WaroftheAngels

     THE WAR OF THE ANGELS
                                                 By
                 Johannes Rammund De Balliel-Lawrora

                           The Book of Revelations

                                             Prologue

The First Chapters Of Revelation - The Last Book In The Bible

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        "The book of Revelation - prophecies of coming disaster"

    In the Book of Revelation, which contains an account of visions which
symbolise and foretell what it says will happen in the future, it says:
Revelation chapter 1 (TEV)

    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.

    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.

    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. I turned around to see
who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands, 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. His hair was white as wool, or as
snow, and his eyes blazed like fire; his feet shone like brass that has been
refined and polished, and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall. ... a
sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face was as bright as the
midday sun. 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. 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.

    "Write, then, the things you see, both the things that are now and the
things that will happen afterward.

Revelation chapter 2 (NLT)

    "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the
message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one
who walks among the seven gold lampstands:

    "I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your
patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people.
You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not.
You have discovered they are liars.

    You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

    But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as
you did at first! Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn
back to me again and work as you did at first.

If you don't, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among
the churches. But there is this about you that is good: You hate the deeds of
the immoral Nicolaitans, just as I do. "Anyone who is willing to hear should
listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of
God.

Revelation chapter 3 (NLT)

    "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message
from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars:

    "I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being
alive - but you are dead.   Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for
even what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right in the
sight of God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it
firmly and turn to me again. Unless you do, I will come upon you suddenly,
as unexpected as a thief.   "Yet even in Sardis there are some who have not
soiled their garments with evil deeds. They will walk with me in white, for
they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never
erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my
Father and his angels that they are mine. Anyone who is willing to hear
should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the
churches.

Revelation chapter 3 (TEV)

    "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. 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.

    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. 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. 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.

    "If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!

    "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

    "This is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is
the origin of all that God has created.

    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! But because you are lukewarm,
neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! 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. 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. I rebuke and punish all whom I love.
Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins. 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. 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.

    "If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!"

    In the Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament, the Bible says:
Hebrews chapter 1 (TEV)

    In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways
through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us through his
Son.

    He is the one through whom God created the universe, the one whom God
has chosen to possess all things at the end.

    He reflects the brightness of God's glory and is the exact likeness of God's
own being, sustaining the universe with his powerful word.

    After achieving forgiveness for the sins of all human beings, he sat down
in heaven at the right side of God, the Supreme Power.

    The Son was made greater than the angels, just as the name that God
gave him is greater than theirs. For God never said to any of his angels,
"You are my Son; today I have become your Father." Nor did God say about
any angel, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son."

    But when God was about to send his first-born Son into the world, he
said, "All of God's angels must worship him." But about the angels God
said, "God makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire." About
the Son, however, God said: "Your kingdom, O God, will last forever and
ever! You rule over your people with justice. You love what is right and hate
what is wrong. That is why God, your God, has chosen you and has given you
the joy of an honor far greater than he gave to your companions."

    He also said, "You, Lord, in the beginning created the earth, and with
your own hands you made the heavens. They will disappear, but you will
remain; they will all wear out like clothes. You will fold them up like a coat,
and they will be changed like clothes. But you are always the same, and your
life never ends." God never said to any of his angels: "Sit here at my right
side until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet." What are the
angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help
those who are to receive salvation.

In the Book of Revelation, the Bible says:
Revelation chapter 4 (TEV)

    ... 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." At once the Spirit took control of me. There in heaven was a throne
with someone sitting on it. 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. 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. 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. 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.

    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.

    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." 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, 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, "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."

Revelation chapter 5 (NLT)

    And I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the
throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it
was sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a
loud voice: "Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and unroll it?"
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the
scroll and read it. Then I wept because no one could be found who was
worthy to open the scroll and read it. But one of the twenty-four elders said
to me, "Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to
David's throne, has conquered. He is worthy to open the scroll and break its
seven seals."

    I looked and I saw a Lamb that had been killed but was now standing
between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four
elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of
God that are sent out into every part of the earth. He stepped forward and
took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. And as
he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down
before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with
incense - the prayers of God's people! And they sang a new song with these
words: "You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For
you were killed, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every
tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to
become God's Kingdom and his priests. And they will reign on the earth."

    Then I looked again, and I heard the singing of thousands and millions of
angels around the throne and the living beings and the elders. And they sang
in a mighty chorus: "The Lamb is worthy - the Lamb who was killed. He is
worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and
glory and blessing." And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth
and under the earth and in the sea.

    They also sang: "Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the
one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever." And the four
living beings said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and
worshiped God and the Lamb.

Revelation chapter 6 (NLT)

    As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll.
Then one of the four living beings called out with a voice that sounded like
thunder, "Come!" I looked up and saw a white horse. Its rider carried a
bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles
and gain the victory.

    When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being
say, "Come!" And another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a
mighty sword and the authority to remove peace from the earth. And there
was war and slaughter everywhere.

    When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say,
"Come!" And I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a
pair of scales in his hand. And a voice from among the four living beings
said, "A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley for a day's pay. And
don't waste the olive oil and wine."

    And when the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being
say, "Come!" And I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green
like a corpse. And Death was the name of its rider, who was followed around
by the Grave. They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill
with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.

    And when the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their
witness. They called loudly to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy
and true, how long will it be before you judge the people who belong to this
world for what they have done to us? When will you avenge our blood
against these people?" Then a white robe was given to each of them. And
they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers
and sisters - their fellow servants of Jesus - had been martyred.

    I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great
earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as
red as blood. Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling
from trees shaken by mighty winds. And the sky was rolled up like a scroll
and taken away. And all of the mountains and all of the islands disappeared.
Then the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy people, the
people with great power, and every slave and every free person - all hid
themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they
cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face
of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the
great day of their wrath has come, and who will be able to survive?"

Revelation chapter 7 (NLT)

    Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding
back the four winds from blowing upon the earth. Not a leaf rustled in the
trees, and the sea became as smooth as glass. And I saw another angel
coming from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted out
to those four angels who had been given power to injure land and sea, "Wait!
Don't hurt the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of
God on the foreheads of his servants." And I heard how many were marked
with the seal of God. There were 144,000 who were sealed from all the tribes
of Israel: ... After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every
nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and
before the Lamb. They were clothed in white and held palm branches in their
hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, "Salvation comes from
our God on the throne and from the Lamb!" And all the angels were
standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings.
And they fell face down before the throne and worshiped God. They said,
"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and
power and strength belong to our God forever and forever. Amen!"

    Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, "Who are these who are
clothed in white? Where do they come from?" And I said to him, "Sir, you
are the one who knows."Then he said to me, "These are the ones coming out
of the great tribulation. They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb
and made them white. That is why they are standing in front of the throne of
God, serving him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne
will live among them and shelter them. They will never again be hungry or
thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat.
For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their Shepherd. He
will lead them to the springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away all
their tears."

Revelation chapter 8 (TEV)

    When the Lamb broke open the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven
for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God,
and they were given seven trumpets. ... ... There were rumblings and peals
of thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. Then the seven angels
with the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

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    The first angel blew his trumpet. Hail and fire, mixed with blood, came
pouring down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the
trees, and every blade of green grass.

    Then the second angel blew his trumpet. Something that looked like a
huge mountain on fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea was turned
into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the
ships were destroyed.

    Then the third angel blew his trumpet. A large star, burning like a torch,
dropped from the sky and fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of
water. (The name of the star is "Bitterness.") A third of the water turned
bitter, and many people died from drinking the water, because it had turned
bitter.

    Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet. A third of the sun was struck,
and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that their light lost a
third of its brightness; there was no light during a third of the day and a third
of the night also.

    Then I looked, and I heard an eagle that was flying high in the air say in a
loud voice, "O horror! horror! How horrible it will be for all who live on
earth when the sound comes from the trumpets that the other three angels
must blow!"

Revelation chapter 9 (GWT)

    When the fifth angel blew his trumpet, I saw a star that had fallen to
earth from the sky. The star was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless
pit. It opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and smoke came out of the
shaft like the smoke from a large furnace. The smoke darkened the sun and
the air. Locusts came out of the smoke onto the earth, and they were given
power like the power of earthly scorpions. They were told not to harm any
grass, green plant, or tree on the earth. They could harm only the people who
do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not allowed to kill
them. They were only allowed to torture them for five months. Their torture
was like the pain of a scorpion's sting. At that time people will look for death
and never find it. They will long to die, but death will escape them.

Revelation chapter 9 (TEV)

    Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet. I heard a voice coming from the
four corners of the gold altar standing before God. The voice said to the
sixth angel, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates
River!" The four angels were released; for
this very hour of this very day of this very
month and year they had been kept ready to
kill a third of all the human race. I was told
the number of the mounted troops: it was
two hundred million. And in my vision I
saw the horses and their riders: they had
breastplates red as fire, blue as sapphire,
and yellow as sulfur. The horses' heads were
like lions' heads, and from their mouths
came out fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third
of the human race was killed by those three
plagues: the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur coming out of the horses' mouths.
For the power of the horses is in their mouths and also in their tails. Their
tails are like snakes with heads, and they use them to hurt people. The rest
of the human race, all those who had not been killed by these plagues, did not
turn away from what they themselves had made. They did not stop
worshiping demons, nor the idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood,
which cannot see, hear, or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their
magic, their sexual immorality, or their stealing.

In the Book of Revelation, the Bible says:
Revelation chapter 11 (TEV)

    The second horror is over, but the third horror will come soon!

    Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in
heaven, saying, "The power to rule over the world belongs now to our Lord
and his Messiah, and he will rule forever and ever!" 16 Then the twenty-four
elders who sit on their thrones in front of God threw themselves face
downward and worshiped God, saying: "Lord God Almighty, the one who is
and who was! We thank you that you have taken your great power and have
begun to rule! The heathen were filled with rage, because the time for your
anger has come, the time for the dead to be judged. The time has come to
reward your servants, the prophets, and all your people, all who have
reverence for you, great and small alike. The time has come to destroy those
who destroy the earth!" Then there were flashes of lightning, rumblings and
peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Revelation chapter 12 (TEV)

    Then a great and mysterious sight appeared in the sky. There was a
woman, whose dress was the sun and who had the moon under her feet and a
crown of twelve stars on her head. She was soon to give birth, and the pains
and suffering of childbirth made her cry out. Another mysterious sight
appeared in the sky. There was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten
horns and a crown on each of his heads. With his tail he dragged a third of
the stars out of the sky and threw them down to the earth. He stood in front
of the woman, in order to eat her child as soon as it was born. Then she gave
birth to a son, who will rule over all nations with an iron rod. But the child
was snatched away and taken to God and his throne. The woman fled to the
desert, to a place God had prepared for her, where she will be taken care of
for 1,260 days.

    Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon, who fought back with his angels; but the dragon was defeated, and
he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. 9 The huge
dragon was thrown out-that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that
deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels
with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "Now God's salvation
has come! Now God has shown his power as King! Now his Messiah has
shown his authority! For the one who stood before our God and accused
believers day and night has been thrown out of heaven. They won the
victory over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they
proclaimed; and they were willing to give up their lives and die.

    "And so be glad, you heavens, and all you that live there! But how terrible
for the earth and the sea! For the Devil has come down to you, and he is
filled with rage, because he knows that he has only a little time left."

    When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he
began to pursue the woman who had given birth to the boy. She was given
the two wings of a large eagle in order to fly to her place in the desert, where
she will be taken care of for three and a half years, safe from the dragon's
attack.

    And then from his mouth the dragon poured out a flood of water after the
woman, so that it would carry her away. But the earth helped the woman; it
opened its mouth and swallowed the water that had come from the dragon's
mouth. The dragon was furious with the woman and went off to fight
against the rest of her descendants, all those who obey God's commandments
and are faithful to the truth revealed by Jesus. And the dragon stood on the
seashore.

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The main pages on this site:

Bible Part 1: The Bible, The Holy Spirit Today, People And Their Stories
(Bible topics include the story of Jesus, sex and marriage, violence, anger
and jealousy, whether Christians should get drunk, gossip and tell dirty
jokes, and some of the reasons why Christians suffer. There are also articles
to help with various problem behaviours like alcoholism and anger
management.)

Bible Part 2: The Lives and Suffering of the Ancient Israelites, hell, The
Book of Revelation, And People's Religious Experiences Today.

Bible Part 3: The Bible, Articles About Alleged Inaccuracies in it, And
Stories of People who Became Christians.
(Bible topics include love and caring, the appropriate Christian attitude to
personal wealth, prejudice, and false Christian teaching.)
If you have found parts of the Old Testament or the Book of Revelation
offensive, please read An Attempt to Explain Gruesome Bible Passages.

The selections of Bible quotations have been put together by Diana Holbourn.

Throughout this series, wherever the initials TEV appear, they stand for
Today's English Version (The Good News Bible).

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