Rejoicing in Heaven
1And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: 2For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. 3And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. 4And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. 5And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
The Marriage of the Lamb
6And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 10And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
The Rider on the White Horse
11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet
17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Rejoicing in Heaven
1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory belong to our God: 2 for true and righteous are his judgments. For he has judged the great prostitute, who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and he has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.” 3 A second said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever.” 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, “Amen! Hallelujah!” 5 A voice came forth from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!”
The Marriage of the Lamb
6 I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!
7 Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 He said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” He said to me, “These are true words of God.” 10 I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Look! Don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.”
The Rider on the White Horse
11 I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself. 13 He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.” 14 The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen. 15 Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet
17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, “Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, and small and great.”
19 I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came forth out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.
Rejoicing in Heaven
1 After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting:
“Hallelujah! a
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!
2 For His judgments are true and just.
He has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality.
He has avenged the blood of His servants
that was poured out by her hand.”
3 And a second time they called out:
“Hallelujah!
Her smoke rises forever and ever.”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying:
“Amen, Hallelujah!”
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God,
all you who serve Him,
and those who fear Him,
small and great alike!”
The Marriage of the Lamb
6 And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out:
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God b the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give Him the glory.
For the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has made herself ready.
8 She was given clothing of fine linen,
bright and pure.”
For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
10 So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
The Rider on the White Horse
11 Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, c and His name is The Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. 15 And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. d He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army. 20 But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse.
And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Footnotes:
1 a Hallelujah is a transliteration of the Hebrew Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD ; also in verses 3, 4, and 6.
6 b SBL, BYZ, and TR the Lord God
13 c WH sprinkled with blood
15 d See Psalm 2:9 (see also LXX).
Rejoicing in Heaven
1And after these things I heard a great voice of a great multitude in the heaven, saying, 'Alleluia! the salvation, and the glory, and the honour, and the power, is to the Lord our God; 2because true and righteous are His judgments, because He did judge the great whore who did corrupt the earth in her whoredom, and He did avenge the blood of His servants at her hand;' 3and a second time they said, 'Alleluia;' and her smoke doth come up -- to the ages of the ages! 4And fall down did the elders -- the twenty and four -- and the four living creatures, and they did bow before God who is sitting upon the throne, saying, 'Amen, Alleluia.' 5And a voice out of the throne did come forth, saying, 'Praise our God, all ye His servants, and those fearing Him, both the small and the great;'
The Marriage of the Lamb
6and I heard as the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, 'Alleluia! because reign did the Lord God -- the Almighty!
7may we rejoice and exult, and give the glory to Him, because come did the marriage of the Lamb, and his wife did make herself ready; 8and there was given to her that she may be arrayed with fine linen, pure and shining, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.'
9And he saith to me, 'Write: Happy are they who to the supper of the marriage of the Lamb have been called;' and he saith to me, 'These are the true words of God;' 10and I fell before his feet, to bow before him, and he saith to me, 'See -- not! fellow servant of thee am I, and of thy brethren, those having the testimony of Jesus; bow before God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of the prophecy.'
The Rider on the White Horse
11And I saw the heaven having been opened, and lo, a white horse, and he who is sitting upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness doth he judge and war, 12and his eyes are as a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems -- having a name written that no one hath known, except himself, 13and he is arrayed with a garment covered with blood, and his name is called, The Word of God. 14And the armies in the heaven were following him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen -- white and pure; 15and out of his mouth doth proceed a sharp sword, that with it he may smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he doth tread the press of the wine of the wrath and the anger of God the Almighty, 16and he hath upon the garment and upon his thigh the name written, 'King of kings, and Lord of lords.'
Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet
17And I saw one messenger standing in the sun, and he cried, a great voice, saying to all the birds that are flying in mid-heaven, 'Come and be gathered together to the supper of the great God, 18that ye may eat flesh of kings, and flesh of chiefs of thousands, and flesh of strong men, and flesh of horses, and of those sitting on them, and the flesh of all -- freemen and servants -- both small and great.'
19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, having been gathered together to make war with him who is sitting upon the horse, and with his army;
20and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who did the signs before him, in which he led astray those who did receive the mark of the beast, and those who did bow before his image; living they were cast -- the two -- to the lake of the fire, that is burning with brimstone; 21and the rest were killed with the sword of him who is sitting on the horse, which sword is proceeding out of his mouth, and all the birds were filled out of their flesh.
The Favor of God paraphrase
Rejoicing in Heaven
¹ After this, I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
² for true and just are His judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of His servants.”
³ And again they shouted:
“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”
⁴ The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
“Amen, Hallelujah!”
⁵ Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God,
all you His servants,
you who fear Him,
both great and small!”
The Wedding of the Lamb
⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad
and give Him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has made herself ready.
⁸ Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
⁹ Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” ¹⁰ At this I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
The Rider on the White Horse
¹¹ I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and wages war. ¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
The Defeat of the Beast and His Armies
¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, ¹⁸ so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”
¹⁹ Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered to wage war against the rider on the horse and His army. ²⁰ But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. ²¹ The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Footnotes:
1.The repeated “Hallelujah” (verses 1-6) emphasizes praise for God’s ultimate victory and justice. It is one of the few places in the New Testament where this term, meaning “Praise the Lord,” is used.
2.Babylon, the “great prostitute” (verse 2), represents the corrupt world system opposed to God. Her downfall is cause for celebration in heaven, as it signifies the end of injustice, idolatry, and persecution of God’s people.
3.The “wedding of the Lamb” (verse 7) symbolizes the final union of Jesus (the Lamb) with His people, often represented as the “bride.” This imagery reflects the deep love and covenant relationship between Christ and His church.
4.The “white horse” (verse 11) and its rider, “Faithful and True,” represent Jesus returning as a conquering King, in contrast to His first coming as a humble servant. The “blazing fire” in His eyes shows His all-seeing judgment and righteousness.
5.The “robe dipped in blood” (verse 13) likely symbolizes Jesus’ own sacrifice, His role as the Savior, and also His righteous judgment against evil. The title “Word of God” identifies Him as the divine agent through whom God speaks and acts (John 1:1).
6.The “sharp sword” (verse 15) is a metaphor for the power of Jesus’ word. His authority is absolute, and His word brings both life and judgment. The “iron scepter” refers to His unbreakable rule, fulfilling Psalm 2:9’s prophecy of the Messiah’s reign.
7.The “fiery lake of burning sulfur” (verse 20) is a symbol of ultimate destruction and judgment for the beast and the false prophet. This final fate for those opposed to God reflects the permanent end of evil.
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