The Lamb and the 144,000
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Then I looked, and behold, on 1Mount Zion 2stood the Lamb, and with him 3 144,000 who 4had his name and his Father's name written 5on their foreheads.
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And I heard a voice from heaven 6like the roar of many waters and 7like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of 8harpists playing on their harps,
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and they were singing 9a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. 10No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
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It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for 11they are virgins. It is these 12who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as 13firstfruits for God and the Lamb,
The Messages of the Three Angels
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Then I saw another angel 16flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to 17those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.
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And he said with a loud voice, 18"Fear God and 19give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and 20worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the 21springs of water."
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Another angel, a second, followed, saying, 22"Fallen, fallen is 23Babylon the great, 24she who made all nations drink 25the wine of the passiona of her sexual immorality."
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And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone 26worships the beast and its image and receives 27a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
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he also will drink 28the wine of God's wrath, 29poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and 30he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
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And 31the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and 32they have no rest, day or night, these 33worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."
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34Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who 35keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.b
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And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: 36Blessed are the dead 37who die in the Lord from now on.""Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, 38"that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"
The Harvest of the Earth
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Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one 39like a son of man, 40with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.
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And another angel 41came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, 42"Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for 43the harvest of the earth is fully ripe."
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So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
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Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
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And another angel came out from the altar, 44the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, 45for its grapes are ripe."
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)