They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Lord and King, holy and true, will you wait to judge those who live on the earth? How long will it be until you pay them back for killing us?”
because the way he judges is true and fair. He has punished the great prostitute who made the earth impure with her terrible sins. God has paid her back for shedding the blood of his servants.”
The nations were angry, and the time for your anger has come. The time has come to judge the dead and to reward your servants the prophets and the saints who honor you, both great and small, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
My dear friends, don’t try to get even with other people. Leave it up to God to punish them. After all, it’s written that the Lord says, “I’m the one who punishes people who do wrong, and I will pay them back.”
“Write this to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: These are the words of the one who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. No one can shut what he opens, and no one can open what he shuts.
“Celebrate this, you heavens! Celebrate, people of God! Celebrate, apostles and prophets! God has judged her with the same judgment she passed against you.”
You’ve kept my command to remain strong in the faith no matter what happens, so I’m going to keep you from the time of suffering that the rest of the world is going to experience. That suffering will test those who live on the earth.
You’ve come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better things than the blood of Abel, which cried out from the ground for revenge.
But there were also false prophets among the people. In the same way, there will be false teachers among you. They’ll secretly bring in wrong teachings that can destroy you. They’ll even deny the Lord and Master who died to pay for their sins. So they will quickly destroy themselves.