Worship in Heaven

¹At this point I had another vision and saw an open door in heaven. And the voice that sounded like a trumpet, which I had heard speaking to me before, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”

²At once the Spirit took control of me. There in heaven was a throne with someone sitting on it.

³His face gleamed like such precious stones as jasper and carnelian, and all around the throne there was a rainbow the color of an emerald.

⁴In a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, on which were seated twenty-four elders dressed in white and wearing crowns of gold.

⁵From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. In front of the throne seven lighted torches were burning, which are the seven spirits of God.

⁶Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. Surrounding the throne on each of its sides, were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and behind.

⁷The first one looked like a lion; the second looked like a bull; the third had a face like a human face; and the fourth looked like an eagle in flight.

⁸Each one of the four living creatures had six wings, and they were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day and night they never stop singing: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.”

⁹The four living creatures sing songs of glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. When they do so,

¹⁰the twenty-four elders fall down before the one who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They throw their crowns down in front of the throne and say,

¹¹“Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. For you created all things, and by your will they were given existence and life.”

The Scroll and the Lamb

¹I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who sits on the throne; it was covered with writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.

²And I saw a mighty angel, who announced in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”

³But there was no one in heaven or on earth or in the world below who could open the scroll and look inside it.

⁴I cried bitterly because no one could be found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.

⁵Then one of the elders said to me, “Don't cry. Look! The Lion from Judah's tribe, the great descendant of David, has won the victory, and he can break the seven seals and open the scroll.”

⁶Then I saw a Lamb standing in the center of the throne, surrounded by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb appeared to have been killed. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God that have been sent through the whole earth.

⁷The Lamb went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sits on the throne.

⁸As he did so, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each had a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God's people.

⁹They sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to break open its seals. For you were killed, and by your sacrificial death you bought for God people from every tribe, language, nation, and race.

¹⁰You have made them a kingdom of priests to serve our God, and they shall rule on earth.”

¹¹Again I looked, and I heard angels, thousands and millions of them! They stood around the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders,

¹²and sang in a loud voice: “The Lamb who was killed is worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and strength, honor, glory, and praise!”

¹³And I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, in the world below, and in the sea—all living beings in the universe—and they were singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be praise and honor, glory and might, forever and ever!”

¹⁴The four living creatures answered, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

The Seals

¹Then I saw the Lamb break open the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice that sounded like thunder, “Come!”

²I looked, and there was a white horse. Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown. He rode out as a conqueror to conquer.

³Then the Lamb broke open the second seal; and I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”

⁴Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given the power to bring war on the earth, so that people should kill each other. He was given a large sword.

⁵Then the Lamb broke open the third seal; and I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there was a black horse. Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand.

⁶I heard what sounded like a voice coming from among the four living creatures, which said, “A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages. But do not damage the olive trees and the vineyards!”

⁷Then the Lamb broke open the fourth seal; and I heard the fourth living creature say, “Come!”

⁸I looked, and there was a pale-colored horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades followed close behind. They were given authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill by means of war, famine, disease, and wild animals.

⁹Then the Lamb broke open the fifth seal. I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because they had proclaimed God's word and had been faithful in their witnessing.

¹⁰They shouted in a loud voice, “Almighty Lord, holy and true! How long will it be until you judge the people on earth and punish them for killing us?”

¹¹Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer, until the complete number of other servants and believers were killed, as they had been.

¹²And I saw the Lamb break open the sixth seal. There was a violent earthquake, and the sun became black like coarse black cloth, and the moon turned completely red like blood.

¹³The stars fell down to the earth, like unripe figs falling from the tree when a strong wind shakes it.

¹⁴The sky disappeared like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

¹⁵Then the kings of the earth, the rulers and the military chiefs, the rich and the powerful, and all other people, slave and free, hid themselves in caves and under rocks on the mountains.

¹⁶They called out to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the eyes of the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb!

¹⁷The terrible day of their anger is here, and who can stand up against it?”

The 144,000 People of Israel

¹After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so that no wind should blow on the earth or the sea or against any tree.

²And I saw another angel coming up from the east with the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels to whom God had given the power to damage the earth and the sea.

³The angel said, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees, until we mark the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.”

⁴And I was told that the number of those who were marked with God's seal on their foreheads was 144,000. They were from the twelve tribes of Israel,

^5-8twelve thousand from each tribe: Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.

The Enormous Crowd

⁹After this I looked, and there was an enormous crowd—no one could count all the people! They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood in front of the throne and of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

¹⁰They called out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb!”

¹¹All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures. Then they threw themselves face downward in front of the throne and worshiped God,

¹²saying, “Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever! Amen!”

¹³One of the elders asked me, “Who are these people dressed in white robes, and where do they come from?”

¹⁴“I don't know, sir. You do,” I answered. He said to me, “These are the people who have come safely through the terrible persecution. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵That is why they stand before God's throne and serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will protect them with his presence.

¹⁶Never again will they hunger or thirst; neither sun nor any scorching heat will burn them,

¹⁷because the Lamb, who is in the center of the throne, will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

¹From Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I was chosen and sent to help the faith of God's chosen people and to lead them to the truth taught by our religion,

²which is based on the hope for eternal life. God, who does not lie, promised us this life before the beginning of time,

³and at the right time he revealed it in his message. This was entrusted to me, and I proclaim it by order of God our Savior.

⁴I write to Titus, my true son in the faith that we have in common. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace.

Titus' Work in Crete

⁵I left you in Crete, so that you could put in order the things that still needed doing and appoint church elders in every town. Remember my instructions:

⁶an elder must be without fault; he must have only one wife, and his children must be believers and not have the reputation of being wild or disobedient.

⁷For since a church leader is in charge of God's work, he should be without fault. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered, or a drunkard or violent or greedy for money.

⁸He must be hospitable and love what is good. He must be self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

⁹He must hold firmly to the message which can be trusted and which agrees with the doctrine. In this way he will be able to encourage others with the true teaching and also to show the error of those who are opposed to it.

¹⁰For there are many, especially the converts from Judaism, who rebel and deceive others with their nonsense.

¹¹It is necessary to stop their talk, because they are upsetting whole families by teaching what they should not, and all for the shameful purpose of making money.

^12-13It was a Cretan himself, one of their own prophets, who spoke the truth when he said, “Cretans are always liars, wicked beasts, and lazy gluttons.” For this reason you must rebuke them sharply, so that they may have a healthy faith

¹⁴and no longer hold on to Jewish legends and to human commandments which come from people who have rejected the truth.

¹⁵Everything is pure to those who are themselves pure; but nothing is pure to those who are defiled and unbelieving, for their minds and consciences have been defiled.

¹⁶They claim that they know God, but their actions deny it. They are hateful and disobedient, not fit to do anything good.

Sound Doctrine

¹But you must teach what agrees with sound doctrine.

²Instruct the older men to be sober, sensible, and self-controlled; to be sound in their faith, love, and endurance.

³In the same way instruct the older women to behave as women should who live a holy life. They must not be slanderers or slaves to wine. They must teach what is good,

⁴in order to train the younger women to love their husbands and children,

⁵to be self-controlled and pure, and to be good housewives who submit themselves to their husbands, so that no one will speak evil of the message that comes from God.

⁶In the same way urge the young men to be self-controlled.

⁷In all things you yourself must be an example of good behavior. Be sincere and serious in your teaching.

⁸Use sound words that cannot be criticized, so that your enemies may be put to shame by not having anything bad to say about us.

⁹Slaves are to submit themselves to their masters and please them in all things. They must not talk back to them

¹⁰or steal from them. Instead, they must show that they are always good and faithful, so as to bring credit to the teaching about God our Savior in all they do.

¹¹For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of all people.

¹²That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world,

¹³as we wait for the blessed Day we hope for, when the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ will appear.

¹⁴He gave himself for us, to rescue us from all wickedness and to make us a pure people who belong to him alone and are eager to do good.

¹⁵Teach these things and use your full authority as you encourage and rebuke your hearers. Let none of them look down on you.

Christian Conduct

¹Remind your people to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey them, and to be ready to do good in every way.

²Tell them not to speak evil of anyone, but to be peaceful and friendly, and always to show a gentle attitude toward everyone.

³For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and wrong. We were slaves to passions and pleasures of all kinds. We spent our lives in malice and envy; others hated us and we hated them.

⁴But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was revealed,

⁵he saved us. It was not because of any good deeds that we ourselves had done, but because of his own mercy that he saved us, through the Holy Spirit, who gives us new birth and new life by washing us.

⁶God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior,

⁷so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for.

⁸This is a true saying. I want you to give special emphasis to these matters, so that those who believe in God may be concerned with giving their time to doing good deeds, which are good and useful for everyone.

⁹But avoid stupid arguments, long lists of ancestors, quarrels, and fights about the Law. They are useless and worthless.

¹⁰Give at least two warnings to those who cause divisions, and then have nothing more to do with them.

¹¹You know that such people are corrupt, and their sins prove that they are wrong.

Final Instructions

¹²When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me in Nicopolis, because I have decided to spend the winter there.

¹³Do your best to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos to get started on their travels, and see to it that they have everything they need.

¹⁴Our people must learn to spend their time doing good, in order to provide for real needs; they should not live useless lives.

¹⁵All who are with me send you greetings. Give our greetings to our friends in the faith. God's grace be with you all.

The Capable Wife

¹⁰How hard it is to find a capable wife! She is worth far more than jewels!

¹¹Her husband puts his confidence in her, and he will never be poor.

¹²As long as she lives, she does him good and never harm.

¹³She keeps herself busy making wool and linen cloth.

¹⁴She brings home food from out-of-the-way places, as merchant ships do.

¹⁵She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and to tell her servant women what to do.