The Living Bible (400 page)
Authors: Inc. Tyndale House Publishers
Tags: #BIBLES / Other Translations / Text
One of the seven angels who had poured out the plagues came over and talked with me. “Come with me,” he said, “and I will show you what is going to happen to the Notorious Prostitute, who sits upon the many waters of the world.
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The kings of the world have had immoral relations with her, and the people of the earth have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality.”
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So the angel took me in spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet animal that had seven heads and ten horns,
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written all over with blasphemies against God.
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The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls, and held in her hand a golden goblet full of obscenities:
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A mysterious caption was written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes and of Idol Worship Everywhere around the World.”
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I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus she had killed. I stared at her in horror.
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“Why are you so surprised?” the angel asked. “I’ll tell you who she is and what the animal she is riding represents.
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He was alive but isn’t now. And yet, soon he will come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction;
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and the people of earth, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life before the world began, will be dumbfounded at his reappearance after being dead.
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“And now think hard: his seven heads represent a certain city
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built on seven hills where this woman has her residence.
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They also represent seven kings. Five have already fallen, the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief.
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The scarlet animal that died is the eighth king, having reigned before as one of the seven; after his second reign, he too, will go to his doom.
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His ten horns are ten kings who have not yet risen to power; they will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment, to reign with him.
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They will all sign a treaty giving their power and strength to him.
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Together they will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them; for he is Lord over all lords, and King of kings, and his people are the called and chosen and faithful ones.
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“The oceans, lakes, and rivers that the woman is sitting on represent masses of people of every race and nation.
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“The scarlet animal and his ten horns—which represent ten kings who will reign with him—all hate the woman, and will attack her and leave her naked and ravaged by fire.
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For God will put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes: They will mutually agree to give their authority to the scarlet animal so that the words of God will be fulfilled.
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And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor.
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He gave a mighty shout, “Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen; she has become a den of demons, a haunt of devils and every kind of evil spirit.
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For all the nations have drunk the fatal wine of her intense immorality. The rulers of earth have enjoyed themselves with her,
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and businessmen throughout the world have grown rich from all her luxurious living.”
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Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, “Come away from her, my people; do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her.
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For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God is ready to judge her for her crimes.
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Do to her as she has done to you, and more—give double penalty for all her evil deeds. She brewed many a cup of woe for others—give twice as much to her.
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She has lived in luxury and pleasure—match it now with torments and with sorrows. She boasts, ‘I am queen upon my throne. I am no helpless widow. I will not experience sorrow.’
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Therefore the sorrows of death and mourning and famine shall overtake her in a single day, and she shall be utterly consumed by fire; for mighty is the Lord who judges her.”
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And the world leaders who took part in her immoral acts and enjoyed her favors will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.
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They will stand far off, trembling with fear and crying out, “Alas, Babylon, that mighty city! In one moment her judgment fell.”
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The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.
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She was their biggest customer for gold and silver, precious stones, pearls, finest linens, purple silks, and scarlet; and every kind of perfumed wood, and ivory goods, and most expensive wooden carvings, and brass, and iron, and marble;
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and spices, and perfumes, and incense, ointment, and frankincense, wine, olive oil, and fine flour; wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and slaves—and even the souls of men.
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“All the fancy things you loved so much are gone,” they cry. “The dainty luxuries and splendor that you prized so much will never be yours again. They are gone forever.”
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And so the merchants who have become wealthy by selling her these things shall stand at a distance, fearing danger to themselves, weeping and crying,
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“Alas, that great city, so beautiful—like a woman clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls!
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In one moment, all the wealth of the city is gone!”
And all the shipowners and captains of the merchant ships and crews will stand a long way off,
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crying as they watch the smoke ascend, and saying, “Where in all the world is there another city such as this?”
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And they will throw dust on their heads in their sorrow and say, “Alas, alas, for that great city! She made us all rich from her great wealth. And now in a single hour all is gone. . . . ”
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But you, O heaven, rejoice over her fate; and you, O children of God and the prophets and the apostles! For at last God has given judgment against her for you.
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Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder shaped like a millstone and threw it into the ocean and shouted, “Babylon, that great city, shall be thrown away as I have thrown away this stone, and she shall disappear forever.
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Never again will the sound of music be there—no more pianos, saxophones, and trumpets.
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No industry of any kind will ever again exist there, and there will be no more milling of the grain.
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Dark, dark will be her nights; not even a lamp in a window will ever be seen again. No more joyous wedding bells and happy voices of the bridegrooms and the brides. Her businessmen were known around the world, and she deceived all nations with her sorceries.
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And she was responsible for the blood of all the martyred prophets and the saints.”
After this I heard the shouting of a vast crowd in heaven, “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Salvation is from our God. Honor and authority belong to him alone;
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for his judgments are just and true. He has punished the Great Prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sin;
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and he has avenged the murder of his servants.”
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Again and again their voices rang, “Praise the Lord! The smoke from her burning ascends forever and forever!”
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Then the twenty-four Elders and four Living Beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting upon the throne, and said, “Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!”
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And out of the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God, all you his servants, small and great, who fear him.”
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Then I heard again what sounded like the shouting of a huge crowd, or like the waves of a hundred oceans crashing on the shore, or like the mighty rolling of great thunder, “Praise the Lord. For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
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Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him; for the time has come for the wedding banquet of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.
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She is permitted to wear the cleanest and whitest and finest of linens.” (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the people of God.)
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And the angel
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dictated this sentence to me: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “God himself has stated this.”
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Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No! Don’t! For I am a servant of God just as you are, and as your brother Christians are, who testify of their faith in Jesus. Worship God. The purpose of all prophecy and of all I have shown you is to tell about Jesus.”
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Then I saw heaven opened and a white horse standing there; and the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and True—the one who justly punishes and makes war.
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His eyes were like flames, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on his forehead,
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and only he knew its meaning.
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He was clothed with garments dipped in blood, and his title was “The Word of God.”
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The armies of heaven, dressed in finest linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses.
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In his mouth he held a sharp sword to strike down the nations; he ruled them with an iron grip; and he trod the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.
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On his robe and thigh was written this title: “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
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Then I saw an angel standing in the sunshine, shouting loudly to the birds, “Come! Gather together for the supper of the Great God!
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Come and eat the flesh of kings, and captains, and great generals; of horses and riders; and of all humanity, both great and small, slave and free.”
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Then I saw the Evil Creature gathering the governments of the earth and their armies to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.
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And the Evil Creature was captured, and with him the False Prophet,
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who could do mighty miracles when the Evil Creature was present—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the Evil Creature’s mark, and who worshiped his statue. Both of them—the Evil Creature and his False Prophet—were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire that burns with sulphur.
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And their entire army was killed with the sharp sword in the mouth of the one riding the white horse, and all the birds of heaven were gorged with their flesh.