Father Mike Schmitz

And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come.

For the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Rejoice then, O heaven, and you that dwell therein.

But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short.

The dragon makes war against the woman's offspring.

And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child.

But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time and times and a half time.

The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the flood.

But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth.

Then the dragon was angry with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus.

And he stood on the sand of the sea.

Chapter 13 The Beast from the Sea

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns, and a blasphemous name upon its heads.

And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth.

And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.

One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed the beast with wonder."

Men worshipped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?

And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.

It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.