One of the leaders asked me, “Who are these people wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”

   I answered him, “Sir, you know.”
   

      Then he told me,
       “These are the people who are coming out of the terrible suffering. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. That is why they are in front of the throne of God. They serve him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never be hungry or thirsty again. Neither the sun nor any burning heat will ever overcome them.

          
          The lamb in the center near the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs filled with the water of life, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

All the angels stood around the throne with the leaders and the four living creatures. They bowed in front of the throne with their faces touching the ground, worshiped God, and said,
   “Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, 

    thanks, honor, power, and 

    strength be to our God forever 

    and ever! Amen!”

After these things I [John] saw a large crowd from every nation, tribe, people, and language. No one was able to count how many people there were. They were standing in front of the throne and the lamb. They were wearing white robes, holding palm branches in their hands, and crying out in a loud voice,      “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the lamb!”

I [John] heard how many were sealed: 144,000. Those who were sealed were from every tribe of the people of Israel:

 12,000 from the tribe of Judah,
 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
 12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
 12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
 12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin 

were sealed.

I [John] saw another angel coming from the east with the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been allowed to harm the land and sea,

   “Don’t harm the land, the sea, or the trees until we have put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

After this I [John] saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth to keep them from blowing on the land, the sea, or any tree.

I [John] watched as the lamb opened the sixth seal. A powerful earthquake struck. The sun turned as black as sackcloth made of hair. The full moon turned as red as blood. The stars fell from the sky to the earth like figs dropping from a fig tree when it is shaken by a strong wind. The sky vanished like a scroll being rolled up. Every mountain and island was moved from its place. 

   Then the kings of the earth, the important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and all the slaves and free people hid themselves in caves and among the rocks in the mountains. They said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the lamb, because the frightening day of their anger has come, and who is able to endure it?”

When the lamb opened the fifth seal, I [John] saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of God’s word and the testimony they had given about him. 

   They cried out in a loud voice, “Holy and true Master, how long before you judge and take revenge on those living on earth who shed our blood?” 

      Each of the souls was given a white robe. They were told to rest a little longer until all their coworkers, the other Christians, would be killed as they had been killed.

When the lamb opened the fourth seal, I [John] heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Go!” 

   I looked, and there was a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death. Hell followed him. They were given power over one-fourth of the earth to kill people using wars, famines, plagues, and the wild animals on the earth.

When the lamb opened the third seal, I [John] heard the third living creature say, “Go!” 

   I looked, and there was a black horse, and its rider held a scale. I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s pay or three quarts of barley for a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine.”

When the lamb opened the second seal, I [John] heard the second living creature say, “Go!” 

    A second horse went out. It was fiery red. Its rider was given the power to take peace away from the earth and to make people slaughter one another. So he was given a large sword.

I [John] watched as the lamb opened the first of the seven seals. I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Go!” 

   Then I looked, and there was a white horse, and its rider had a bow. He was given a crown and rode off as a warrior to win battles.

I [John] heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and on the sea. Every creature in those places was singing,
  “To the one who sits on the throne 

   and to the lamb be praise, honor, 

   glory, and power forever and ever.”

The four living creatures said, “Amen!” Then the leaders bowed and worshiped.

Then I [John] heard the voices of many angels, the four living creatures, and the leaders surrounding the throne. They numbered ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands times thousands. 

   In a loud voice they were singing,
     “The lamb who was slain deserves 

      to receive power, wealth, wisdom,             strength, honor, glory, and praise.”

When the lamb had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 leaders bowed in front of him. Each held a harp and a gold bowl full of incense, the prayers of God’s holy people. Then they sang a new song,
  “You deserve to take the scroll 

    and open the seals on it, 

    because you were slaughtered.
   You bought people with your 

    blood to be God’s own.
   They are from every tribe, 

    language, people, and nation.
   You made them a kingdom and 
    priests for our God. 

   They will rule as kings on the 

    earth.”

I [John] saw a lamb standing in the center near the throne with the four living creatures and the leaders. 

   The lamb looked like he had been slaughtered. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent all over the world. 

      He took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sits on the throne.

Then one of the leaders said to me [John], “Stop crying! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has won the victory. He can open the scroll and the seven seals on it.”

I [John] saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who sits on the throne. It had writing both on the inside and on the outside. It was sealed with seven seals. 

    I saw a powerful angel calling out in a loud voice, “Who deserves to open the scroll and break the seals on it?” 

       No one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth could open the scroll or look inside it.  

I cried bitterly because no one was found who deserved to open the scroll or look inside it.

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, to the one who lives forever and ever, the 24 leaders bow in front of the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever. They place their crowns in front of the throne and say,
   “Our Lord and God, you deserve to receive glory, honor, and power because you created everything.

Everything came into existence and was created for your pleasure.”

In front of the throne, there was something like a sea of glass as clear as crystal. In the center near the throne and around the throne were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back.

    The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like a young bull, the third had a face like a human, and the fourth was like a flying eagle.Each of the four living creatures had six wings and were covered with eyes, inside and out. Without stopping day or night they were singing,
    “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God     Almighty,who was, who is, and who is coming.”

Around that throne were 24 other thrones, and on these thrones sat 24 leaders wearing white clothes. They had gold crowns on their heads.

    Lightning, noise, and thunder came from the throne. Seven flaming torches were burning in front of the throne.


These are the seven spirits of God.

Instantly, I came under the Spirit’s power. I saw a throne in heaven, and someone was sitting on it. The one sitting there looked like gray quartz and red quartz. There was a rainbow around the throne which looked like an emerald.