Revelation 13:2-10

Revelation 13

² The beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth was like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. ³ One of his heads seemed to have been fatally wounded, ^[1] but his fatal wound was healed.

And the whole world that followed the beast was amazed. ⁴ They worshipped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. They worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can go to war against him?” ⁵ The beast was also given a mouth that spoke arrogant and blasphemous things. He was given authority to do these things for forty-two months.

⁶ The beast opened his mouth to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name, his dwelling, and ^[2] those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ He was also given permission to wage war against the saints and to overcome them, as well as authority over every tribe and people and language and nation. ⁸ All those who make their home on the earth will worship the beast—those whose names have ^[3] not been written from the beginning of the world in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb that was slain. ^[4]

⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

Here patient endurance and confidence are needed by the saints.

Revelation 12:1-9

Revelation 12

The Dragon and the Child

¹ A great sign appeared in the sky: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. ² She was pregnant, and she cried out in pain and agony as she gave birth.

³ Another sign also appeared in the sky: There was a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. ⁴ His tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman, who was about to give birth, so that he could devour the child as soon as it was born.

⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. ⁶ Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God in order that she might be fed there for 1,260 days.

War in Heaven

⁷ There was also a war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon. The dragon fought back along with his angels, ⁸ but he was not strong enough. There was no longer a place for them ^[1] in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was thrown down—the ancient serpent, the one called the Devil and Satan, the one who leads the whole inhabited earth astray—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 11:1-14

Revelation 11

The Two Witnesses

¹ Then a measuring rod like a staff was given to me. He said, ^[1] “Stand up and measure the incense altar and the temple of God and those who worship in it. ² Exclude the outer court of the temple and do not measure it, because it has been given to the heathen. They will trample the holy city for forty-two months. ³ I will commission my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that are standing before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ If anyone wants to harm them, fire is going to come out of their mouths and consume their enemies. If anyone should want to harm them, it is necessary that he be killed in this way.

⁶ These two have the authority to shut the sky so that no rain falls during the days when they are prophesying. They also have authority over the waters, to turn them into blood, and the authority to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

The Beast That Kills the Two Witnesses

⁷ When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will fight against them, conquer them, and kill them. ⁸ Their dead bodies will lie on the street of the great city, which spiritually ^[2] is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

⁹ Some from the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days and will not permit them to be placed in a tomb. ¹⁰ Those who dwell on the earth will also rejoice over them and celebrate by sending gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

¹¹ After three and a half days the breath of life from God came into them. They stood on their feet, and a great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² And I ^[3] heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up into heaven in a cloud, as their enemies watched them. ¹³ At that moment there was also a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed by the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave praise to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe is past. See, the third woe is coming soon.

Revelation 9

The Fifth Trumpet—The Locusts From Hell

¹ Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen out of heaven to the earth, and the key to the pit of the abyss was given to him. ² He opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke came up out of the pit like the smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit. ³ And out of the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given the kind of power that scorpions of the earth have. ⁴ They were told not to harm the earth’s grass, any green plant, or any tree, but only those people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads.

⁵ Indeed, they were not given permission to kill these people but only to torture them for five months. And the pain they cause is like the pain caused by a scorpion when it stings a person. ⁶ In those days people will seek death but will certainly not find it. They will long to die, but death will escape them.

⁷ The locusts looked like horses ready for battle. On their heads were what appeared to be crowns that were like gold. Their faces looked like human faces. ⁸ They had hair that looked like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. ⁹ They had breastplates that appeared to be made of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots and horses charging into battle. ¹⁰ They had tails with stingers like those of scorpions, and in their tails they had power to hurt people for five months.

¹¹ They have the angel of the abyss over them as their king. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon. ^[1]

¹² One woe is past. Look! After these things two more woes are coming.

The Sixth Trumpet

¹³ Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice speak from the four ^[2] horns of the gold incense altar that is before God. ¹⁴ It said to the sixth angel, the one with the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels who had been prepared for this hour, day, month, and year were let loose so that they could kill a third of the people.

¹⁶ The number of soldiers on horseback was two hundred million. I heard their number. ¹⁷ And this is what I saw in the vision of the horses and their riders: They had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and sulfur. ¹⁸ As a result of these three plagues, the fire and the smoke and the sulfur that came out of their mouths, a third of mankind was killed. ¹⁹ For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like snakes that have heads, which they use to cause injuries.

²⁰ The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands by giving up their worship of demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, or wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. ²¹ And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immoralities, or their thefts.

Revelation 7

The Church on Earth

¹ After this I saw four angels, who stood at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth so that the wind could not blow on the earth, the sea, or any tree.

² And I saw another angel coming up from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He called out with a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to harm the earth and the sea. He said, ³ “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have placed a seal on the foreheads of God’s servants.”

⁴ And I heard the number of those sealed:

144,000 sealed from all the tribes of the people of Israel:

5 from the tribe of Judah,	12,000, who were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben,	12,000,
from the tribe of Gad,	12,000,
6 from the tribe of Asher,	12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali,	12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh,	12,000,
7 from the tribe of Simeon,	12,000,
from the tribe of Levi,	12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar,	12,000,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun,	12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph,	12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin,	12,000, who were sealed.

The Church in Heaven

⁹ After these things I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ They called out with a loud voice and said:

¹¹ All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures. They fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, ¹² saying:

¹³ One of the elders spoke to me and said, “These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?”

And I answered him, “Sir, you know.”

¹⁴ And he said to me:

Revelation 5

The Scroll With Seven Seals

¹ And I saw a scroll in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, with writing on the front ^[1] and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

² And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll by breaking its seals?” ³ No one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁴ And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed and is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Worthy Is the Lamb

⁶ And I saw a Lamb standing in the center, near the throne, surrounded by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders. The Lamb seemed to have been slain, and he had seven horns and seven eyes (these are the seven spirits of God that have been sent into all the world). ⁷ The Lamb came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸ And when the Lamb took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders bowed down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and gold bowls full of incense (these are the prayers of the saints). ⁹ And they sang a new song, saying:

¹¹ And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels who were around the throne and around the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands upon thousands. ¹² With a loud voice they were saying:

¹³ I also heard every creature that is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

¹⁴ The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders bowed down and worshipped.

Revelation 3:14-22

Revelation 3

Letter to the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴ To the messenger of the church in Laodicea write:

The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation, says this:

¹⁵ I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. If only you were cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm and not hot or cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, “I am rich. I have become very wealthy and need nothing.” But you do not know that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. ¹⁸ I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments, so that you may be clothed and the shame of your nakedness may not become public, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

¹⁹ I rebuke and discipline those whom I love. So take this seriously and repent.

²⁰ Look, I stand at the door and I am knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in with him and dine with him, and he with me. ²¹ To the one who is victorious I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

²² Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3:1-6

Revelation 3

Letter to the Church in Sardis

¹ To the messenger of the church in Sardis write:

The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this:

I know your works. You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. ² Wake up, and strengthen what is left, which is about to die, for I have found that your works are not complete in the sight of my God. ³ Therefore remember what you received and heard. Hold on to it and repent! If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come upon you.

⁴ Yet you have a few names in Sardis, people who have not defiled their clothes. They will walk with me in white clothing, for they are worthy.

⁵ The one who is victorious in this way ^[1] will be clothed in white clothing. I certainly will not erase his name from the Book of Life, and I will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

⁶ Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 2:8-17

Revelation 2

Letter to the Church in Smyrna

⁸ To the messenger of the church in Smyrna write:

The First and the Last, who was dead and came to life again, says this:

⁹ I know ^[1] your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich. And I know the blasphemy that comes from those who say they are Jews but are not; rather, they are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰ Do not fear anything that ^[2] you are about to suffer. Look, the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you will be tested, and you will suffer for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

¹¹ Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Letter to the Church in Pergamum

¹² To the messenger of the church in Pergamum write:

The one who has the sharp, two-edged sword says this:

¹³ I know ^[3] where you live—where the throne of Satan is. And I know that you hold fast to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me even in the days when Antipas, my faithful witness, ^[4] was put to death near you, the place where Satan lives.

¹⁴ But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block in front of the children of Israel so that they would eat things offered to idols and commit sexual immorality. ¹⁵ Likewise, you also have some people who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore, ^[5] repent! If not, I will come to you soon, and I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

¹⁷ Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious I will give some of the hidden manna. ^[6] I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, which no one will know except the one who receives it.

Revelation 1:9-20

Revelation 1

God Tells John to Write Down What He Sees

⁹ I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingship and patient endurance in Jesus, ^[1] was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. ^[2]

¹⁰ I was in spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard a loud voice behind me, like a trumpet, ¹¹ saying, “Write what you see on a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

Jesus Appears

¹² I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. When I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands, ¹³ and among the lampstands was one like a son of man. He was clothed with a robe that reached to his feet, and around his chest he wore a gold sash. ¹⁴ His head and his hair were white, like white wool or like snow. His eyes were like blazing flames. ¹⁵ His feet were like polished bronze being refined in a furnace. His voice was like the roar of many waters. ¹⁶ He held seven stars in his right hand. A sharp two-edged sword was coming out of his mouth. His face was shining as the sun shines in all its brightness.

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last— ¹⁸ the Living One. I was dead and, see, I am alive forever and ever! I also hold the keys of death and hell. ^[3]

¹⁹ “So write what you have seen, both those things that are and those that will take place after this.

²⁰ “The mystery of the seven stars, which you saw in my right hand, and the seven gold lampstands is this: The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

Psalm 148 – 150

Psalm 148

Praise Him, All Creation

Praise From the Heavens

Praise From the Earth

Psalm 149

Praise Him, All His People

The Church Triumphant

The Church Militant

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord!

Where?

Why?

How?

Who?

Psalm 146

Psalm 146

Praise Him for Protection

Praise for Protection

A Lifetime of Praise

No Help in Humans

Help in the Lord

An Eternity for Praise

Psalm 144

Psalm 144

A Prayer for the Nation

Heading
By David.

Praise

Need

Petition

Praise

Petition

The Results of Victory

Psalm 140 – 141

Psalm 140

Rescue Me From Evil Men

Heading
For the choir director. A psalm by David.

Plea for Deliverance

Confidence

Plea for Justice

Confidence

Psalm 141

Guard My Lips and Heart

Heading
A psalm by David.

Accept My Prayer

Guard My Heart and Mouth

Correct Me

Reject the Wicked

Closing Plea

Daniel 11:21 – 12:13

Daniel 11

Antiochus IV

²¹ A despicable person will arise in his place, but they will not confer the royal majesty upon him. He will come when the kingdom is at ease and seize it through smooth, slippery talk. ²² A powerful force will be overpowered by him and broken, together with a leader of the covenant. ²³ After an alliance is made with the leader of the covenant, the despicable person will act deceitfully. He will rise up and become powerful with a small nation. ²⁴ He will come to the richest parts of the province when it is at ease, and he will do what his fathers and his fathers’ fathers did not do. He will distribute plunder and property to them. He will come up with plans against strongholds, but only for a time.

²⁵ He will awaken his power and his courage against the King of the South with a great army. The King of the South will stir himself up for battle with a very great and powerful army, but he will not succeed because schemes will be plotted against him. ²⁶ Those who eat his special royal food will try to break him, and his army will be swept away. Many will fall, struck down in battle.

²⁷ The two kings, whose hearts are bent to evil, will sit at one table and lie to each other, but this scheming will not succeed, because the end is still set for an appointed time. ²⁸ The King of the North will return to his land with a lot of captured possessions and with his heart set against the holy covenant. He will take action and then return to his own land.

²⁹ At the appointed time he will return and come into the South again, but this later invasion will not turn out like the first invasion. ³⁰ Ships from Kittim will come against him, and he will be humbled. ^[1]

Then he will turn and become furious against the holy covenant and take action. He will return and show favor to those who abandon the holy covenant. ³¹ His forces will arise, profane the temple fortress, abolish the continual daily sacrifice, and set up the abominable thing that causes desolation. ³² So he will corrupt wicked men of the covenant with smooth talk, but a people who know their God will be strong and take action.

³³ Those of the people who have insight will make many understand, but they will fall by the sword, and to flames, captivity, and plunder for some time. ³⁴ However, when they stumble, they will be aided by a little help, and many will join them insincerely. ³⁵ Some of those who have insight will stumble so that they may be refined, purified, and made white until the time of the end, for it is still set for an appointed time.

The Antichrist and the Time of the End ^[2]

³⁶ The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt himself and magnify himself over every god, and he will speak amazing things against the God of Gods. He will prosper until furious anger is completed, because what has been determined shall be done. ³⁷ He will not favor the God of his fathers. He also will not favor the desire of women or any god, because he will exalt himself above all of them. ³⁸ He will honor a god of fortresses in their place. He will honor a god whom his fathers did not know with gold, silver, precious stones, and very valuable things. ³⁹ He will deal with strong fortresses with the help of a foreign god. To all who acknowledge him, he will give great honor and make them rulers over many people. What is more, he will parcel out land for a price.

⁴⁰ Then, at the time of the end, the King of the South will wage war against him, and the King of the North will storm out against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will enter countries like a flood and overflow them. ⁴¹ He will enter the beautiful land, and many will stumble. However, these nations will be delivered from his power: Edom, Moab, and the best of the Ammonites. ⁴² He will seek to harm countries, and the land of Egypt will not be one that escapes. ⁴³ He will rule over the treasures of gold and silver and over all of the very valuable things of Egypt. Libyans and Cushites will be within his grasp. ⁴⁴ However, reports from the east and from the north will terrify him. He will go out in great anger to destroy and to completely wipe out many. ⁴⁵ He will pitch his royal tents between the seas toward the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and there will be no one to help him.

The Resurrection to Eternal Life

Daniel 12

¹ Then at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands over your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress that has not happened from the first time that there was a nation until that time.

At that time your people will be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. ² Many who are sleeping in the dusty ground will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame, to everlasting contempt. ³ Those who have insight will shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who bring many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever. ⁴ Now you, Daniel, close up the words and seal the scroll until the time of the end. Many will continue running back and forth, and knowledge will increase.

The Messenger Concludes His Revelation

⁵ I, Daniel, looked, and there were two others standing there, one on the near bank of the river and the other on the far bank of the river. ⁶ Someone said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long until the end of these amazing things?” ⁷ Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river. He raised his right hand and his left hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and then, when the rejection of the holy people is finished, all these things will be finished. ^[3]

⁸ I myself heard, but I did not understand. So I said, “Lord, what will be the end result of these things?”

⁹ He said: