The Seals, the Trumpets, and the Unfolding Judgment
World English Bible Classic (WEB)
Revelation 6
1 I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as with a voice of thunder, “Come and see!”
2 And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!”
4 Another came out, a red horse. To him who sat on it was given power to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was given to him a great sword.
5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come and see!” And behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a balance in his hand.
6 I heard a voice in the middle of the four living creatures saying, “A choenix of wheat for a denarius, and three choenix of barley for a denarius! Don’t damage the oil and the wine!”
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see!”
8 And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority was given to them over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the word of God and for the testimony of the Lamb which they had.
10 They cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
11 A long white robe was given to each of them. They were told that they should rest yet for a while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who would also be killed even as they were, should complete their course.
12 I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood.
13 The stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when it is shaken by a great wind.
14 The sky was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up. Every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
15 The kings of the earth, the princes, the commanding officers, the rich, the strong, every slave, and every free person hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains.
16 They told the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
17 for the great day of his wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”
Revelation 7
1 After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.
2 I saw another angel ascend from the sunrise, having the seal of the living God. He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea,
3 saying, “Don’t harm the earth, neither the sea nor the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads!”
4 I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:
5 of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand, of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could count, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
10 They cried with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation be to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before his throne, and worshiped God,
12 saying, “Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 One of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are arrayed in white robes, who are they, and where did they come from?”
14 I told him, “My lord, you know.” He said to me, “These are those who came out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the Lamb’s blood.
15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them.
16 They will never be hungry or thirsty any more. The sun won’t beat on them, nor any heat;
17 for the Lamb who is in the middle of the throne shepherds them and leads them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 8
1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 Another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer. Much incense was given to him, that he should add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.
5 The angel took the censer, and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it on the earth. There followed thunders, sounds, lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 The seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
7 The first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. One third of the earth was burned up, and one third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great burning mountain was thrown into the sea. One third of the sea became blood,
9 and one third of the living creatures which were in the sea died. One third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch, and it fell on one third of the rivers, and on the springs of water.
11 The name of the star is called Wormwood. One third of the waters became wormwood. Many people died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded, and one third of the sun was struck, and one third of the moon, and one third of the stars; so that one third of them would be darkened, and the day wouldn’t shine for one third of it, and the night in the same way.
13 I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the other blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are yet to sound!”
Revelation 9
1 The fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from the sky which had fallen to the earth. The key to the pit of the abyss was given to him.
2 He opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke from a burning furnace. The sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke from the pit.
3 Then out of the smoke came locusts on the earth, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 They were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those people who don’t have God’s seal on their foreheads.
5 They were given power not to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a person.
6 In those days people will seek death, and will in no way find it. They will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
7 The shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for war. On their heads were something like golden crowns, and their faces were like people’s faces.
8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like those of lions.
9 They had breastplates, like breastplates of iron. The sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to war.
10 They have tails like those of scorpions, and stingers. In their tails they have power to harm people for five months.
11 They have over them as king the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is “Abaddon,” but in Greek, he has the name “Apollyon.”
12 The first woe is past. Behold, there are still two woes coming after this.
13 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 who had the trumpet, “Free the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!”
15 The four angels were freed who had been prepared for that hour and day and month and year, so that they might kill one third of mankind.
16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million. I heard the number of them.
17 This is how I saw the horses in the vision and those who sat on them, having breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses resembled lions’ heads. Out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur.
18 One third of mankind was killed by these three plagues: by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur which proceeded out of their mouths.
19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails are like serpents, and have heads; and with them they harm.
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, didn’t repent of the works of their hands, that they wouldn’t worship demons and the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk.
21 They didn’t repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.
Scripture: World English Bible Classic (WEB), a public-domain translation. Available for free copying and sharing at eBible.org.
