The Living Bible (396 page)

Revelation
3

“To the leader of the church in Sardis write this letter:

    
“This message is sent to you by the one who has the sevenfold Spirit
*
of God and the seven stars.

    
“I know your reputation as a live and active church, but you are dead.
²
 
Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains—for even what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right in the sight of God.
³
 
Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly and turn to me again. Unless you do, I will come suddenly upon you, unexpected as a thief, and punish you.

    
⁴
 
“Yet even there in Sardis some haven’t soiled their garments with the world’s filth; they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
⁵
 
Everyone who conquers will be clothed in white, and I will not erase his name from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that he is mine.

    
⁶
 
“Let all who can hear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

    
⁷
 
“Write this letter to the leader
of the church in Philadelphia.

    
“This message is sent to you by the one who is holy and true and has the key of David to open what no one can shut and to shut what no one can open.

    
⁸
 
“I know you well; you aren’t strong, but you have tried to obey
*
and have not denied my Name. Therefore I have opened a door to you that no one can shut.

    
⁹
 
“Note this: I will force those supporting the causes of Satan while claiming to be mine
*
(but they aren’t—they are lying) to fall at your feet and acknowledge that you are the ones I love.

    
¹⁰
 
“Because you have patiently obeyed me despite the persecution, therefore I will protect you from the time of Great Tribulation and temptation,
*
which will come upon the world to test everyone alive.
¹¹
 
Look, I am coming soon!
*
Hold tightly to the little strength you have—so that no one will take away your crown.

    
¹²
 
“As for the one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; he will be secure and will go out no more; and I will write my God’s Name on him, and he will be a citizen in the city of my God—the New Jerusalem, coming down from heaven from my God; and he will have my new Name inscribed upon him.

    
¹³
 
“Let all who can hear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

    
¹⁴
 
“Write this letter to the leader of the church in Laodicea:

    
“This message is from the one who stands firm,
*
the faithful and true Witness of all that is or was or evermore shall be,
*
the primeval source of God’s creation:

    
¹⁵
 
“I know you well—you are neither hot nor cold; I wish you were one or the other!
¹⁶
 
But since you are merely lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth!

    
¹⁷
 
“You say, ‘I am rich, with everything I want; I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that spiritually you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

    
¹⁸
 
“My advice to you is to buy pure gold from me, gold purified by fire—only then will you truly be rich. And to purchase from me white garments, clean and pure, so you won’t be naked and ashamed; and to get medicine from me to heal your eyes and give you back your sight.
¹⁹
 
I continually discipline and punish everyone I love; so I must punish you unless you turn from your indifference and become enthusiastic about the things of God.

    
²⁰
 
“Look! I have been standing at the door, and I am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me.
²¹
 
I will let everyone who conquers sit beside me on my throne, just as I took my place with my Father on his throne when I had conquered.
²²
 
Let those who can hear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”

Revelation
4

Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before, which sounded like a mighty trumpet blast, spoke to me and said,
“Come up here and I will show you what must happen in the future!”

    
²
 And instantly I was in spirit there in heaven and saw—oh, the glory of it!—a throne and someone sitting on it!
³
 Great bursts of light flashed forth from him as from a glittering diamond or from a shining ruby, and a rainbow glowing like an emerald encircled his throne.
⁴
 Twenty-four smaller thrones surrounded his, with twenty-four Elders sitting on them; all were clothed in white, with golden crowns upon their heads.
⁵
 Lightning and thunder issued from the throne, and there were voices in the thunder. Directly in front of his throne were seven lighted lamps representing the sevenfold Spirit of God.
*
⁶
 Spread out before it was a shiny crystal sea. Four Living Beings, dotted front and back with eyes, stood at the throne’s four sides.
⁷
 The first of these Living Beings was in the form of a lion; the second looked like an ox; the third had the face of a man; and the fourth, the form of an eagle, with wings spread out as though in flight.
⁸
 Each of these Living Beings had six wings, and the central sections of their wings were covered with eyes. Day after day and night after night they kept on saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty—the one who was, and is, and is to come.”

    
⁹
 And when the Living Beings gave glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
¹⁰
 the twenty-four Elders fell down before him and worshiped him, the Eternal Living One, and cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
¹¹
 “O Lord, you are worthy to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for you have created all things. They were created and called into being by your act of will.”

Revelation
5

And I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne, a scroll with writing on the inside and on the back, and sealed with seven seals.
²
 A mighty angel with a loud voice was shouting out this question: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and to unroll it?”
³
 But no one in all heaven or earth or from among the dead was permitted to open and read it.

    
⁴
 Then I wept with disappointment
*
because no one anywhere was worthy; no one could tell us what it said.

    
⁵
 But one of the twenty-four Elders said to me, “Stop crying, for look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, and proved himself worthy to open the scroll and to break its seven seals.”

    
⁶
 I looked and saw a Lamb standing there before the twenty-four Elders, in front of the throne and the Living Beings, and on the Lamb were wounds that once had caused his death. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God, sent out into every part of the world.
⁷
 He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting upon the throne.
⁸
 And as he took the scroll, the twenty-four Elders fell down before the Lamb, each with a harp and golden vials filled with incense—the prayers of God’s people!

    
⁹
 They were singing
*
him a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it; for you were slain, and your blood has bought people from every nation as gifts for God.
¹⁰
 And you have gathered them into a kingdom and made them priests of our God; they shall reign upon the earth.”

    
¹¹
 Then in my vision I heard the singing of millions of angels surrounding the throne and the Living Beings and the Elders:
¹²
 “The Lamb is worthy (loudly they sang it!), the Lamb who was slain. He is worthy to receive the power, and the riches, and the wisdom, and the strength, and the honor, and the glory, and the blessing.”

    
¹³
 And then I heard everyone in heaven and earth, and from the dead beneath the earth and in the sea, exclaiming, “The blessing and the honor and the glory and the power belong to the one sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever.”
¹⁴
 And the four Living Beings kept saying, “Amen!” And the twenty-four Elders fell down and worshiped him.