Study Desk

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 the blood of your death you bought people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

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

When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been killed because they were faithful to the word of God and to the message they had received.

Then I saw another angel coming up from the east who had the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels to whom God had given power to harm the earth and the sea.

He said to them, "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we mark with a sign the foreheads of the people who serve our God."

They were shouting in a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."

All the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures. They all bowed down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

saying, "Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength belong to our God forever and ever. Amen!"

Because of this, they are before the throne of God. They worship him day and night in his temple. And the One who sits on the throne will be present with them.

because the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of water that give life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

And I saw the seven angels who stand before God and to whom were given seven trumpets.

The smoke from the incense went up from the angel's hand to God with the prayers of God's people.

They were told not to harm the grass on the earth or any plant or tree. They could harm only the people who did not have the sign of God on their foreheads.

Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns on the golden altar that is before God.

In the days when the seventh angel is ready to blow his trumpet, God's secret will be finished. This secret is the Good News God told to his servants, the prophets."

I was given a measuring stick like a rod, and I was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the people worshiping there.

But after three and one-half days, God put the breath of life into the two prophets again. They stood on their feet, and everyone who saw them became very afraid.

In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city was destroyed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and those who did not die were very afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Then the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, bowed down on their faces and worshiped God.

They said: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, because you have used your great power and have begun to rule!