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These references come from the
New International Version of the bible (www.thebible.com).
As time permits, I will add several other biblical versions as
there are often interesting nuances in the translations.
Revelation 9
1
The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from
the sky to the
earth.
The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.
2
When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a
gigantic furnace.
The
sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.
3
And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power
like that of
scorpions of the earth.
4
They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree,
but only those
people who
did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5
They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five
months. And the
agony
they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a
man.
6
During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will
long to die, but death
will
elude them.
7
The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they
wore something like
crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.
8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were
like lions' teeth.
9
They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their
wings was like the
thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.
10 They
had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to
torment
people for
five months.
11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose
name in Hebrew is Abaddon,
and in Greek, Apollyon.
12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
13 The
sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns
of the
golden
altar that is before God.
14 It said
to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are
bound at
the
great river Euphrates."
15 And the
four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month
and
year
were released to kill a third of mankind.
16 The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million.
I heard their number.
17 The
horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates
were fiery red,
dark
blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of
lions,
and out of
their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.
18 A third
of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that
came out
of
their mouths.
19 The
power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their
tails were like
snakes,
having heads with which they inflict injury.
20 The
rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent
of the work of
their
hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver,
bronze,
stone and
wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk.
21 Nor did
they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or
their
thefts.
Revelation 16
1
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go,
pour out the
seven
bowls of God's wrath on the earth."
2
The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and
painful sores broke
out
on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.
3
The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood
like that of a
dead
man, and every living thing in the sea died.
4
The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water,
and they became
blood.
5
Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: "You are just in these
judgments, you
who
are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged;
6
for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have
given them blood to
drink
as they deserve."
7 And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God
Almighty, true and just are your judgments."
8
The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given
power to scorch
people
with fire.
9
They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who
had control
over
these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
10 The
fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his
kingdom was
plunged into
darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony
11 and
cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they
refused to
repent
of what they had done.
12 The
sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its
water was dried
up to
prepare the way for the kings from the East.
13 Then I
saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth
of the
dragon, out
of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 They
are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the
kings of
the
whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God
Almighty.
15
"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his
clothes with
him, so
that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed."
16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in
Hebrew is called Armageddon.
17 The
seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came
a loud
voice from
the throne, saying, "It is done!"
18 Then
there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe
earthquake.
No
earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so
tremendous
was the
quake.
19 The
great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations
collapsed. God
remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of
the fury of
his wrath.
20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be
found.
21 From
the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And
they
cursed
God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.
Revelation 18
1
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great
authority, and the
earth
was illuminated by his splendor.
2
With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She
has become a
home
for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean
and
detestable bird.
3
For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The
kings of the earth
committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from
her
excessive
luxuries."
4
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people,
so that you will
not
share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has
remembered her crimes.
6
Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has
done. Mix her a
double
portion from her own cup.
7
Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave
herself. In her heart
she
boasts, `I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.'
8
Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and
famine. She will be
consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
9
"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared
her luxury see
the
smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.
10
Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: "`Woe! Woe, O
great city, O
Babylon, city
of power! In one hour your doom has come!'
11 "The
merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys
their
cargoes
any more--
12 cargoes
of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and
scarlet
cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of
ivory, costly wood,
bronze, iron and
marble;
13 cargoes
of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and
olive oil,
of fine
flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and
souls
of men.
14 "They
will say, `The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and
splendor have
vanished, never to be recovered.'
15 The
merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will
stand far off,
terrified
at her torment. They will weep and mourn
16 and cry
out: "`Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and
glittering
with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17 In one
hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!' "Every sea captain, and
all who
travel by
ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand
far off.
18 When
they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, `Was there ever a
city like
this great
city?'
19 They
will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:
"`Woe! Woe,
O
great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her
wealth! In
one hour
she has been brought to ruin!
20 Rejoice
over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has
judged
her for
the way she treated you.'"
21 Then a
mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw
it into the
sea,
and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown
down,
never to be found
again.
22 The
music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never
be heard in
you
again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound
of a
millstone will
never be heard in you again.
23 The
light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and
bride will
never be
heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your
magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24 In her
was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have
been killed on
the
earth."
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