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REVELATION
Revelation 1:1-3
John urged people to read this book, listen carefully to it, and obey it.
John said that he was writing to believers in the seven congregations in Asia. He prayed that God would bless them. He said that Christ is coming to judge rebellious people and to start to rule as king.
Christ appeared to John and commissioned him to write down the vision that he was about to give him and to send it to the seven congregations in Asia.
Christ exhorts the congregation at Ephesus to repent and to begin again to love him and each other.
Christ exhorts the congregation at Smyrna not to fear what they will suffer, but to trust in him, even if they must die because they trust in him.
Christ exhorts the congregation at Pergamum to stop listening to what the Nicolaitans teach.
Christ rebukes the congregation at Thyatira for tolerating a teacher who encourages sexual immorality and eating food offered to idols. He warns those who participate in these things that he will punish them unless they repent, and he exhorts the rest of the members to remain loyal to him.
Christ exhorts the congregation at Sardis to wake up and repent. But the members who are worthy will live with him.
Christ exhorts the congregation at Philadelphia to continue to obey his word and to be faithful; he promises that some Jews will acknowledge that he loves the congregation, and he also promises that he will keep the congregation from spiritual harm during the period of testing.
Christ exhorts the congregation at Laodicea to repent of their neglect of fellowship with him and of their failure to accept his provision for their spiritual needs. He waits to restore fellowship with any member of the congregation who will respond to his call.
A throne was in heaven with someone sitting on it. He was in the midst of every creature and object in heaven. The elders and the living creatures worshipped him as God, the mighty Creator.
When the Lamb took the scroll from the one on the throne, the whole created universe worshipped him who is the worthy Redeemer. The 24 elders and the four living creatures acknowledged that he alone was worthy to open the seals on the scroll.
When the Lamb opened each of the first four seals of the scroll, each of the four living creatures called forth a mounted horseman who brought judgment to people on the earth.
When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, the souls of dead believers appealed to God to judge those who killed them, but God told them to rest a bit longer.
When the Lamb opened the sixth seal of the scroll, the upheaval in the sky and on the earth caused all the rebellious people on earth to hide because they knew God’s time to judge people had come.
An angel came up from the east and commanded the four angels stationed in four directions to continue restraining the destructive winds until angels had sealed God’s servants.
The triumphant crowd stood before the throne in heaven and acknowledged that God and the Lamb had rescued them. Then the angels, the elders, the living creatures, and a huge crowd of people worshipped God and praised him.
One of the elders explained to John about the saints who are dressed in white robes.
When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, it thundered, lightning flashed, and the earth shook.
The successive trumpet blasts by each of the first four angels resulted in great catastrophes on the earth and in the sky.
An eagle announced that rebellious people on earth would suffer greatly.
When the fifth angel blew his trumpet, locusts with stings like scorpions appeared on the earth and attacked rebellious people.
When the sixth angel blew his trumpet, a third of the rebellious people on earth died. But the rest of the rebellious people did not repent of their false worship or of their evil practices.
John saw a mighty angel coming down out of heaven and holding a small open scroll. When the angel shouted, it thundered several times, but a voice from heaven prohibited John from recording what the thunder said. The angel affirmed that the living Creator of the universe would no longer delay in completing what he planned for his creation.
The heavenly voice told John to take the open scroll from the angel and eat it. When he had eaten it, he was commanded by God to prophesy again about all people.
Christ told John to count his worshipers from the nations, and he appointed two witnesses to prophesy to the nations for a limited time. When they finished witnessing, the beast from the underworld killed them, causing the nations to enjoy temporary victory. God resurrected his witnesses, took them to heaven, and punished the nations. Survivors feared and acknowledged God as awesome.
When the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, voices from heaven declared that the Lord God and his Messiah now govern everyone, and the elders declared that the time had come for God’s final judgment. With the heavenly sanctuary open, lightning flashed, thunder reverberated, the earth shook, and large hail fell.
When a royal woman gave birth to a royal son, she fled to safety and care in a place in the wilderness that was prepared by God.
There was a battle in heaven in which Michael and his angels fought the dragon. The dragon and his angels were thrown out of heaven to earth. A loud voice from heaven declared the victory and the sovereignty of God, and lamented the tragic struggle coming to people on earth.
When the dragon pursued the woman who had given birth to a son, he was thwarted, so he prepared to fight against her other offspring.
A beast rose from the ocean. It received power and authority from the dragon. Everyone worshipped it; that is, all people whose names were not recorded in the book of life worshipped the beast for 42 months.
Another beast appeared, having the same authority to rule people that the first beast had, and it caused people on earth to worship the first beast. People made an image of the first beast, and the beast had everyone killed who refused to worship the image. It caused all people to be marked with the name of the first beast. The number of the beast’s name is 666.
John saw the Lamb standing on Zion Mountain with 144,000 redeemed people, who were marked with God’s seal. They were singing a new song that only the redeemed could sing.
An angel announced that after God judged and then destroyed the wicked cities symbolized as Babylon. Another angel declared individual judgment on worshipers of the beast, who symbolizes the head of this world power. The saints are called to remain steadfast.
Someone like the One who came from heaven sat on a cloud, holding a sharp sickle. An angel from the sanctuary commanded him to harvest the earth. Another angel was commanded to reap fruit that grows on vines. He threw the fruit that he harvested into the place where God angrily crushes people like a winepress crushes grapes. When the winepress was trodden, the flow was like a flood of blood on the earth.
John saw in the sky a marvelous sign of the seven angels who were responsible for inflicting people with the seven last plagues.
John saw those who had been victorious over the beast respond to God’s judgment of rebellious people on earth by singing praise to God for his mighty deliverance and righteous judgment.
John saw angels being given the seven bowls of judgment in the heavenly sanctuary, which became filled with the smoke of God’s unapproachable glory.
Four angels emptied their judgment bowls.
Two more angels emptied their judgment bowls on the earth. Demons gathered armies to fight against God. But Jesus warned his people to watch faithfully for his imminent coming. The battle was ready to begin at Armageddon.
After the seventh angel emptied his bowl, God punished the very evil city symbolized by Babylon, and destroyed other cities, and terrible disasters followed.
One of the seven angels offered to show John how God will punish the very evil city represented by a prostitute, with whom the rulers of people on earth have been seduced to act immorally and idolatrously.
When the angel took John to a wilderness, he saw an immoral woman who was drunk with the blood of God’s people. The sight caused John to react with great bewilderment.
The angel revealed the meaning of what John had seen, identifying as ruling entities both the beast which amazed people and his seven heads and ten horns, and the angel declared that they would be overcome by the Lamb and defeated. The angel identified the prostitute as representing the very evil city that dominates people, and he declared that it would be destroyed.
A powerful angel descended from heaven and announced that the cities represented by Babylon were about to be completely destroyed because of their immorality and idolatry.
John heard Jesus tell God’s people to flee from those cities.
Jesus sentenced the cities represented by Babylon to destruction.
Earth’s kings, merchants, and maritime traders mourned the loss of those cities.
All of God’s people are called to rejoice because God has pronounced judgment on the cities represented by Babylon.
After the destruction of Babylon, John heard a huge crowd praising God for saving his people and announcing the marriage of the one who is like a lamb.
God will abundantly bless the people who have been invited to celebrate the marriage of the Lamb. Only God should be worshipped. All his servants are on an equal basis.
John saw heaven open and saw the one whom he described as King of kings and Lord of lords mounted on a white horse.
An angel invited all flesh-eating birds to feast on the flesh of people who would be killed by the Rider on the white horse. When the beast and the false prophet gathered kings with their armies to fight against the Rider and his army, the beast and the false prophet were thrown into the lake of fire. The Rider killed rebellious people with his sword, and the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
John saw an angel coming down from heaven. He seized, bound, and imprisoned the dragon for 1,000 years.
John saw the thrones of the martyrs who lived again and had authority to judge people. Those martyrs are the first people whom God will cause to live again. They will reign with Christ during the 1,000 years.
When Satan is released, he will deceive the nations in order to assemble them to fight against God and his people. God will send fire to burn up the rebellious nations. He will cause Satan to be thrown into the lake of fire for everlasting punishment.
John saw a new heaven, a new earth, and a New Jerusalem, the city where God will dwell permanently with his people.
God declares that he has made everything new and has accomplished everything he intended to do. He declares himself to be the beginning and the end, and so he will give abundant eternal life to all who seek him, but will punish all the wicked in the lake of fire.
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls offered to show John the Bride of the Lamb.
An angel showed John the city of God, the New Jerusalem, that was coming down out of heaven from God, shining with his glory, having a huge wall with twelve gates and twelve huge foundation stones.
The angel guide measured the city and its wall.
John described the composition of the city, its wall, its foundations, its gates, and its street, emphasizing the great value of each part.
God will cause there to be abundant life in the city, his servants will worship him face-to-face, no one will be there whom God would curse, and his servants will reign forever and ever.
God revealed to his servants his message in which he showed them what must happen soon.
John attested that he himself has heard and seen all these things. He was told to tell others what has been revealed to him because its fulfillment was near, and everyone should be ready.
Jesus announced that he had sent his angel to bear witness to the congregations about all that John had seen. Jesus authoritatively identified himself as the Descendant of King David and as the Messianic Morning Star.
God’s Spirit and the Bride invite all who desire to drink the living water to come and drink, and they invite all who hear that invitation to extend it to others.
Jesus warned about what would happen to anyone who adds to the message of this book or who takes away any part of its revelation.
Jesus declares that he is certainly coming soon.
John closes with a prayer that Jesus will continue to bless all God’s people.