Revelation

The Two Witnesses

Then I was given a staff, like a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship there.

Do not bother measuring the outer courtyard, for it has been given to the pagans, who will trample over the holy city for forty-two months. 

Meanwhile, I will entrust my word to my two witnesses, who will proclaim it for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, dressed in sackcloth.” 

These are the two olive trees, and the two lamps, which stand before the Lord of the earth. 

If anyone tries to harm them, fire will come out of their mouths to destroy their enemies; this is how anyone who attempts to harm them will perish. 

They have the power to close the sky and hold back the rain during their prophetic period; they also have the power to turn water into blood and punish the earth with a thousand plagues, whenever they wish. 

But when my witnesses have completed their mission, the beast that rises from the abyss will make war against them, conquer, and kill them. 

Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city, which the believers figuratively call Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 

For three and a half days, their bodies will be displayed to people of every tribe, race, language, and nation, who will be ordered not to bury them. 

The inhabitants of the earth will rejoice, celebrate, and exchange gifts because these two prophets were a torment to them. 

But after those three and a half days, a life-giving spirit from God entered them, and they stood up. Those who watched were filled with great fear. 

Then a loud voice from heaven called out, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in the clouds, in front of their enemies.

At that moment, there was a violent earthquake, which destroyed a tenth of the city and claimed seven thousand victims. The rest were overcome with fear and acknowledged the God of heaven. 

The second woe has passed. The third is coming soon.

 The Seventh Trumpet

The seventh angel blew his trumpet; then, loud voices resounded in heaven: “The world has now become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ. He will reign for ever and ever.”

The twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, bowed down to worship God, 

saying,

We thank you, LORD God,

Master of the universe,

who are and who were,

for you have begun your reign,

making use of your invincible power.

The nations raged

but your wrath has come,

the time to judge the dead

and reward your servants the prophets,

the saints and those who honor your Name—

whether great or small—

and destroy those who destroy the earth.

 The Woman and the Dragon

Then, the Sanctuary of God in the heavens was opened, and the Ark of the Covenant of God could be seen inside the Sanctuary. There were flashes of lightning, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a violent hailstorm.