Annotations on the Bible Volume 2

CHAP. I.

1 JUDE a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James , to them that are sanctified by God the Father , and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called .

2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love , be multiplied .

3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation: it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you, that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints.

4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation , ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness , and denying s the only Lord God , and our Lord Jesus Christ.

5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this▪ how that the Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not .

6 And the angels which kept not their first estate , but left their own habitation , he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like-manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh , are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh , despise dominion , and speak evil of dignities .

9 Yet Michael the Archangel , when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses , durst not bring against him a railing accusation , but said, The Lord rebuke thee .

10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not : but what they know naturally , as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves .

11 Woe unto them , for they have gone in the way of Cain , and ran greedily after the error of Balaam, and perished in the gainsaying of Core .

12 These are spots in your feasts of charity when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear : clouds they are without water carried about of winds , trees whose fruit withereth , without fruit , twice dead , plucked up by the roots .

13 Raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame : wandering stars , to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam prophesied of those , saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints .

15 To execute judgment upon all , and to convince all that are ungodly among them , of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

16 These are murmurers, complainers , walking after their own lusts ; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words of vanity, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

17 But beloved, remember ye the words that were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time who should walk after their ungodly lusts.

19 These be they who separate themselves , sensual , having not the Spirit .

20 But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith , praying in the holy Ghost ,

21 Keep yourselves in the love of God , looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

22 And of some have compassion making a difference :

23 And others save with fear , pulling them out of the fire , having even the garment spotted by the flesh .

24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling , and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

25 To the only wise God our Savior , be glory and majesty , dominion and power , both now and forever, Amen.

The Preface to the Annotations upon the Revelations.

ALthough some particular Heretics, such as Cerdon and Mar • yon, have doubted the Divine Authority of this mysterious piece of Holy-Writ, and some better Men in the Primitive times doubted of it, the Manuscript Copy of it having been at first reserved in few hands, and (as some think) in the fewer, because of the affairs and fate of the Roman Empire revealed in it; yet besides its general reception as such, by the Church in all late ages, there is in it such an Harmony, both with Daniel 's Prophecy in the Old-Testament, and with the Types made use of by the Holy-Prophets, such manifest allusions to the whole Order and Economy of the Jewish Church, such an agreement of the Doctrine contained in it, with the Doctrine of the Old and New-Testament, concerning God and Christ, the Resurrection from the Dead, and the Day of Judgment; and of the Promises and Threatenings contained in it, with the Promises and Threatenings in other parts of Holy-Writ, that none who hath not a Vanity to quarrel the whole Canon of Scripture, can reasonably dispute the Divine Authority of this part of it.

It appeareth from v. 1. that John was the Pen-Man of it, and that this John was the beloved Disciple, he that was the Pen-Man of one of the Gospels, hath been doubted by very few, and with very little reason, as will appear to him that will but wisely consider the terms and phrases used in it almost peculiar to this Apostle, and hardly to be found in Scripture anywhere, but in this Book and the Gospel of John, such as calling Christ▪ The Word, of which he bare Record, &c. Nor is their objection of any validity, who object, That in the Gospel he ordinarily concealeth his Name, which this Author doth not; considering that in that he wrote a Relation or History of things past, to be proved by many Eye and Ear-Witnesses; but here a Revelation or Prophecy of things to come, to which his Name was necessary, that Men might judge by what Authority he thus wrote.

For the time of his writing it, himself tells us, chap. 1.9. That he received this Revelation from God, while he was in Patmos, for the Word of God, and the Testimony of Jesus Christ, this was (if we may believe History, and we have nothing else to inform us) in the time of Domitian the Roman Emperor, about the 94th, or 95th year after the Nativity of Christ, so as this Book pleads a prescription of near sixteen hundred years, in which very few ever questioned its Divine Authority.

For the scope of it, it is plainly told us, chap. 1.1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . To show his Servants what should come to pass. The like we have repeated, chap. 22.6. upon which account it is called A Revelation, and a Prophecy, neither of which terms agree to a Narration or History, the object of which is something, or things that are already past.

I will not undertake to give the certain and infallible sense of the several passages of this mysterious Prophecy. In magnis voluisse sat est. But I have proceeded upon these few Postulata.

1. That the whole of this Book is no Historical Relation of things that were passed before the year 95 or 96, at least not long before, but of things to come, which hath made me wholly reject the notions of Grotius and Dr. Hammond, so far as they concerned the Siege or Destruction of Jerusalem, which was past 26 or 27 years before John heard of this Revelation. I cannot understand how this can agree with chap. 1.1. or chap. 22.6.

2. That it contains a Prophecy of the most remarkable things, that happened either to the Roman Empire; or, to the Church, (all which was within the Latitude of that in St. John's time) during the whole time of that; or, which should happen after the decay of that, throughout the Church to the End of the World.

3. That this time is reasonably divided into three Periods ; the first determining with the Roman Empire 's continuing Pagan, 310 or 325 years after Christ: the second with the total ruin of Antichrist, when that shall be I cannot tell. The third with Christ's coming to the last Judgment. The first is by some called Regnum Draconis Ethnicum ; the second Vicariatus Draconis Antichristianus ; the third Regnum Christi ; or, Status Ecclesiae tranquillus.

4. I see no reason to dissent from those eminent Men, who think that part of the Revelation which relates to the first period, and is predictive of what happened to the Church of God until the time of Constantine the Great, 310 or 325 years after Christ, beginneth with chap. 4. and endeth with chap. 7. and that the Silence in Heaven for half an Hour, mentioned chap. 8. ver. 1. relateth to the rest which the Church had from Constantine 's time till the end of Theodosius 's Reign, about 70 or 75 years.

5. Where to fix the Epocha, or beginning of the 1260 years, or 42 Months, I cannot tell. That the Mystery of Iniquity begun to work in the Apostle's time, is evident from 1 Thess. 2, 7. and reason will tell us, that Rome, as it now stands, or as it was in the year 1606, was not built up in a Day, the great Corruptions then in it, came in and grew up by degrees; but I cannot tell how to count Antichrist 's Reign, but from the time Phocas humoured the Pope with the Title and Style of Supreme or Universal Bishop ; from which time I should rather reckon the 1260 years, than from any time before.

6. I do agree with those who think the 11 first Chapters contain the sum of whatsoever is prophesied concerning the two first Periods, though many things falling within them, are more particularly and fully opened▪ chap. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. The twelfth Chapter giving us a particular account of the Church during the two first Periods; the 13th. giving us a more particular account of Antichrist, both in the Secular Power, and in his Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction: the 15th and 16th Chapters more fully open to us what should be done under the sixth Trumpet. In the 17th Chapter we have a more full description of the Beast with two Horns, mentioned chap. 13.11. which signified Antichrist as sitting in the Temple of God. The 18th, more fully describes his Fall, summarily before mentioned, chap. 14. The 19th, so far as it concerneth the Praise given to God for this, relates to that great Dispensation of Providence.

7. I take the third state of the Church (to which I cannot conceive we are yet come, which I called its serene and quiet state) to be foretold and described chap. 20. after which shall be the Battle with all the Wicked of the Earth, which shall end in Christ's coming to Judge the World, and the general Resurrection in order to it.

8. I take the two last Chapters to describe a state of the Church, agreeing to none but the Church-Triumphant, and have accordingly interpreted them.

If any differ from me in any of these things, it will be no wonder if he disagreeth with me in the explication of the Chapters and Verses relating to them.

I dare not be positive as to the sense I have given, but shall only say it is what appeareth to me most probable. There have been found some in the Tents of Protestants, that have taken much pains to free the Papacy from the imputation of Antichrist. This I conceive was Grotius his Design, in his Interpretation of this Book, as if it had been an History rather than a Prophecy, and if a Prophecy, fulfilled in less than 250 years after it was published. As to the Papacy being Antichrist, I think that great person spake well, who would not be peremptory in the case; but said, it had so many of his Marks, that upon an Hue and Cry for Antichrist, he should apprehend him. I shall add, that if he were so apprehended and tried, he could never acquit himself either at the Bar of Scripture or Reason.

CHAP. I.

1 THE revelation of Jesus Christ , which God gave unto him , to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass ; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John :

2 Who bare record of the word of God , and of the testimony of Jesus Christ , and of all things that he saw .

3 Blessed is he that readeth , and they that hear the words of this prophecy l, and keep those things which are written therein : For the time is at hand .

4 JOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia, Grace be unto you, and peace from him which is, and which was , and which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne :

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness , and the first-begotten of the dead , and the Prince of the kings of the earth : Unto him that loved us; and washed us from our sins in his own blood ,

6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father : To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen .

7 Behold , he cometh with clouds , and every eye shall see him , and they also which pierced him : and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him : Even so, Amen.

8 I am Alpha, and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord , which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty .

9 I John who also am your brother f and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ , was in the isle that is called Patmos , for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ .

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day , and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet ,

11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first, and the last : and, What thou seest, write in a book , and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia ; unto Ephesus , and unto Smyrna , and unto Pergamos , and unto Thyatira , and unto Sardis , and unto Philadelphia , and unto Laodicea .

12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me . And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks .

13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks , one like unto the Son of man , clothed with a garment down to the foot , and gi • t about the paps with a golden girdle .

14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow ; and his eyes were as a flame of fire .

15 And his feet like unto fine brass , as if they burned in a furnace ; and his voice as the sound of many waters .

16 And he had in his right hand seven stars , and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword , and his countenance was as the sun shining in his strength .

17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead , And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not , I am the first, and the last .

18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore , Amen ; and have the keys of hell and of death .

19 Write the things which thou hast seen , and the things which are , and the things which shall be hereafter .

20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks . The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches ; and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest, are the seven churches .

CHAP. II.

1 UNTO the Angel of the church of Ephesus write , These things, saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand , who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks :

2 I know thy works , and thy labor, and thy patience , and how thou canst not bear them which are evil : and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not ; and hast found them liars :

3 And hast born , and hast patience , and for my names sake hast labored and hast not fainted .

4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee , because thou hast lost thy first love .

5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen , and repent , and do thy first works ; or else I will come unto thee quickly , and will remove thy candlestick out of his place , except thou repent.

6 But this thou hast , that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans , which I also hate .

7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches : To him that overcometh , will I give to eat of the tree of life , which is in the midst of the paradise of God .

8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna, write , These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive .

9 I know thy works and tribulation , and poverty , but thou art rich; and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews , and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan .

10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer : behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison , that you may be tried , and ye shall have tribulation ten days , Be thou faithful unto death , and I will give thee a crown of life .

11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches, He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death .

12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write These things saith he, which hath the sharp sword with two edges .

13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest , even where Satan's seat is , and thou holdest fast my name , and hast not denied my faith , even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain amongst you where Satan dwelleth.

14 But I have a few things against thee , • ecause thou hast there them that hold the Doctrine of Balaam , who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed unto Idols, and to commit fornication e.

15 So ha • t thou also them that hold the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans , which thing I hate .

16 Repent ; or else I will come unto thee quickly and will sight against them with the sword of my mouth .

17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna , and will give him a white stone , and in the stone, a new name written , which no Man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it .

18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira, write , These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire , and his feet are like fine Brass .

19 I know thy works and charity , and service , and saith , and thy patience , and thy works ; and the last to be more than the first .

20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee , because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel , which calleth herself a prophetess , to teach, and to seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols .

21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication , and she repented not .

22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed , and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation , except they repent of their deeds .

23 And I will kill her children with death : and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts, and I will give unto everyone o • you according to your works .

24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, As many as have not this doctrine and which have not known the depths of Satan (as they speak ) I will put upon you none other burden .

25 But that which you have already , hold fast till I come .

26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works to the end , to him will I give power over the nations .

27 (And he shall rule them with a rod of iron : as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers , even as I received of my Father .

28 And I will give him the morning star .

29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches .

CHAP. III.

1 AND unto the angel of the church in Sardis, write , These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God , and the seven stars ; I know thy works , that thou hast a name that thou livest , and art dead .

2 Be watchful h, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die : for I have not found thy works perfect before God ▪

3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard , and hold fast , and repent . If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come upon thee as a thief , and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee .

4 Thou hast a few names , even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments ; and they shall walk with me in white : for they are worthy .

5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment , and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life , but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his Angels .

6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches .

7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write , These things saith he that is holy , he that is true , he that hath the key of David , he that openeth, and no man shutteth k, and shutteth, and no man openeth .

8 I know thy works : behold I have set before thee an open door , and no man can shut it : for thou hast a little strength , and hast kept my word , and hast not denied my name .

9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan , which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie , behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet , and to know that I have loved thee .

10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience , I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation , which shall come upon all the world y, to try them that dwell upon the earth .

11 Behold, I come quickly : hold fast that which thou hast , that no man take thy Crown .

12 Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God , and he shall go no more out : and I will write upon him the Name of my God , and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God : and I will write upon him my new name .

13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches .

14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, write , These things saith the Amen , the faithful and true Witness , the beginning of the creation of God :

15 I know thy works , that thou art neither cold nor hot , I would thou wert cold or hot .

16 So then because thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot , I will spew thee out of my mouth .

17 Because thou sayst, I am rich , and increased with goods , and have need of nothing : and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked .

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayst be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayst be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayst see g.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten : be zealous therefore and repent .

20 Behold, I stand at the door , and knock : if any man hear my voice, and open the door , I will come in to him , and will sup with him, and he with me .

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne , even as I also overcame, and am sat down with my Father in his throne .

22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches .

CHAP. IV.

1 AFTER this I looked , and behold, a door was opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard, was, as it were, of a trumpet talking with me , which said, Come up hither , and I will show thee things which must be hereafter .

2 And immediately I was in the spirit , and behold, a throne was set in the heaven, and one sat on the throne .

3 And he that • ate, was, to look upon, like a jasper and sardine stone , and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerauld .

4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting , clothed in white raiment ; and they had on their heads crowns of Gold .

5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thunderings, and voices . And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne , which are the seven Spirits of God .

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal , and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes, before and behind .

7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle .

8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him , and they were full of eyes within , and they rest not day and night▪ saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty , which was, and is, and is to come .

9 And when those beasts give glory, and honor, and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth forever and ever .

10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever , and cast their crowns before the throne, saying ,

11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power : for thou hast created all things , and for thy pleasure they are and were created .

CHAP. V.

The same Vision yet proceedeth: Hitherto John had only seen. Throne, with a Person fitting upon it in a very glorious Habit and Appearance, 24 grave Persons, and 4 living Creatures in the shape of a Lion, a Calf, a Man, and an Eagle, each of them with six Wings, and full of Eyes, about the Throne, and heard the 24 living Creatures constantly giving Glory to God, and the 24 Elders harmon • zing with them and joining likewise in the high Praise of God. Now the Vision proceedeth.

1 AND I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne; a book written within, and on the back-side , sealed with seven seals .

2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice , Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof ?

3 And no man in heaven , or in earth , neither under the earth , was able to open the book, neither to look thereon .

4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open, and to read the book, neither to look thereon .

5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not : Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David , hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof .

6 And I beheld , and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain , having seven horns , and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God , sent forth into all the earth .

7 And he came and took the book out of of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne .

8 And when he had taken the book , the four beasts , and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having everyone of them harps , and golden vials full of odors , which are the prayers of the saints .

9 And they sung a new song , saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof : for thou wast slain , and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood i, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation k ;

10 And hast made us unto our God, kings and priests : and we shall reign on the earth .

11 And I beheld , and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders , and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands ;

12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain , to receive power, and riches , and wisdom , and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing .

13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.

14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth forever and ever .

CHAP. VI.

1 AND I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals , and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying , Come and see .

2 And I saw, and behold, a white horse ; and he that sat on him had a bow , and a crown was given unto him , and he went forth conquering, and to conquer .

3 And when he had opened the second seal , I heard the second beast say, Come, and see.

4 And there went out another horse that was red : and power was given to him that sat thereon , to take peace from the earth , and that they should kill one another : and there was given unto him a great sword .

5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come, and see . And I beheld, and lo, a black horse , and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand .

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny , And see thou hurt not the oil and the wine .

7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come, and see.

8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse , and his name that set on him was Death , and Hell followed with him : And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth , to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth .

9 And when he had opened the fifth seal , I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held .

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true , dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ?

11 And white robes were given to everyone of them, and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season , until their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should be killed, as they were , should be fulfilled .

12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal , and lo, there was a great earthquake , and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair , and the moon became as blood .

13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind .

14 And the heavens departed as a scrowl when it is rolled together ; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places .

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond-man, and evey free-man , hid themselves in the dens, and the rocks of the mountains .

16 And said to the mountains and rock • , Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne , and from the wrath of the Lamb :

17 For the great day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to stand ?

CHAP. VII

AND after these things , I saw four an • gels standing on the four corners of the earth , holding the four winds of the earth , that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree .

2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east , having the seal of the living God: And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

3 Saying Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God in the foreheads .

4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred, and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

5 Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Naphtali were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasseh were sealed twelve thousand.

7 Of the tribe of Simeon mere sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

8 Of the tribe of Zebulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph▪ were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand .

9 After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nation, and kindreds, and people, and tongues , stood before the throne, and before the Lamb , clothed with white robes l, and palms in their hands .

10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb .

11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders , and the four beasts , and fell before the throne on their faces , and worshipped God .

12 Saying, Amen; Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen .

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they ?

14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest . And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation , and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb :

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God , and serve him day and night in his temple ; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them .

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat .

17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne e shall feed them , and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes g.

CHAP. VIII.

1 AND when he had opened the seventh seal , there was silence in heaven c about the space of half an hour .

2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God , and to them were given seven trumpets

3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer , and there was given unto him much incense , that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints, upon the golden altar , which was before the Throne.

4 And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God, out of the angels hand .

5 And the angel took the censer, and • illed it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth : and there were voices, and thunderings▪ and lightnings, and an earthquake .

6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets, prepared themselves to sound .

7 And the first angel sounded , and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they wer • cast upon the earth , and the third part of trees were burnt up , and all green grass was burnt up.

8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire, was cast into the sea , and the third part of the sea became blood .

9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed .

10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven , burning as it were a lamp , and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters .

11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood , and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters because they were made bitter .

12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so as the third part of them was darkened; and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise .

13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound .

CHAP. IX.

1 AND the fifth angel sounded , and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth b : and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit .

2 And he opened the bottomless • t , and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace ; and the sun and the air were darkened, by reason of the smoke of the pit .

3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth , and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power .

4 And it was commanded them , that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree , but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads r.

5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man .

6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it, and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them .

7 And the shape of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto the battle ; and upon their heads were as it were crowns like gold , and their faces were as the faces of men z.

8 And they had hair as the hair of women , and their teeth were as the teeth of lions .

9 And they had breast-plates, as it were breast-plates of iron , and the found of their wings was as the sound of chariots, of many horses running to battle .

10 And they had tails like unto scorpions , and there were stings in their tails , and their power was to hurt men five months .

11 And they had a king over them which is the angel of the bottomless pit , whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon , but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon .

12 One woe is past, and behold there come two more woes hereafter .

13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God .

14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates .

15 And the four angels were loosed which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year , for to slay the third part of men .

16 And the number of the army of the horsemen, were two hundred thousand thousand, and I heard the number of them .

17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breast-plates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone; and the heads of 〈◊〉 horses were as the heads of lions, and out o • • heir mouths issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone .

18 By these three were the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone which issued out of their mouths .

19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails , for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads; and with them they do hurt .

20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues , yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils , and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood; which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk :

21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thefts .

CHAP. X.

1 AND I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven , clothed with a cloud , and a rainbow was upon his head , and his face was as it were the sun , and his feet as pillars of fire .

2 And he had in his hand a little book open : And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth ,

3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth ,; and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices ▪

4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write : and I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not .

5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea, and upon the earth , lifted up his hand to heaven ,

6 And sware by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that the • ein are, and the earth and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein ; that there should be time no longer .

7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel , when he shall begin to sound , the mystery of God should be finished , as he hath declared to his servants the prophets .

8 And the voice which I heard from heaven , spake unto me again, and said, Go, and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea, and upon the earth .

9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me t • e little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up , and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey .

10 And I took the little book out of the angels hand, and ate it up , and it was in my mouth sweet as honey , and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter .

11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many people's, and nations, and tongues, and kings .

CHAP. XI.

1 AND there was given to me a reed like a rod , And the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God , and the altar, and them that worship therein o.

2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not : for it is given unto the Gentiles e ; and the holy city shall they tread underfoot f forty and two months. .

3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses , and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days clothed in sackcloth .

4 These are the two olive-trees , and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth .

5 And if any man will hurt them , fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies ; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy ; and have power over waters, to turn them to blood , and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will .

7 And when they shall have finished their testimony , the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit , shall make war against them u, and shall overcome them, and kill them .

8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt , where also our Lord was crucified .

9 And they of the people, and kindreds, and tongues, and nations , shall see their dead bodies three days and an half , and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves .

10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another , because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the earth .

11 And after three days and an half , the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet , and great fear fell upon them which saw them h.

12 And they heard a great voice from heaven, saying unto them, Come up hither , And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them .

13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake , and the tenth part of the city fell p, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand ; and the remnant were affrighted , and gave glory to the God of heaven .

14 The second woe is past , and behold, the third woe cometh quickly .

15 And the seventh angel sounded , and there were great voices in heaven, saying , The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever .

16 And the four and twenty elders which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God ,

17 Saying, we give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come , because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned .

18 And the nations were angry , and thy wrath is come , and the time of the dead that they should be judged , and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets , and to the saints , and them that fear thy name, small and great , and shouldst destroy them which destroy the earth .

19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven , and there was seen in his temple the ark of his Testament : and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail .

CHAP. XII.

1 AND there appeared a great wonder in heaven , a woman clothed with the sun , and the moon under her feet , and upon her head a crown of twelve stars .

2 And she being with child, cried , travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered e.

3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven , and behold, a great red dragon , having seven heads , and ten horns , and seven crowns upon his heads .

4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven , and did cast them to the earth : And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born .

5 And she brought forth a man-child , who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron : and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne .

6 And the woman fled into the wilderness , where she had a place prepared of God , that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

7 And there was war in heaven w, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels ;

8 And prevailed not , neither was their place found anymore in heaven .

9 And the great dragon was cast out , that old serpent, called the devil and Satan , which deceiveth the whole world : he was cast out into the earth , and his angels were cast out with him. .

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven , Now is come salvation , and strength , and the kingdom of our God i, and the power of his Christ : for the accuser of our brethren is cast down who accused them before out God day and night .

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb , and by the word of their testimony ; and they loved not their lives unto the death .

12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them , Woe to the inhabiters of the earth, and of the sea : for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath , because he knoweth that he hath but a short time .

13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth , he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child .

14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle , that she might fly into the wilderness into her place : where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time from the face of the serpent .

15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood, after the woman: that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood .

16 And the earth helped the woman , and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth .

17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman , and went to make war with the remnant of her seed , which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ .

CHAP. XIII.

1 AND I stood upon the sand of the sea , and saw a beast rise up out of the sea , having seven heads, and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns , and upon his heads the name of blasphemy .

2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard , and his feet were as the feet of a bear , and his mouth as the mouth of a lion : and the dragon gave him his power , and his seat , and great authority .

3 And I saw one of his heads , as it were wounded to death ; and his deadly wound was healed : and all the world wondered after the beast o.

4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast : and they worshipped the beast, saying , Who is like unto the beast ? who is able to make war with him?

5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things , and blasphemies ; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months .

6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name , and his tabernacle , and them that dwell in heaven .

7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them : and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations .

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the World .

9 If any man hath an ear to hear, let him hear .

10 He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity: He that killeth with the sword, must be killed with the sword . Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. .

11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth , and he had two horns like a lamb , and he spake as a dragon .

12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him , and causeth the earth, and all that dwell, therein, to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed .

13 And he doth great wonders , so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men ;

14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast , saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an Image to the beast, which had a wound by a sword, and did live .

15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast , that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast, should be killed .

16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads :

17 And that no man should either buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name .

18 Here is wisdom . Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: For it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred threescore and six .

CHAP. XIV.

1 AND I looked, and so a lamb stood on the mount Zion , and with him , an hundred forty and four thousand , having his Fathers name written in their foreheads .

2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder : and I heard the voice of harpers, harping with their harps .

3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne , and before the four beasts and the elders : and no man could learn that song, but the hundred and forty and four thousand which were redeemed from the earth .

4 These are they which were not defiled with women ; for they are virgins ▪ These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth : These were redeemed from among men , being the first fruits unto God, and to the Lamb .

5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God .

6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people .

7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters .

8 And there followed another angel, saying , Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city , because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication t.

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand ,

10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God , which is poured out without mixture, into the cup of his indignation , and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of his holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb .

11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever ; And they have no rest day nor night , who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name .

12 Here is the patience of the saints : here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus .

13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write , Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord , from henceforth : Yea, saith the Spirit , that they may rest from their labors ; and their works do follow them .

14 And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat, like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle .

15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe .

16 And he that sat on the cloud, thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped .

17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle .

18 And another angel came out from the altar which had power over fire ; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying , Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth : for here grapes are fully ripe .

19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God .

20 And the wine-press was trodden without the city , and blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the horse-bridles , by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

CHAP. XV.

1 AND I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous , seven angels having the seven last plagues , for in them is filled up the wrath of God .

2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass e mingled with fire f, and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass , having the harps of God .

3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God , and the song of the Lamb, saying , Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints .

4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy : for all nations shall come and worship before thee ; for thy judgments are made manifest .

5 And after that I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened :

6 And the seven angels came out of the temple , having the seven plagues , clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles .

7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels , seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth forever and ever .

8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power , and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled .

CHAP. XVI.

1 AND I heard a great voice out of the temple , saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth .

2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth, and there • ell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image .

3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea , and it became as the blood of a dead man : and every living soul died in the sea .

4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters , and they became blood .

5 And I heard the angel of the waters say , Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus :

6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy .

7 And I heard another out of the altar, say , Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments .

8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun ; and power was given unto him to sco • ch men with fire .

9 And men were scorched with great heat , and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues : and they repented not to give him glory .

10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast ; and his kingdom was full of darkness , and they gnawed their tongues for pain .

11 And blasphemed the God of heaven, because of their pains, and their sores, and repented not of their deeds .

12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates ; and the water thereof was dried up , that the way of the kings of the ea •• might be prepared .

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast , and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14. For they are the spirits of devils working miracles , which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty .

15 Behold, I come as a thief . Blessed is he that watcheth , and keepeth his garments , lest he walk naked and they see his shame .

16 And he gathered them together into a place, called in the Hebrew-tongue, Armageddon l.

17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air , and there came a voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, It is done .

18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great .

19 And the great city was divided into three parts , and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath .

20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found .

21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven , every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great .

CHAP. XVII.

1 AND there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither, I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters :

2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication , and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication .

3 So he carried me away in 〈◊〉 Spirit into the wilderness : and I saw a woe ••• sit upon a scarlet coloured beast , full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns .

4 And the woman was arrayed in purple, and scarlet color , and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls , having a golden cup in her hand, full of of abominations and filthiness of her fornication .

5 And upon her forehead was a name written , MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH .

6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the Saints▪ and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus x : and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns .

8 The beast that thou sawest , was , and is not ; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit , and go into perdition : and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is .

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom . The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth .

10 And there are seven kings , five are fallen , and one is , and the other is not yet come , and when he cometh he must continue a short space k.

11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth , and is of the seven , and goeth into perdition .

12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings , which have received no kingdom as yet , but receive power as kings one hour with the beast .

13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength to the beast .

14 These shall make war with the Lamb , and the Lamb shall overcome them , for he is Lord of Lord's, and King of Kings, and they that are with him are called, and chose • and faithful .

15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth , are people, and multitudes, and nations and tongues.

16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast , these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked; and shall eat her flesh, and * burn her with fire .

17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will , and to agree and give their kingdom to the beast , until the words of God shall be fulfilled .

18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the Kings of the earth .

CHAP. XVIII.

1 AND after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven , having great power , and the earth was lightened with his glory .

2 And he cried mightily, with a strong voice, saying , Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen , and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird .

3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication , and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies .

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people , that ye be not partakers of her sins , and that ye receive not of her plagues :

5 For her sins have reached unto heaven , and God hath remembered her iniquities .

6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double, according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double .

7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her : for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow .

8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day , death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burnt with fire ; For strong is the Lord God who judgeth her .

9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication, and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning :

10 Standing afar off for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, the great city of Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come .

11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth her merchandise anymore :

12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stone, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivo • y, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and of iron, and marble,

13 Ane cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after, are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly, are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all .

15 The merchants of these things which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off, for the fear of her torment , weeping and wailing ,

16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls ; For in one our so great riches is come to naught.

17 And every ship-master, and all the company in ships, and sailers, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city?

19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea, by reason of her costliness : for in one hour is she made desolate.

20 Rejoice over her , thou heaven , and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her .

21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone , and cast it into the sea, saying , Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all .

22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found anymore in thee: and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom, and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee : For thy merchants were the great men of the earth : for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived :

24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth .

CAP. XIX.

1 AND after these thing I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying , Alleluja ; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God :

2 For 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 .

3 And again they said, Alleluja. And her smoke rose up forever and ever .

4 And the four and twenty elders, and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying Amen; Allelujah k

5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying , Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great .

6 And 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, Allelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth .

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready p.

8 And to her was granted, that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white : For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints .

9 And he saith unto me, Write Blessed are they which are called to the marriage-supper of the Lamb : And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God .

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him . And he said unto me, See thou do it not : I am thy f • llow-servant , and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: Worship God : for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy .

11 And I saw heaven opened , and behold a white horse, and he that late upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12 His 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 .

13 And he was clothed with a vesture di • t in blood , and his name is called the Word of God .

14 And the army▪ wh • ch were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean .

15 And 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 wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God .

16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORD'S .

17 And 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 to the supper of the great God .

18 That ye may • at 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 .

19 And 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 .

20 And 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 the lake of fire, burning with brimstone .

21 And 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 .

CHAP. XX.

1 AND I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless-pit, and a great chain in his hand .

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan , and and bound him a thousand years .

3 And cast him into the bottomless pit , and shut him up, and set a seal upon him , that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled ; and after that he must be loosed a little season .

4 And I saw thrones , and they sat upon them , and judgment was given unto them : and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, nor his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands ; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished p. This is the first resurrection .

6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection : on such the second death hath no power , but they shall be priests of God, and of Christ , and shall reign with him a thousand years .

7 And when the thousand years are expired , Satan shall be loosed out of his prison .

8 And shall go out to deceive the nations, which are in the four quarters of the earth , Gog and Magog , to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea .

9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth , and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city , and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them .

10 And the devil that deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night, forever and ever .

11 And I saw a great white throne , and him that sat on it , from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them .

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God's ; and the books were opened . and another book was opened, which is the boo • of life : and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books m ▪ according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works .

14 And death, and hell were cast into the lake of fire . This is the second death .

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life , was cast into the lake of fire.

CHAP. XXI.

1 AND I saw a new heaven and a new earth , for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea .

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem , coming down from God out of heaven , prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God .

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor trying, neither shall there be anymore pain, for the former things are passed away .

5 And he that • ate upon the throne , said , Behold, I make all things new . And he said unto me Write for these words are true and faithful .

6 And he said unto me , It is done , I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end : I will give unto him that is athirst, of the fountain of the water of life freely .

7 He that overcometh, shall inherit all things , and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8 But the fearful , and unbelieving , and the abominable , and murderers , and whoremongers , and sorcerers , and idolaters , and all liars , shall have their parts in the lake, which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death .

9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels, which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues , and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife .

10 And he carried me away in the spirit , to a great and high mountain , and shown me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God ,

11 Having the glory of God , and her light was like unto a stone most precious , even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal ;

12 And had a wall great and high , and had twelve gates , and at the gates twelve angels , and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel .

13 On the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, on the west three gates .

14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations , and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the lamb .

15 And he that talked with me , had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof .

16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth, And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length, and the breadth and the heighth of it are equal .

17 And he measured the wall thereof an hundred and forty, and four cubits , according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel .

18 And the building of the wall of it was of Jasper , and the city was pure gold , like unto clear glass .

19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones p. The first foundation was a jasper; the second, a sapphire; the third, a chalcedonie; the fourth, an emerauld.

20 The fifth, a sardonyx; the sixth, a sardius; the seventh, a chrysolite; the eighth, a berill; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst .

21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass .

22 And I saw no Temple therein , for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb are the temple of it .

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it , for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof u.

24 And the nations of them that are saved, shall walk in the light of it , and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it .

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day , for there shall be no night there .

26 And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it .

27 And there shall in no wise enter into it, anything that defileth , neither whatsoever worketh abomination , or maketh a lie ; but they which are written in the Lambs book of life .

CHAP. XXII.

1 AND he shown me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal , proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb .

2 In the midst of the street of it, and of either side of the river, was there the tree of life , which bare twelve manner of fruits , and yielded her fruit every month ; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations .

3 And there shall be no more curse ; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it , and his servants shall serve him .

4 And they shall see his face , and his name shall be in their foreheads .

5 And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun: for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever .

6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true . And the Lord God of the holy prophets sents his angel to show unto his Servants the things which must shortly be done .

7 Behold, I come quickly , blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book .

8 And I John saw these things , and heard them . And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel, which shown me these things.

9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not ; for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets , and of them which keep the sayings of this book, Worship God .

10 And he saith unto me , Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book , for the time is at hand .

11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still ; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still .

12 And behold, I come quickly , and my reward is with me , .

13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning, and the end, the first and the last .

14 Blessed are they that do his commandments , that they may have right to the tree of life , and may enter in through the gates into the city n.

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth, and maketh a lie.

16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches : I am the root, and the offspring of David, , and the bright and morning star .

17 And the spirit , and the bride say, Come . And let him that heareth, say, Come w. And let him that is a thirst, come ; And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely y.

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the p • ophecy of this book , If any man shall add unto those things , God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book .

19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy , God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book .

20 He which testifieth these things, saith, Surely I come quickly , Amen . Even so, come Lord Jesus .

21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen .

The Preface to the Annotations upon the Revelations.

ALthough some particular Heretics, such as Cerdon and Mar • yon, have doubted the Divine Authority of this mysterious piece of Holy-Writ, and some better Men in the Primitive times doubted of it, the Manuscript Copy of it having been at first reserved in few hands, and (as some think) in the fewer, because of the affairs and fate of the Roman Empire revealed in it; yet besides its general reception as such, by the Church in all late ages, there is in it such an Harmony, both with Daniel 's Prophecy in the Old-Testament, and with the Types made use of by the Holy-Prophets, such manifest allusions to the whole Order and Economy of the Jewish Church, such an agreement of the Doctrine contained in it, with the Doctrine of the Old and New-Testament, concerning God and Christ, the Resurrection from the Dead, and the Day of Judgment; and of the Promises and Threatenings contained in it, with the Promises and Threatenings in other parts of Holy-Writ, that none who hath not a Vanity to quarrel the whole Canon of Scripture, can reasonably dispute the Divine Authority of this part of it.

It appeareth from v. 1. that John was the Pen-Man of it, and that this John was the beloved Disciple, he that was the Pen-Man of one of the Gospels, hath been doubted by very few, and with very little reason, as will appear to him that will but wisely consider the terms and phrases used in it almost peculiar to this Apostle, and hardly to be found in Scripture anywhere, but in this Book and the Gospel of John, such as calling Christ▪ The Word, of which he bare Record, &c. Nor is their objection of any validity, who object, That in the Gospel he ordinarily concealeth his Name, which this Author doth not; considering that in that he wrote a Relation or History of things past, to be proved by many Eye and Ear-Witnesses; but here a Revelation or Prophecy of things to come, to which his Name was necessary, that Men might judge by what Authority he thus wrote.

For the time of his writing it, himself tells us, chap. 1.9. That he received this Revelation from God, while he was in Patmos, for the Word of God, and the Testimony of Jesus Christ, this was (if we may believe History, and we have nothing else to inform us) in the time of Domitian the Roman Emperor, about the 94th, or 95th year after the Nativity of Christ, so as this Book pleads a prescription of near sixteen hundred years, in which very few ever questioned its Divine Authority.

For the scope of it, it is plainly told us, chap. 1.1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . To show his Servants what should come to pass. The like we have repeated, chap. 22.6. upon which account it is called A Revelation, and a Prophecy, neither of which terms agree to a Narration or History, the object of which is something, or things that are already past.

I will not undertake to give the certain and infallible sense of the several passages of this mysterious Prophecy. In magnis voluisse sat est. But I have proceeded upon these few Postulata.

1. That the whole of this Book is no Historical Relation of things that were passed before the year 95 or 96, at least not long before, but of things to come, which hath made me wholly reject the notions of Grotius and Dr. Hammond, so far as they concerned the Siege or Destruction of Jerusalem, which was past 26 or 27 years before John heard of this Revelation. I cannot understand how this can agree with chap. 1.1. or chap. 22.6.

2. That it contains a Prophecy of the most remarkable things, that happened either to the Roman Empire; or, to the Church, (all which was within the Latitude of that in St. John's time) during the whole time of that; or, which should happen after the decay of that, throughout the Church to the End of the World.

3. That this time is reasonably divided into three Periods ; the first determining with the Roman Empire 's continuing Pagan, 310 or 325 years after Christ: the second with the total ruin of Antichrist, when that shall be I cannot tell. The third with Christ's coming to the last Judgment. The first is by some called Regnum Draconis Ethnicum ; the second Vicariatus Draconis Antichristianus ; the third Regnum Christi ; or, Status Ecclesiae tranquillus.

4. I see no reason to dissent from those eminent Men, who think that part of the Revelation which relates to the first period, and is predictive of what happened to the Church of God until the time of Constantine the Great, 310 or 325 years after Christ, beginneth with chap. 4. and endeth with chap. 7. and that the Silence in Heaven for half an Hour, mentioned chap. 8. ver. 1. relateth to the rest which the Church had from Constantine 's time till the end of Theodosius 's Reign, about 70 or 75 years.

5. Where to fix the Epocha, or beginning of the 1260 years, or 42 Months, I cannot tell. That the Mystery of Iniquity begun to work in the Apostle's time, is evident from 1 Thess. 2, 7. and reason will tell us, that Rome, as it now stands, or as it was in the year 1606, was not built up in a Day, the great Corruptions then in it, came in and grew up by degrees; but I cannot tell how to count Antichrist 's Reign, but from the time Phocas humoured the Pope with the Title and Style of Supreme or Universal Bishop ; from which time I should rather reckon the 1260 years, than from any time before.

6. I do agree with those who think the 11 first Chapters contain the sum of whatsoever is prophesied concerning the two first Periods, though many things falling within them, are more particularly and fully opened▪ chap. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. The twelfth Chapter giving us a particular account of the Church during the two first Periods; the 13th. giving us a more particular account of Antichrist, both in the Secular Power, and in his Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction: the 15th and 16th Chapters more fully open to us what should be done under the sixth Trumpet. In the 17th Chapter we have a more full description of the Beast with two Horns, mentioned chap. 13.11. which signified Antichrist as sitting in the Temple of God. The 18th, more fully describes his Fall, summarily before mentioned, chap. 14. The 19th, so far as it concerneth the Praise given to God for this, relates to that great Dispensation of Providence.

7. I take the third state of the Church (to which I cannot conceive we are yet come, which I called its serene and quiet state) to be foretold and described chap. 20. after which shall be the Battle with all the Wicked of the Earth, which shall end in Christ's coming to Judge the World, and the general Resurrection in order to it.