Study Desk

"Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. For you created all things, and by your will they were given existence and life."

They sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to break open its seals. For you were killed, and by your sacrificial death you bought for God people from every tribe, language, nation, and race.

You have made them a kingdom of priests to serve our God, and they shall rule on earth."

Again I looked, and I heard angels, thousands and millions of them! They stood around the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders,

And I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, in the world below, and in the sea—all living beings in the universe—and they were singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be praise and honor, glory and might, forever and ever!"

I looked, and there was a pale-colored horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades followed close behind. They were given authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill by means of war, famine, disease, and wild animals.

Then the Lamb broke open the fifth seal. I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because they had proclaimed God's word and had been faithful in their witnessing.

They shouted in a loud voice, "Almighty Lord, holy and true! How long will it be until you judge the people on earth and punish them for killing us?"

Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer, until the complete number of other servants and believers were killed, as they had been.

They called out to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the eyes of the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb!

And I was told that the number of those who were marked with God's seal on their foreheads was 144,000. They were from the twelve tribes of Israel,

After this I looked, and there was an enormous crowd—no one could count all the people! They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood in front of the throne and of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

They called out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb!"

All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures. Then they threw themselves face downward in front of the throne and worshiped God,

One of the elders asked me, "Who are these people dressed in white robes, and where do they come from?"

"I don't know, sir. You do," I answered. He said to me, "These are the people who have come safely through the terrible persecution. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb.

That is why they stand before God's throne and serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will protect them with his presence.

Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

Locusts came down out of the smoke upon the earth, and they were given the same kind of power that scorpions have.

The locusts looked like horses ready for battle; on their heads they had what seemed to be crowns of gold, and their faces were like human faces.