Introduction
The Letter from Jude
was written to warn against false teachers who claimed to be believers. In this brief letter, which is similar in content to
2 Peter
, the writer encourages his readers “to fight on for the faith which once and for all God has given to his people.”
Outline of Contents
Introduction (1-2)
Character, teaching, and doom of the false teachers (3-16)
Admonition to keep the faith (17-23)
Benediction (24-25)
1 From Jude, servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James—
To those who have been called by God, who live in the love of God the Father and the protection of Jesus Christ:
2 May mercy, peace, and love be yours in full measure.
3 My dear friends, I was doing my best to write to you about the salvation we share in common, when I felt the need of writing at once to encourage you to fight on for the faith which once and for all God has given to his people.
4 For some godless people have slipped in unnoticed among us, persons who distort the message about the grace of our God in order to excuse their immoral ways, and who reject Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord. Long ago the Scriptures predicted the condemnation they have received.
5 For even though you know all this, I want to remind you of how the Lordonce rescued the people of Israel from Egypt, but afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
6 Remember the angels who did not stay within the limits of their proper authority, but abandoned their own dwelling place: they are bound with eternal chains in the darkness below, where God is keeping them for that great Day on which they will be condemned.
7 Remember Sodom and Gomorrah, and the nearby towns, whose people acted as those angels did and indulged in sexual immorality and perversion: they suffer the punishment of eternal fire as a plain warning to all.
8 In the same way also, these people have visions which make them sin against their own bodies; they despise God’s authority and insult the glorious beings above.
9 Not even the chief angel Michael did this. In his quarrel with the Devil, when they argued about who would have the body of Moses, Michael did not dare condemn the Devil with insulting words, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
10 But these people attack with insults anything they do not understand; and those things that they know by instinct, like wild animals, are the very things that destroy them.
11 How terrible for them! They have followed the way that Cain took. For the sake of money they have given themselves over to the error that Balaam committed. They have rebelled as Korah rebelled, and like him they are destroyed.
12 With their shameless carousing they are like dirty spots in your fellowship meals. They take care only of themselves. They are like clouds carried along by the wind, but bringing no rain. They are like trees that bear no fruit, even in autumn, trees that have been pulled up by the roots and are completely dead.
13 They are like wild waves of the sea, with their shameful deeds showing up like foam. They are like wandering stars, for whom God has reserved a place forever in the deepest darkness.
14 It was Enoch, the seventhdirect descendant from Adam, who long ago prophesied this about them: “The Lord will come with many thousands of his holy angels
15 to bring judgment on all, to condemn them all for the godless deeds they have performed and for all the terrible words that godless sinners have spoken against him!”
16 These people are always grumbling and blaming others; they follow their own evil desires; they brag about themselves and flatter others in order to get their own way.
17 But remember, my friends, what you were told in the past by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
18 They said to you, “When the last days come, people will appear who will make fun of you, people who follow their own godless desires.”
19 These are the people who cause divisions, who are controlled by their natural desires, who do not have the Spirit.
20 But you, my friends, keep on building yourselves up on your most sacred faith. Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,
21 and keep yourselves in the love of God, as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy to give you eternal life.
22 Show mercy toward those who have doubts;
23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; and to others show mercy mixed with fear, but hate their very clothes, stained by their sinful lusts.
24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to bring you faultless and joyful before his glorious presence—
25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, from all ages past, and now, and forever and ever! Amen.
—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/JUD/1-6058913e8fff860a05bdff391f3ed040.mp3?version_id=68—
Introduction
The Revelation to John
was written at a time when Christians were being persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. The writer’s main concern is to give his readers hope and encouragement, and to urge them to remain faithful during times of suffering and persecution.
For the most part the book consists of several series of revelations and visions presented in symbolic language that would have been understood by Christians of that day, but would have remained a mystery to all others. As with the themes of a symphony, the themes of this book are repeated again and again in different ways through the various series of visions. Although there are differences of opinion regarding the details of interpretation of the book, the central theme is clear: through Christ the Lord, God will finally and totally defeat all of his enemies, including Satan, and will reward his faithful people with the blessings of a new heaven and a new earth when this victory is complete.
Outline of Contents
Introduction (1.1-8)
Opening vision and the letters to the seven churches (1.9—3.22)
The scroll with seven seals (4.1—8.1)
The seven trumpets (8.2—11.19)
The dragon and the two beasts (12.1—13.18)
Various visions (14.1—15.8)
The seven bowls of God’s anger (16.1-21)
The destruction of Babylon, and the defeat of the beast, the false prophet, and the Devil (17.1—20.10)
The final judgment (20.11-15)
The new heaven, the new earth, the new Jerusalem (21.1—22.5)
Conclusion (22.6-21)
1 This book is the record of the events that Jesus Christ revealed. God gave him this revelation in order to show to his servants what must happen very soon. Christ made these things known to his servant John by sending his angel to him,
2 and John has told all that he has seen. This is his report concerning the message from God and the truth revealed by Jesus Christ.
3 Happy is the one who reads this book, and happy are those who listen to the words of this prophetic message and obey what is written in this book! For the time is near when all these things will happen.
4 From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace be yours from God, who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits in front of his throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first to be raised from death and who is also the ruler of the kings of the world.
He loves us, and by his sacrificial death he has freed us from our sins
6 and made us a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father. To Jesus Christ be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
7 Look, he is coming on the clouds! Everyone will see him, including those who pierced him. All peoples on earth will mourn over him. So shall it be!
8 “I am the first and the last,” says the Lord God Almighty, who is, who was, and who is to come.
9 I am John, your brother, and as a follower of Jesus I am your partner in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom. I was put on the island of Patmos because I had proclaimed God’s word and the truth that Jesus revealed.
10 On the Lord’s day the Spirit took control of me, and I heard a loud voice, that sounded like a trumpet, speaking behind me.
11 It said, “Write down what you see, and send the book to the churches in these seven cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 I turned around to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands,
13 and among them there was what looked like a human being, wearing a robe that reached to his feet, and a gold band around his chest.
14 His hair was white as wool, or as snow, and his eyes blazed like fire;
15 his feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished, and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall.
16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face was as bright as the midday sun.
17 When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the first and the last.
18 I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead.
19 Write, then, the things you see, both the things that are now and the things that will happen afterward.
20 Here is the secret meaning of the seven stars that you see in my right hand, and of the seven gold lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/REV/1-0b9f9e5eebd7bd93e9a0ee1c119b901e.mp3?version_id=68—
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
“This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands.
2 I know what you have done; I know how hard you have worked and how patient you have been. I know that you cannot tolerate evil people and that you have tested those who say they are apostles but are not, and have found out that they are liars.
3 You are patient, you have suffered for my sake, and you have not given up.
4 But this is what I have against you: you do not love me now as you did at first.
5 Think how far you have fallen! Turn from your sins and do what you did at first. If you don’t turn from your sins, I will come to you and take your lampstand from its place.
6 But this is what you have in your favor: you hate what the Nicolaitans do, as much as I do.
7 “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!
“To those who win the victory I will give the right to eat the fruit of the tree of life that grows in the Garden of God.
8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
“This is the message from the one who is the first and the last, who died and lived again.
9 I know your troubles; I know that you are poor—but really you are rich! I know the evil things said against you by those who claim to be Jews but are not; they are a group that belongs to Satan!
10 Don’t be afraid of anything you are about to suffer. Listen! The Devil will put you to the test by having some of you thrown into prison, and your troubles will last ten days. Be faithful to me, even if it means death, and I will give you life as your prize of victory.
11 “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!
“Those who win the victory will not be hurt by the second death.
12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
“This is the message from the one who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 I know where you live, there where Satan has his throne. You are true to me, and you did not abandon your faith in me even during the time when Antipas, my faithful witness, was killed there where Satan lives.
14 But there are a few things I have against you: there are some among you who follow the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak how to lead the people of Israel into sin by persuading them to eat food that had been offered to idols and to practice sexual immorality.
15 In the same way you have people among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
16 Now turn from your sins! If you don’t, I will come to you soon and fight against those people with the sword that comes out of my mouth.
17 “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!
“To those who win the victory I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give each of them a white stone on which is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.
18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
“This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes blaze like fire, whose feet shine like polished brass.
19 I know what you do. I know your love, your faithfulness, your service, and your patience. I know that you are doing more now than you did at first.
20 But this is what I have against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a messenger of God. By her teaching she misleads my servants into practicing sexual immorality and eating food that has been offered to idols.
21 I have given her time to repent of her sins, but she does not want to turn from her immorality.
22 And so I will throw her on a bed where she and those who committed adultery with her will suffer terribly. I will do this now unless they repent of the wicked things they did with her.
23 I will also kill her followers, and then all the churches will know that I am the one who knows everyone’s thoughts and wishes. I will repay each of you according to what you have done.
24 “But the rest of you in Thyatira have not followed this evil teaching; you have not learned what the others call ‘the deep secrets of Satan.’ I say to you that I will not put any other burden on you.
25 But until I come, you must hold firmly to what you have.
26-28 To those who win the victory, who continue to the end to do what I want, I will give the same authority that I received from my Father: I will give them authority over the nations, to rule them with an iron rod and to break them to pieces like clay pots. I will also give them the morning star.
29 “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!
—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/REV/2-1722f15e24f6a21554bfb8e963dd91fe.mp3?version_id=68—
1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
“This is the message from the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know what you are doing; I know that you have the reputation of being alive, even though you are dead!
2 So wake up, and strengthen what you still have before it dies completely. For I find that what you have done is not yet perfect in the sight of my God.
3 Remember, then, what you were taught and what you heard; obey it and turn from your sins. If you do not wake up, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not even know the time when I will come.
4 But a few of you there in Sardis have kept your clothes clean. You will walk with me, clothed in white, because you are worthy to do so.
5 Those who win the victory will be clothed like this in white, and I will not remove their names from the book of the living. In the presence of my Father and of his angels I will declare openly that they belong to me.
6 “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
“This is the message from the one who is holy and true. He has the key that belonged to David, and when he opens a door, no one can close it, and when he closes it, no one can open it.
8 I know what you do; I know that you have a little power; you have followed my teaching and have been faithful to me. I have opened a door in front of you, which no one can close.
9 Listen! As for that group that belongs to Satan, those liars who claim that they are Jews but are not, I will make them come and bow down at your feet. They will all know that I love you.
10 Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you safe from the time of trouble which is coming upon the world to test all the people on earth.
11 I am coming soon. Keep safe what you have, so that no one will rob you of your victory prize.
12 I will make those who are victorious pillars in the temple of my God, and they will never leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which will come down out of heaven from my God. I will also write on them my new name.
13 “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
“This is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the originof all that God has created.
15 I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other!
16 But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth!
17 You say, ‘I am rich and well off; I have all I need.’ But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind.
18 I advise you, then, to buy gold from me, pure gold, in order to be rich. Buy also white clothing to dress yourself and cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy also some ointment to put on your eyes, so that you may see.
19 I rebuke and punish all whom I love. Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins.
20 Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me.
21 To those who win the victory I will give the right to sit beside me on my throne, just as I have been victorious and now sit by my Father on his throne.
22 “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!”
—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/REV/3-665b084be77cb49376685001363a67e8.mp3?version_id=68—
1 At 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.”
2 At once the Spirit took control of me. There in heaven was a throne with someone sitting on it.
3 His face gleamed like such precious stones as jasper and carnelian, and all around the throne there was a rainbow the color of an emerald.
4 In 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.
5 From 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.
6 Also 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.
7 The 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.
8 Each 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.”
9 The 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,
10 the 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.”
—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/REV/4-41835c71483b43f23ffd3a88e14d3c54.mp3?version_id=68—
1 I 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.
2 And I saw a mighty angel, who announced in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”
3 But there was no one in heaven or on earth or in the world belowwho could open the scroll and look inside it.
4 I cried bitterly because no one could be found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.
5 Then 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.”
6 Then 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.
7 The Lamb went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sits on the throne.
8 As 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.
9 They 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.
10 You have made them a kingdom of priests to serve our God,
and they shall rule on earth.”
11 Again I looked, and I heard angels, thousands and millions of them! They stood around the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders,
12 and sang in a loud voice:
“The Lamb who was killed is worthy
to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and strength,
honor, glory, and praise!”
13 And 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!”
14 The four living creatures answered, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.
—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/REV/5-5c936df406ef5495f0251254449f12dc.mp3?version_id=68—
1 Then 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!”
2 I 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.
3 Then the Lamb broke open the second seal; and I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”
4 Another 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.
5 Then 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.
6 I 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!”
7 Then the Lamb broke open the fourth seal; and I heard the fourth living creature say, “Come!”
8 I looked, and there was a pale-colored horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hadesfollowed close behind. They were given authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill by means of war, famine, disease, and wild animals.
9 Then 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.
10 They 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?”
11 Each 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.
12 And 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.
13 The stars fell down to the earth, like unripe figs falling from the tree when a strong wind shakes it.
14 The sky disappeared like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
15 Then 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.
16 They 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!
17 The terrible day of their anger is here, and who can stand up against it?”
—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/REV/6-fef62b80e9a240d8aa3c5cad373874ce.mp3?version_id=68—
1 After 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.
2 And 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.
3 The 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.”
4 And 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,
5-8 twelve thousand from each tribe: Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
9 After 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.
10 They called out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb!”
11 All 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,
12 saying, “Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever! Amen!”
13 One 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.
15 That 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.
16 Never again will they hunger or thirst; neither sun nor any scorching heat will burn them,
17 because 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.”
—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/REV/7-5a6d4d58ac32e6a2010920215c8ed318.mp3?version_id=68—