I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy in this book: If anyone adds anything to this, God will strike him with the plagues that are written in this book.
If anyone takes away any words from this book of prophecy, God will take away his portion of the tree of life and the holy city that are described in this book.
Then the angel said to me [John], “Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy in this book because the time is near.
Let those who don’t have God’s approval go without it, and let filthy people continue to be filthy.
Let those who have God’s approval continue to have it, and let holy people continue to be holy.”
I, John, heard and saw these things. When I had heard and seen them, I bowed to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing me these things.
He told me, “Don’t do that! I am your co-worker. I work with other Christians, the prophets, and those who follow the words in this book. Worship God!”
The angel showed me a river filled with the water of life, as clear as crystal. It was flowing from the throne of God and the lamb.
Between the street of the city and the river there was a tree of life visible from both sides. It produced 12 kinds of fruit. Each month had its own fruit. The leaves of the tree will heal the nations.
There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and the lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him and see his face. His name will be on their foreheads.
There will be no more night, and they will not need any light from lamps or the sun because the Lord God will shine on them.
They will rule as kings forever and ever.
I [John] did not see any temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple.
The city doesn’t need any sun or moon to give it light because the glory of God gave it light. The lamb was its lamp. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
Its gates will be open all day. They will never close because there won’t be any night there.
They will bring the glory and wealth of the nations into the holy city. Nothing unclean, no one who does anything detestable, and no liars will ever enter it. Only those whose names are written in the lamb’s Book of Life will enter it.
The angel who was talking to me [John] had a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city was square. It was as wide as it was long. He measured the city with the stick.
Its wall was made of gray quartz. The city was made of pure gold, as clear as glass. The foundations of the city wall were beautifully decorated with all kinds of gems: The first foundation was gray quartz, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth red quartz, the seventh yellow quartz, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth green quartz, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The 12 gates were 12 pearls. Each gate was made of one pearl. The street of the city was made of pure gold, as clear as glass.
It was 12,000 stadia long. Its length, width, and height were the same. He measured its wall. According to human measurement, which the angel was using, it was 144 cubits.
Its wall was made of gray quartz. The city was made of pure gold, as clear as glass. The foundations of the city wall were beautifully decorated with all kinds of gems: The first foundation was gray quartz, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth red quartz, the seventh yellow quartz, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth green quartz, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The 12 gates were 12 pearls. Each gate was made of one pearl. The street of the city was made of pure gold, as clear as glass.
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the last seven plagues came to me [John] and said, “Come! I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb.”
He carried me by his power away to a large, high mountain. He showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. It had the glory of God. Its light was like a valuable gem, like gray quartz, as clear as crystal. It had a large, high wall with 12 gates. Twelve angels were at the gates. The names of the 12 tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. The wall of the city had 12 foundations. The 12 names of the 12 apostles of the lamb were written on them.
The one sitting on the throne said, “I am making everything new.” He said, “Write this: ‘These words are faithful and true.’”
He said to me, “It has happened! I am the A and the Z, the beginning and the end. I will give a drink from the fountain filled with the water of life to anyone who is thirsty. It won’t cost anything.
Everyone who wins the victory will inherit these things. I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowardly, unfaithful, and detestable people, murderers, sexual sinners, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselves in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
This is the second death.”
I [John] saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and earth had disappeared, and the sea was gone.
Then I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, dressed like a bride ready for her husband.
I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “God lives with humans! God will make his home with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There won’t be any more death. There won’t be any grief, crying, or pain, because the first things have disappeared.”
I [John] saw a large, white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the sky fled from his presence, but no place was found for them.
I saw the dead, both important and unimportant people, standing in front of the throne.
Books were opened, including the Book of Life. The dead were judged on the basis of what they had done, as recorded in the books.
The sea gave up its dead. Death and hell gave up their dead. People were judged based on what they had done.
Death and hell were thrown into the fiery lake. (The fiery lake is the second death.) Those whose names were not found in the Book of Life were thrown into the fiery lake.
When 1,000 years are over, Satan will be freed from his prison. He will go out to deceive Gog and Magog, the nations in the four corners of the earth, and gather them for war. They will be as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
I[John] saw that they spread over the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s holy people and the beloved city. Fire came from heaven and burned them up.
The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were also thrown. They will be tortured day and night forever and ever.
