Vision of Seven Figures

12 Then a great portent was seen in the heavens – a woman whose robe was the sun, and who had the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant; and she is crying out in the pain and agony of childbirth. 3 Another portent also was seen in the heavens There was a great red Dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 His tail draws after it a third of the stars in the heavens, and it hurled them down on the earth. The Dragon is standing in front of the woman who is about to give birth to the child, so that he may devour it as soon as it is born. 5 The woman gave birth to a son, a male child, who is destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was at once caught up to God on his throne. 6 But the woman fled into the wilderness, where there is a place prepared for her by God, to be tended there for twelve hundred and sixty days.

7 Then a battle took place in the heavens. Michael and his angels fought with the Dragon. But though the Dragon, with his angels, fought, 8 he did not prevail; and there was no place left for them any longer in the heavens. 9 Then the great Dragon, the primeval snake, known as the “devil” and “Satan,” who deceives all the world, was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven which said –

“Now has begun the day of the salvation, and Power, and Dominion of our God, and the Rule of his Christ; for the Accuser of our people has been hurled down, he who has been accusing them before our God day and night. 11 Their victory was due to the blood of the Lamb, and to the message to which they bore their testimony. In their love of life they shrank not from death. 12 Therefore, be glad, heaven, and all who live in heaven! Alas for the earth and for the sea, for the devil has gone down to you in great fury, knowing that he has but little time.”

13 When the Dragon saw that he was hurled down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But to the woman were given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she might fly to her place in the wilderness, where she is being tended for one year, and for two years, and for half a year in safety from the snake. 15 Then the snake poured water from its mouth after the woman, like a river, so that it might sweep her away. 16 But Earth came to her help, and opened her mouth and drank up the river which the Dragon had poured out of its mouth. 17 The Dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to fight with the rest of her offspring – those who lay to heart the commands of God and bear their testimony to Jesus; 18 and he took his stand on the sea-shore.

13 Then I saw, rising out of the sea, a wild Beast with ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. 2 The Beast that I saw was like a leopard; but its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion. The Dragon gave it his power and his throne, and wide dominion. 3 One of its heads seemed to me to have been mortally wounded, but its deadly wound had been healed. The whole earth followed the Beast, wondering; 4 and men worshiped the Dragon, because he had given his dominion to the Beast; while, as they worshiped the Beast, they said – “Who can compare with the Beast? And who can fight with it?” 5 The Beast was given a mouth that spoke proudly and blasphemously, and it was empowered to work its will for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth only to blaspheme God, to blaspheme his name and his tent – those who live in his tent in heaven. 7 It had been permitted to fight with Christ’s people and to conquer them, and it had received power over men of every tribe, and people, and language, and nation. 8 All who are living on earth will worship it – all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb that has been sacrificed from the foundation of the world. 9 Let those who have ears hear. 10 Whoever is destined for captivity goes into captivity. Whoever will kill with the sword must inevitably be killed with the sword. (Here there is need for endurance and faith on the part of Christ’s people.)

11 Then I saw, rising out of the earth, another wild Beast. It had two horns like those of a lamb, and its voice was like a dragon’s. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first Beast under its eyes; and it makes the earth and all who are living on it worship that first Beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great marvels, even causing fire to fall from the heavens to the earth, before people’s eyes; 14 and in consequence of the marvels which it was allowed to perform under the eyes of the Beast, it is able to deceive all who are living on the earth. It tells those who live on the earth to make a statue in honour of the Beast, who, despite the wound from the sword, yet lived. 15 It was permitted to breathe life into the image of the Beast, so that the image of the Beast might speak; and it was also permitted to cause all who refused to worship the image of the Beast to be put to death. 16 High and low, rich and poor, free and enslaved – it causes a brand to be put on the right hand or on the forehead of every one of them, 17 so that no one is able to buy or sell, except those that bear this brand – either the name of the Beast or the number indicated by the letters of his name. 18 (Here there is need for discernment.) The person with ability can compute the number of the Beast; for the number indicates a person’s name. Its number is six hundred and sixty-six.

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14 Then, in my vision, I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion. With him were a hundred and forty-four thousand, with his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of a loud peal of thunder; the sound that I heard was like the music of harpers playing on their harps. 3 They are singing what seems to be a new song, before the throne, and before the four creatures and the elders; and no one was able to learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from earth. 4 These are the men who never defiled themselves in their intercourse with women; they are as pure as virgins. These are the men who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed as the first-fruits of mankind for God and for the Lamb. 5 No lie was ever heard on their lips. They are beyond reach of blame.Titleless Section Break

6 Then I saw another angel, flying in mid-heaven. He had the good news, decreed from eternity, to announce to those who live on the earth – to men of every nation, and tribe, and language, and people; 7 and he cried in a loud voice – “Reverence God, and give him praise (for the hour of his judgment has come) and worship him who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all springs of water.”

8 Then a second angel followed, crying – “She has fallen! She has fallen – Babylon the Great, who has made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her licentiousness!”

9 Then a third angel followed them, crying in a loud voice – “Whoever worships the Beast and its image, and receives its brand on his forehead or on his hand, 10 that person will drink the maddening wine of God that has been poured unmixed into the cup of his wrath, and they will be tortured with fire and sulphur before the eyes of the holy angels and before the eyes of the Lamb. 11 The smoke from their torture rises for ever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night – those who worship the Beast and its image, and all who are branded with its name.” 12 (Here there is need for endurance on the part of Christ’s people – those who lay to heart the commands of God and the faith of Jesus.) 13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who from this hour die in union with the Lord.’ ”

‘Yes,’ answers the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their toil. Their good deeds go with them.’Titleless Section Break

14 Then, in my vision, I saw a white cloud, and on the cloud there was sitting one like a man. On his head he had a crown of gold, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

15 Then another angel came out from the Temple, crying in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud – “Take your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come; the Harvest of Earth is ready.” 16 He who was sitting on the cloud brought his sickle down on the earth, and the Harvest of Earth was reaped.

17 Then another angel came out of the Temple in heaven; he, also, had a sharp sickle.

18 Then another angel came out of the altar; he had power over fire, and he called in a loud voice to the angel that had the sharp sickle – “Take your sharp sickle, and gather the bunches from the vine of Earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 The angel brought his sickle down on the earth and gathered the fruit of the vine of Earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 The grapes were trodden in the press outside the city; and blood came out of the press, rising as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of two hundred miles.