Monday, August 15, 2016
Revelation 19 NLT
Revelation 19 NLT
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and let
us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
and his bride has prepared herself.
8 She has been given the finest of pure
white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s
holy people.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write
this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And
he added, “These are true words that come from God.”
10Then I fell down at his feet to worship
him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you
and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship
only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus. ”
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white
horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges
fairly and wages a righteous war.
12 His eyes were like flames of fire,
and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one
understood except himself.
13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and
his title was the Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the
finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.
15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to
strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release
the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.
16 On his robe at his thigh was written
this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the
sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together
for the great banquet God has prepared.
18 Come and eat the flesh of kings,
generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity,
both free and slave, small and great.”
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of
the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting
on the horse and his army.
20 And the beast was captured, and with
him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles
that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his
statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery
lake of burning sulfur.
21 Their entire army was
killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white
horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodiesSunday, August 14, 2016
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Revelation 17 thru 19:5
Babylon: The Great Prostitute (17:1;19:5)
Revelation 17 NLT
1 One of the seven angels who had
poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. “Come with me,” he said,
“and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great
prostitute, who rules over many waters.
2 The kings of the world have committed
adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk
by the wine of her immorality.”
3 So the angel took me in the Spirit
into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had
seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over
it.
4 The woman wore purple and scarlet
clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In
her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her
immorality.
5 A mysterious name was written on her
forehead: “Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the
World.”
6 I could see that she was drunk—drunk
with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at
her in complete amazement.
7 “Why are you so amazed?” the angel
asked. “I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven
heads and ten horns on which she sits.
8 The beast you saw was once alive but
isn’t now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit and go to
eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this world, whose names were
not written in the Book of Life before the world was made, will be amazed at
the reappearance of this beast who had died.
9“This calls for a mind with understanding:
The seven heads of the beast represent the seven hills where the woman rules.
They also represent seven kings.
10 Five kings have already fallen, the
sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief.
11 “The scarlet beast that was, but is
no longer, is the eighth king. He is like the other seven, and he, too, is
headed for destruction.
12 The ten horns of the beast are ten
kings who have not yet risen to power. They will be appointed to their kingdoms
for one brief moment to reign with the beast.
13 They will all agree to give him their
power and authority.
14 Together they will go to war against
the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and
King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with
him.”
15Then the angel said to me, “The waters
where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and
language.
16 The scarlet beast and his ten horns
all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her
remains with fire.
17 For God has put a plan into their
minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes. They will agree to give their
authority to the scarlet beast, and so the words of God will be fulfilled.
18 And this woman you
saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the
world.”
Revelation 18 NLT
1 After all this I saw another angel
come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his
splendor.
2 He gave a mighty shout: “Babylon is
fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a
hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul
and dreadful animal.
3 For all the nations have fallen
because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have
committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the
merchants of the world have grown rich.”
4 Then I heard another voice calling
from heaven, “Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or
you will be punished with her.
5 For her sins are piled as high as
heaven, and God remembers her evil deeds.
6 Do to her as she has done to others.
Double her penalty for all her evil deeds. She brewed a cup of terror for
others, so brew twice as much for her.
7 She glorified herself and lived in
luxury, so match it now with torment and sorrow. She boasted in her heart, ‘I
am queen on my throne. I am no helpless widow, and I have no reason to mourn.’
8 Therefore, these plagues will
overtake her in a single day— death and mourning and famine. She will be
completely consumed by fire, for the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”
9 And the kings of the world who
committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as
they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.
10 They will stand at a distance,
terrified by her great torment. They will cry out, “How terrible, how terrible
for you, O Babylon, you great city! In a single moment God’s judgment came
on you.”
11 The merchants of the world will weep
and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.
12 She bought great quantities of gold,
silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things
made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood;
and bronze, iron, and marble.
13 She also bought cinnamon, spice,
incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle,
sheep, horses, wagons, and bodies—that is, human slaves.
14 “The fancy things you loved so much
are gone,” they cry. “All your luxuries and splendor are gone forever, never to
be yours again.”
15 The merchants who became wealthy by
selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great
torment. They will weep and cry out,
16 “How terrible, how terrible for that
great city! She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens, decked out
with gold and precious stones and pearls!
17 In a single moment all the wealth of
the city is gone!” And all the captains of the merchant ships and their
passengers and sailors and crews will stand at a distance.
18 They will cry out as they watch the
smoke ascend, and they will say, “Where is there another city as great as
this?”
19 And they will weep and throw dust on
their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out, “How terrible, how
terrible for that great city! The shipowners became wealthy by transporting her
great wealth on the seas. In a single moment it is all gone.”
20 Rejoice over her fate, O heaven
and people of God and apostles and prophets! For at last God has judged her for
your sakes.
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a
boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted,
“Just like this, the great city Babylon will be thrown down with violence and
will never be found again.
22 The sound of harps, singers, flutes,
and trumpets will never be heard in you again. No craftsmen and no trades will
ever be found in you again. The sound of the mill will never be heard in you
again.
23 The light of a lamp will never shine
in you again. The happy voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you
again. For your merchants were the greatest in the world, and you deceived the
nations with your sorceries.
24 In your streets
flowed the blood of the prophets and of God’s holy people and the blood of
people slaughtered all over the world.”
Revelation 19 NLT
1 After this, I heard what sounded like
a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the LORD ! Salvation and glory and
power belong to our God.
2 His judgments are true and just. He
has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality.
He has avenged the murder of his servants.”
3 And again their voices rang out:
“Praise the LORD ! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!”
4 Then the twenty-four elders and the
four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne.
They cried out, “Amen! Praise the LORD !”
5 And from the throne came a voice that
said, “Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to
the greatest.”
Friday, August 12, 2016
Revelation 15 and 16
The Seven Bowls (chs. 15-16)
- Introduction: The Song of Moses and the Seven Angels with the Seven Plagues (ch. 15)
- First Bowl: Ugly and Painful Sores (16:1-2)
- Second Bowl: Sea Turns to Blood (16:3)
- Third Bowl: Rivers and Springs of Water Become Blood (16:4-7)
- Fourth Bowl: Sun Scorches People with Fire (16:8-9)
- Fifth Bowl: Darkness (16:10-11)
- Sixth Bowl: Euphrates River Dries Up (16:12-16)
- Seventh Bowl: Tremendous Earthquake (16:17-21)
Revelation 15 NLT
1 Then I saw in heaven another
marvelous event of great significance. Seven angels were holding the seven last
plagues, which would bring God’s wrath to completion.
2 I saw before me what seemed to be a
glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been
victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name.
They were all holding harps that God had given them.
3 And they were singing the song of
Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are
your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations.
4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and
glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship
before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.”
5 Then I looked and saw that the Temple
in heaven, God’s Tabernacle, was thrown wide open.
6 The seven angels who were holding the
seven plagues came out of the Temple. They were clothed in spotless white linen
with gold sashes across their chests.
7 Then one of the four living beings
handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the wrath of God, who
lives forever and ever.
8 The Temple was
filled with smoke from God’s glory and power. No one could enter the Temple
until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues.
Revelation 16 NLT
1 Then I heard a mighty voice from the
Temple say to the seven angels, “Go your ways and pour out on the earth the
seven bowls containing God’s wrath.”
2 So the first angel left the Temple
and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out
on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.
3 Then the second angel poured out his
bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in
the sea died.
4Then the third angel poured out his bowl on
the rivers and springs, and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel who had
authority over all water saying, “You are just, O Holy One, who is and who
always was, because you have sent these judgments.
6 Since they shed the blood of your
holy people and your prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is their
just reward.”
7 And I heard a voice from the altar,
saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, your judgments are true and just.”
8 Then the fourth angel poured out his
bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire.
9Everyone was burned by this blast of heat,
and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They
did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory.
10 Then the fifth angel poured out his
bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His
subjects ground their teeth in anguish,
11 and they cursed the God of heaven for
their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to
God.
12Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on
the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east
could march their armies toward the west without hindrance.
13 And I saw three evil spirits that
looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false
prophet.
14 They are demonic spirits who work
miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle
against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.
15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as
a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready
so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”
16 And the demonic spirits gathered all
the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name.
17 Then the seventh angel poured out his
bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple,
saying, “It is finished!”
18 Then the thunder crashed and rolled,
and lightning flashed. And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people
were placed on the earth.
19The great city of Babylon split into three
sections, and the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble. So God
remembered all of Babylon’s sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled
with the wine of his fierce wrath.
20 And every island disappeared, and all
the mountains were leveled.
21 There was a
terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing as much as seventy-five pounds fell
from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the terrible
plague of the hailstorm.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Revelation 12 thru 14
Various Personages and Events (chs. 12-14)
- The Woman and the Dragon (ch. 12)
- The Two Beasts (ch. 13)
- The Lamb and the 144,000 (14:1-5)
- The Harvest of the Earth (14:6-20)
Revelation 12 NLT
1 Then I witnessed in heaven an event
of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon
beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
2 She was pregnant, and she cried out
because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth.
3 Then I witnessed in heaven another
significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns,
with seven crowns on his heads.
4 His tail swept away one-third of the
stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the
woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it
was born.
5 She gave birth to a son who was to
rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the
dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the
wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days.
7Then there was war in heaven. Michael and
his angels fought against the dragon and his angels.
8 And the dragon lost the battle, and
he and his angels were forced out of heaven.
9 This great dragon—the ancient serpent
called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down
to the earth with all his angels.
10 Then I heard a loud voice shouting
across the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom
of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers
and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our
God day and night.
11And they have defeated him by the blood of
the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that
they were afraid to die.
12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens!
And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and
the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has
little time.”
13 When the dragon realized that he had
been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the
male child.
14 But she was given two wings like
those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the
wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a
time, times, and half a time.
15 Then the dragon tried to drown the
woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth.
16 But the earth helped her by opening
its mouth and swallowing the river that gushed out from the mouth of the dragon.
17 And the dragon was angry at the woman
and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s
commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.
18 Then the dragon
took his stand on the shore beside the sea.
Revelation 13 NLT
1 Then I saw a beast rising up out of
the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And
written on each head were names that blasphemed God.
2This beast looked like a leopard, but it
had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast
his own power and throne and great authority.
3 I saw that one of the heads of the
beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole
world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast.
4 They worshiped the dragon for giving
the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as
the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”
5 Then the beast was allowed to speak
great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he
wanted for forty-two months.
6 And he spoke terrible words of
blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who
dwell in heaven.
7 And the beast was allowed to wage war
against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to
rule over every tribe and people and language and nation.
8 And all the people who belong to this
world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in
the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world
was made.
9 Anyone with ears to hear should
listen and understand.
10 Anyone who is destined for prison
will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the
sword. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and
remain faithful.
11 Then I saw another beast come up out
of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the
voice of a dragon.
12 He exercised all the authority of the
first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first
beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.
13 He did astounding miracles, even
making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching.
14 And with all the miracles he was
allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who
belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first
beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life.
15 He was then permitted to give life to
this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that
anyone refusing to worship it must die.
16 He required everyone—small and great,
rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the
forehead.
17And no one could buy or sell anything
without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number
representing his name.
18 Wisdom is needed
here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the
beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.
Revelation 14 NLT
1 Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount
Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written
on their foreheads.
2 And I heard a sound from heaven like
the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the
sound of many harpists playing together.
3 This great choir sang a wonderful new
song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the
twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had
been redeemed from the earth.
4 They have kept themselves as pure as
virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from
among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb.
5 They have told no lies; they are
without blame.
6 And I saw another angel flying
through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who
belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.
7 “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory
to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made
the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”
8 Then another angel followed him
through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because
she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate
immorality.”
9 Then a third angel followed them,
shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark
on the forehead or on the hand
10 must drink the wine of God’s anger.
It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be
tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and
the Lamb.
11 The smoke of their torment will rise
forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have
worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”
12This means that God’s holy people must
endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith
in Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven
saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on.
Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their
hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”
14 Then I saw a white cloud, and seated
on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head
and a sharp sickle in his hand.
15 Then another angel came from the
Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, “Swing the sickle, for the
time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is ripe.”
16 So the one sitting on the cloud swung
his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was harvested.
17 After that, another angel came from
the Temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.
18 Then another angel, who had power to
destroy with fire, came from the altar. He shouted to the angel with the sharp
sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather the clusters of grapes from the vines
of the earth, for they are ripe for judgment.”
19 So the angel swung his sickle over
the earth and loaded the grapes into the great winepress of God’s wrath.
20 The grapes were
trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress
in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s bridle.
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