Psa 79:1, Lam 1:10, Luk 21:24, 2Th 2:3-12, 1Ti 4:1-3, Rev 13-18 | ESV | STEP | A Psalm of Asaph . O God , the nations have come into your inheritance ; they have defiled your holy temple ; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins .

10 The enemy has stretched out his hands
over all her ^fprecious things;
for she has seen ^gthe nations
enter her sanctuary,
those whom you ^hforbade
to enter your congregation.

Luke 21:24

24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and ⁱbe led captive among all nations, and ^jJerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, ^kuntil the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-12

3 ^lLet no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, ^munless the rebellion comes first, and ⁿthe man of lawlessness ^{▼▼Some manuscripts sin} is revealed, ^pthe son of destruction, ^{▼▼Greek the son of perdition (a Hebrew idiom)} 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, ^rproclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For ^sthe mystery of lawlessness ^tis already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then ^uthe lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus ^vwill kill with ^wthe breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by ^xthe appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan ^ywith all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for ^zthose who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore ^aaGod sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe ^abwhat is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned ^acwho did not believe the truth but ^adhad pleasure in unrighteousness.

1 Timothy 4:1-3

Some Will Depart from the Faith

1 Now ^aethe Spirit expressly says that ^afin later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to ^agdeceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of ^ahliars whose consciences are seared, 3 ^aiwho forbid marriage and ^ajrequire abstinence from foods ^akthat God created ^alto be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

Revelation of John 13

The First Beast

1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, ^amwith ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and ^anblasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was ^aolike a leopard; its feet were like ^apa bear’s, and its mouth was like ^aqa lion’s mouth. And to it ^arthe dragon gave his power and ^ashis throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and ^atthe whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, ^au“Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

5 And the beast was given ^ava mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for ^awforty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, ^{▼▼Or tabernacle} that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed ^ayto make war on the saints and to conquer them. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts omit this sentence} And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all ^bawho dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in ^bbthe book of life of ^bcthe Lamb ^bdwho was slain. 9 ^beIf anyone has an ear, let him hear:

10 ^bfIf anyone is to be taken captive,
to captivity he goes;
^bgif anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.
^bhHere is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

The Second Beast

11 Then ^biI saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, ^{▼▼Or on its behalf} and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, ^bkwhose mortal wound was healed. 13 ^blIt performs great signs, even ^bmmaking fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of ^{▼▼Or on behalf of} the beast ^boit deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast ^bpthat was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not ^bqworship the image of the beast ^brto be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, ^{▼▼Greek bondservant} ^btto be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, ^buthe name of the beast or ^bvthe number of its name. 18 ^bwThis calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number ^bxof a man, and his number is 666. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts 616}

Revelation of John 14

The Lamb and the 144,000

1 Then I looked, and behold, on ^bzMount Zion ^castood the Lamb, and with him ^cb144,000 who ^cchad his name and his Father’s name written ^cdon their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven ^celike the roar of many waters and ^cflike the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of ^cgharpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing ^cha new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. ^ciNo one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for ^cjthey are virgins. It is these ^ckwho follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as ^clfirstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and ^cmin their mouth no lie was found, for they are ^cnblameless.

The Messages of the Three Angels

6 Then I saw another angel ^coflying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to ^cpthose who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, ^cq“Fear God and ^crgive him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and ^csworship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the ^ctsprings of water.”

8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, ^cu“Fallen, fallen is ^cvBabylon the great, ^cwshe who made all nations drink ^cxthe wine of the passion ^{▼▼Or wrath} of her sexual immorality.”

9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone ^czworships the beast and its image and receives ^daa mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink ^dbthe wine of God’s wrath, ^dcpoured full strength into the cup of his anger, and ^ddhe will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And ^dethe smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and ^dfthey have no rest, day or night, these ^dgworshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

12 ^dhHere is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who ^dikeep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. ^{▼▼Greek and the faith of Jesus}

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: ^dkBlessed are the dead ^dlwho die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, ^dm“that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

The Harvest of the Earth

14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one ^dnlike a son of man, ^dowith a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel ^dpcame out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, ^dq“Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for ^drthe harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, ^dsthe angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, ^dtfor its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great ^duwinepress of the wrath of God. 20 And ^dvthe winepress was trodden ^dwoutside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as ^dxa horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia. ^{▼▼About 184 miles; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters}

Revelation of John 15

The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

1 Then ^dzI saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, ^easeven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

2 And I saw ^ebwhat appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those ^ecwho had conquered the beast and its image and ^edthe number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass ^eewith harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing ^efthe song of Moses, ^egthe servant ^{▼▼Greek bondservant} of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

^ei“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
^ejJust and true are your ways,
O King of the nations! ^{▼▼Some manuscripts the ages}
4 ^elWho will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are ^emholy.
^enAll nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
5 After this I looked, and ^eothe sanctuary of ^epthe tent ^{▼▼Or tabernacle} of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the sanctuary came ^erthe seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright ^eslinen, ^etwith golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of ^euthe four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven ^evgolden bowls full of the wrath of God ^ewwho lives forever and ever, 8 and ^exthe sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and ^eyno one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

Revelation of John 16

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling ^ezthe seven angels, “Go and ^fapour out on the earth ^fbthe seven bowls of the wrath of God.”

2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful ^fcsores came upon the people who bore ^fdthe mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and ^feit became like the blood of a corpse, and ^ffevery living thing died that was in the sea.

4 The third angel poured out his bowl into ^fgthe rivers and the springs of water, and ^fhthey became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters ^{▼▼Greek angel of the waters} say,

^fj“Just are you, ^fkO Holy One, ^flwho is and who was,
for you brought these judgments.
6 For ^fmthey have shed the blood of ^fnsaints and prophets,
and ^foyou have given them blood to drink.
It is what they deserve!”
7 And I heard ^fpthe altar saying,

“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,
^fqtrue and just are your judgments!”
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people ^frwith fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and ^fsthey cursed ^{▼▼Greek blasphemed; also verses 11, 21} the name of God who had power over these plagues. ^fuThey did not repent ^fvand give him glory.

10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on ^fwthe throne of the beast, and ^fxits kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed ^fythe God of heaven for their pain and ^fzsores. ^gaThey did not repent of their deeds.

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on ^gbthe great river Euphrates, and ^gcits water was dried up, ^gdto prepare the way for the kings ^gefrom the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of ^gfthe dragon and out of the mouth of ^ggthe beast and out of the mouth of ^ghthe false prophet, three ^giunclean spirits like ^gjfrogs. 14 For they are ^gkdemonic spirits, ^glperforming signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, ^gmto assemble them for battle on ^gnthe great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, ^goI am coming like a thief! ^gpBlessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, ^gqthat he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And ^grthey assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called ^gsArmageddon.

The Seventh Bowl

17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into ^gtthe air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, ^gu“It is done!” 18 And there were ^gvflashes of lightning, rumblings, ^{▼▼Or voices, or sounds} peals of thunder, and ^gxa great earthquake ^gysuch as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 ^gzThe great city ^hawas split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God ^hbremembered ^hcBabylon the great, ^hdto make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And ^heevery island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And ^hfgreat hailstones, about one hundred pounds ^{▼▼Greek a talent in weight} each, fell from heaven on people; and ^hhthey cursed God for ^hithe plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.

Revelation of John 17

The Great Prostitute and the Beast

1 Then ^hjone of the seven angels who had ^hkthe seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of ^hlthe great prostitute ^hmwho is seated on many waters, 2 ^hnwith whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and ^howith the wine of whose sexual immorality ^hpthe dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And ^hqhe carried me away in the Spirit ^hrinto a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on ^hsa scarlet beast that was full of ^htblasphemous names, and ^huit had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman ^hvwas arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned ^hwwith gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand ^hxa golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of ^hymystery: ^hz“Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk ^iawith the blood of the saints, the blood of ^ibthe martyrs of Jesus. ^{▼▼Greek the witnesses to Jesus}

When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you ^idthe mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw ^iewas, and is not, and ^ifis about to rise from ^igthe bottomless pit ^{▼▼Greek the abyss} and ⁱⁱgo to destruction. And ^ijthe dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in ^ikthe book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because ^ilit was and is not and is to come. 9 ^imThis calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast ⁱⁿthat was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And ^iothe ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings ^ipfor one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They ^iqwill make war on the Lamb, and ^irthe Lamb will conquer them, for he is ^isLord of lords and ^itKing of kings, and those with him are ^iucalled and chosen and faithful.”

15 And the angel ^{▼▼Greek he} said to me, ^iw“The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And ^ixthe ten horns that you saw, they and the beast ^iywill hate the prostitute. They will make her ^izdesolate and ^janaked, and ^jbdevour her flesh and ^jcburn her up with fire, 17 for ^jdGod has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and ^jehanding over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is ^jfthe great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

Revelation of John 18

The Fall of Babylon

1 After this I saw ^jganother angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and ^jhthe earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice,

^ji“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become ^jja dwelling place for demons,
a haunt ^jkfor every unclean spirit,
a haunt ^jlfor every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
3 For all nations have drunk ^{▼▼Some manuscripts fallen by}
^jnthe wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and ^jothe kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and ^jpthe merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,

^jq“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
5 for ^jrher sins are heaped high as heaven,
and ^jsGod has remembered her iniquities.
6 ^jtPay her back as she herself has paid back others,
and repay her ^judouble for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her ^jvin the cup she mixed.
7 ^jwAs she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
since in her heart she says,
^jx‘I sit as a queen,
I am no widow,
and mourning I shall never see.’
8 For this reason her plagues will come ^jyin a single day,
death and mourning and famine,
and ^jzshe will be burned up with fire;
for ^kamighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”
9 And ^kbthe kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, ^kcwill weep and wail over her ^kdwhen they see the smoke of her burning. 10 ^keThey will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

“Alas! Alas! ^kfYou great city,
you mighty city, Babylon!
For ^kgin a single hour your judgment has come.”
11 And ^khthe merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls. ^{▼▼Or and slaves, and human lives}

14 “The fruit for which your soul longed
has gone from you,
and all your delicacies and your splendors
are lost to you,
never to be found again!”
15 ^kjThe merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, ^kkwill stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

16 “Alas, alas, for the great city
^klthat was clothed in fine linen,
in purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold,
with jewels, and with pearls!
17 For ^kmin a single hour all this wealth ^knhas been laid waste.”
And ^koall shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and ^kpcried out ^kqas they saw the smoke of her burning,

^kr“What city was like the great city?”
19 And they threw ^ksdust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,

“Alas, alas, for the great city
^ktwhere all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth!
For ^kuin a single hour she has been laid waste.
20 ^kvRejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and ^kwapostles and prophets,
for ^kxGod has given judgment for you against her!”
21 Then ^kya mighty angel ^kztook up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

“So will Babylon ^lathe great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;
22 and ^lbthe sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will be heard in you no more,
and a craftsman of any craft
will be found in you no more,
and ^lcthe sound of the mill
will be heard in you no more,
23 and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more,
and ^ldthe voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more,
for ^leyour merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived ^lfby your sorcery.
24 And ^lgin her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of ^lhall who have been slain on earth.”

Psalms 79:1

How Long, O Lord?

A Psalm of aAsaph.

Lamentations 1:10