After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must {Or, come to pass. After these things straightway & c.}come to pass hereafter.
Straightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting upon the throne;
and he that sat was to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardius: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald to look upon.
And round about the throne were four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold.
And out of the throne proceed lightnings and voices and thunders. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
and before the throne, as it were a {Or, glassy sea}sea of glass like unto crystal; and in the midst {Or, before See chapter 7:17; compare 5:6}of the throne, and round about the throne, four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.
And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.
And the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and night, saying,
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and {Or, who cometh}who is to come.
And when the living creatures shall give glory and honor and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, to him that liveth {Greek: unto the ages of the ages.}for ever and ever,
the four and twenty elders shall fall down before him that sitteth on the throne, and shall worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created.
Querverweise zu Offenbarung 4,5 Off 4,5
And the angel {Greek: hath taken.}taketh the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it {Or, into}upon the earth: and there followed thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
And he said unto him, I am Jehovah that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from him who is and who was and {Or, who cometh}who is to come; and from the seven Spirits that are before his throne;
And there was opened the {Or, sanctuary}temple of God that is in heaven; and there was seen in his {Or, sanctuary}temple the ark of his covenant; and there followed lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.
And he made the lamps thereof, seven, and the snuffers thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, of pure gold.
And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead.
And the seventh poured out his bowl upon the air; and there came forth a great voice out of the {Or, sanctuary}temple, from the throne, saying, It is done:
and the candlesticks with their lamps, to burn according to the ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold;
And I saw {Or, between the throne with the four living creatures, and the elders}in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the {Some ancient authorities omit seven.}seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.
and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since {Some ancient authorities read there was a man.}there were men upon the earth, so great an earthquake, so mighty.
As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches: the fire went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
I indeed baptize you {Or, with}in water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not {Greek: sufficient.}worthy to bear: he shall baptize you {Or, with}in the Holy Spirit and in fire:
And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled.
And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have seen, and, behold, a candlestick all of gold, with its bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; {The Septuagint Version and Vulgate have, and seven pipes to the lamps.}there are seven pipes to each of the lamps, which are upon the top thereof;
And there appeared unto them tongues {Or, parting among them Or, distributing themselves}parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them.
And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they {Or, were moved}trembled, and stood afar off.
Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive-trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
And I answered the second time, and said unto him, What are these two olive-branches, {Or, which by means of the two golden spouts empty}which are beside the two golden spouts, that empty {Hebrew: the gold.}the golden oil out of themselves?
And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord.
And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in all.
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal.
For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit:
to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit;
and to another workings of {Greek: powers.}miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits: to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues:
but all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will.
Jehovah also thundered in the heavens,And the Most High uttered his voice,Hailstones and coals of fire.
And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; {Or, And he shot out lightnings}Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.
{Or, Terrible is God}O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places:The God of Israel, he giveth strength and power unto his people.Blessed be God.
And Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but Jehovah will be a refuge unto his people, and a stronghold to the children of Israel.
For ye are not come unto {Or, a palpable and kindled fire}a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them;
for they could not endure that which was enjoined, {Exodus 19:12 f.}If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned;
and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, {Deuteronomy 9:19.}I exceedingly fear and quake:
but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, {Or, and to innumerable hosts, the general assembly of angels, and the church &c.}and to {Greek: myriads of angels.}innumerable hosts of angels,
to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better {Or, than Abel}than that of Abel.
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned them on earth, much more shall not we escape who turn away from him {Or, that is from heaven}that warneth from heaven:
whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, {Haggai 2:6.}Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven.
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain.
Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have {Or, thankfulness Compare 1 Corinthians 10:30.}grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with {Or, godly fear Compare chapter 5:7.}reverence and awe:
for our God is a consuming fire.