Study Desk

^(a)Then one of the ^(b)seven angels who had the ^(c)seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you ^(d)the judgment of the ^(e)great harlot who ^(f)sits on many waters,

with whom ^(g)the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and ^(h)those who dwell on the earth were ⁽ⁱ⁾made drunk with the wine of her immorality."

And ^(j)he carried me away ^[a](k)in the Spirit ^(l)into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a ^(m)scarlet beast, full of ⁽ⁿ⁾blasphemous names, having ^(o)seven heads and ten horns.

The woman ^(p)was clothed in purple and scarlet, and ^[b]adorned with gold and precious ^[c]stones and pearls, having in her hand ^(q)a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,

and on her forehead a name was written, a ^(r)mystery, "^(s)BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF ^(t)THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

And I saw the woman drunk with ^(u)the blood of the ^[d]saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered ^[e]greatly.

And the angel said to me, "Why ^[f]do you wonder? I will tell you the ^(v)mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the ^(w)seven heads and the ten horns.

"^(x)The beast that you saw ^(y)was, and is not, and is about to ^(z)come up out of the ^(aa)abyss and ^[g](ab)go to destruction. And ^(ac)those who dwell on the earth, ^(ad)whose name has not been written in the book of life ^(ae)from the foundation of the world, will ^(af)wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

^(ag)Here is the mind which has wisdom. The ^(ah)seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,

and they are seven ^(ai)kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

The beast which ^(aj)was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he ^(ak)goes to destruction.

The ^(al)ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast ^(am)for one hour.

These have ^(an)one ^[h]purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

These will wage ^(ao)war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will ^(ap)overcome them, because He is ^(aq)Lord of lords and ^(ar)King of kings, and ^(as)those who are with Him are the ^(at)called and chosen and faithful."

And he *said to me, "The ^(au)waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are ^(av)peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.

And the ^(aw)ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her ^(ax)desolate and ^(ay)naked, and will ^(az)eat her flesh and will ^(ba)burn her up with fire.

For ^(bb)God has put it in their hearts to execute His ^[i]purpose ^[j]by ^(bc)having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the ^(bd)words of God will be fulfilled.

The woman whom you saw is ^(be)the great city, which ^[k]reigns over the kings of the earth."

After these things I saw another ^(a)angel ^(b)coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was ^(c)illumined with his glory.

And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "^[a](d)Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She ^(e)has become a dwelling place of demons and a ^[b]prison of every ^(f)unclean spirit, and a ^[c]prison of every unclean and hateful bird.

For all the nations ^[d]have drunk of the ^(g)wine of the ^[e]passion of her immorality, and ^(h)the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the ⁽ⁱ⁾merchants of the earth have become rich by the ^[f]wealth of her ^[g](j)sensuality."

I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "^(k)Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;

for her sins have ^[h](l)piled up as high as heaven, and God has ^(m)remembered her iniquities.

⁽ⁿ⁾Pay her back even as she has paid, and ^[i]give back to her double according to her deeds; in the ^(o)cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.

^(p)To the degree that she glorified herself and ^(q)lived ^[j]sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘^(r)I sit as a queen and I am not a widow , and will never see mourning.'

For this reason ^(s)in one day her plagues will come, ^[k]pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be ^(t)burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her ^(u)is strong.

"And ^(v)the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and ^(w)lived ^[l]sensuously with her, will ^(x)weep and lament over her when they ^(y)see the smoke of her burning,

^(z)standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘^(aa)Woe, woe, ^(ab)the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in ^(ac)one hour your judgment has come.'

"And the ^(ad)merchants of the earth ^(ae)weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more—

cargoes of ^(af)gold and silver and precious ^[m]stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and ^[n]bronze and iron and marble,

and cinnamon and ^[o]spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and ^[p]slaves and ^[q](ag)human lives.

The fruit ^[r]you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them.

The ^(ah)merchants of ^(ai)these things, who became rich from her, will ^(aj)stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,

saying, ‘^(ak)Woe, woe, ^(al)the great city, she who ^(am)was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and ^[s]adorned with gold and precious ^[t]stones and pearls;

for in ^(an)one hour such great wealth has been laid ^(ao)waste!' And ^(ap)every shipmaster and every ^[u]passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, ^(aq)stood at a distance,

and were ^(ar)crying out as they ^(as)saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘^(at)What city is like ^(au)the great city?'

And they threw ^(av)dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘^(aw)Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea ^(ax)became rich by her ^[v]wealth, for in ^(ay)one hour she has been laid ^(az)waste!'

^(ba)Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you ^[w]saints and ^(bb)apostles and prophets, because ^(bc)God has ^[x]pronounced judgment for you against her."

Then ^[y]a ^(bd)strong angel ^(be)took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon, ^(bf)the great city, be thrown down with violence, and ^(bg)will not be found any longer.

And ^(bh)the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the ^(bi)sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer;

and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the ^(bj)voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your ^(bk)merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived ^(bl)by your sorcery.

And in her was found the ^(bm)blood of prophets and of ^[z]saints and of ^(bn)all who have been slain on the earth."

After these things I heard something like a ^(a)loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "^(b)Hallelujah! ^(c)Salvation and ^(d)glory and power belong to our God;

^(e) because His ^(f) judgments are ^(g) true and righteous ; for He has judged the ^(h)great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has ⁽ⁱ⁾ avenged the blood of His bond-servants ^[a] on her ."

And a second time they said, "^(j)Hallelujah! ^(k) Her smoke rises up forever and ever ."

And the ^(l)twenty-four elders and the ^(m)four living creatures ⁽ⁿ⁾fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "^(o)Amen. ^(p)Hallelujah!"

And a voice came from the throne, saying, "^(q)Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, ^(r)you who fear Him, the small and the great."

Then I heard something like ^(s)the voice of a great multitude and like ^(t)the sound of many waters and like the ^(u)sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "^(v)Hallelujah! For the ^(w)Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad and ^(x)give the glory to Him, for ^(y)the marriage of the Lamb has come and His ^[b](z)bride has made herself ready."

It was given to her to clothe herself in ^(aa)fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the ^(ab)righteous acts of the ^[c]saints.

Then ^(ac)he *said to me, "^(ad)Write, ‘^(ae)Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he *said to me, "^(af)These are true words of God."

Then ^(ag)I fell at his feet to worship him. ^(ah)But he *said to me, "Do not do that; I am a ^(ai)fellow servant of yours and your brethren who ^(aj)hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

And I saw ^(ak)heaven opened, and behold, a ^(al)white horse, and He who sat on it is called ^(am)Faithful and True, and in ^(an)righteousness He judges and wages war.

His ^(ao)eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many ^(ap)diadems; and He has a ^(aq)name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.

He is clothed with a ^(ar)robe dipped in blood, and His name is called ^(as)The Word of God.

And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in ^(at)fine linen, ^(au)white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

^(av)From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that ^(aw)with it He may strike down the nations, and He will ^[d](ax)rule them with a rod of iron; and ^(ay)He treads the ^[e]wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

And on His robe and on His thigh He has ^(az)a name written, "^(ba)KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

Then I saw ^[f]an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to ^(bb)all the birds which fly in ^(bc)midheaven, "^(bd)Come, assemble for the great supper of God,

so that you may ^(be)eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of ^[g]commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, ^(bf)both free men and slaves, and ^(bg)small and great."

And I saw ^(bh)the beast and ^(bi)the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who ^(bj)sat on the horse and against His army.

And the beast was seized, and with him the ^(bk)false prophet who ^(bl)performed the signs ^[h](bm)in his presence, by which he ^(bn)deceived those who had received the ^(bo)mark of the beast and those who ^(bp)worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the ^(bq)lake of ^(br)fire which burns with ^[i]brimstone.

And the rest were killed with the sword which ^(bs)came from the mouth of Him who ^(bt)sat on the horse, and ^(bu)all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Then I saw ^(a)an angel coming down from heaven, holding the ^(b)key of the abyss and a great chain ^[a]in his hand.

And he laid hold of the ^(c)dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and ^(d)bound him for a thousand years;

and he threw him into the ^(e)abyss, and shut it and ^(f)sealed it over him, so that he would ^(g)not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

Then I saw ^(h)thrones, and ⁽ⁱ⁾they sat on them, and ^(j)judgment was given to them. And I saw ^(k)the souls of those who had been beheaded because of ^[b]their ^(l)testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not ^(m)worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the ⁽ⁿ⁾mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they ^(o)came to life and ^(p)reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. ^(q)This is the first resurrection.

^(r)Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the ^(s)second death has no power, but they will be ^(t)priests of God and of Christ and will ^(u)reign with Him for a thousand years.

When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be ^(v)released from his prison,

and will come out to ^(w)deceive the nations which are in the ^(x)four corners of the earth, ^(y)Gog and Magog, to ^(z)gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the ^(aa)sand of the ^[c]seashore.

And they ^(ab)came up on the ^[d]broad plain of the earth and surrounded the ^(ac)camp of the ^[e]saints and the ^(ad)beloved city, and ^(ae)fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

And ^(af)the devil who ^(ag)deceived them was thrown into the ^(ah)lake of fire and ^[f]brimstone, where the ^(ai)beast and the ^(aj)false prophet are also; and they will be ^(ak)tormented day and night forever and ever.

Then I saw a great white ^(al)throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose ^[g]presence ^(am)earth and heaven fled away, and ^(an)no place was found for them.

And I saw the dead, the ^(ao)great and the small, standing before the throne, and ^[h](ap)books were opened; and another ^[i]book was opened, which is ^(aq)the book of life; and the dead ^(ar)were judged from the things which were written in the ^[j]books, ^(as)according to their deeds.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and ^(at)death and Hades ^(au)gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them ^(av)according to their deeds.

Then ^(aw)death and Hades were thrown into ^(ax)the lake of fire. This is the ^(ay)second death, the lake of fire.

And if ^[k]anyone's name was not found written in ^(az)the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Then I saw ^(a)a new heaven and a new earth; for ^(b)the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

And I saw ^(c)the holy city, ^(d)new Jerusalem, ^(e)coming down out of heaven from God, ^(f)made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, ^(g)the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will ^[a](h)dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them^[b],

and He will ⁽ⁱ⁾wipe away every tear from their eyes; and ^(j)there will no longer be any death; ^(k)there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; ^(l)the first things have passed away."

And ^(m)He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am ⁽ⁿ⁾making all things new." And He *said, "Write, for ^(o)these words are faithful and true."

Then He said to me, "^[c](p)It is done. I am the ^(q)Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. ^(r)I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the ^(s)water of life without cost.

^(t)He who overcomes will inherit these things, and ^(u)I will be his God and he will be My son.

^(v)But for the cowardly and ^[d]unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in ^(w)the lake that burns with fire and ^[e]brimstone, which is the ^(x)second death."

^(y)Then one of the seven angels who had the ^(z)seven bowls ^[f]full of the ^(aa)seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "^(ab)Come here, I will show you the ^(ac)bride, the wife of the Lamb."

And ^(ad)he carried me away ^[g](ae)in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me ^(af)the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

having ^(ag)the glory of God. Her ^[h]brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a ^(ah)stone of ^(ai)crystal-clear jasper.

^[i]It had a great and high wall, ^[j](aj)with twelve ^(ak)gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.

There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west.

And the wall of the city had ^(al)twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the ^(am)twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The one who spoke with me had a ^[k]gold measuring ^(an)rod to measure the city, and its ^(ao)gates and its wall.

The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the ^[l]rod, ^[m]fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

And he measured its wall, ^[n]seventy-two yards, according to ^(ap)human ^[o]measurements, which are also ^(aq)angelic measurements.

The material of the wall was ^(ar)jasper; and the city was ^(as)pure gold, like ^[p]clear ^(at)glass.

^(au)The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was ^(av)jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, ^(aw)emerald;

the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, ^(ax)sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.

And the twelve ^(ay)gates were twelve ^(az)pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was ^(ba)pure gold, like transparent ^(bb)glass.

I saw ^(bc)no ^[q]temple in it, for the ^(bd)Lord God the Almighty and the ^(be)Lamb are its ^[r]temple.

And the city ^(bf)has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for ^(bg)the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the ^(bh)Lamb.

^(bi)The nations will walk by its light, and the ^(bj)kings of the earth ^[s]will bring their glory into it.

In the daytime (for ^(bk)there will be no night there) ^(bl)its gates ^(bm)will never be closed;

and ^(bn)they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;

and ^(bo)nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those ^[t]whose names are ^(bp)written in the Lamb's book of life.

Then ^(a)he showed me a ^(b)river of the ^(c)water of life, ^[a]clear ^(d)as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of ^[b]the Lamb,

in the middle of ^(e)its street. ^(f)On either side of the river was ^(g)the tree of life, bearing twelve ^[c]kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

^(h)There will no longer be any curse; and ⁽ⁱ⁾the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will ^(j)serve Him;

they will ^(k)see His face, and His ^(l)name will be on their ^(m)foreheads.

And ⁽ⁿ⁾there will no longer be any night; and they ^[d]will not have need ^(o)of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will ^(p)reign forever and ever.

And ^(q)he said to me, "^(r)These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the ^(s)God of the spirits of the prophets, ^(t)sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.

"And behold, ^(u)I am coming quickly. ^(v)Blessed is he who ^[e]heeds ^(w)the words of the prophecy of this book."

^(x)I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, ^(y)I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

But ^(z)he *said to me, "Do not do that. I am a ^(aa)fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who ^[f]heed the words of ^(ab)this book. Worship God."

And he *said to me, "^(ac)Do not seal up ^(ad)the words of the prophecy of this book, ^(ae)for the time is near.

^(af)Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy."

"Behold, ^(ag)I am coming quickly, and My ^(ah)reward is with Me, ^(ai)to render to every man ^[g]according to what he has done.

I am the ^(aj)Alpha and the Omega, ^(ak)the first and the last, ^(al)the beginning and the end."

Blessed are those who ^(am)wash their robes, so that they may have the right to ^(an)the tree of life, and may ^(ao)enter by the ^(ap)gates into the city.

^(aq)Outside are the ^(ar)dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

"^(as)I, Jesus, have sent ^(at)My angel to testify to you these things ^[h](au)for the churches. I am ^(av)the root and the ^(aw)descendant of David, the bright ^(ax)morning star."

The ^(ay)Spirit and the ^(az)bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And ^(ba)let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the ^(bb)water of life without cost.

I testify to everyone who hears ^(bc)the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone ^(bd)adds to them, God will add to him ^(be)the plagues which are written in ^(bf)this book;

and if anyone ^(bg)takes away from the ^(bh)words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from ^(bi)the tree of life and ^[i]from the holy city, ^(bj)which are written in this book.

He who ^(bk)testifies to these things says, "Yes, ^(bl)I am coming quickly." Amen. ^(bm)Come, Lord Jesus.

^(bn)The grace of the Lord Jesus be with ^[j]all. Amen.