21
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
²
Then I, John,
a
saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
³
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God
is
with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them
and be
their God.
⁴
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”