Apr 13: China, People’s Republic, Jiangxi Province, Jilin Province | Operation World
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Monday, April 13, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 82
Hebrews 1; Hebrews 2;
Hebrews 3; Hebrews 4; Hebrews 5; Hebrews 6
1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the
prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days
he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and
through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance
of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things
by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down
at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as
much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. 5 For
to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have
become your Father " ? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will
be my Son" ? 6And again, when God brings his firstborn into
the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." 7In
speaking of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, his servants
flames of fire." 8 But about the Son he says, "Your
throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the
scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and
hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by
anointing you with the oil of joy." 10 He also says,
"In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the
heavens are the work of your hands.11 They will perish, but you
remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 You will
roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain
the same, and your years will never end." 13To which of the
angels did God ever say, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a
footstool for your feet" ? 14 Are not all angels
ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we
have heard, so that we do not drift away.2 For if the message
spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its
just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a
great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was
confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified
to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit
distributed according to his will. 5 It is not to angels that
he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But
there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are
mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 7 You
made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor 8and
put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left
nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything
subject to him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little
lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered
death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 In
bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom
everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through
suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who
are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them
brothers. 12 He says, "I will declare your name to my
brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." 13 And
again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am
I, and the children God has given me." 14 Since the
children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his
death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- 15 and
free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For
surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17For
this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he
might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he
might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he
himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being
tempted.
1 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly
calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we
confess. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just
as Moses was faithful in all God's house. 3 Jesus has been
found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has
greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is
built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 Moses
was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said
in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's
house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which
we boast. 7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you
hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the
rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where
your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10That
is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always
going astray, and they have not known my ways.' 11 So I
declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' " 12See
to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns
away from the living God.13 But encourage one another daily, as
long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's
deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold
firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has
just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion." 16 Who were they who heard
and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And
with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose
bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that
they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed ? 19 So
we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still
stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For
we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message
they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it
with faith. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just
as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never
enter my rest.' " And yet his work has been finished since the creation of
the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day
in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his
work." 5 And again in the passage above he says,
"They shall never enter my rest." 6 It still remains
that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached
to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7 Therefore
God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke
through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not
harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest,
God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There
remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for
anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from
his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that
rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. 12For
the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it
penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the
thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is
hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes
of him to whom we must give account. 14 Therefore, since we
have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of
God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do
not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we
have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without
sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with
confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time
of need.
1 Every high priest is selected from among men and is
appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and
sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those
who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This
is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of
the people. 4 No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be
called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So Christ also did not
take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,
"You are my Son; today I have become your Father. " 6 And
he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of
Melchizedek." 7 During the days of Jesus' life on earth,
he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who
could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although
he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and,
once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey
him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the
order of Melchizedek. 11 We have much to say about this, but
it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In
fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach
you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not
solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an
infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But
solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to
distinguish good from evil.
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about
Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance
from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction
about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and
eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. 4 It
is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the
heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have
tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if
they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they
are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public
disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it
and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the
blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles
is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. 9 Even
though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in
your case--things that accompany salvation. 10God is not unjust; he
will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped
his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you
to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12 We
do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and
patience inherit what has been promised. 13 When God made his
promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he
swore by himself, 14 saying, "I will surely bless you and
give you many descendants." 15 And so after waiting
patiently, Abraham received what was promised. 16 Men swear by
someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an
end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging
nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he
confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two
unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled
to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We
have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner
sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, who went before
us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the
order of Melchizedek.
Revelation 9
Revelation 9 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 9
1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.
17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
20 The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Revelation 9
1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.
17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
20 The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
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