Evil in the Last Days

¹But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come.

²For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

³unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good,

⁴traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

⁵having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

⁶They are the kind who worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions,

⁷who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses,so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.

⁹But they will not advance much further. For just like Jannes and Jambres, their folly will be plain to everyone.

All Scripture Is God-Breathed

¹⁰You, however, have observed my teaching, my conduct, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my perseverance,

¹¹my persecutions, and the sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.

¹²Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

¹³while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

¹⁴But as for you, continue in the things you have learned and firmly believed, since you know from whom you have learned them.

¹⁵From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

¹⁷so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

The Lamb Takes the Scroll

¹Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.

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

³But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it.

⁴And I began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.

⁵Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven spiritsof God sent out into all the earth.

⁷And He came and took the scroll from the right hand of the One seated on the throne.

⁸When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

⁹And they sang a new song:“Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals,because You were slain,and by Your blood You purchased for Godthose from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

¹⁰You have made them to be a kingdomand priests to serve our God,and they will reign uponthe earth.”

The Lamb Exalted

¹¹Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels encircling the throne, and the living creatures and the elders. And their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.

¹²In a loud voice they were saying:“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,to receive power and richesand wisdom and strengthand honor and glory and blessing!”

¹³And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying:“To Him who sits on the throneand to the Lambbe praise and honor and glory and powerforever and ever!”

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

Rejoicing in Heaven

¹After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting:“Hallelujah!Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!

²For His judgments are true and just.He has judged the great prostitutewho corrupted the earth with her immorality.He has avenged the blood of His servantsthat was poured out by her hand.”

³And a second time they called out:“Hallelujah!Her smoke rises forever and ever.”

⁴And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying:“Amen, Hallelujah!”

⁵Then a voice came from the throne, saying:“Praise our God,all you who serve Him,and those who fear Him,small and great alike!”

The Marriage of the Lamb

⁶And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out:“Hallelujah!For the Lord our Godthe Almighty reigns.

⁷Let us rejoice and be gladand give Him the glory.For the marriage of the Lamb has come,and His bride has made herself ready.

⁸She was given clothing of fine linen,bright and pure.”For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.

⁹Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

¹⁰So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The Rider on the White Horse

¹¹Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.

¹²He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows.

¹³He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,and His name is The Word of God.

¹⁴The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses.

¹⁵And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter.He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

¹⁶And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet

¹⁷Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,

¹⁸so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”

¹⁹Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army.

²⁰But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

²¹And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse.And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

The Evanescence of Wealth

¹Hear this, all you peoples;listen, all inhabitants of the world,

²both low and high,rich and poor alike.

³My mouth will impart wisdom,and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.

⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb;I will express my riddle with the harp:

⁵Why should I fear in times of trouble,when wicked usurpers surround me?

⁶They trust in their wealthand boast in their great riches.

⁷No man can possibly redeem his brotheror pay his ransom to God.

⁸For the redemption of his soul is costly,and never can payment suffice,

⁹that he should live on foreverand not see decay.

¹⁰For it is clear that wise men die,and the foolish and the senseless both perishand leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their gravesare their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes.

¹²But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure;he is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the fate of the foolishand their followers who endorse their sayings.Selah

¹⁴Like sheep they are destined for Sheol.Death will be their shepherd.The upright will rule them in the morning,and their form will decay in Sheol,far from their lofty abode.

¹⁵But God will redeem my life from Sheol,for He will surely take me to Himself.Selah

¹⁶Do not be afraid when a man grows rich,when the splendor of his house increases.

¹⁷For when he dies, he will carry nothing away;his abundance will not follow him down.

¹⁸Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper—

¹⁹he will join the generation of his fathers,who will never see the light of day.

²⁰A man who has riches without understandingis like the beasts that perish.