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gathered the kings together into a place, called, in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon.*

17 And the seventh messenger poured out his phial into the air; and a [loud] voice came from the temple [of heaven], even from the throne, saying, "It is accomplished." 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and [there was] a great earthquake, such as had not been since men were upon the earth, so great and mighty an earthquake.

made drunk." 3 So he carried me away, in the spirit, into a desert and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, which was full of names of blasphemy, and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, and had in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication; 5 and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, THE GREAT 19 And the great city was BABYLON, THE MOTHER OF HARdivided into three parts, and LOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS the cities of the nations fell: OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw and the great Babylon was the woman drunk with the remembered before God, so blood of the saints, and with that he gave her the cup of the blood of the witnesses of the wine of the fierceness of Jesus: and when I saw her, his anger. 20 And every island I wondered with great wonder. fled away; and the mountains were not found. 21 And there fell upon men a great hail from heaven, every stone, as it were, the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the Scourge of the hail; for the scourge of it was very great.

CH. XVII. 1 THEN one of the seven messengers, who had the seven phials, came and talked to me, saying, "Come hither, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot, who sitteth upon the many waters; 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication; and with the wine of whose fornication the inhabitants of the earth have been

7 And the messenger said to me, "Why didst thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast which carrieth her, which hath the seven heads, and the ten horns. 8 The beast which thou sawest, was, and is not; and is about to come up from the abyss, and go into destruction: and those who dwell on the earth (whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world) will wonder when they behold the beast, which was, and is not, and will appear again.

9 Here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which

"That is, the mountain of Megiddo a city famous for slaughter, Judg. v. 19, 2 Kings ix. 27; for the defeat of King Josiah, 2 Kings xxiii. 29; and for great mourning, Zech. xii. 11.”

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the woman sitteth; 10 and they are seven kings: five are fallen, [and] one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he doth come, he must continue a short time. 11 And the beast, which was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is as one of the seven, and will go to destruction. 12 And the ten horns, which thou sawest, are ten kings that have not yet received a kingdom; but will receive authority, as kings, at the same time with the beast. 13 These will have one mind, and will give their authority and strength to the beast. 14 These will make war against the lamb, and the lamb will overcome them for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and those who are with him are called, chosen, and faithful."

"The

had great authority; and the
earth was enlightened with his
glory. 2 And he cried with a
strong voice, saying,
great Babylon is fallen, is fallen;
and is become a dwelling-place
of demons, and a haunt of every
unclean spirit, and a haunt of
every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all the nations have drunk
of the wine of the fury of her
fornication; and the kings of
the earth have committed for-
nication with her, and the mer-
chants of the earth have been
made rich through the abund-
ance of her luxury."

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out from her, my people; that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her scourges: 5 for her sins have reached to heaven; and God 15 Then the messenger said hath remembered her iniquito me, "The waters which thou ties. 6 Render to her as she sawest, where the harlot sit-also hath rendered; and repay teth, are people, and multitudes, her double, according to her and nations, and languages. 16 works: in the cup which she And the ten horns which thou | hath mixed, mix to her double. sawest, and the beast, will hate 7 By how much she hath glorithe harlot, and will make her fied herself, and lived luxudesolate and naked, and will riously, so much torment and eat her flesh, and burn her in mourning give to her for she fire. 17 For God hath put in saith in her heart, I sit as a their hearts to do his will, and to queen, and am not a widow, agree, and give their kingdom and shall not see mourning.' 8 to the beast, until the words of Therefore her scourges shall God shall be fulfilled. 18 And come in one day, pestilence, the woman whom thou sawest, and mourning, and famine; and is that great city which hath she shall be utterly burnt in fire; dominion over the kings of the for strong is the Lord God who earth." hath judged her.

CH. XVIII. 1 AND after these things, I saw another messenger coming down from heaven, who

9 And the kings of the earth who have committed fornication and lived luxuriously with

her, shall bewail her, and la-1 and every one who saileth to ment for her, when they see the place, and mariners, and as

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many as use the sea, stood afar off, 18 and cried out, when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city was like this great city!' 19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Alas,

all who had ships on the sea were made rich through her costliness! for in one hour she is laid waste.' 20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye saints and apostles and prophets; for God hath visited her condemnation upon her.*

the smoke of her burning; 10 standing afar off for the fear of her torment, and saying, 'Alas, alas, O great city Babylon, O mighty city for in one hour thy judgment is come.' 11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no one buyeth their merchan-alas, that great city, whereby dise any more: 12 the merchandise of gold, and of silver, and of precious stones, and of pearls, and of fine linen, and of purple, and of silk, and of scarlet; and all sweet-smelling wood, and all ivory vessels, and all vessels of most precious wood and of brass and of iron and of marble; 13 and cinnamon, and amomum, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and lives of men. 14 And the fruits which thy soul desired are departed from thee, and all things which were delicate and sumptuous are perished from thee, and thou shalt by no means obtain them any more.

15 The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off, for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 [and] saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city, which was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and adorned with] gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 17 For in one hour so great wealth is laid waste.' And every pilot,

21 And one mighty angel took up a stone like a great mill-stone, and cast it into the sea, saying, "Thus shall that great city Babylon be thrown down with force, and shall by no means be found any more. 22 And the sound of harpers, and of musicians, and of pipers, and of trumpeters, shall by no means be heard any more in thee; and no artist of any kind shall be found in thee hereafter; and the sound of a mill-stone shall by no means be heard any more in thee; 23 and the light of a lamp shall by no means shine any more in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall by no means be heard any more in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries all the nations were deceived. 24 And in her hath been found the blood of

* i. e. God, because the condemned you, hath visited her with condemnation.

prophets, and of saints, and of all to me also, "These are the who were slain upon the earth." | true words of God." 10 Then I

CH. XIX. i After these things, I heard, as it were, a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah: now is the salvation, and the glory, and the power of our God: 2 for true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great harlot, who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and hath demanded from her hands the blood of his servants." 3 (And again they said, "Hallelujah :') and her smoke goeth up to the ages of ages." 4 And the twenty-four elders, and the four living creatures, fell down and worshipped God who sat on the throne, saying, "Amen, Hallelujah." 5 And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all ye his servants; and ye who fear him, both small and great."

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6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as it were the sound of many waters, and as it were the sound of mighty thunders, saying, "Hallelujah for our Lord God Almighty reigneth. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him for the marriage of the lamb is come, and his bride hath made herself ready." 8 And it was given her, that she should be clothed in fine linen, pure and white: (for fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.) 9 Then one said to me, "Write; Happy are those who are invited to the marriagesupper of the lamb." He said

fell before his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See thou do it not: I am a fellowservant with thee, and with thy brethren who bear the testimony of Jesus: worship God: (for the spirit of this prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.")

11 AND I saw heaven opened, and, behold, a white horse: and he who sat upon him was called Faithful and True; and with righteousness he judgeth and maketh war. 12 And his eyes were [as] a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns: and he had a name written which no one knoweth but he himself: 13 and he was clothed with a mantle dipt in blood: and his name is called, THE WORD OF God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure. 15 And out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, that with it he might smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: he shall tread wine-press of the fierce anger of Almighty God. 16 And he had on his mantle, and on his thigh, a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORds.

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17 And I saw [one] angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls which fly in mid-heaven, "Come and gather yourselves together to the great banquet of God; 18 that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders, and

the flesh of mighty men, and judgment was given to them: the flesh of horses and of those and I saw the souls of those who who sit on them, and the flesh had been beheaded on account of all men, both free-men and of the testimony of Jesus, and for slaves, both small and great." the word of God, and those who 19 And I saw the beast, and had not worshipped the beast, the kings of the earth, and nor his image, nor had received their armies gathered together, his mark on their foreheads or to make war against him who on their hands: and they lived, sat on the horse, and against and reigned with Christ [the] his army. 20 And the beast was thousand years. 5 But the rest taken, and the false prophet of the dead lived not, until the who was with him, who wrought thousand years were finished. miracles before him, with which This is the first resurrection. he deceived those who had 6 Happy and holy are they who taken the mark of the beast, have part in the first resurrecand those who worshipped his tion: on such the second death image. These two were cast hath no power; but they shall alive into a lake of fire burning | be priests of God and of Christ, with brimstone. 21 And the and shall reign with him a thourest were slain with the sword sand years. of him who sat on the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

CH. XX. 1 And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, who had the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is an impostor and an adversary, and bound him a thousand years; 3 and cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, that he might deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be finished: [and] after that he must be loosed a little time.

4 AND I saw thrones, and those who sat upon them, and

7 And when the thousand years are finished, the adversary will be loosed out of his prison; 8 and will go forth to deceive the nations, which are in the four parts of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for battle: whose number will be as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city: and fire came down [from God] out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the impostor who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet were: and they will be tormented day and night, to the ages of ages.*

This text has also been alledged, but with little reason, in favour of what has justly been called the heart-withering doctrine of eternal torments. See chap. xiv. 11, and the note there. The persons who are here said to be tormented to the ages of ages, are not real, but figurative, and symbolic persons, the impostor, the beast, and the false prophet. The place therefore, the kind,.

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