John's Story: The Last Eyewitness Read online

  Heaven Exults over Babylon

  19 After these things I hearda a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lordb our God! 2For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” 3Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” 4And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 5Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, botha small and great!”

  6And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For thea Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

  9Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

  Christ on a White Horse

  11Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He hada a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,a followed Him on white horses. 15Now out of His mouth goes a sharpa sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

  KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

  The Beast and His Armies Defeated

  17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,a 18that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, freea and slave, both small and great.”

  19And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

  Satan Bound 1000 Years

  20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

  The Saints Reign with Christ 1000 Years

  4And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for aa thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

  Satanic Rebellion Crushed

  7Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9They went up on 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. 10The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone wherea the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

  The Great White Throne Judgment

  11Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,a and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.a 15And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

  All Things Made New

  21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2Then I, John,a saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

  5Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me,a “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

  6And He said to me, “It is done!a I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7He who overcomes shall inherit all things,a and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8But the cowardly, unbelieving,a abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

  The New Jerusalem

  9Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to mea and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”b 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holya Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

  14Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the namesa of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18The construction of its wall was of j
asper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

  The Glory of the New Jerusalem

  22But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it,a for the gloryb of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24And the nations of those who are saveda shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.b 25Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.a 27But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causesa an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

  The River of Life

  22 And he showed me a purea river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

  The Time Is Near

  6Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holya prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.

  7“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

  8Now I, John, saw and hearda these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

  9Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. Fora I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” 10And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 11He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteousa still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

  Jesus Testifies to the Churches

  12“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”a

  14Blessed are those who do His commandments,a that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15Buta outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

  16“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

  17And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

  A Warning

  18Fora I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will addb to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take awaya his part from the Bookb of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

  I Am Coming Quickly

  20He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”

  Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

  21The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.a Amen.

  Following is a special preview of

  MARK’S STORY

  BY

  TIM LAHAYE

  JERRY B. JENKINS

  Available in hardcover from Putnam Praise published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons

  ONE

  The ghastliest night of young John Mark’s life began with intriguing news from his mother, which portended excitement but certainly not treachery and violence.

  Having finished the laborious search of the house for leaven and suffering the deep hunger pangs of the Fast of the Firstborn, the sixteen-year-old looked forward to that evening’s Passover feast, despite the fact that it would be the first without his father. He had been killed nearly a year before.

  “We will enjoy our meal later,” his mother said as they sat in the first-floor great room of their expansive home just inside the walls of Jerusalem—which was teeming with like-minded pilgrims, eager to celebrate the same event. “But first we have been assigned a most important undertaking of hospitality.”

  “Who will be our guests?”

  “Well, they will not be here to visit. We are to serve them.”

  “The servants will serve them, you mean?”

  “Mark, I said what I meant. The servants will help, but it falls to us to serve them. I, by offering the dining room upstairs. You, by overseeing the servants in administering the meal.”

  “Who will cook it?”

  “The guests themselves.”

  “I’m confused.”

  “All will become clear. First you are to carry a water pitcher near the Water Gate. From there, two men will follow you—”

  “Must it be a pitcher, Mother? Women carry pitchers. I’d be happy to carry water in a wineskin—”

  His mother held up a hand. “Please, Mark. Listen first, question second. The Teacher gave me these instructions Himself, and so—”

  “Oh! I hoped He and His friends were in town! They will be our visitors?”

  “—and so we will follow His wishes to the letter. Peter and John will follow you from the gate to—”

  “I love Peter! He—”

  His mother stopped Mark with a look. “—from the gate to our home, where you will show them to the upper room. You will then make yourself scarce until you are needed, and you will make certain the servants are diligently attending to our friends.”

  John Mark had long been intrigued by the occasional visits of Jesus and His disciples. Some had been friends of his parents. About a week after Mark’s father had been crushed under a runaway wagon near the Fish Gate, Peter arrived just to spend time with him. The sting of the sudden loss permeated the day they spent near Peter’s home in Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, but seeing Peter’s fishing operation—his boat now run by others—allowed something else, finally, to occupy Mark’s mind at least briefly.

  While Peter showed Mark how he skillfully manned the nets, hurling them far and wide to catch sardines and musht and biny, he regaled him with astonishing accounts of his travels with Jesus. The thick, robust Peter—who seemed the closest to Jesus, and a leader among His disciples—had left even his wife, Esther, and their young children at home to follow the Teacher. Mark and Peter had become fast friends, Mark deeply admiring the fisherman’s fierce gaze, his direct speech, and his lusty appetite for life. Although no one could ever replace his father, Mark could not imagine what might have become of him without Peter as his friend and mentor, seemingly appearing whenever he needed him most in his grief and groundlessness.

  The band of men—all of them, even the Master Himself—were of lowly estate compared with Mark’s family. And yet he enjoyed hearing them talk and laugh and sing, growling out hymns and psalms. Of late, however, danger seemed to follow them. They were no longer so boisterous and happy. Where once they had followed an evening of teaching and parables with humor and teasing, now they often arrived furtiv
ely, separately, and they spoke in low tones.

  Jesus’ fame had spread throughout all of Judea, with fantastic stories abounding of His healing the sick, even raising the dead. Some said He was Messiah—even Mark’s mother believed that, though Mark himself wasn’t so sure. Was it possible that a mere man he knew personally could be the One whose coming was foretold in the ancient texts Mark studied every day?

  It didn’t seem likely, and yet Peter too believed this with all his heart. Often Peter’s eyes grew so bright with the tales that Mark had to wonder how much of it was true.

  Mark himself wasn’t above crafting a tall tale. One of the great regrets of his young life was that of having been caught in a bald-faced lie to his mother. Once, when his cousin Joses was visiting from Cyprus, Mark had claimed the boy’s handcrafted toy as his own. When Joses told his aunt Mary, she demanded the truth from Mark, adding, “Only you will know if you’re being honest with me.”

  “I know,” he said, “and I am! I made this myself.”

  In less than an hour, Mark’s highly developed conscience convicted him, forcing him to confess and willingly accept his mother’s punishment. He returned the toy, of course, and endured a brief but stinging session with the rod. His mother directed Mark back to the Psalms and the laments of his hero David, who often had to plead for God’s forgiveness.