The full text of Revelation indented with highlighting and counts of structural elements.
My own thesis is that this book is primarily about worship. The keys to the book
are the
seven references to the hour of judgment and the seven prostrations before the throne of the
Beloved.
The Gospel of Judgment is another clue - one would expect a Gospel of mercy but
finds adoration and doxology for the judgment (14:6-7).
Harold Bloom suggests in his introduction to some critical
essays: Hebrews hovers in John's mind on how to read the Hebrew Bible. But I
think it is not as Professor Bloom imagines: the will to power of the
typological interpretation of Scripture, but rather the intensity of worship
that motivates and informs the vision as it does for the author of Hebrews. The
Hebrew cult is a vital and primal human reference point. There is no anti-type
where there is no type. Yet there is very little reference in Revelation to
Hebrews - I have not yet noted any. One would have thought there would be plenty
of opportunity with the throne room imagery to get something in on the
priesthood of Christ. Even Psalm 110:4 Melchizedek reference is not one that I
can read into this text. Revelation mentions the priesthood of the followers of
the Lamb, but never the high priesthood of Jesus. Hebrews is all about the high
priesthood of Jesus and not at all about the priesthood of his followers. The
best I could venture is that both authors read Psalm 110 but took different
directions with the text.
The links are to my collection of terms and their significance - not
allegorically or symbolically as if there was one or many, but internally and
structurally. I cannot answer the scholars who are miles ahead on many roads. As
before, I must answer the enigma of my own experience - that God is love and
that this revelation, his vengeance, is our story in that love. Who else would
send a lamb to shepherd the sheep!
Let all mortal flesh keep silence and stand with fear and trembling and
lift itself above all earthly thought. For the King of kings and Lord of lords,
Christ our God, cometh forth to be our oblation and to be given for food to the
faithful. Before him come the choirs of angels, with every principality and
power. The cherubim with many eyes and winged seraphim, who veil their faces as
they shout exultingly the hymn. Alleluia.
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The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God
gave him to show his servants what must
soon take
place; he made it known
by sending his angel to his servant John |
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who testified to the word of God and to the
testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. |
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Blessed is the one who
reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who
keep what is written in it; for the time is near. |
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John to the seven churches
that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is
to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his
throne, |
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and from Jesus
Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the
dead, and the ruler of the
kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, |
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and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be
glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. |
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Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all
the
tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. |
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"I am the Alpha and
the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the
Almighty. |
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I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution
and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos
because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. |
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A first part concerning the Church - note its symmetry with part 5 -
the New Creation |
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I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud
voice like a trumpet |
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saying, "Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven
churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to
Philadelphia, and to Laodicea." |
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Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, |
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and on
turning I saw seven golden
lampstands, |
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and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of
Man,
clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. |
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His head and his hair were white as white
wool, white as
snow; * his eyes were like a flame
of
fire, |
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his feet were like burnished
bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many
waters. |
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In his right hand he held seven
stars, and from his mouth came a
sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full
force. |
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When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though
dead. But he placed his right
hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the
last, |
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and
the living one. I was dead, and see,
I am alive forever and ever; and I have the
keys of Death and of Hades. |
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Now write what you have seen, what is, and what
is to take place after this. |
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As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand,
and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the
seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. |
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"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: |
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These are
the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among
the seven golden lampstands: |
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"I know your works, your toil and your
patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested
those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. |
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I
also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my
name, and that you have not grown weary. |
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But I have this against you, that you
have abandoned the love you had at first. |
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Remember then from what you have
fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If
not, I will come to you
and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. |
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Yet this is to
your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. |
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Let
anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
To
everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that
is in the paradise of God. |
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"And to the angel of the church in Smyrna
write: |
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These are the words of the
first and the last, who was dead and came to
life: |
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"I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich.
I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not,
but are a synagogue of Satan. |
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Do not fear what you are about to suffer.
Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be
tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and
I will give you the crown of life. |
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Let anyone who has an ear listen to what
the Spirit is saying to the churches.
Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the
second death. |
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"And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: |
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These
are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged
sword: |
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"I know where
you are living, where Satan's throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name,
and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Antipas my witness, my
faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives. |
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But I have a few
things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who
taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they
would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice fornication. |
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So you also have
some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. |
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Repent then. If
not, I will
come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth. |
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Let
anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
To
everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a
white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows
except the one who receives it. |
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"And to the angel of the church in
Thyatira write: |
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These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a
flame
of fire, and whose feet are like burnished
bronze: |
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"I know your
works--your love, faith, service, and patient endurance. I know that your last
works are greater than the first. |
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But I have this against you: you tolerate
that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my
servants to practice fornication and to eat food sacrificed to idols. |
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I gave
her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her fornication. |
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Beware, I
am throwing her on a bed, and those who commit adultery with her I am throwing
into great distress, unless they repent of her doings; |
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and I will strike her
children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches
minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve. |
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But
to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not
learned what some call 'the deep things of Satan,' to you I say, I do not lay on
you any other burden; |
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only hold fast to what you have until I come. |
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To
everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end, I will give
authority over the nations; |
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to rule them with an iron rod, as when clay pots
are shattered |
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even as I also received authority from my Father.
To the one
who conquers I will also give the morning star. |
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Let anyone who has an ear
listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. |
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"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: |
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5 |
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These are the words of him who has the
seven spirits of God and the
seven stars: |
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"I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead. |
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Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have
not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. |
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Remember then what you
received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like
a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. |
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Yet you have
still a few persons in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk
with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. |
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If you conquer, you will be
clothed like them in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book
of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his
angels. |
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Let
anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. |
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"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: |
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6 |
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These are the words
of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of
David, who opens and no one
will shut, who shuts and no one opens: |
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"I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door,
which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and
yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. |
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I
will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are
not, but are lying--I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and
they will learn that I have loved you. |
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Because you have kept my word of
patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the
whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. |
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I am coming soon; hold fast
to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. |
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If you conquer, I will
make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will
write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new
Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. |
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Let
anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. |
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"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: |
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The words of the
Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the
origin of God's creation: |
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"I know
your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or
hot. |
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So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to
spit you out of my mouth. |
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For you say, 'I am rich, I have prospered, and I
need nothing.' You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind,
and naked. |
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Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so
that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of
your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may
see. |
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I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and
repent. |
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Listen! I am standing at the
door, knocking; if you hear my voice and
open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. |
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To
the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my
throne, just as I myself
conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. |
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Let anyone who has an
ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches." |
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After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open!
And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said,
"Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." |
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At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with
one seated
on the throne! |
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And the one seated there looks like jasper and carnelian, and
around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. |
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Around the throne
are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders,
dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. |
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Coming from the
throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in
front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of
God; |
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and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like
crystal. Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living
creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: |
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the first living creature like a
lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a
face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying
eagle. |
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And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all
around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing, "Holy, holy,
holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come." |
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And
whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is
seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, |
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the twenty-four elders fall
before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever
and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, |
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"You are
worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created
all things, and by your will they existed and were created." |
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A second part concerning History - note its symmetry with part 4
Judgment |
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Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a
scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven
seals; |
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7 |
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and I
saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open
the scroll and break its seals?" |
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And no one in heaven or on earth or
under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. |
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And I began to
weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into
it. |
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Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. See, the Lion
of the
tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll
and its seven seals." |
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Then I saw between the throne and the four living
creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered,
having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God
sent out
into all the earth. |
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7 |
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He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one
who was seated on the throne. |
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When he had taken the scroll, the four living
creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp
and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. |
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They
sing a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,
for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from
every tribe and language and people and nation; |
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you have made them to be a
kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth." |
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Then
I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the
living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands
of thousands, |
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singing with full voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was
slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory
and blessing!" |
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Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and
under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, "To the
one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and
might forever and ever!" |
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| 14 |
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And the four living creatures said,
"Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped. |
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4 |
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| 6 |
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| 1 |
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Then I saw the
Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard
one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder,
"Come!" |
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1 |
| 2 |
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I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow;
a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to conquer. |
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| 3 |
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When he
opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out,
"Come!" |
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2 |
| 4 |
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And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was
permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one
another; and he was given a great sword. |
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| 5 |
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When he opened the third seal, I
heard the third living creature call out, "Come!" I looked, and there
was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand, |
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3 |
| 6 |
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and I heard
what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying,
"A quart of wheat for a day's pay, and three quarts of barley for a day's
pay, but do not damage the olive oil and the wine!" |
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| 7 |
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When he opened the
fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out,
"Come!" |
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4 |
| 8 |
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I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider's name
was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth
of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild
animals of the earth. |
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| 9 |
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When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the
souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the
testimony they had given; |
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5 |
| 10 |
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they cried out with a loud voice, "Sovereign
Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood
on the inhabitants of the earth?" |
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| 11 |
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They were each given a white robe and
told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their
fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as
they themselves had been killed. |
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| 12 |
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When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and
there came a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon
became like blood, |
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6 |
| 13 |
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and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree
drops its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. |
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| 14 |
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The sky vanished like a scroll
rolling itself up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. |
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| 15 |
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Then the kings of the earth and the magnates and the generals and the rich and
the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks
of the mountains, |
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| 16 |
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calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and
hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; |
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| 17 |
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for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to
stand?" |
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| 7 |
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The beginning of the first 6 of the 12 relatively independent
sections (Aune 1998) |
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| 1 |
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After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of
the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow
on earth or sea or against any tree. |
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4 |
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| 2 |
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I saw another angel ascending from the
rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud
voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and sea, |
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| 3 |
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saying, "Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have
marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads." |
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| 4 |
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And I
heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand,
sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel: |
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| 5 |
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From the tribe of Judah
twelve thousand sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe
of Gad twelve thousand, |
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| 6 |
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from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the
tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, |
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| 7 |
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from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve
thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, |
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| 8 |
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from the tribe of
Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the
tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed. |
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| 9 |
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After this I looked, and there was a
great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and
peoples and languages, standing before the throne
and before the
Lamb, robed in
white, with palm branches in their hands. |
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2 |
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| 10 |
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They cried out in a loud voice,
saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to
the Lamb!" |
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| 11 |
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And all the angels stood around the throne and around the
elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces
before the
throne and worshiped God, |
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3 |
5 |
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| 12 |
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singing, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever!
Amen." |
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3 |
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| 13 |
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Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these,
robed in white, and where have they come from?" |
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| 14 |
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I said to him,
"Sir, you are the one that knows." Then
he said to me, "These are
they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. |
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| 15 |
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For this reason they are before the
throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who
is seated on the throne will shelter them. |
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4 |
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| 16 |
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They will hunger no more, and
thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; |
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| 17 |
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for the
Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them
to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes." |
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| 8 |
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|
The Keystone - part 3 in several subsections: 3.1 Separation of the
creation from the Creator |
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| 1 |
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When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in
heaven for about half an hour. |
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7 |
| 2 |
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And I saw the seven angels who stand before
God, and seven trumpets were given to them. |
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7 |
| 3 |
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Another angel with a golden censer
came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer
with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the
throne. |
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5 |
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| 4 |
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And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose
before God from the hand of the angel. |
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| 5 |
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Then the angel took the censer and
filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were
peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. |
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| 6 |
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Now the
seven angels who had the seven trumpets made ready to blow them. |
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Colour coding shows the connection
between the trumpet sequence and the bowl sequence |
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| 7 |
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The first
angel blew his trumpet, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they
were hurled to the earth; and a third of the
earth was burned up, and a third of
the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. |
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7-1 |
| 8 |
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The second angel
blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was
thrown into the sea. |
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7-2 |
| 9 |
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A third of the sea became blood, a third of the living
creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. |
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| 10 |
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The third
angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch,
and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of
water. |
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7-3 |
| 11 |
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The name of
the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from
the water, because it was made bitter. |
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| 12 |
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The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and
a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the
stars, so that a third of their light was darkened; a third of the day was kept
from shining, and likewise the night. |
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7-4 |
| 13 |
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|
Then I looked, and I heard an eagle
crying with a loud voice as it flew in midheaven, "Woe, woe, woe to the
inhabitants of the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three
angels are about to blow!" |
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3 |
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| 9 |
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| 1 |
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And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that
had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the
bottomless pit; |
7 |
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7-5 |
| 2 |
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|
he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft
rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were
darkened with the smoke from the shaft. |
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| 3 |
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Then from the smoke came locusts on
the earth, and they were given authority like the authority of scorpions of the
earth. |
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| 4 |
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They were told not to damage the grass of the earth or any green growth
or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their
foreheads. |
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| 5 |
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They were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill
them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings
someone. |
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| 6 |
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And in those days people will seek death but will not find it; they
will long to die, but death will flee from them. |
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| 7 |
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In appearance the locusts
were like horses equipped for battle. On their heads were what looked like
crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, |
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| 8 |
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their hair like women's
hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; |
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| 9 |
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they had scales like iron
breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots
with horses rushing into battle. |
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| 10 |
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They have tails like scorpions, with
stingers, and in their tails is their power to harm people for five months. |
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| 11 |
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They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew
is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. |
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| 12 |
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The first woe has passed.
There are still two woes to come. |
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3-1 |
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| 13 |
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|
Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and
I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, |
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7-6 |
| 14 |
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saying to
the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound
at the great river Euphrates." |
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| 15 |
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So the four angels were released, who had
been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third
of humankind. |
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| 16 |
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The number of the troops of cavalry was two hundred million; I
heard their number. |
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| 17 |
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And this was how I saw the horses in my vision: the
riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur; the
heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came
out of their mouths. |
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| 18 |
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By these three plagues a third of humankind was killed,
by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. |
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| 19 |
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For the power of
the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; their tails are like serpents,
having heads; and with them they inflict harm. |
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| 20 |
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|
The rest of humankind, who
were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands or
give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and
wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. |
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| 21 |
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And they did not repent of their
murders or their sorceries or their fornication or their thefts. |
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| 10 |
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|
3.2 Proclamation of the Gospel |
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| 1 |
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And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven,
wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and
his legs like pillars of fire. |
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| 2 |
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He held a little scroll open in his hand.
Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, |
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de 5 |
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| 3 |
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|
he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring. And
when he shouted, the
seven thunders sounded. |
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7 |
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| 4 |
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|
And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I
heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have
said, and do not write it down." |
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| 5 |
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|
Then the angel whom I saw standing on
the sea and the land raised his right hand to heaven |
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| 6 |
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|
and swore by him who
lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what
is in it, and the sea and what is in it: "There will be no more delay, |
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| 7 |
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but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of
God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets." |
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| 8 |
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|
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go,
take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea
and on the land." |
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| 9 |
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|
So I went to the angel and told him to give me the
little scroll; and he said to me, "Take it, and eat; it will be bitter to
your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth." |
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| 10 |
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So I took the little
scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth,
but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. |
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| 11 |
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|
Then they said to me,
"You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and
kings." |
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| 11 |
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|
3.3 The Crucifixion |
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| 1 |
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Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was
told, "Come and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who
worship there, |
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| 2 |
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|
but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that
out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy
city for forty-two months. |
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| 3 |
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And I will grant my two witnesses authority to
prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth." |
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| 4 |
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These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord
of the earth. |
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| 5 |
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And if anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from their mouth
and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this
manner. |
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| 6 |
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|
They have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain may fall during
the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn
them into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as
they desire. |
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| 7 |
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|
When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up
from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, |
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| 8 |
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and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is
prophetically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. |
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| 9 |
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|
For
three and a half days members of the peoples and tribes and languages and
nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a
tomb; |
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| 10 |
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|
and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and
exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to the
inhabitants of the earth. |
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| 11 |
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|
But after the three and a half days, the breath of
life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and those who saw them
were terrified. |
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| 12 |
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|
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them,
"Come up here!" And they went up to heaven in a cloud while their
enemies watched them. |
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| 13 |
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|
At that moment there was a great earthquake, and a
tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and
the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. |
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| 14 |
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|
The second woe
has passed. The third woe is coming very soon. |
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|
3-2 |
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| 15 |
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|
|
Then the seventh angel blew
his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of
the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will
reign forever and ever." |
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|
2 |
|
7-7 |
| 16 |
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|
Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their
thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, |
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6 |
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| 17 |
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|
singing, "We
give you thanks, Lord God Almighty, who are and who were, for you have taken
your great power and begun to reign. |
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|
3 |
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| 18 |
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|
|
The nations raged, but your wrath has
come, and the time for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants, the
prophets and saints and all who fear your name, both small and great, and for
destroying those who destroy the earth." |
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| 19 |
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|
|
Then God's temple in heaven was
opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were
flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy
hail. |
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| 12 |
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|
|
3.4 The Incarnation |
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| 1 |
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|
A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the
sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. |
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| 2 |
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|
She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving
birth. |
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| 3 |
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|
Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven
heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. |
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7 |
| 4 |
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|
His tail swept down a
third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then
the dragon stood
before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her
child as soon as it was born. |
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| 5 |
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|
And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who
is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away
and taken to God and to his throne; |
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| 6 |
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|
and the woman fled into the wilderness,
where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for
one thousand two hundred sixty days. |
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| 7 |
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|
And war broke out in heaven; Michael and
his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, |
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| 8 |
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|
but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. |
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| 9 |
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|
The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil
and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and
his angels were thrown down with him. |
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| 10 |
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|
|
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven,
proclaiming, "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of
our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has
been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. |
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| 11 |
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|
But they
have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,
for they did not cling to life even in the face of death. |
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| 12 |
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|
|
Rejoice then, you
heavens and those who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, for the
devil has come down to you with great wrath, because he knows that his time is
short!" |
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3-3 |
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| 13 |
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So when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the
earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. |
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| 14 |
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But the
woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly from the
serpent into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, and
times, and half a time. |
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| 15 |
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Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a
river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. |
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| 16 |
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But the earth came
to the help of the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the
dragon had poured from his mouth. |
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| 17 |
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Then the dragon was angry with the woman,
and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the
commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus. |
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| 18 |
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Then the dragon took his
stand on the sand of the seashore. |
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| 13 |
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3.5 The Fury of the Powers as a consequence of the work of Jesus
Christ |
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| 1 |
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And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and
seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were
blasphemous names. |
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1 |
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| 2 |
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And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were
like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And
the dragon gave it his
power and his throne and great authority. |
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| 3 |
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One of its heads seemed to have
received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the
whole earth followed the beast. |
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| 4 |
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They worshiped the dragon, for he had given
his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is
like the beast, and who can fight against it?" |
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| 5 |
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The beast was given a
mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise
authority for forty-two months. |
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| 6 |
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It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies
against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in
heaven. |
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| 7 |
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Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. It
was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation, |
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| 8 |
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and
all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not
been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb
that was slaughtered. |
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| 9 |
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Let anyone who has an ear listen: |
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| 10 |
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If you are to be
taken captive, into captivity you go; if you kill with the sword, with the sword
you must be killed. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. |
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| 11 |
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Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a
lamb and it spoke like a dragon. |
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2 |
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| 12 |
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It exercises all the authority of the first
beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the
first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. |
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| 13 |
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It performs great signs,
even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all; |
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| 14 |
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and by
the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the
inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been
wounded by the sword and yet lived; |
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| 15 |
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and it was allowed to give breath to the
image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause
those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. |
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| 16 |
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Also it
causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be
marked on the right hand or the forehead, |
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| 17 |
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so that no one can buy or sell who
does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its
name. |
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| 18 |
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This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the
number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred
sixty-six. |
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| 14 |
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| 1 |
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Then I looked, and there was the
Lamb, standing on Mount
Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his
Father's name written on their foreheads. |
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3 |
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| 2 |
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And I heard a voice from heaven like
the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard
was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, |
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| 3 |
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and they sing a new
song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the
elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand
who have been redeemed from the earth. |
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6 |
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| 4 |
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It is these who have not defiled
themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he
goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the
Lamb, |
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| 5 |
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and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless. |
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The fourth part - the Judgment |
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| 6 |
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Then I saw
another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those
who live on the earth--to every nation and tribe and language and people. |
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4 |
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| 7 |
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He
said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his
judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the
sea and the
springs of water." |
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| 8 |
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Then another angel, a second, followed, saying,
"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the
wine of the wrath of her fornication." |
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| 9 |
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Then another angel, a third,
followed them, crying with a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and
its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, |
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| 10 |
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they will
also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger,
and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy
angels and in the presence of the Lamb. |
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| 11 |
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And the smoke of their torment goes
up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the
beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name." |
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| 12 |
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Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments
of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus. |
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| 13 |
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And I heard a voice from heaven
saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die
in the Lord." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their
labors, for their deeds follow them." |
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2 |
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| 14 |
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|
Then I looked, and there was a
white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like the Son of Man, with a golden
crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand! |
|
5 |
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| 15 |
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|
|
Another angel came out of
the temple, calling with a loud voice to the one who sat on the cloud, "Use
your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the
harvest of the
earth is fully ripe." |
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| 16 |
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|
So the one who sat on the cloud swung his sickle
over the earth, and the earth was reaped. |
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| 17 |
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Then another angel came out of the
temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. |
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| 18 |
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Then another angel came out
from the altar, the angel who has authority over fire, and he called with a loud
voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Use your sharp sickle and gather
the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe." |
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| 19 |
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So the
angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and
he threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God. |
|
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| 20 |
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|
And the wine press
was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a
horse's bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles. |
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| 15 |
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| 1 |
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Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and amazing:
seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of
God is ended. |
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6 |
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7 |
| 2 |
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|
And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire,
and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name,
standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. |
|
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7 |
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| 3 |
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|
And they
sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:
"Great and amazing are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are
your ways, King of the nations! |
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| 4 |
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Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your
judgments have been revealed." |
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| 5 |
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|
After this I looked, and the temple of the
tent of witness in heaven was opened, |
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| 6 |
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|
and out of the temple came the seven
angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen, with golden sashes
across their chests. |
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7 |
| 7 |
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|
Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven
angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever; |
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| 8 |
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|
and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power,
and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels
were ended. |
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| 16 |
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|
Colour coding shows the
connection between the trumpet sequence and the bowl sequence |
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| 1 |
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|
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven
angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of
God." |
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| 2 |
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|
So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth, and a
foul and painful sore came on those who had the mark of the beast and who
worshiped its image |
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1 |
| 3 |
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|
The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it
became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea died. |
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2 |
| 4 |
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|
The
third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and the springs of
water, and they
became blood. |
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3 |
| 5 |
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|
And I heard the angel of the waters say, "You are just, O
Holy One, who are and were, for you have judged these things; |
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| 6 |
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|
because they
shed the blood of saints and prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is
what they deserve!" |
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| 7 |
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|
And I heard the altar respond, "Yes, O Lord God,
the Almighty, your judgments are true and just!" |
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| 8 |
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|
The fourth angel poured
his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch them with fire; |
|
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4 |
| 9 |
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|
|
they were
scorched by the fierce heat, but they cursed the name of God, who had authority
over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory. |
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| 10 |
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|
The fifth
angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged
into darkness; people gnawed their tongues in agony, |
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5 |
| 11 |
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|
and cursed the God of
heaven because of their pains and sores, and they did not repent of their deeds. |
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| 12 |
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The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water
was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings from the east. |
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6 |
| 13 |
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|
|
And I
saw three foul spirits like frogs coming from the mouth of the dragon, from the
mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet. |
|
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3 |
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| 14 |
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|
|
These are
demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole
world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. |
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| 15 |
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|
("See, I am coming like a
thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is
clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame.") |
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3 |
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| 16 |
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|
And they
assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Harmagedon. |
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| 17 |
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|
The seventh
angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple,
from the throne, saying, "It is done!" |
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7 |
| 18 |
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|
And there came flashes of
lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a violent earthquake, such as had
not occurred since people were upon the earth, so violent was that earthquake. |
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| 19 |
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|
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations
fell. God remembered great Babylon and gave her the wine-cup of the fury of his
wrath. |
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| 20 |
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And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found; |
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|
and
huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, dropped from heaven on
people, until they cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that
plague. |
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| 17 |
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|
|
The beginning of the second 6 of 12 relatively independent sections (Aune
1998) |
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| 1 |
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|
Then
one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls
came and said to
me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great whore who is
seated on many waters, |
1 |
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| 2 |
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with whom the kings of the earth have committed
fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the inhabitants of the earth
have become drunk." |
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| 3 |
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|
|
So he carried me away in the spirit into a
wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of
blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. |
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| 4 |
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The woman was clothed
in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in
her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her
fornication; |
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| 5 |
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|
and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: "Babylon
the great, mother of whores and of earth's abominations." |
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| 6 |
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|
And I saw that
the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses
to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly amazed. |
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| 7 |
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|
|
But the angel said to me,
"Why are you so amazed? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of
the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. |
2 |
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| 8 |
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|
|
The beast that you
saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to
destruction. 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 amazed when they
see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. |
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| 9 |
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|
"This calls for
a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman
is seated; also, they are seven kings, |
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7 |
| 10 |
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|
|
of whom five have fallen, one is
living, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a
little while. |
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| 11 |
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|
As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it
belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. |
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| 12 |
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|
|
And the ten horns that you
saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive
authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. |
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| 13 |
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|
|
These are united in
yielding their power and authority to the beast; |
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| 14 |
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|
|
they will make war on the Lamb, and the
Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of
kings,
and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." |
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| 15 |
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|
|
And he said to
me, "The waters that you saw, where the whore is seated, are peoples and
multitudes and nations and languages. |
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| 16 |
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|
|
And the ten horns that you saw, they
and the beast will hate the whore; they will make her desolate and naked; they
will devour her flesh and burn her up with fire. |
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| 17 |
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|
|
For God has put it into
their hearts to carry out his purpose by agreeing to give their kingdom to the
beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled. |
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| 18 |
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|
|
The woman you saw is the
great city that rules over the kings of the earth." |
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| 18 |
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|
| 1 |
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven,
having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor. |
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3 |
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|
| 2 |
He
called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It
has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of
every foul bird, a haunt of every foul and hateful beast. |
|
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| 3 |
For all the nations
have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the
earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have
grown rich from the power of her luxury." |
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| 4 |
Then I heard another voice from
heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in
her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues; |
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4 |
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| 5 |
for her sins are heaped
high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. |
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| 6 |
Render to her as she
herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught
for her in the cup she mixed. |
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|
| 7 |
As she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,
so give her a like measure of torment and grief. Since in her heart she says,
'I
rule as a queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief,' |
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| 8 |
therefore her
plagues will come in a single day-- pestilence and mourning and famine-- and she
will be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her." |
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| 9 |
And
the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived in luxury with her,
will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; |
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|
| 10 |
they will
stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, "Alas, alas, the great
city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come." |
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| 11 |
And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their
cargo anymore, |
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| 12 |
cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple,
silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles
of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble, |
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| 13 |
cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh,
frankincense, wine, olive oil, choice flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses
and chariots, slaves--and human lives. |
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| 14 |
"The fruit for which your soul
longed has gone from you, and all your dainties and your splendor are lost to
you, never to be found again!" |
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|
| 15 |
The merchants of these wares, who gained
wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and
mourning aloud, |
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|
| 16 |
"Alas, alas, the great city, clothed in fine linen, in
purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! |
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| 17 |
For in
one hour all this wealth has been laid waste!" And
all shipmasters and
seafarers, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off |
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| 18 |
and cried
out as they saw the smoke of her burning, "What city was like the great
city?" |
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|
| 19 |
And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned,
crying out, "Alas, alas, the great city, where all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth! For in one hour she has been laid waste. |
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| 20 |
Rejoice
over her, O heaven, you saints and apostles and prophets! For God has given
judgment for you against her." |
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| 19 |
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| 1 |
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After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a
great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and
power to our God, |
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6 |
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| 2 |
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for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great
whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her
the blood of his servants." |
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| 3 |
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Once more they said, "Hallelujah! The
smoke goes up from her forever and ever." |
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| 4 |
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And the twenty-four elders and
the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the
throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" |
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7 |
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| 5 |
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And from the throne came a voice
saying, "Praise our God, all you his servants, and all who fear him, small
and great." |
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| 6 |
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Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great
multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty
thunderpeals, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty
reigns. |
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7
4 |
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| 7 |
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Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of
the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; |
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| 8 |
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to her it has been
granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure"-- for the fine
linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. |
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| 9 |
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And the angel said to me,
"Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of
the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are true words of God." |
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4 |
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| 10 |
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Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must
not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades who hold the
testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy." |
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The fifth part - the New Creation (Ellul is inconsistent in his
outline from one part of the commentary to another) |
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| 11 |
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Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its
rider is called Faithful and True, and
in righteousness he judges and makes war. |
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1 |
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| 12 |
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* His eyes are like a flame of
fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he
has a name inscribed that no one knows but himself. |
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de 6 |
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| 13 |
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He is clothed in a robe
dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. |
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| 14 |
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And the armies of
heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. |
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| 15 |
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From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and
he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury
of the wrath of God the Almighty. |
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| 16 |
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On his robe and on his thigh he has a name
inscribed, "King of kings and Lord of lords." |
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| 17 |
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Then I saw an angel
standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly
in midheaven, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, |
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2 |
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| 18 |
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to eat the
flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of
horses and their riders--flesh of all, both free and slave, both small and
great." |
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| 19 |
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Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their
armies gathered to make war against the rider on the horse and against his army. |
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3 |
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| 20 |
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And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed
in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark
of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into
the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. |
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| 21 |
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And the rest were killed by the
sword of the rider on the horse, the sword that came from his mouth; and all the
birds were gorged with their flesh. |
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| 20 |
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| 1 |
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Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his
hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. |
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4 |
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| 2 |
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He seized the dragon,
that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand
years, |
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| 3 |
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and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that
he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After
that he must be let out for a little while. |
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| 4 |
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Then I saw
thrones, and
those
seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who
had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had
not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their
foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand
years. |
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5
5 |
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| 5 |
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(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years
were ended.) This is the first resurrection. |
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Blessed and holy are those who
share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but
they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a
thousand years. |
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5
6 |
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| 7 |
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When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from
his prison |
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| 8 |
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and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the
earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous
as the sands of the sea. |
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| 9 |
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They marched up over the breadth of the earth and
surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And
fire came down from
heaven and consumed them. |
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| 10 |
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And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into
the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and
they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. |
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| 11 |
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Then I saw a great
white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his
presence, and no place was found for them. |
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6 |
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| 12 |
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And I saw the dead, great and
small, standing before the throne, and books were
opened. Also another book was
opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as
recorded in the books. |
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7 |
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| 13 |
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And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death
and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to
what they had done. |
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| 14 |
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Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.
This is the second death, the lake of fire; |
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| 15 |
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and anyone whose name was not
found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. |
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| 21 |
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| 1 |
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Then I saw
a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. |
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7 |
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| 2 |
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And I saw the
holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband. |
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| 3 |
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And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as
their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; |
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he
will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying
and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." |
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| 5 |
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And the
one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things
new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and
true." |
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| 6 |
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Then he said to me, "It is done!
I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift
from the spring of the water of life. |
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| 7 |
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Those who conquer will inherit these
things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. |
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| 8 |
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But as for the
cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the
sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that
burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." |
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de 7 |
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| 9 |
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Then one of the
seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and
said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." |
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| 10 |
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And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain
and showed me
the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. |
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| 11 |
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It has the glory
of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal. |
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| 12 |
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It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and
on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites; |
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| 13 |
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on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and
on the west three gates. |
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| 14 |
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And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and
on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. |
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| 15 |
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The angel
who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates
and walls. |
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| 16 |
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The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width; and he
measured the city with his rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and
height are equal. |
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| 17 |
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He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits by
human measurement, which the angel was using. |
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| 18 |
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The wall is built of jasper,
while the city is pure gold, clear as glass. |
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| 19 |
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The foundations of the wall of
the city are adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second
sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, |
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the fifth onyx, the sixth
carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth
chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. |
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| 21 |
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And the twelve gates
are twelve pearls, each of the gates is a single pearl, and the street of the
city is pure gold, transparent as glass. |
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| 22 |
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I saw no temple in the city, for its
temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. |
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| 23 |
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And the city has no need of
sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is
the Lamb. |
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| 24 |
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The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will
bring their glory into it. |
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| 25 |
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Its gates will never be shut by day--and there
will be no night there. |
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| 26 |
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People will bring into it the glory and the honor of
the nations. |
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| 27 |
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But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices
abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of
life. |
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| 22 |
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| 1 |
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Then the angel showed me the
river of the water of life,
bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the
Lamb |
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through the
middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of
life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the
leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. |
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Nothing accursed will
be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,
and his servants will worship him; |
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they will see his face, and his name will
be on their foreheads. |
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And there will be no more night; they need no light of
lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever
and ever. |
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7 |
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And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true, for
the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his
servants what must soon take place. |
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| 7 |
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See, I am coming soon! Blessed
is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." |
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6 |
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| 8 |
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I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And
when I heard
and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of
the angel who showed them to me; |
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| 9 |
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but he said to
me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades
the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!" |
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| 10 |
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And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this
book, for the time is near. |
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| 11 |
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Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy
still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be
holy." |
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| 12 |
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"See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay
according to everyone's work. |
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I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the
last, the beginning and the end." |
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| 14 |
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Blessed are those who wash their
robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the
city by the gates. |
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7 |
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Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and
murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. |
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| 16 |
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"It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the
churches. I am the root and the descendant of
David, the bright morning
star." |
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| 17 |
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The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And
let everyone
who hears say, "Come." And
let everyone who is thirsty come. Let
anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. |
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| 18 |
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I warn everyone who hears
the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to
that person the plagues described in this book; |
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| 19 |
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if anyone takes away from the
words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person's share in
the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. |
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| 20 |
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The
one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! |
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| 21 |
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The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.
Amen. |
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