The Woman, Israel

12 And a great sign [warning of an ominous and frightening future event] appeared in heaven: a ^[a]woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ² She was with child (the Messiah) and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.^(A)

The Red Dragon, Satan

³ Then another sign [of warning] was seen in heaven: behold, a great fiery red dragon (Satan) with ^[b]seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven royal crowns (diadems).^{(B) 4} And his tail swept [across the sky] and dragged away a third of the stars of heaven and flung them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.^(C)

The Male Child, Christ

⁵ And she gave birth to a Son, a male Child, who is destined to rule (shepherd) all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was ^[c]caught up to God and to His throne.^{(D) 6} Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that she would be nourished there for a thousand two hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years).

The Angel, Michael

⁷ And war broke out in heaven, Michael [the archangel] and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, ⁸ but they were not strong enough and did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.^{(E) 9} And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the ^[d]devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.^{(F) 10} Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,

“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom (dominion, reign) of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come; for the ^[e]accuser of our [believing] brothers and sisters has been thrown down [at last], he who accuses them and keeps bringing charges [of sinful behavior] against them before our God day and night.^{(G) 11} And they overcame and conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, for they did not love their life and renounce their faith even when faced with death.^{(H) 12} Therefore rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them [in the presence of God]. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you in great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time [remaining]!”^(I)

¹³ And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male Child. ¹⁴ But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time (three and one-half years), away from the presence of the serpent (Satan).^{(J) 15} And the serpent hurled water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had hurled out of his mouth.^{(K) 17} So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went off to wage war on the rest of her children (seed), those who keep and obey the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus [holding firmly to it and bearing witness to Him].

The Beast from the Sea

13 And the ^[f]dragon (Satan) stood on the sandy shore of the sea.^(L)

Then I saw a [vicious] beast coming up out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten royal ^[g]crowns (diadems), and on his heads were blasphemous names. ² And the beast that I saw resembled a ^[h]leopard, but his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth was like that of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. ³ I saw one of his heads which seemed to have a fatal wound, but his fatal wound was healed; and the entire earth followed after the beast in amazement. ⁴ They fell down and worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; they also worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like (as great as) the beast, and who is able to wage war against him?” ⁵ And the beast was given a mouth (the power of speech), uttering great things and arrogant and blasphemous words, and he was given freedom and authority to act and to do as he pleased for ^[i]forty-two months (three and a half years).^{(M) 6} And he opened his mouth to speak blasphemies (abusive speech, slander) against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, and those who live in heaven.

⁷ He was also ^[j]permitted to wage war against the saints (God’s people) and to overcome them, and authority and power over every tribe and people and language and nation.^{(N) 8} All the inhabitants of the earth will fall down and worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb who has been slain [as a willing sacrifice]. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ¹⁰ If anyone is destined for captivity, he will go into captivity; if anyone kills with a sword, he must be killed with a sword. Here is [the call for] the patient endurance and the faithfulness of the saints [which is seen in the response of God’s people to difficult times].^(O)

The Beast from the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw ^[k]another beast rising up out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke like a dragon.^{(P) 12} He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence [when the two are together]. And he makes the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. ¹³ He performs great signs (awe-inspiring acts), even making fire fall from the sky to the earth, right before peoples’ eyes. ¹⁴ And he deceives those [unconverted ones] who inhabit the earth [into believing him] because of the signs which he is given [by Satan] to perform in the presence of the [first] beast, telling those who inhabit the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded [fatally] by the sword and has come back to life.^{(Q) 15} And he is given power to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast will even [appear to] speak, and cause those who do not bow down and worship the image of the beast to be put to death.^{(R) 16} Also he compels all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead [signifying allegiance to the beast], ¹⁷ and that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. ¹⁸ Here is wisdom. Let the person who has enough insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the [imperfect] number of a man; ^[l]and his number is ^[m]six hundred and sixty-six.

The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion

14 Then I looked, and this is what I saw: the Lamb stood [firmly established] on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had His name and His Father’s name inscribed on their foreheads [signifying God’s own possession].^{(S) 2} And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of great waters and like the rumbling of mighty thunder; and the voice that I heard [seemed like music and] was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. ³ And they sang a new song before the throne [of God] and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased (ransomed, redeemed) from the earth.^{(T) 4} These are the ones who have not been defiled [by relations] with women, for they are celibate. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased and redeemed from among men [of Israel] as the first fruits [sanctified and set apart for special service] for God and the Lamb.^{(U) 5} No lie was found in their mouth, for they are blameless (spotless, untainted, beyond reproach).

The Angel with the Gospel

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an ^[n]eternal gospel to preach to the inhabitants of the earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people;^{(V) 7} and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God [with awe and reverence], and give Him glory [and honor and praise in worship], because the hour of His judgment has come; [with all your heart] worship Him who created the heaven and the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

Doom for Proud Babylon

⁸ Then another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality [corrupting them with idolatry].”^(W)

Doom for Worshipers of the Beast

⁹ Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “Whoever worships the beast and his image and receives the mark [of the beast] on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he too will [have to] drink of the wine of the wrath of God, ^[o]mixed undiluted into the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone (flaming sulfur) in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb (Christ).^{(X) 11} And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night—those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”^{(Y) 12} Here is [encouragement for] the steadfast endurance of the saints (God’s people), those who habitually keep God’s commandments and their faith in Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard [the distinct words of] a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘^[p]Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes, [blessed indeed],” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest and have relief from their labors, for their deeds do follow them.”

The Reapers

¹⁴ Again I looked, and this is what I saw: a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a crown of gold on His head and a sharp sickle [of swift judgment] in His hand.^{(Z) 15} And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to Him who was sitting upon the cloud, “Put in Your sickle and reap [at once], for the hour to reap [in judgment] has arrived, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripened.”^{(AA) 16} So He who was sitting on the cloud cast His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped (judged).

¹⁷ Then another angel came out of the temple (sanctuary) in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ And another angel came from the altar, the one who has power over fire; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and reap the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe [for judgment].”^{(AB) 19} So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and harvested the grapevine of the earth, and threw the grapes into the great wine press of the wrath and indignation of God [as judgment of the rebellious world].^{(AC) 20} And the grapes in the wine press were trampled and crushed outside the city, and blood poured from the wine press, reaching up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of ^[q]sixteen hundred stadia.^(AD)

A Scene of Heaven

15 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and wonderful [a warning of terrifying and horrible events]: seven angels who had seven plagues (afflictions, calamities), which are the last, because with them the wrath of God is finished [that is, it is completely expressed and reaches its zenith].^(AE)

² Then I saw something like a sea or large expanse of glass mixed with fire, and those who were victorious over the beast and over his image and over the number corresponding to his name were standing on the sea or large expanse of glass, holding harps of God [worshiping Him].^{(AF) 3} And they ^[r]sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and wonderful and awe-inspiring are Your works [in judgment],

⁵ After these things I looked, and the temple (sanctuary) of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened, ⁶ and the seven angels who had the seven plagues (afflictions, calamities) came out of the temple, arrayed in linen, pure and gleaming, and wrapped around their chests were golden sashes. ⁷ Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath and indignation of God, who lives forever and ever.^{(AI) 8} And the temple was filled with ^[t]smoke from the glory and radiance and splendor of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.^(AJ)

Six Bowls of Wrath

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath and indignation of God.”^(AK)

² So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and loathsome and malignant sores came on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.^(AL)

³ The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a corpse [foul and disgusting]; and every living ^[u]thing in the sea died.

⁴ Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water; and they turned into blood.^{(AM) 5} And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous and just are You, Who are and Who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; ⁶ for they have poured out the blood of the saints (God’s people) and the prophets, and You [in turn] have given them blood to drink. They deserve Your judgment.”^{(AN) 7} And I heard [another from] the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all], Your judgments are true and fair and righteous.”^(AO)

⁸ Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch humanity with [raging] fire. ⁹ People were [severely] burned by the great heat; and they reviled the name of God who has power over these plagues, but they did not repent [of their sin] and glorify Him.

¹⁰ Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness; and people gnawed their tongues because of the pain [of their excruciating anguish and severe torment],^{(AP) 11} and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their anguish and their sores (abscesses, boils); and they did not repent of what they had done nor hate their wickedness.

¹² Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for [the coming of] the kings from ^[v]the east.^(AQ)

Armageddon

¹³ And I saw three loathsome spirits like frogs, leaping from the mouth of the dragon (Satan) and from the mouth of the beast (Antichrist, dictator) and from the mouth of the false prophet;^{(AR) 14} for they are [actually] the spirits of demons, performing [miraculous] signs. And they go out to the kings of the entire inhabited earth, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. ¹⁵ (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. ^[w]Blessed is he who ^[x]stays awake and who keeps his clothes [that is, stays spiritually ready for the Lord’s return], so that he will not be naked—spiritually unprepared—and men will not see his shame.”)^{(AS) 16} And they (demons) gathered the kings and armies of the world together at the place which in Hebrew is called ^[y]Har-Magedon (Armageddon).

Seventh Bowl of Wrath

¹⁷ Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne [of God], saying, “It is done. [It is all over, it is all accomplished, it has come.]” ¹⁸ And there were flashes of lightning and loud rumblings and peals of thunder; and there was a massive earthquake—nothing like it has ever occurred since mankind originated on the earth, so severe and far-reaching was that earthquake.^{(AT) 19} The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And God kept in mind Babylon the great, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce and furious wrath. ²⁰ Then every island fled away, and no mountains could be found. ²¹ And giant hailstones, as heavy as a ^[z]talent, fell from the sky on the people; and people reviled and spoke abusively of God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so very great.^(AU)

The Doom of Babylon

17 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment and doom of the great ^[aa]prostitute who is seated ^[ab]on many waters [influencing nations],^{(AV) 2} she with whom the kings of the earth have ^[ac]committed acts of immorality, and the inhabitants of the earth have become intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”^{(AW) 3} And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was ^[ad]entirely covered with blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.^{(AX) 4} The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls, [and she was] holding in her hand a gold cup full of the abominations and the filth of her [sexual] immorality.^{(AY) 5} And on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES (false religions, heresies) AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” ⁶ I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints (God’s people), and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus [who were martyred]. When I saw her, I wondered in amazement. ⁷ But the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.

⁸ “The beast that you saw was [once], but [now] is not, and he is about to come up out of the abyss (the bottomless pit, the dwelling place of demons) and go to destruction (perdition). And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, will be astonished when they see the beast, because he was and is not and is yet to come [to earth].^{(AZ) 9} Here is the mind which has wisdom [and this is what it knows about the vision]. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits; ¹⁰ and they are seven kings: five of whom have fallen, one exists and is reigning; the other [the seventh] has not yet come, and when he does come, he must remain a little while. ¹¹ And the beast that [once] was but is not, is himself also an eighth king and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction (perdition). ¹² The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but [together] they receive authority as kings for a single hour [for a common purpose] along with the beast.^{(BA) 13} These [kings] have one purpose [one mind, one common goal], and they give their power and authority to the beast.

Victory for the Lamb

¹⁴ They will wage war against the Lamb (Christ), and the Lamb will triumph and conquer them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him and on His side are the called and chosen (elect) and faithful.”^(BB)

¹⁵ Then the angel said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. ¹⁶ And the ten horns which you saw, and the ^[ae]beast, these will hate the prostitute and will make her desolate and naked [stripped of her power and influence], and will eat her flesh and completely consume her with fire. ¹⁷ For God has put it in their hearts to carry out His purpose by ^[af]agreeing together to surrender their kingdom to the beast, until the [prophetic] words of God will be fulfilled. ¹⁸ The woman whom you saw is the ^[ag]great city, which reigns over and dominates and controls the kings and the political leaders of the earth.”

Babylon Is Fallen

18 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, possessing great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his splendor and radiance.^{(BC) 2} And he shouted with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen [certainly to be destroyed] is ^[ah]Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a dungeon haunted by every unclean spirit, and a prison for every unclean and loathsome bird. ³ For all the nations have drunk from the wine of the passion of her [sexual] immorality, and the kings and political leaders of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth and economic power of her sensuous luxury.”^(BD)

⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not be a partner in her sins and receive her plagues;^{(BE) 5} for her sins (crimes, transgressions) have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her wickedness and crimes [for judgment].^{(BF) 6} Repay to her even as she has repaid others, and pay back [to her] double [her torment] in accordance with what she has done; in the cup [of sin and suffering] which she mixed, mix a double portion [of perfect justice] for her.^{(BG) 7} To the degree that she glorified herself and reveled and gloated in her sensuality [living deliciously and luxuriously], to that same degree impose on her torment and anguish, and mourning and grief; for in her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as a queen [on a throne] and I am not a widow, and will never, ever see mourning or experience grief.’^{(BH) 8} For this reason in a single day her plagues (afflictions, calamities) will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire and completely consumed; for strong and powerful is the Lord God who judges her.

Laments for Babylon

⁹ “^[ai]And the kings and political leaders of the earth, who committed immorality and lived luxuriously with her, will weep and beat their chests [in mourning] over her when they see the smoke of her burning,^{(BI) 10} standing a long way off, in fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, the strong city, Babylon! In a single hour your judgment has come.’

¹¹ “And merchants of the earth will weep and grieve over her, because no one buys their cargo (goods, merchandise) anymore—^{(BJ) 12} cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet; all kinds of citron (scented) wood and every article of ivory and every article of very costly and lavish wood and bronze and iron and marble;^{(BK) 13} and cinnamon and spices and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat; of cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and carriages; and of slaves and human lives. ¹⁴ The ripe fruits and delicacies of your soul’s desire have gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and extravagant are lost to you, never again to be found. ¹⁵ The merchants who handled these articles, who grew wealthy from [their business with] her, will stand a long way off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, ¹⁶ saying, ‘Woe, woe, for the great city that was robed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, gilded and adorned with gold, with precious stones, and with pearls;^{(BL) 17} because in one hour all the vast wealth has been laid waste.’ And every ship captain or navigator, and every ^[aj]passenger and sailor, and all who make their living by the sea, stood a long way off,^{(BM) 18} and exclaimed as they watched the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What could be compared to the great city?’ ¹⁹ And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich from her great wealth, because in one hour she has been laid waste!’^{(BN) 20} Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints (God’s people) and apostles and prophets [who were martyred], because God has executed vengeance for you [through righteous judgment] upon her.”^(BO)

The Divine Sentence upon Babylon

²¹ Then a single powerful angel picked up a boulder like a great millstone and flung it into the sea, saying, “With such violence will Babylon the great city be hurled down [by the sudden, spectacular judgment of God], and will never again be found.^{(BP) 22} And the sound of harpists and musicians and flutists and trumpeters will never again be heard in you, and no skilled artisan of any craft will ever again be found in you, and the sound of the millstone [grinding grain] will never again be heard in you [for commerce will no longer flourish, and normal life will cease].^{(BQ) 23} And never again will the light of a lamp shine in you, and never again will the voice of the bridegroom and bride be heard in you; for your merchants were the great and prominent men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived and misled by your sorcery [your magic spells and poisonous charm]. ²⁴ And in Babylon was found the blood of prophets and of saints (God’s people) and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth.”^(BR)