1After these things I heard what sounded like a huge crowd in heaven. They were shouting things like,
2“Praise him because he judges truly and justly!”
3The crowd shouted a second time saying:
4The 24 elders and the four living creatures ◄prostrated themselves/knelt down► and worshipped God, who sits on the throne. Then they said, “It is true! ◄Hallelujah!/Praise God!►”
5Someone spoke from the throne and said, “All you who are our God’s servants, praise him! All you who reverence him, whether you are socially significant or insignificant, praise him! Everyone!”
6I heard something like the noise of a huge crowd of people, like the sound of a huge waterfall (OR, a great/wide river of rushing water), and like the sound of loud thunder. They were shouting:
7We should rejoice, we should be extremely glad, and we should honor him,
8God has permitted them to be completely pure, like a bride who [MET] dresses in fine linen that is bright and clean.
9Then the angel said to me, “Write this: God will abundantly bless the people who are {whom he has} invited to the feast that celebrates Jesus, the one who is like a lamb, permanently uniting with his people, like someone [MET] marrying a wife.” He also said to me: “These words that God declares are true!”
10I immediately ◄prostrated myself/knelt down► at his feet in order to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not worship me! I am just your (sg) fellow servant and the fellow servant of your (sg) fellow believers who tell people about Jesus. God is the one whom you should worship, because it is the Spirit of God who gives people the power to tell others about Jesus (OR, those who tell others about Jesus are truly declaring the words that the Spirit of God has given them)!”
11In the vision I saw heaven opened {open}, and I was surprised to see a white horse. Jesus, the one who was riding on the horse, is called ‘Trustworthy and Genuine/True’. He judges all people according to what is right, and fights righteously against his enemies.
12His eyes shone like [MET] a flame of fire. There were many royal crowns on his head. A name had been written on him. Only he knows the meaning of that name.
13The robe he was wearing was drenched with blood. His name is also “◄The one who expresses what God is like/The Word of God►.”
14The armies of heaven were following him. They were also riding on white horses. They were wearing clothes made of clean white linen.
15The words that Jesus speaks are like [MTY] a sharp sword with which he will strike the rebellious people of the nations. He himself will rule them powerfully, as though he had [MET] an iron rod. He will crush his enemies just like [MET] a person crushes grapes in a winepress. He will do this for God Almighty, who is extremely angry with them because of their sins.
16On his cloak close to his thigh a name had been written {he had written a name}, which is “King who rules over all other kings and Lord who rules over all other lords.”
17I saw an angel who was standing in the light of [MTY] the sun. He called loudly to all the flesh-eating birds flying high in the sky, “Come and gather for the wonderful feast that God is providing for you!
18Come and eat the flesh of all God’s enemies who are dead— the flesh of kings, army commanders, people who fought powerfully, horses and the soldiers who rode them, and the flesh of all other kinds of people, whether they were free or slaves, socially insignificant or significant. All kinds!”
19Then I saw the beast and the kings of earth with their armies gathered together to fight against the Rider on the horse, and against his army.
20The beast and the false prophet were captured {He captured the beast and the false prophet}. The false prophet is the one who had performed miracles in the beast’s presence. By doing that he had deceived the people who had accepted the beast’s mark on their foreheads and who worshipped its image. The beast and the false prophet were thrown {He threw the beast and the one who falsely said that he spoke messages that came directly from God} alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
21The rider on the horse killed the rest of their armies just by speaking words, which were like [MTY] a sword that extended from his mouth. All those birds gorged themselves on the flesh of the people whom he had killed.