First Nations Version

by Terry M. Wildman

  18“The woman whom you saw,” the spirit-messenger reminded me, “is that great village that rules over all rulers of the land.”

  THE GREAT VILLAGE HAS FALLEN

  1After this I saw another spirit-messenger, one with great power and authority, coming down from the spirit-world above. The whole land was filled with the light that shined out from him. 2With a powerful and thundering voice he cried out: “She has fallen! The great Village of Confusion (Babylon) has fallen! She has become a lair for demons and impure spirits, and a corral for every impure despised bird and wild beast. 3For all the nations have drunk the wine of her furious impurities. The rulers of the land have joined themselves to her, and those in the land who trade in goods have grown rich from the corrupting power of her dark and evil ways.”

  COME OUT FROM HER, MY PEOPLE

  4Then from the spirit-world above I heard another voice.

  “My people,” the voice warned, “remove yourselves from her so you will not participate in her wrong ways and suffer under the disasters that will come upon her. 5For her wrongdoings have piled up to the spirit-world above, and the Great Spirit has not forgotten the evil she has done. 6Do to her twice as much as she has done to others. Make her drink wine from a wineskin of sorrows that is twice as strong as the wine she gave to others. 7As much as she boasted in her rich living, give to her the same in sorrow and suffering.

  “For this is what she thinks about herself, ‘I rule as a woman chief. I am not like a woman who has lost her husband. I will never know sorrow or grief.’

  8“This is the reason the disasters of death, misery, and great hunger will fall on her in one day. A raging fire will make her a wasteland. For the one who has decided her fate is our Great and Honored Creator.”

  THE RULERS WEEP OVER HER

  9Again, a voice came from the spirit-world above.

  “The rulers of the land,” the voice said, “who participated in her evil desires, will weep many tears when they see the smoke rise from the raging fire that burns her to the ground. 10And these rulers, because they are afraid to look on her agony, will stand watching from afar.

  “‘How terrible! How terrible!’ they will cry out, ‘O great and strong village! O Village of Confusion (Babylon), your fate has come upon you suddenly—in one hour!’”

  THE TRADERS IN GOODS WEEP OVER HER

  The voice from the spirit-world above continued. 11“And the traders of the land will weep and wail over her. For there will be no one left to trade for all their goods. 12No one to trade for their goods of gold, silver, jewels, or pearls. No one to trade for their fancy purple, red, and silk cloths. No one to trade for their sweet-smelling wood and carvings made from wood and animal horns. No one to trade for things made from bronze, iron, or polished rock. 13Nor for their cinnamon, spices, sweet-smelling herbs, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, ground flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots. And none to participate in the slave-trading of human beings.

  14“The traders of the land will say, ‘All the fruits you were longing to taste are gone! All the rich and fancy things you hoped for have melted away, never to be found again.’

  15“The ones who gained great possessions from trading with her will stand weeping and wailing, and because they are afraid to look on her agony they will watch from afar 16and cry out, ‘How terrible! How terrible, O great village! She who was clothed in beautiful red and purple regalia sparkling with gold, costly stones, and pearls has come to a bad end. 17For in such a short time all her great wealth and many possessions have been burned up.’

  “All who travel the waters by canoe, both great and small, and those who make their living on the sea stood far away watching her smoke rise 18as they cried out, ‘Is there another village as great as this one?’

  19“They threw dirt on their heads as they cried out with many tears and much sorrow, ‘How terrible! How terrible! The great village that made the sea travelers rich with her many possessions has come to a bad end in such a short time!’37

  20“Dance with joy, you who live in the spirit-world above! Let your hearts beat with gladness you holy ones, message bearers, and prophets! For the Great Spirit has decided the fate of the great Village of Confusion (Babylon) for what she did to you.”

  A GREAT STONE THROWN INTO THE SEA

  21Then I saw a powerful spirit-messenger take a great stone the size of a huge boulder38 and throw it into the waters of the sea.39

  “In this manner the great Village of Confusion (Babylon) will be violently thrown down, never to be found again,” the voice said. 22“The sound of the music makers, with their drums and flutes, and the shrill of eagle bone whistles40 will not be heard in you any longer. No tentmaker, drum maker, or carver will be found in you, not even the sound of bark being stripped from trees.41 23The light from torches will not shine in you. The voice of the bridegroom and the bride will be heard in you no longer. For your traders in goods were the noble people of the land, and all the Outside Nations were led down a false path by your witchcraft. 24The blood of Creator’s prophets and holy people has stained her village pathways. Yes, the blood of all who have been violently killed has been spilled by her throughout the land.”42

  PRAISING THE GREAT SPIRIT

  1After this I heard what sounded like the roar of many voices coming from a great gathering in the spirit-world above.

  “Give Praise to the Great Spirit (Hallelujah)!” they shouted with one voice. “For his great and shining power has set us free! 2His decisions are upright and true! He has made right the wrongs done by the woman who traded her body for possessions and brought ruin to the land filled with her impure ways. He has carried out his decision against the Village of Confusion (Babylon), which shed the blood of those who faithfully serve him.”

  3Then they shouted once again, “Give Praise to the Great Spirit (Hallelujah)! The smoke from her burning will keep rising to the time beyond the end of all days.”

  4Then the twenty-four elders and the four living spirit animals humbled themselves before the Great Spirit, who sits on his seat of honor, and gave him the praise and honor only he deserves.

  With one voice they said, “Aho! It is so! Give Praise to the Great Spirit (Hallelujah)!”

  5Then a voice came from the seat of honor, saying, “Give praise to our Creator, all you who respect and serve him, both small and great.”

  6Then like the roar of many waters came what sounded like rolling thunder. The sound was like the voices of a great crowd!

  “Give Praise to the Great Spirit (Hallelujah)!” they cried out. “For our Creator, the All-Powerful and Honored One, rules over us!”

  THE BRIDE IS READY FOR THE WEDDING

  The voices continued to shout, 7“Dance for joy with glad hearts and give honor to the Great Spirit, for the time for the wedding ceremony of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”

  8The wedding regalia she was given to wear was made from soft buckskin,43 bright and shining, pure and white. For pure white buckskin represents the good things done by Creator’s holy people.

  9Then the spirit-messenger44 said to me, “Write this down, ‘Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who are invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb.’ These words are true,” he said with firm words, “for they come from the mouth of the Great Spirit.”

  THE TRUE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY

  10I then humbled myself before the spirit-messenger to give him praise and honor.

  “Do not humble yourself to me in this way,” he said. “I am one who stands by your side to serve the Great Spirit. I stand with you and all the sacred family members who have stood firm as truth tellers for Creator Sets Free (Jesus). Give praise and honor only to the Great Spirit. For the spirit of prophecy is at work when the truth is told about Creator Sets Free (Jesus).”

  RIDER ON A WHITE HORSE

  11I looked up and saw the sky open, and out rode a white warhorse whose rider is called Honorable and True! He rides to make wrongs right again, and h
is judgments are as straight as an arrow. 12His eyes blaze like flames of fire. His headdress has many feathers. He has a name written down that only he knows. 13His regalia is dipped in blood. And his name is known as Word of Creator.45

  14Following behind him were all the warriors from the spirit-world above, clothed in pure white buckskin and also riding white warhorses. 15Out from his mouth comes a sharp long knife to strike down the opposing nations. He will rule over them with an unbreakable iron chief’s staff. He tramples the grapes in the winepress of the fierce anger of the all-powerful Great Spirit. 16He has this name carved into his regalia and tattooed on his thigh:

  GRAND CHIEF OF ALL CHIEFS

  17Then I saw a spirit-messenger standing in the blazing light of the sun. With a loud voice he spoke to the winged ones who were flying high in the sky.

  “Come,” he cried out to them, “gather together for the great feast offered by Creator. 18Come and feast on the flesh of rulers, war chiefs, strong warriors, and horses with their riders. Feast on the flesh of all, whether slave or free, small or great.”

  THE WILD BEAST AND HIS ARMY

  19Then I saw the wild beast along with the rulers of the land and their armies. They had gathered to make war against the rider on the white horse and against his band of warriors.

  20The wild beast was taken captive along with the false prophet who had stood before the wild beast and performed signs and wonders. These signs and wonders were used to trick those who had accepted the mark of the wild beast and those who had bowed down to honor its carved image. The wild beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into a fiery lake that blazed with burning rocks. 21The others were killed by the long knife coming out from the mouth of the rider on the white horse. And all the winged ones ate from their dead flesh until they were full.

  THE BINDING OF ACCUSER

  1Then I saw a spirit-messenger coming down from the spirit-world above. In his hand he held the power46 to open or close the way in or out of the dark and bottomless pit. In his hand he also held a large iron chain. 2The spirit-messenger took hold of the fiery-red sea serpent, that ancient trickster snake who is also called the evil one and Accuser (Satan). He wrapped the chain around him and bound him for a thousand winters. 3He then threw him into the dark and bottomless pit, closed the way in or out, and sealed it tight. He did this so Accuser (Satan) could no longer blind the nations and lead them down a false path until a thousand winters have passed. But after that he will be released for a short time.

  ONE THOUSAND WINTERS

  4Then I saw many seats of honor, and sitting on them were those who had been given the right to decide who has done right and who has done wrong. I saw the souls of those who had their heads cut off because they told the truth about Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and stayed true to Creator’s message. I also saw the souls of the ones who had not bowed down to honor the wild beast or its carved image and did not accept its tattoo on their foreheads or hands. All these came to life and ruled with the Chosen One for a thousand winters. 5The rest of those who were dead did not come to life until after the thousand winters were complete. This is the first rising from the dead.

  6The ones who participate in this first rising from the dead are blessed and holy in Creator’s sight. The second death has no power over them. They will be holy men and women representing the Great Spirit and his Chosen One. They will rule by his side for a thousand winters.

  ACCUSER IS RELEASED

  7After a thousand winters Accuser (Satan) will be released from the dark and bottomless pit. 8He will go out into the four corners of all the land to gather the Gog and Magog47 nations and trick them into going to war.

  Their number is as great as the number of sands on the seashore. 9They spread out over the whole width of the land. And when they had surrounded the encampment of Creator’s holy people and his much-loved village, fire came down from the spirit-world above and devoured them. 10The evil one who had deceived them was thrown into the fiery lake that blazes with burning rocks—where the wild beast and false prophet were thrown. There they will suffer greatly day and night to the time beyond the end of all days.

  THE FINAL JUDGMENT

  11Then I saw a great seat of honor shining bright and clear, and the one seated there. The land and sky fled from his face, and no place was found for them to hide. 12And I saw the dead, both small and great, standing before his seat of honor. Books were opened, and then another book was opened, the book of life. The fate of the dead was decided by what was written down in the books, according to what they had done.

  13All the great waters of the sea gave up the dead in them. Death and the Dark Underworld of Death (Hades) gave up the dead that were in them, and their fate was decided by what they had done. 14Then death itself and the Dark Underworld of Death (Hades) were thrown into the fiery lake. The fiery lake is the second death. 15Anyone whose name was not found written down in the book of life was thrown into the fiery lake.

  A NEW SPIRIT-WORLD AND A NEW EARTH

  1Then I saw a new spirit-world above and a new earth below, for the first spirit-world and the first earth had gone away, and the great waters of the sea were no longer there. 2I saw a new Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem), coming down from the Great Spirit in the world above and dressed in wedding regalia, like a bride made ready for her husband.

  WIPING OF TEARS CEREMONY

  3I heard a voice coming from the seat of honor. “Behold,” the voice said, “the Great Spirit has pitched his sacred tent among human beings. They will be his people, and Creator himself will make his home among them and will be their Great Spirit. 4He will perform a wiping of tears ceremony, for death will be no more. There will be no sorrow, or weeping, or pain, because these former things have faded away.”

  5Then the one on the seat of honor spoke again. “Behold,” he said, “I am making all things fresh and new.” Then he added, “Write these words down, for they are true and trustworthy.”

  6“It is done!” he said to me. “I am Alpha and Omega,48 the beginning and the end. I will give the free gift of the wellspring of life-giving water to all who are thirsty. 7All these blessings will belong to the ones who win the victory. I will be their Great Spirit, and they will be my sons and daughters.

  8“But the fearful, the untrustworthy, the doers of shameful things, those who murder, the sexually impure, the bad medicine people, the ones who pray to spirit-images, and all who speak lies, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning rocks. This is the second death.”

  THE BRIDE, THE LAMB’S WIFE

  9Then one of the seven spirit-messengers who had the seven smudge bowls that were filled with the seven last disasters came and spoke to me.

  “Come,” he said, “and I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

  10The spirit-messenger took me on a spiritual journey to a great and high mountain. There he showed me the Sacred Village of Peace (Jerusalem) coming down from the Great Spirit in the spirit-world above. 11It was filled with Creator’s beauty and honor. The sacred village was bright and shone like a costly stone, like a jasper stone as clear as crystal.

  12The sacred village had a great and high wall with twelve gates and twelve spirit-messengers, one at each gate. Carved into the gates were the names of the twelve tribes of the families of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). 13There were three gates on the east wall, three gates on the south, three gates on the west, and three gates on the north. 14The wall encircling the sacred village was built on twelve stones. Carved into the stones were the names of the twelve message bearers of the Lamb.

  15The spirit-messenger who spoke to me had a golden measuring stick to measure the sacred village, both its gates and walls. 16The sacred village was laid out in a square. It measured twelve thousand stadia.49 Its width, length, and height were the same. 17The spirit-messenger was using human measurements. He measured the wall to be one hundred and forty-four cubits.50 18The wall was made of jasper, and the sacred village was made of pure gold, as clear as c
rystal.

  19The stones the village wall was built on were made of all kinds of costly gemstones. The first stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.51

  21The twelve gates of the sacred village were made of pearl, and each gate was made from a single pearl. The village had a wide pathway made of gold that was crystal clear.

  22I could see no sacred lodge within the village, because the all-powerful and honored Spirit Chief and the Lamb are its sacred lodge. 23In this village there is no need for the sun or the moon to shine its light, for the light comes from the beauty of the Great Spirit shining through the Lamb.

  24All the nations will walk by its light, and the chiefs of the earth will bring their honor and beauty into the sacred village. 25Its gates will not be closed during the day, night will never come, 26and the beauty and honor of all nations will be brought into it. 27Nothing impure or anyone who participates in shameful ways will go through the gates. Only the ones whose names are written down in the Lamb’s book of life will be able to enter.

  THE RIVER OF LIFE-GIVING WATER

  1The spirit-messenger then showed me the river of life-giving water shining as bright as crystal. It flowed out from the seat of honor of the Great Spirit and the Lamb. 2The river flowed down the center of the village’s wide pathway. On each side of the river was the life-giving tree. Every moon this tree was bearing fresh fruit—twelve different crops a year! Its leaves were good medicine for the healing of all nations.