Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The Throne Room of Heaven

1 After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpetsaid,“Come up here,and I will show you what must take place after this.”

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit,and a throne was set there in heaven.One was seated on the throne,

3 and the One seatedlooked like jasperand carnelianstone.A rainbow that looked like an emerald surrounded the throne.

4 Around that throne were 24 thrones, and on the thrones sat 24 eldersdressed in white clothes,with gold crowns on their heads.

5 Flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder came from the throne.Seven fiery torches were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.

6 Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne.Four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back were in the middleand around the throne.

7 The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like a calf; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.

8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings;they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and nightthey never stop,saying:

Holy, holy, holy,

Lord God, the Almighty,

who was, who is, and who is coming.

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne, the One who lives forever and ever,

10 the 24 elders fall down before the One seated on the throne,worship the One who lives forever and ever, cast their crowns before the throne, and say:

11 Our Lord and God,

You are worthyto receive

glory and honor and power,

because You have created all things,

and because of Your will

they exist and were created.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/REV/4-22d3bc318c1b20300d3645780becb640.mp3?version_id=72—

The Lamb Takes the Scroll

1 Then I saw in the right hand of the One seated on the throne a scroll with writing on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

2 I also saw a mighty angelproclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? ”

3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look in it.

4 And I cried and cried because no one was found worthy to openthe scroll or even to look in it.

5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop crying. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah,the Root of David,has been victoriousso that He may open the scroll andits seven seals.”

6 Then I saw One like a slaughtered lambstanding betweenthe throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of Godsent into all the earth.

7 He came and took the scrollout of the right hand of the One seated on the throne.

The Lamb Is Worthy

8 When He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harpand gold bowlsfilled with incense,which are the prayers of the saints.

9 And they sang a new song:

You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because You were slaughtered,

and You redeemedpeople

for God by Your blood

from every tribe and language

and people and nation.

10 You made them a kingdom

and priests to our God,

and they will reign on the earth.

11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands.

12 They said with a loud voice:

The Lamb who was slaughtered is worthy

to receive power and riches

and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and blessing!

13 I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth,on the sea, and everything in them say:

Blessing and honor and glory and dominion

to the One seated on the throne,

and to the Lamb, forever and ever!

14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/REV/5-4fe23d865888b6ded2feae1f793b6b51.mp3?version_id=72—

The First Seal on the Scroll

1 Then I sawthe Lamb open one of the sevenseals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder,“Come! ”

2 I looked, and there was a white horse.The horseman on it had a bow;a crownwas given to him, and he went out as a victor to conquer.

The Second Seal

3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come! ”

4 Then another horse went out, a fiery red one,and its horseman was empoweredto take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him.

The Third Seal

5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come! ”And I looked, and there was a black horse.The horseman on it had a set of scales in his hand.

6 Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius— but do not harm the olive oil and the wine.”

The Fourth Seal

7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come! ”

8 And I looked, and there was a pale greenhorse. The horseman on it was named Death, and Hades was following after him.Authority was given to themover a fourth of the earth, to kill by the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.

The Fifth Seal

9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the peopleslaughtered because of God’s word and the testimony they had.

10 They cried out with a loud voice: “Lord,the One who is holy and true,how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?”

11 So a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little while longer until the number would be completed of their fellow slaves and their brothers, who were going to be killed just as they had been.

The Sixth Seal

12 Then I saw Him openthe sixth seal. A violent earthquake occurred;the sun turned black like sackclothmade of goat hair; the entire moonbecame like blood;

13 the starsof heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind;

14 the sky separated like a scroll being rolled up;and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

15 Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the military commanders, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

16 And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide usfrom the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,

17 because the great day of Theirwrath has come! And who is able to stand? ”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/REV/6-c9c6da87198124c588b35a1027aca061.mp3?version_id=72—

The Sealed of Israel

1 After this I saw four angelsstanding at the four corners of the earth, restraining the four winds of the earthso that no wind could blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.

2 Then I saw another angel, who had the seal of the living Godrise up from the east.He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were empoweredto harm the earth and the sea:

3 “Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the treesuntil we seal the slaves of our God on their foreheads.”

4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed:

144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites:

5 12,000 sealed from the tribe of Judah,

12,000from the tribe of Reuben,

12,000 from the tribe of Gad,

6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher,

12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,

12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,

7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,

12,000 from the tribe of Levi,

12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,

8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,

12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,

12,000 sealed from the tribe of Benjamin.

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

9 After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language,which no one could number,standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were robed in white with palm branches in their hands.

10 And they cried out in a loud voice:

Salvation belongs to our God,

who is seated on the throne,

and to the Lamb!

11 All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God,

12 saying:

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom

and thanksgiving and honor

and power and strength

be to our God forever and ever.Amen.

13 Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people robed in white, and where did they come from? ”

14 I said to him, “Sir,you know.”

Then he told me:

These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.

They washed their robes and made them white

in the blood of the Lamb.

15 For this reason they are before the throne of God,

and they serve Him day and nightin His sanctuary.

The One seated on the throne will shelterthem:

16 They will no longer hunger;

they will no longer thirst;

the sun will no longer strike them,

nor will any heat.

17 For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne

will shepherd them;

He will guide them to springs of living waters,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/REV/7-d3553376d10f0ca80bb44cf287578f99.mp3?version_id=72—

The Seventh Seal

1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silencein heaven for about half an hour.

2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand in the presence of God;seven trumpets were given to them.

3 Another angel, with a gold incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the gold altar in front of the throne.

4 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel’s hand.

5 The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar,and hurled it to the earth; there were rumblings of thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

The First Trumpet

7 The first angelblew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth.So a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The Second Trumpet

8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea.So a third of the sea became blood,

9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The Third Trumpet

10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven.It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water.

11 The name of the star is Wormwood,and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.

The Fourth Trumpet

12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day was without light, and the night as well.

13 I looked again and heard an eagleflying high overhead, crying out in a loud voice, “Woe!Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to sound! ”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/REV/8-d288958afeb75a542b861afc25981825.mp3?version_id=72—

The Fifth Trumpet

1 The fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth.The key to the shaft of the abysswas given to him.

2 He opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke came up out of the shaft like smoke from a greatfurnaceso that the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft.

3 Then locusts came out of the smoke on to the earth,and powerwas given to themlike the power that scorpions have on the earth.

4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree,but only people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads.

5 They were not permitted to kill them but were to torment them for five months; their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when it strikes a man.

6 In those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.

7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses equipped for battle.Something like gold crowns was on their heads; their faces were like men’s faces;

8 they had hair like women’s hair; their teeth were like lions’ teeth;

9 they had chests like iron breastplates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses rushing into battle;

10 and they had tails with stingers like scorpions, so that with their tails they had the powerto harm people for five months.

11 They had as their kingthe angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon,and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

12 The first woe has passed. There are still two more woes to come after this.

The Sixth Trumpet

13 The sixth angel blew his trumpet. From the fourhorns of the gold altarthat is before God, I heard a voice

14 say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angelsbound at the great river Euphrates.”

15 So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and yearwere released to kill a thirdof the human race.

16 The number of mounted troops was 200 million;I heard their number.

17 This is how I saw the horses in my vision: The horsemen had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur.

18 A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues — by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths.

19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails, which resemble snakes, have heads, and they inflict injury with them.

20 The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their handsto stop worshiping demonsand idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood,which are not able to see, hear, or walk.

21 And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries,their sexual immorality, or their thefts.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/REV/9-1e95591eb34f2abac011d72bc21cd4a6.mp3?version_id=72—

The Mighty Angel and the Small Scroll

1 Then I saw another mighty angelcoming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbowover his head.His face was like the sun, his legswere like fiery pillars,

2 and he had a little scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land,

3 and he cried out with a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he cried out, the seven thunders spoke with their voices.

4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. Then I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders said,and do not write it down! ”

5 Then the angel that I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven.

6 He swore an oath by the One who lives forever and ever,who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: “There will no longer be an interval of time,

7 but in the days of the sound of the seventh angel,when he will blow his trumpet, then God’s hidden planwill be completed, as He announced to His servantsthe prophets.”

8 Now the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

10 Then I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter.

11 And I was told,“You must prophesy again aboutmany peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/REV/10-8e5f93335de52c055f5b58b80908d402.mp3?version_id=72—

The Two Witnesses

1 Then I was given a measuring reedlike a rod,with these words: “Goand measure God’s sanctuary and the altar, and count those who worship there.

2 But exclude the courtyard outside the sanctuary.Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations,and they will trample the holy cityfor 42 months.

3 I will empowermy two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,, dressed in sackcloth.”

4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lordof the earth.

5 If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies;if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.

6 These men have the power to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy.They also have power over the waters to turn them into bloodand to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.

The Witnesses Martyred

7 When they finish their testimony, the beastthat comes up out of the abysswill make war with them, conquer them, and kill them.

8 Their dead bodieswill lie in the public squareof the great city,which propheticallyis called Sodomand Egypt,where also their Lord was crucified.

9 And representatives fromthe peoples, tribes, languages, and nationswill view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb.

10 Those who live on the earth will gloatover them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets brought judgment to those who live on the earth.

The Witnesses Resurrected

11 But after 3 1/2 days, the breathof lifefrom God entered them, and they stood on their feet. So great fear fell on those who saw them.

12 Then they hearda loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.

13 At that moment a violent earthquake took place,a tenth of the city fell, and 7,000 people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woehas passed. Take note: The third woe is coming quickly!

The Seventh Trumpet

15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet,and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom

of our Lord and of His Messiah,

and He will reign forever and ever!

16 The 24 elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God,

17 saying:

We thank You, Lord God, the Almighty,

who is and who was,

because You have taken Your great power

and have begun to reign.

18 The nations were angry,

but Your wrath has come.

The time has come

for the dead to be judged

and to give the reward

to Your servants the prophets,

to the saints, and to those who fear Your name,

both small and great,

and the time has come to destroy

those who destroy the earth.

19 God’s sanctuary in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenantappeared in His sanctuary. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings of thunder,an earthquake,and severe hail.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/REV/11-31e7ad47569ee2b5aab46206521a0577.mp3?version_id=72—

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

1 A great signappeared in heaven:a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head.

2 She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth.

3 Then another signappeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragonhaving seven heads and 10 horns,and on his heads were seven diadems.

4 His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth.And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he might devour her child.

5 But she gave birth to a Son — a male who is going to shepherdall nations with an iron scepter— and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God,to be fed therefor 1,260 days.

The Dragon Thrown Out of Heaven

7 Then war broke out in heaven: Michaeland his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought,

8 but he could not prevail,and there was no place for them in heaven any longer.

9 So the great dragon was thrown out — the ancient serpent,who is called the Deviland Satan,the one who deceives the whole world.He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

The salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God

and the authority of His Messiah

have now come,

because the accuserof our brothers

has been thrown out:

the one who accuses them

before our God day and night.

11 They conquered him

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

for they did not love their lives

in the face of death.

12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens,

and you who dwell in them!

Woe to the earth and the sea,

for the Devil has come down to you

with great fury,

because he knows he has a short time.

The Woman Persecuted

13 When the dragon saw that he had been thrown to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.

14 The woman was given two wings of a great eagle,so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and half a time.

15 From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away in a torrent.

16 But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth.

17 So the dragon was furious with the woman and left to wage waragainst the rest of her offspring— those who keep God’s commandsand have the testimony about Jesus.

18 Hestood on the sand of the sea.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/REV/12-cae416ad9785e9f774ef3a0f8e9f63e6.mp3?version_id=72—

The Beast from the Sea

1 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea.Hehad 10 horns and seven heads. On his horns were 10 diadems,and on his heads were blasphemous names.

2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like a bear’s, and his mouth was like a lion’s mouth.The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

3 One of his heads appeared to be fatally wounded,but his fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.

4 They worshiped the dragonbecause he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast?Who is able to wage war against him? ”

5 A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies.He was also given authority to actfor 42 months.

6 He began to speakblasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling — those who dwell in heaven.

7 And he was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them.He was also given authorityover every tribe, people, language, and nation.

8 All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the bookof lifeof the Lamb who was slaughtered.

9 If anyone has an ear, he should listen:

10 If anyone is destined for captivity,

into captivity he goes.

If anyone is to be killedwith a sword,

with a sword he will be killed.

This demands the perseveranceand faith of the saints.

The Beast from the Earth

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb,but he sounded like a dragon.

12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

13 He also performs great signs,even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people.

14 He deceives those who live on the earthbecause of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast,telling those who live on the earth to make an imageof the beast who had the sword wound and yet lived.

15 He was permitted to give a spiritto the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

16 And he requires everyone — small and great, rich and poor, free and slave — to be given a markon his right hand or on his forehead,

17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom:The one who has understanding must calculatethe number of the beast, because it is the number of a man.His number is 666.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/REV/13-6159dcc8598d75fe175cfce69e0aab0f.mp3?version_id=72—