Study Desk

He is the only God, the one who saves us. To him be glory, greatness, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord for all time past, now, and forever. Amen.

You never stop trying. You have endured troubles for my name and have not given up.

Don't be afraid of what will happen to you. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison. He will do this to test you. You will suffer for ten days, but be faithful, even if you have to die. If you continue to be faithful, I will give you the reward of life.

I will also kill her followers. Then all the churches will see that I am the one who knows what people feel and think. And I will repay each of you for what you have done.

Wake up! Make yourselves stronger before what little strength you have left is completely gone. I find that what you do is not good enough for my God.

Those who win the victory will be pillars in the temple of my God. I will make that happen for them. They will never again have to leave God's temple. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God. That city is the new Jerusalem. It is coming down out of heaven from my God. I will also write my new name on them.

And they all sang a new song to the Lamb: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were killed, and with your blood sacrifice you bought people for God from every tribe, language, race of people, and nation.

You made them to be a kingdom and to be priests for our God. And they will rule on the earth."

These souls shouted in a loud voice, "Holy and true Lord, how long until you judge the people of the earth and punish them for killing us?"

The great day for their anger has come. No one can stand against it."

The Lamb opened the seventh seal. Then there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Another angel came and stood at the altar. This angel had a golden holder for incense. The angel was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all God's holy people. The angel put this offering on the golden altar before the throne.

While I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying high in the air. The eagle said in a loud voice, "Terrible! Terrible! How terrible for those who live on the earth! The terrible trouble will begin after the sounds of the trumpets that the other three angels will blow."

They were not given the power to kill them but only to cause them pain for five months—pain like a person feels when stung by a scorpion.

During those days people will look for a way to die, but they will not find it. They will want to die, but death will hide from them.

The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something that looked like a gold crown. Their faces looked like human faces.

The locusts had tails with stingers like scorpions. The power they had to give people pain for five months was in their tails.

These four angels had been kept ready for this hour and day and month and year. The angels were set free to kill a third of all the people on the earth.

But don't measure the yard outside the temple. Leave it alone. It has been given to those who are not God's people. They will show their power over the holy city for 42 months.

And I will give power to my two witnesses. And they will prophesy for 1260 days. They will be dressed in sackcloth."