Doom of the Enemies of Christ

17 Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls came and spoke to me. “Come here,” he said, “and I will show you the sentence passed on that Great Harlot who is seated at the meeting of many waters, 2 and with whom all the kings of the earth have had licentious intercourse; while all who live on the earth have been make drunk by the wine of her licentiousness.” 3 And he bore me away in a trance to a lonely place, and I saw a woman seated on a scarlet Beast, which was covered with blasphemous names; it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold ornaments, precious stones, and pearls. In her hand she held a gold cup, full of idolatrous abominations, and the unclean fruits of her licentiousness; 5 while on her forehead there was written this mystic name – “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF ALL IDOLATROUS ABOMINATIONS ON EARTH.” 6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of Christ’s people and with the blood of the martyrs for Jesus. When I saw her, I was amazed beyond measure; 7 but the angel said to me – “Why were you amazed? I will tell you the mystic meaning of the vision of this woman, and of the Beast, with the seven heads and ten horns, that carries her. 8 The Beast that you saw was, but is not, and is about to rise out of the bottomless pit, and is on its way to destruction. Those who are living on earth will be amazed – those whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world – when they see that the Beast was, but is not, and yet will come.” 9 (Here there is need for the discerning mind.) The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. 10 They are also seven kings; of whom five have fallen and one remains, while one is not yet come. When he comes, he must stay for a little while. 11 So must the Beast that was, but is not. He counts as an eighth king, although he is one of the seven, and is on his way to destruction. 12 The ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received their kingdoms, but for an hour they receive the authority of kings, together with the Beast. 13 These kings are of one mind in surrendering their power and authority to the Beast. 14 They will fight with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings; so, too, will those with him who have received the call and are chosen and faithful. 15 And the angel said to me – “The waters that you saw, where the Harlot is seated, are throngs of people and men of all nations and languages. 16 The ten horns that you saw, and the Beast – they will hate the Harlot, and cause her to become deserted and strip her bare; they will eat her flesh and utterly consume her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their minds to carry out his purpose, in carrying out their common purpose and surrendering their kingdoms to the Beast, until God’s decrees will be executed. 18 As for the woman whom you saw, she is the great city that holds sway over all the kings of the earth.”

18 After this I saw another angel, descending from heaven, invested with great authority; and the earth was illuminated by his splendour. 2 With a mighty voice he cried – ‘She has fallen! She has fallen – Babylon the Great! She has become an abode of demons, a stronghold of every wicked spirit, a stronghold of every foul and hateful bird. 3 For, after drinking the maddening wine of her licentiousness, all the nations have fallen; while all the kings of the earth have had licentious intercourse with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich through the excess of her luxury.’ 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying – ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you may not participate in her sins, and that you may not suffer from the curses inflicted on her. 5 For her sins are heaped up to the heavens, and God has not forgotten her misdeeds. 6 Pay her back the treatment with which she has treated you; yes, repay twice over what her actions deserve; in the cup which she mixed for you, mix for her as much again; 7 for her self-glorification and her luxury, give her now an equal measure of torture and misery. In her heart she says “I sit here a queen; no widow am I; I will never know misery.” 8 Therefore in one day will these curses strike her – death, misery, and famine, and she will be utterly consumed by fire; for mighty is the Lord God who condemned her.’ 9 All the kings of the earth who had licentious intercourse with her and shared her luxury will weep and lament over her, when they see the smoke from the burning city, 10 while they stand at a distance, horrified at her torture, and cry – ‘Alas! Alas! Great city! Mighty city of Babylon! In a single hour your judgment fell.’ 11 And the merchants of the earth weep and wail over her, because no longer does anyone buy their cargoes – 12 their cargoes of gold, or silver, or precious stones, or pearls, or fine linen, or purple robes, or silk, or scarlet cloth; nor their many scented woods; nor their many articles of ivory; nor their many articles of choicest wood, or brass, or iron, or marble; 13 nor their cinnamon, or spice, or incense, or perfumes, or frankincense, or wine, or oil, or fine flour, or wheat, or cattle, or sheep; nor their horses, or chariots, or slaves; nor the bodies and souls of people. 14 The fruit that your soul craved is no longer within your reach, and all dainties and luxuries are lost to you, never to be found again. 15 The merchants who sold these things, and grew rich by her, will stand at a distance weeping and wailing, horrified at her torture, and crying – 16 ‘Alas! Alas! Great city! City clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet cloth! City adorned with gold ornaments, and precious stones, and pearls! 17 In a single hour your vast wealth vanished.’ Every ship’s captain and all who sail to any port, and sailors, and all who get their living from the sea, stood at a distance, 18 and seeing the smoke from the burning city, cried – ‘What city can compare with the Great city?’ 19 They threw dust on their heads, and, as they wept and wailed, they cried – ‘Alas! Alas! Great city! All who have ships on the sea grew rich through her magnificence. In a single hour it has vanished.’ 20 Rejoice over her, heaven, and people of Christ, and apostles, and prophets, for God has avenged you on her! 21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and threw it into the sea, crying – ‘So will Babylon, the great city, be violently overthrown, never more to be seen. 22 No more will the music of harpers, or minstrels, or flute players, or trumpeters be heard in you, no more will any worker, skilled in any art, be found in you; no more will the sound of a mill be heard in you; 23 no more will the light of a lamp shine in you; no more will the voices of groom and bride be heard in you. Your merchants were the great men of the earth, for all the nations were deceived by your magical charms.’ 24 Yes, and in her was to be found the blood of the prophets and of Christ’s people, and of all who have been put to death on the earth.

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19 After this, I heard what seemed to be a great shout from a vast throng in heaven, crying –

“Hallelujah! To our God belong salvation, and glory, and Power, 2 for true and righteous are his judgments. For he has passed judgment on the Great Harlot who was corrupting the earth by her licentiousness, and he has taken vengeance on her for the blood of his servants.”

3 Again they cried – “Hallelujah!” And the smoke from her ruins rises for ever and ever. 4 Then the twenty-four elders and the Four creatures prostrated themselves and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, crying – “Amen, Hallelujah!”; 5 and from the throne there came a voice which said –

“Praise our God all you who serve him, You who worship him, both high and low.”

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the shout of a vast throng, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of loud peals of thunder, crying –

“Hallelujah! For the Lord is king, our God, the Almighty. 7 Let us rejoice and exalt; and we will pay him honour, for the hour for the Marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready. 8 And to her it has been granted to robe herself in fine linen, white and pure, for that linen is the good deeds of the people of Christ.”

9 Then a voice said to me “Write – ‘Blessed are those who have been summoned to the marriage feast of the Lamb.’” And the voice said – “These words of God are true.” 10 I prostrated myself at the feet of him who spoke to worship him, but he said to me – “No! I am your fellow servant, and the fellow servant of your brothers and sisters who bear their testimony to Jesus. Worship God. For to bear testimony to Jesus needs the inspiration of the prophets.” 11 Then I saw that heaven lay open. There appears a white horse; its rider is called “Faithful” and “True”; righteously does he judge and make war. 12 His eyes are flaming fires; on his head there are many diadems, and he bears a name, written, which no one knows but himself; 13 he has been clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood; and the name by which he is called is “The Word of God.” 14 The armies of heaven followed him, mounted on white horses and clothed in fine linen, white and pure. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword, with which to smite the nations; and he will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the grapes in the press of the maddening wine of the wrath of Almighty God; 16 and on his robe and on his thigh he has this name written – “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”Titleless Section Break

17 Then I saw an angel standing on the sun. He cried in a loud voice to all the birds that fly in mid-heaven – “Gather and come to the great feast of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all free and enslaved, and of high and low.” 19 Then I saw the Beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered together to fight with him who sat on the horse and with his army. 20 The Beast was captured, and with him was taken the false prophet, who performed the marvels before the eyes of the Beast, with which he deceived those who had received the brand of the Beast and those who worshiped his image. Alive, they were thrown, both of them, into the lake of fire – of burning sulphur. 21 The rest were killed by the sword which came out of the mouth of him who rode on the horse; and all the birds fed on their flesh.

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20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, with the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He seized the Dragon, the primeval snake (who is the “devil” or “Satan”), and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 3 He flung him into the bottomless pit and locked it, and set his seal on it; that he should not deceive the nations any more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let loose for a while.

4 Then I saw thrones, and to those who took their seats on them authority was given to act as judges. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony to Jesus and because of the message of God, for they had refused to worship the Beast or its image, and had not received the brand on their foreheads and on their hands. They were restored to life, and they reigned with the Christ for a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead were not restored to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy will he be who shares in that first resurrection. The second Death has no power over them; but they will be priests of God, and the Christ, and they will reign with him for the thousand years.

7 When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be let loose from his prison, 8 and he will come out to deceive the nations that live in the four corners of the earth – Gog and Magog. He will come to gather them together for battle; and their number will be as great as the sand on the sea-shore. 9 They went up over the breadth of the whole earth, and surrounded the camp of Christ’s people and the city that he loves. Then fire fell from the heavens and consumed them; 10 and the devil, their deceiver, was hurled into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the Beast and the false prophet already were, and they will be tortured day and night for ever and ever.Titleless Section Break

11 Then I saw a great white throne, and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence; no place was left for them. 12 And I saw the dead, high and low, standing before the throne; and books were opened. Then another book was opened, the book of life; and the dead were judged, according to their actions, by what was written in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; and they were judged, one by one, each according to his actions. 14 Then Death and Hades were hurled into the lake of fire. This is the Second Death – the lake of fire; 15 and all whose names were not found written in the book of life were hurled into the lake of fire.