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Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Henry: Welcome To Immerse: The
Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 78
then I witnessed in heaven an
event of great significance.
I saw a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon beneath her feet, and
a crown of 12 stars on her head.
She was pregnant and she cried
out because of her labor pains,
and the agony of giving birth.
Then I witnessed in heaven
another significant event.
I saw a large red dragon with
seven heads and 10 horns with
seven crowns on his heads.
His tails swept away one third
of the stars in the sky, and
he threw them to the earth.
He stood in front of the woman as
she was about to give birth, ready to
devour her baby as soon as it was born.
She gave birth to a son who was to
rule all nations with an iron rod.
Her child was snatched away from the
dragon and was caught up to God and
to his throne, and the woman fled into
the wilderness where God had prepared
a place to care for her for 1,260 days.
Then there was war in Heaven.
Michael and his angels fought against
the dragon and his angels, and the
dragon lost the battle, and he and
his angels were forced out of heaven.
This great dragon, the ancient serpent
called the Devil or Satan, the one
deceiving the whole world was thrown
down to the earth with all his angels.
Then I heard a loud voice
shouting across the heavens.
It has come at last.
Salvation and power, and the kingdom of
our God and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers
and sisters has been thrown down
to earth, the one who accuses
them before our God day and night.
And they have defeated him by the blood
of the lamb and by their testimony,
and they did not love their lives so
much that they were afraid to die.
Therefore, rejoice o heavens and you
who live in the heavens, rejoice.
But terror will come on the earth
and the sea for the devil has
come down to you in great anger
knowing that he has little time.
When the dragon realized that he had
been thrown down to the earth, he
pursued the woman who had given birth
to the male child, but she was given
two wings, like those of a great
eagle, so she could fly to the place
prepared for her in the wilderness.
There she would be cared for and
protected from the dragon for
a time, times, and half a time.
Then the dragon tried to drown the woman
with a flood of water that flowed from his
mouth, but the earth helped her by opening
its mouth and swallowing the river that
gushed out from the mouth of the dragon.
And the dragon was angry at the
woman and declared war against
the rest of her children.
All who keep God's commandments and
maintain their testimony for Jesus.
Then the dragon took his stand
on the shore beside the sea.
Then I saw a beast
rising up out of the sea.
It had seven heads and 10
horns with 10 crowns on its
horns and written on each head.
Were names that blasphemed God.
This beast looked like a leopard, but it
had the feet of a bear and the mouth of
a lion, and the dragon gave the beast his
own power and throne and great authority.
I saw that one of the heads of the
beast seemed wounded beyond recovery,
but the fatal wound was healed.
The whole world marveled at this miracle
and gave allegiance to the beast.
They worshiped the dragon for
giving the beast such power, and
they also worshiped the beast.
Who is as great as the
beast they exclaimed, who is
able to fight against him.
Then the beast was allowed to speak
great blasphemies against God, and
he was given authority to do whatever
he wanted for 42 months, and he spoke
terrible words of blasphemy against God,
slandering his name and his dwelling.
That is those who dwell in heaven.
The beast was allowed to wage war against
God's holy people and to conquer them.
And he was given authority to rule over
every tribe and people and language and
nation, and all the people who belong
to this world worshiped the beast.
They are the ones whose names were
not written in the book of life
that belongs to the lamb, who was
slaughtered before the world was made.
Anyone with ears to hear
should listen and understand.
Anyone who is destined for
prison will be taken to prison.
Anyone destined to die by the
sword will die by the sword.
This means that God's holy
people must endure persecution
patiently and remain faithful.
Then I saw another beast
come up out of the earth.
He had two horns like those of a lamb,
but he spoke with the voice of a dragon.
He exercised all the authority of the
first beast, and he required all the
Earth and its people to worship the first
beast whose fatal wound had been healed.
He did astounding miracles, even making
fire flash down to earth from the sky.
While everyone was watching and with
all the miracles he was allowed to
perform on behalf of the first beast.
He deceived all the people
who belonged to this world.
He ordered the people to make a great
statue of the first beast who was fatally
wounded and then came back to life.
He was then permitted to give life to
this statue so that it could speak.
Then the statue of the Beast
commanded that anyone refusing
to worship it must die.
He required everyone small and
great, rich and poor, free and slave.
To be given a mark on the right hand
or on the forehead, and no one could
buy or sell anything without that mark,
which was either the name of the beast
or the number representing his name.
Wisdom is needed here.
Let the one with understanding solve
the meaning of the number of the beast.
For it is the number of a man.
His number is 6 66.
Then I saw the lamb standing on Mount
Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had
his name and his father's name written
on their foreheads, and I heard a sound
from heaven, like the roar of mighty ocean
waves, or the rolling of loud thunder.
It was like the sound of many
harpists playing together.
This great choir sang a wonderful new
song in front of the throne of God,
and before the four Living Beings
and the 24 elders, no one could learn
this song except the 144,000 who
had been redeemed from the earth.
They have kept themselves as pure
as virgins following the lamb.
Wherever he goes, they have been purchased
from among the people on the earth as a
special offering to God and to the lamb.
They have told no lies.
They are without blame.
And I saw another angel flying through
the sky, carrying the eternal good
news to proclaim to the people who
belong to this world, to every nation,
tribe, language, and people fear God.
He shouted, give glory to him for the
time has come when he will sit as judge.
Worship him who made the
heavens, the earth, the sea,
and all the springs of water.
Then another angel followed him through
the sky shouting, Babylon is fallen.
That great city is fallen because she
made all the nations of the world drink
the wine of her passionate immorality.
Then a third angel followed them shouting.
Anyone who worships the beast and
his statue, or who accepts his mark
on the forehead or on the hand,
must drink the wine of God's anger.
It has been poured full strength
into God's cup of wrath.
They will be tormented with fire and
burning sulfur In the presence of the Holy
Angels and the lamb, the smoke of their
torment will rise forever and ever and
they will have no relief day or night.
For they have worshiped the
beast and his statue and have
accepted the mark of his name.
This means that God's holy
people must endure persecution
patiently obeying his commands and
maintaining their faith in Jesus.
I heard a voice from Heaven
saying, write this down.
Blessed are those who die in the Lord
from now on, yes says the spirit.
They are blessed indeed, for they
will rest from their hard work,
for their good deeds, follow them.
Then I saw a white cloud and seated on
the cloud was someone like the son of man.
He had a gold crown on his head
and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Then another angel came from
the temple and shouted to the
one sitting on the cloud swing.
The sickle.
For the time of harvest has come, the
crop on earth is ripe, so the one sitting
on the cloud swung his sickle over the
earth and the whole earth was harvested.
After that, another angel came
from the temple in heaven and
he also had a sharp sickle.
Then another angel who had power to
destroy with fire came from the altar.
He shouted to the angel with the sharp
sickle swing your sickle now to gather
the clusters of grapes from the vines of
the earth for they are ripe for judgment.
So the angels swung his sickle over
the earth and loaded the grapes into
the great wine press of God's wrath.
The grapes were trampled in the wine press
outside the city, and blood flowed from
the wine press in a stream about 180 miles
long and as high as a horse's bridle.
Then I saw in heaven another
marvelous event of great significance.
I.
Seven angels were holding the
seven last plagues, which would
bring God's wrath to completion.
I saw before me what seemed to be
a glass sea mixed with fire, and on
it stood all the people who had been
victorious over the beast and his statue
and the number representing his name.
They were all holding harps that
God had given them, and they were
singing the Song of Moses, the Servant
of God, and the Song of the Lamb.
Great and marvelous are your works.
Oh Lord God the Almighty,
just and true are your ways.
Oh, king of the nations who will
not fear you Lord and glorify
your name for you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship
before you for your righteous
deeds have been revealed.
Then I looked and saw
that the temple in heaven.
God's Tabernacle was thrown wide open.
The seven angels who were holding the
seven plagues came out of the temple.
They were clothed in spotless white linen
with gold sashes across their chests.
Then one of the four living beings
handed each of the seven angels, a
gold bowl filled with the wrath of
God, who lives forever and ever.
The temple was filled with smoke
from God's glory and power.
No one could enter the temple until
the seven angels had completed
pouring out the seven plagues.
Then I heard a mighty voice from the
temple say to the seven Angels, go
your ways and pour out on the earth the
seven bowls can containing God's wrath.
So the first angel left the temple
and poured out his bowl on the earth
and horrible malignant sores broke out
on everyone who had the mark of the
beast and who worshiped his statue.
Then the second angel poured out his bo on
the sea, and it became like the blood of
a corpse and everything in the sea died.
Then the third angel poured
out his bowl on the rivers and
springs, and they became blood.
I heard the angel who had authority
over all water saying, you are just,
oh, holy one, who is and who always
was because you have sent these
judgements since they shed the blood
of your holy people and your prophets,
you have given them blood to drink.
It is their just reward.
And I heard a voice from
the altar saying, yes.
Oh Lord God, the almighty.
Your judgements are true, and just
then the fourth angel poured out
his bowl on the sun, causing it
to scorch everyone with its fire.
Everyone was burned by this blast of
heat and they cursed the name of God,
who had control over all these plagues.
They did not repent of their sins
and turned to God and give him glory.
Then the fifth angel poured out his
bowl on the throne of the beast, and
his kingdom was plunged into darkness.
His subjects ground their teeth
in anguish and they cursed the
God of heaven for their pains and
sores, but they did not repent of
their evil deeds and turned to God.
Then the sixth angel poured out his
bowl on the great Euphrates River.
It dried up so that the kings from
the east could march their armies
toward the west without hindrance.
And I saw three evil spirits that looked
like frogs leap from the mouths of the
dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.
They are demonic spirits who work
miracles and go out to all the
rulers of the world to gather
them for battle against the Lord.
On that great judgment
day of God, the almighty.
Look, I will come as
unexpectedly as a thief.
Blessed are all who are watching for me
who keep their clothing ready so they will
not have to walk around naked and ashamed.
And the demonic spirits gathered all
the rulers and their armies to a place
with the Hebrew name, Armageddon.
Then the seventh angel poured
out his bowl into the air.
And a mighty shout came from the throne
in the temple saying it is finished.
Then the thunder crashed and
rolled and lightning flashed.
And a great earthquake struck the worst
Since people were placed on the earth,
the great city of Babylon split into
three sections, and the cities of many
nations fell into heaps of rubble.
So God remembered all of Babylon's
sins and he made her drink the cup that
was filled with the wine of his fierce
wrath, and every island disappeared
and all the mountains were leveled.
There was a terrible hailstorm and
hailstones weighing as much as 75 pounds
fell from the sky onto the people below.
They cursed God because of the
terrible plague of the hailstorm.
This concludes today's
Immer Reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.