Thursday, September 10, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 91
Revelation 12; Revelation 13; Revelation 14; Revelation 15; Revelation
16; Revelation 17; Revelation 18
1 A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: 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 cried out in pain as she
was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in
heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns
on his heads. 4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the
sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was
about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was
born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule
all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and
to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the desert to a place
prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. 7 And
there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and
the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong
enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great
dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who
leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with
him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now
have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the
authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them
before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they
did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12 Therefore
rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the
sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he
knows that his time is short." 13 When the dragon saw
that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth
to the male child. 14The woman was given the two wings of a great
eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where
she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the
serpent's reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed
water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the
torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its
mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his
mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went
off to make war against the rest of her offspring--those who obey God's
commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
1 And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a
beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns
on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast
I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like
that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great
authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had
a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was
astonished and followed the beast. 4 Men worshiped the dragon
because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast
and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against
him?" 5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words
and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6 He
opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling
place and those who live in heaven. 7 He was given power to
make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority
over every tribe, people, language and nation.8 All inhabitants of
the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the
book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the
world. 9 He who has an ear, let him hear. 10 If
anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be
killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient
endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. 11 Then
I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but
he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of
the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship
the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And he
performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from
heaven to earth in full view of men. 14 Because of the signs
he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the
inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the
beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 He was
given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could
speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 He
also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to
receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so
that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the
beast or the number of his name. 18 This calls for wisdom. If
anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's
number. His number is 666.
1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing
on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name
written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven
like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I
heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And
they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and
the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been
redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile
themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb
wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits
to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they
are blameless. 6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair,
and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to
every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud
voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has
come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of
water." 8 A second angel followed and said, "Fallen!
Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening
wine of her adulteries." 9 A third angel followed them
and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and
receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too,
will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into
the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence
of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their
torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who
worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his
name." 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of
the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. 13 Then
I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in
the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will
rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." 14 I
looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one
"like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp
sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the
temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud,
"Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the
harvest of the earth is ripe." 16So he who was seated on the
cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. 17Another
angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still
another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a
loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and
gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are
ripe." 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth,
gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's
wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the
city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles
for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven
angels with the seven last plagues--last, because with them God's wrath is
completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed
with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the
beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them
by God 3 and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the
song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. 4 Who will not
fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All
nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been
revealed." 5 After this I looked and in heaven the
temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. 6 Out
of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed
in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7 Then
one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls
filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8 And
the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and
no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were
completed.
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the
seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the
earth." 2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on
the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark
of the beast and worshiped his image. 3 The second angel
poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead
man, and every living thing in the sea died. 4 The third angel
poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became
blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:
"You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One,
because you have so judged; 6 for they have shed the blood of
your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they
deserve."7 And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God
Almighty, true and just are your judgments." 8 The fourth
angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch
people with fire. 9They were seared by the intense heat and they
cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to
repent and glorify him. 10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl
on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men
gnawed their tongues in agony11 and cursed the God of heaven
because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they
had done. 12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great
river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings
from the East. 13 Then I saw three evil spirits that looked
like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the
beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are
spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of
the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God
Almighty.15 "Behold, I come like a thief ! Blessed is he who
stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be
shamefully exposed." 16 Then they gathered the kings
together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. 17 The
seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a
loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18 Then
there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe
earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on
earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split
into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered
Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his
wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not
be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred
pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of
hail, because the plague was so terrible.
1 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and
said to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute,
who sits on many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth
committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the
wine of her adulteries."3 Then the angel carried me away in
the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that
was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The
woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious
stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable
things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 This title was
written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 I saw that the woman
was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony
to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7 Then the
angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the
mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and
ten horns. 8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not,
and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of
the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the
creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he
once was, now is not, and yet will come. 9 "This calls
for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman
sits. 10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is,
the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little
while. 11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth
king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction. 12 "The
ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who
for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They
have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 They
will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is
Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and
faithful followers." 15 Then the angel said to me,
"The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes,
nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw
will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they
will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put
it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast
their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. 18 The
woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth."
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He
had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With
a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has
become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every
unclean and detestable bird. 3 For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery
with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive
luxuries." 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
"Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so
that you will not receive any of her plagues; 5 for her sins
are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. 6 Give
back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix
her a double portion from her own cup. 7 Give her as much
torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she
boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.' 8 Therefore
in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will
be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. 9 "When
the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury
see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified
at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: " 'Woe! Woe, O great city,
O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!' 11 "The
merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their
cargoes any more-- 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones
and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron
wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and
marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh
and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and
sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. 14 "They
will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and
splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.' 15The merchants who
sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off,
terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry
out: " 'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 17 In
one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!' "Every sea captain,
and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the
sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her
burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' 19 They
will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: "
'Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through
her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin! 20 Rejoice
over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged
her for the way she treated you.' " 21 Then a mighty
angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the
sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be
thrown down, never to be found again. 22 The music of harpists
and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again.
No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a
millstone will never be heard in you again. 23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be
heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic
spell all the nations were led astray. 24 In her was found the
blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the
earth."
1 Peter 2
1 Peter 2 (New International Version, ©2010)
1 Peter 2
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
The Living Stone and a Chosen People
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."[b]
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,"[c]
8 and, "A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall."[d] They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."[e]
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 "He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed." 25 For "you were like sheep going astray,"[f] but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1 Peter 2
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
The Living Stone and a Chosen People
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."[b]
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,"[c]
8 and, "A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall."[d] They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."[e]
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 "He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed." 25 For "you were like sheep going astray,"[f] but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Revelation 2
Revelation 2 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 2
To the Church in Ephesus
1 "To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
To the Church in Smyrna 8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown. 11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
To the Church in Pergamum 12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
To the Church in Thyatira 18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, 'I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.' 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one 'will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery'[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 2
To the Church in Ephesus
1 "To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
To the Church in Smyrna 8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown. 11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
To the Church in Pergamum 12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
To the Church in Thyatira 18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, 'I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.' 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one 'will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery'[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
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