Revelation 15-22

Worldwide English (New Testament)

15 I saw another big and wonderful thing in the sky. I saw seven angels who carried the seven big troubles. They are the last troubles. When these troubles have come, God's anger is ended. 2I saw something that looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire. And I saw those people who had won the fight against the beast, and its idol, and its mark, and the number of its name. They were standing on the sea of glass and they had the harps of God in their hands.

² They sing the song of Moses who is the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. They say, `Lord God who has all power, the things you do are great and wonderful! King for ever, your ways are right and true!

³ Who will not respect and honour you and praise your name, Lord? You are the only one who is holy. People from all countries will come and worship you because they have seen that you are right and fair.'

⁴ After this I looked. The temple in heaven was open. It was the place where God's agreement was kept.

⁵ The seven angels who carried the seven troubles came out of the temple. They were wearing linen clothes, clean and shining. Around their chests they wore gold belts.

⁶ One of the four living beings gave the angels seven gold bowls. The bowls were full of the anger of God who lives for ever and ever.

⁷ The temple was full of smoke because God is so great and has so much power. No one could go into the temple until the seven troubles, which the seven angels had, were ended.

16 I heard a loud voice coming from the temple. It said to the seven angels, `Go and pour the seven bowls of God's anger on the earth.'

² So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth. Then a bad, dirty sore came on the people who had the mark of the animal on them, and who worshipped its idol.

³ The second angel poured his bowl on the sea. It turned into blood like that of a person who has been killed. Everything in the sea that had life died.

⁴ The third angel poured his bowl on the rivers and the places where there was water. They turned into blood.

⁵ And I heard the angel of the water say, `Holy One, you who live now and who always have lived, and will live for ever; you are right because you have punished them this way.

⁶ They killed God's people and the prophets. Now you have given them blood to drink. This is what they should get!'

⁷ I heard the people under the altar say, `Yes, Lord God, you have all power! The way you punish is true and right!'

⁸ The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun. Then the sun was given the power to burn people with fire.

⁹ People were burned because the sun was so hot. And they spoke wrongly about the name of God, cursing him because he had the power to send these troubles. But they would not stop the wrong things they were doing. They would not respect and honour God.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast. The place where he ruled became dark. People bit their tongues because of the pain they had.

¹¹ They cursed God in heaven because of their pain and sores. But they did not stop the wrong things they were doing. They would not turn back to God.

¹² The sixth angel poured his bowl on the big river Euphrates. Its water dried up so that a road was made ready for the kings to come from the east.

¹³ I saw three bad spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the prophet who is not true.

¹⁴ They are the spirits of gods who are not true, and they do wonderful things. They go to the kings of the whole world and gather them to fight on the great day of God who has all power. (

¹⁵ `Look! I will come like a thief. The person who stays awake and dressed will be glad he did! He will not be without clothes and he will not be ashamed.')

¹⁶ They gathered at the place called Armageddon in the Hebrew language.

¹⁷ Then the seventh angel poured his bowl into the air. A loud voice came from the temple and the chair. It said, `It is finished!'

¹⁸ There were lightning's, loud noises, and thunder. The earth shook very much. It shook more than it had ever shaken since people have been on earth.

¹⁹ The big city was broken into three parts. And the cities of the nations fell down. God remembered Babylon, the big city. He made it feel all of his great anger.

²⁰ The islands all went away, and the mountains could not be seen.

²¹ Rain like big stones fell from the sky on men. Each stone weighed about a hundred pounds. Men cursed God because the big rain of stones fell on them. The trouble was very bad.

17 One of the seven angels who had carried the seven bowls came and talked to me. He said, `Come, and I will show you the woman who has given herself over to wrong ways of using sex. She is sitting over many waters. I will show you how she will be punished.

² The kings on earth have been with her and copied her. And the people on earth gladly copy her wrong ways.'

³ Then the angel took me away in the Spirit to a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a red beast that had names against God written all over it. It had seven heads and ten horns.

⁴ The woman was wearing blue and red clothes. She was shining with gold, fine stones, and pearls. In her hand she held a gold cup. It was full of the wrong things she did and of her dirty ways of using sex.

⁵ A name was written on her forehead. It has a secret meaning. The name is Great Babylon, the mother of all people who give their bodies for wrong ways of using sex. The mother of all things done on earth too bad to talk about.

⁶ And I saw the woman was drunk because of the blood she drank. It was the blood of God's people, and the blood of people who had been killed because they belonged to Jesus. When I saw her, I was very much surprised.

⁷ The angel asked me, `Why are you surprised? I will tell you the secret meaning of the woman and the beast with seven heads and horns that carries her.

⁸ `The beast that you saw was alive at one time, then it was dead. It will come up from the big hole that has no bottom and it will be killed. The people on earth will be surprised when they see the beast, because it was alive and then it was dead, and it comes alive again. These are the people who do not have their names written in the book of life from the time the world was made.

⁹ `To understand this, one must be wise. The seven heads are the seven hills on which the woman is sitting.

¹⁰ They are also seven kings. Five have already lost their power. One is ruling now, and the other one has not yet come. When he comes he will rule for a short time.

¹¹ The beast that was alive at the one time, and then was dead, is the eighth king. He is really one of the seven. He will be killed.

¹² The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet ruled. They will have power for one hour to rule with the animal.

¹³ These ten all think the same way, and they give to the beast their power and right to rule.

¹⁴ They will fight against the Lamb, but the Lamb will win the fight against them. He will win because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. `Those who are with the Lamb will also win. God has called them and chosen them, and they believe in him.'

¹⁵ And the angel said to me, `You saw the water on which the bad woman is sitting. The water is the many nations, many people, many countries, and many languages.

¹⁶ You saw the ten horns and the animal. They will hate the bad woman. They will take away everything she has and her fine clothes. They will eat her body and burn her up in a fire.

¹⁷ God has put it into their hearts to do what he wants done to her. They will all agree. They will give to the beast their power to rule until what God has said comes true.

¹⁸ `The woman whom you saw is the big city that rules over the kings on earth.'

18 After that I saw another angel coming down from the sky. He had much power. The bright light that shone from him lit up the earth.

² He called in a loud voice and said, `The big city of Babylon has fallen down! It has fallen down! Bad spirits live in it. All bad spirits hide there. And all kinds of dirty birds that people hate hide there.

³ All the nations are broken down because they are full of its wrong ways. The kings of the earth have joined with it. The traders of the earth have become rich because of its wrong ways.'

⁴ Then I heard another voice from the sky that said, `Come out of it, my people, so that you will have no part in the wrong things it does. Come out of it so that you will not have the big troubles it will have.

⁵ Its wrong ways are piled as high as the sky and God has remembered the wrong things it has done.

⁶ Do to it what it did to you. Yes, do two times as much to it as it did to you! From the cup it gave you to drink, give it two times as much to drink as it gave to you.

⁷ It is proud of itself and has done wrong things. Give it that much trouble and crying. It says in its heart, "I am like a queen. I am not like a woman who has lost her husband. I will never know sorrow."

⁸ So then, its big troubles will come in one day. Those troubles are death, crying, hunger, and being burned in a fire. The Lord who has punished it is strong.'

⁹ `And the kings of the earth were joined with it in its wrong ways. They will cry and be sad about it when they see the smoke while it burns.

¹⁰ They will stand far away from it because they are afraid of the trouble it is having. They will say, "Trouble! Trouble! You big, strong city Babylon! In one hour your punishment has come!"

¹¹ `And the traders of the earth will cry and be sad about it, because no one buys the things they bring to sell.

¹² They have many things to sell: gold, silver, fine stones, and pearls. They have linen clothes and blue cloth, silk cloth and red cloth. They have all kinds of sweet smelling wood. They have all kinds of things made of ivory. They have all kinds of things made of wood that costs much money, of brass, of iron, and of a stone called marble.

¹³ They have spices and perfume. They have incense and a sweet-smelling oil. They have frankincense and wine and oil. They have fine flour and wheat. They have cows, sheep, horses, and wagons. They have slaves and people to sell.

¹⁴ The things that your heart wanted are gone from you. All your fine food and clothes are gone from you. You will never find them again.

¹⁵ The traders will sell these things and got much money from the city. They will stand far away from it because they are afraid of the trouble it is having. They will cry and be sad about it.

¹⁶ They will say "How terrible for you, you big strong city! You were wearing linen clothes and purple and red clothes. You were shining with gold, fine stones, and pearls.

¹⁷ In one hour all your great riches are lost." `And all the captains of the boats and all the seamen, the sailors, and all that do business on the sea stood away from it.

¹⁸ They called out loud when they saw the smoke while it burned. They said, "What city is like that big city?"

¹⁹ They threw dust on their heads and they called out loud. They cried and were sad. They said, "How terrible for that big city! All the men who had boats on the sea became rich because it was rich. In one hour it is all lost."

²⁰ `Be glad for what has happened to it, all you who are in heaven, God's people, apostles and prophets. God has punished it for what it did to you!'

²¹ Then a strong angel took up a very heavy stone and threw it into the sea. He said, `So hard will Babylon the big city be thrown down. It will not be seen again.

²² People will not hear music in you again. No harps, no singing, no pipes or horns will ever be heard in you again. No one will make things in you again. The noise of people grinding grain will not be heard in you again.

²³ No lamp will shine in you again. No one will hear the voice of people being married. Your traders were the big people of the world. All the countries were fooled by your witch doctors.

²⁴ The blood of prophets and of God's people and of all who have been killed on earth was found in that city.'

19 After this I heard a loud sound in heaven. It sounded like many people calling. They said, `Praise our God! He saves people. He is great and power belongs to him.

² The way God punishes is true and right. He has punished the bad woman who spoiled the earth with her wrong ways. He has made her pay for the killing of his servants.'

³ They said again, `Praise God! The smoke where she burns goes up for ever and ever!'

⁴ Then the twenty-four leaders and the four living beings kneeled down. They worshipped God who was sitting on his throne, and they said, `Amen! Yes, it is so! Praise God!'

⁵ A voice from the throne said, `Praise our God, all his servants, all who respect and honour him: you who are great and you who are not great, praise him!'

⁶ Then I heard a sound in heaven. It sounded like many people and much water flowing and like loud thunder. They said, `Praise God! The Lord our God, who has all power, rules!

⁷ We will be glad and very happy! We will praise him. The time has come for the Lamb to marry. The woman who will marry him is ready.

⁸ She was given the right to wear fine linen, shining and clean.' The fine linen means the good things God's people have done.

⁹ The angel said to me, `Write this: God blesses those who are called to come to the wedding feast of the Lamb.' And he said to me, `These are the true words of God.'

¹⁰ Then I kneeled down in front of him to worship him. But he said to me, `You must not do that! I am only a servant like you and like your brothers who tell about Jesus. Worship God! Those who tell about Jesus have the spirit of a prophet.'

¹¹ Then I saw heaven open, and I saw a white horse! The One who rode him is called `One who can be Trusted' and `The True One'. He punishes and makes war in the right way.

¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire. On his head were many crowns. He had a name written on him, but no man knew what it was but he himself.

¹³ He wore clothes that had been dipped in blood. His name is `The Word of God'.

¹⁴ The armies of heaven followed him on white horses and they were dressed in fine linen, shining and clean.

¹⁵ A long knife or sword comes from his mouth. With it he will punish and control the people of the nations. He will rule them with an iron stick. He is like the winepress that presses the water out of the fruit. It is the place where God, who has all power, shows his great anger.

¹⁶ A name is written on his clothes and on his leg: it is King of kings, and Lord of lords.

¹⁷ I saw an angel standing in the sun. He called in a loud voice to all the birds that fly across the sky. He said, `Come, gather for God's big feast.

¹⁸ Come to eat the bodies of kings, the bodies of captains, the bodies of strong men, the bodies of horses and those who ride them, the bodies of all free men and of slaves, those who are great and those who are not great.'

¹⁹ I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies. They were gathered to fight against the One riding the horse and his army.

²⁰ Then the beast was caught and the prophet who is not true was caught. The prophet had done big works for the beast to see. By the things which he did, he had fooled the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped its idol. The beast and the prophet were thrown alive into the big fire which burns with dust that chokes people.

²¹ Their armies were killed by the man riding the horse. He killed them with the sword that came out of his mouth. All the birds ate all they wanted of their dead bodies.

20 Then I saw an angel coming down from the sky. In his hand he had the key to the big hole that has no bottom, and a big chain.

² He caught the dragon, that old snake who is called the devil and Satan. The angel tied him for a thousand years.

³ Then the angel threw him into the big hole that has no bottom. He shut it and locked him in. He did this so that the devil would not fool the nations again until the end of the thousand years. After that, the devil will be let free for a short time.

⁴ Then I saw thrones. Those who sat on them were given the right to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had their heads cut off because they told about Jesus and God's word. They had not worshipped the beast or its idol. And they had not taken its mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They became alive again and ruled with Christ for a thousand years.

⁵ The other dead people did not live again until the end of the thousand years. This is the first rising from death.

⁶ God has blessed those who rise this first time, and they are holy. They will not die the second kind of death. But they will be priests of God and of Christ. They will rule with him for the thousand years.

⁷ When the end of the thousand years comes, Satan will be set free from his prison.

⁸ He will go out to fool the nations all over the world. He will fool Gog and Magog. He will gather them to fight. They are many, as many as the sand on the seashore.

⁹ They marched far over the earth. They went all around the camp of God's people and the city his people loved. Then fire came down from the sky and burned them.

¹⁰ The devil who fooled them was thrown into the big fire which burns with dust that chokes people. The animal, and the prophet who is not true, were already in the fire. They will have a very hard time day and night, for ever and ever.

¹¹ Then I saw a big white throne and the person sitting on it. The earth and sky went away from him. They were not there any more.

¹² I saw the dead people, those who were great and those not great. They were standing in front of God's throne. Some books were opened. And another book was opened which is the book of life. The dead people were judged by the things they had done, which were written in the books.

¹³ The dead people in the sea came out. People came out of death and the world of the dead. One by one, each one was judged by the things he had done.

¹⁴ Then death and the world of the dead were thrown into the big fire. This fire is the second death.

¹⁵ Every person whose name was not written in the book of life was thrown into this big fire.

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had gone away. There was no sea any more.

² I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It was all ready and waiting, like a woman dressed for her wedding and ready to meet her husband.

³ I heard a loud voice in heaven. It said, `Look! God's house is now set up among the people. God will live with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them.

⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. No one will die. No one will ever cry or be sad for any reason. No one will ever have trouble. The old things are gone.'

⁵ The One who sat on the throne said, `Look, I make all things new.' And he said, `Write this, because these words can be trusted. they are true.'

⁶ He said to me, `It is finished! I am the First and the Last! I am the Beginning and the End. I will give the river of water that gives life to those who are thirsty. It will cost no money.

⁷ The one who wins will have these things. I will be his God and he will be my son.

⁸ Some people will be thrown into the big fire which burns with sulphur dust that chokes people. These are the people: those who give in to fear, those who do not believe, those who are bad, those who kill, those with wrong ways of using sex, the witch-doctors, those who worship idols, and all those who love lies. That fire is the second death.'

⁹ Then one of the seven angels who carried the seven bowls full of the last troubles came and talked to me. He said, `Come, I will show you the young woman who is the wife of the Lamb.'

¹⁰ The angel took me away in the Spirit to a very big hill. He showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God.

¹¹ The light of God was shining from it. It was bright like a very fine stone called jasper. It was as clear as glass.

¹² The city had a wall that was big and high. It had twelve doors. At the doors were twelve angels. Names were written on the doors. They are the names of the twelve tribes of the people of Israel.

¹³ There were three doors on the east side. There were three doors on the north side. There were three doors on the south side and three doors on the west side.

¹⁴ The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones. On them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

¹⁵ The angel who talked to me had a gold stick to measure the city, its doors, and its walls.

¹⁶ The city is square. It is as long as it is wide. The angel measured the city with his stick and it was about fifteen hundred miles. It is as long as it is wide and as high as it is long.

¹⁷ Then he measured its wall. It was two hundred and sixteen feet by the way a man measures. That is the way the angel measured.

¹⁸ The wall of the city was made of a very fine stone called jasper. The city was all made of pure gold. It was clear like glass.

¹⁹ The bottom of the city wall was covered with all kinds of fine stones. The first stone was red jasper. The second stone was blue sapphire. The third stone was of many colours called agate. The fourth stone was green emerald.

²⁰ The fifth stone was onyx. The sixth stone was red carnelian. The seventh stone was green crysolite. The eighth stone was green beryl. The ninth stone was yellow topaz. The tenth stone was green chrysoprase. The eleventh stone was red jacinth. And the twelfth stone was a blue amethyst.

²¹ The twelve doors were twelve pearls. Each door was made from one big pearl. The street of the city was all pure gold. It was as clear as glass.

²² I did not see any temple in the city. The Lord God, who has all power, and the Lamb, are its temple.

²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to give light in it. The glory of God gives light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

²⁴ Those who are saved will walk in its light. The kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

²⁵ The doors of the city will never be shut in the day time, and there will be no night.

²⁶ The glory and the honour of all nations will be brought into the city.

²⁷ Nothing that is not holy will ever go in. People who do wrong things and tell lies will never go in. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life will go in.

22 Then the angel showed me a river of the water which gives life. It was as clear as glass. It flows from the throne of God and the Lamb.

² It flows through the middle of the street of the city. On each side of the river is the tree which gives life. It has twelve kinds of fruit, and it bears its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree could heal the people of all nations.

³ Nothing that God hates will be in the city any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be there. And his servants will serve him.

⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

⁵ There will be no night there. They do not need the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun. The Lord God will give them light. They will rule for ever and ever.

⁶ Then the angel said to me, `These words can be trusted. They are true. The Lord God who gave his Spirit to the prophets has sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.'

⁷ `Look! I will come soon!' God will bless the person who obeys the words in this book.

⁸ I, John, heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them I kneeled down to worship in front of the angel who showed them to me.

⁹ But He said to me, `You must not do that. I am only a servant like you and your brothers, the prophets, and those who obey the words of this book. Worship God.'

¹⁰ The angel said to me, `Do not keep secret the words of God's message in this book. The time is near.

¹¹ Let the bad man keep on doing wrong things. Let the person who does dirty things, keep on being dirty. Let the good person keep on doing what is good. Let the holy person keep on being holy.'

¹² `Look, I will come soon! When I come, I will pay every man for what he has done.

¹³ I am the First and the Last. I am the Beginning and the End.'

¹⁴ God will bless the people who do what he says and keep themselves pure and clean. They can eat fruit from the tree that gives life. And they can go through the doors into the city.

¹⁵ Outside the city are the dirty people, and the witch-doctors, and those with wrong ways of using sex, those who kill people, those who worship idols, and all those who like lies and tell them.

¹⁶ `I, Jesus, have sent my angel to tell these things to you in the churches. I am the root and the branch of David. I am the bright star in the morning.'

¹⁷ The Spirit and the Lamb's wife say, `Come.' He who hears should say, `Come.' He who is thirsty should come. Anyone who wishes should drink the water that gives life. It costs no money.

¹⁸ I am talking to everyone who hears the words of God's message in this book. If any one adds anything to this book, God will add to him the troubles that are written in this book.

¹⁹ If any one takes away any of the words of God's message, God will take away from him his share of the tree which gives life and the holy city. This book tells about them.

²⁰ He who shows these things says, `Yes, I will come soon.' Amen, Lord Jesus, come!

²¹ May the love and mercy of the Lord Jesus bless you all. Amen.