Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Revelation 6 and 7 and 8:1
The Seven Seals (6:1;8:1)
- First Seal: The White Horse (6:1-2)
- Second Seal: The Red Horse (6:3-4)
- Third Seal: The Black Horse (6:5-6)
- Fourth Seal: The Pale Horse (6:7-8)
- Fifth Seal: The Souls under the Altar (6:9-11)
- Sixth Seal: The Great Earthquake (6:12-17)
- The Sealing of the 144,000 (7:1-8)
- The Great Multitude (7:9-17)
- Seventh Seal: Silence in Heaven (8:1)
Revelation 6 NLT
1 As I watched, the Lamb broke the
first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living
beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”
2 I looked up and saw a white horse
standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He
rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.
3 When the Lamb broke the second seal,
I heard the second living being say, “Come!”
4Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its
rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth.
And there was war and slaughter everywhere.
5When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard
the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its
rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice from among the
four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will
cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.”
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal,
I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!”
8 I looked up and saw a horse whose
color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the
Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill
with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I
saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God
and for being faithful in their testimony.
10 They shouted to the Lord and said,
“O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who
belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?”
11 Then a white robe was given to each
of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of
their brothers and sisters —their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be
martyred—had joined them.
12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth
seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth,
and the moon became as red as blood.
13Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth
like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind.
14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll,
and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.
15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth,
the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free
person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the
mountains.
16 And they cried to the mountains and
the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the
throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.
17 For the great day
of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”
Revelation 7 NLT
1 Then I saw four angels standing at
the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow
on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel coming up
from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those
four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea,
3 “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea
or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his
servants.”
4 And I heard how many were marked with
the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel:
5 from Judah 12,000 from Reuben 12,000
from Gad 12,000
6 from Asher 12,000 from Naphtali
12,000 from Manasseh 12,000
7 from Simeon 12,000 from Levi 12,000
from Issachar 12,000
8 from Zebulun 12,000 from Joseph
12,000 from Benjamin 12,000
9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too
great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing
in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes
and held palm branches in their hands.
10 And they were shouting with a great
roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the
Lamb!”
11 And all the angels were standing
around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they
fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.
12 They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory
and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the twenty-four elders
asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come
from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the
one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great
tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made
them white.
15 “That is why they stand in front of
God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the
throne will give them shelter.
16 They will never again be hungry or
thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
17 For the Lamb on the
throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving
water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 8 NLT
1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal
on the scroll, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour.
Monday, August 8, 2016
Revelation 4 and 5
The Throne, the Scroll and the Lamb (chs. 4-5)
Revelation 4 NLT
1 Then as I looked, I saw a door
standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like
a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must
happen after this.”
2 And instantly I was in the Spirit, and
I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it.
3 The one sitting on the throne was as
brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald
circled his throne like a rainbow.
4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him,
and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold
crowns on their heads.
5 From the throne came flashes of
lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven
torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God.
6 In front of the throne was a shiny
sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were
four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back.
7 The first of these living beings was
like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the
fourth was like an eagle in flight.
8 Each of these living beings had six
wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day
after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the
Lord God, the Almighty— the one who always was, who is, and who is still to
come.”
9 Whenever the living beings give glory
and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives
forever and ever),
10 the twenty-four elders fall down and
worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And
they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy,
O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all
things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
Revelation 5 NLT
1 Then I saw a scroll in the right hand
of the one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and
the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals.
2And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with
a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?”
3 But no one in heaven or on earth or
under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it.
4 Then I began to weep bitterly because
no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it.
5 But one of the twenty-four elders
said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to
David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its
seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if
it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the
four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and
seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into
every part of the earth.
7 He stepped forward and took the
scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne.
8 And when he took the scroll, the four
living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one
had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers
of God’s people.
9 And they sang a new song with these
words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For
you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every
tribe and language and people and nation.
10 And you have caused them to become a
Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked again, and I heard the
voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living
beings and the elders.
12 And they sang in a mighty chorus:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom
and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
13And then I heard every creature in heaven
and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor
and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb
forever and ever.”
14 And the four living
beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the
Lamb.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Revelation 2 and 3
The Letters to the Seven Churches (chs. 2 - 3)
- Ephesus (2:1-7)
- Smyrna (2:8-11)
- Pergamum (2:12-17)
- Thyatira (2:18-29)
- Sardis (3:1-6)
- Philadelphia (3:7-13)
- Laodicea (3:14-22)
Revelation 2 NLT
1 “Write this letter to the angel of
the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven
stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold
lampstands:
2 “I know all the things you do. I have
seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil
people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are
not. You have discovered they are liars.
3 You have patiently suffered for me
without quitting.
4 “But I have this complaint against
you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!
5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn
back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come
and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.
6 But this is in your favor: You hate
the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.
7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen
to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who
is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of
God.
8 “Write this letter to the angel of
the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the
Last, who was dead but is now alive:
9 “I know about your suffering and your
poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say
they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to
Satan.
10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about
to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will
suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will
give you the crown of life.
11“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to
the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious
will not be harmed by the second death.
12 “Write this letter to the angel of
the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp
two-edged sword:
13“I know that you live in the city where
Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me
even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s
city.
14 “But I have a few complaints against
you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who
showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by
eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.
15 In a similar way, you have some
Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching.
16 Repent of your sin, or I will come to
you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen
to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who
is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in
heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be
engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives
it.
18 “Write this letter to the angel of
the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are
like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:
19 “I know all the things you do. I have
seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can
see your constant improvement in all these things.
20 “But I have this complaint against
you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to
lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food
offered to idols.
21 I gave her time to repent, but she
does not want to turn away from her immorality.
22“Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of
suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless
they repent and turn away from her evil deeds.
23 I will strike her children dead. Then
all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and
intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you
deserve.
24 “But I also have a message for the
rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper
truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more
of you
25 except that you hold tightly to what
you have until I come.
26 To all who are victorious, who obey
me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.
27 They will rule the nations with an
iron rod and smash them like clay pots.
28 They will have the same authority I
received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
29 “Anyone with ears
to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the
churches.
Revelation 3 NLT
1 “Write this letter to the angel of
the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold
Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you
have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.
2 Wake up! Strengthen what little
remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not
meet the requirements of my God.
3 Go back to what you heard and
believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t
wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
4 “Yet there are some in the church in
Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in
white, for they are worthy.
5 All who are victorious will be
clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I
will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.
6 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen
to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
7 “Write this letter to the angel of
the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and
true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and
what he closes, no one can open:
8 “I know all the things you do, and I
have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet
you obeyed my word and did not deny me.
9Look, I will force those who belong to
Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow
down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
10 “Because you have obeyed my command
to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come
upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you
have, so that no one will take away your crown.
12All who are victorious will become pillars
in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write
on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the
new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on
them my new name.
13 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen
to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
14 “Write this letter to the angel of
the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the
faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:
15 “I know all the things you do, that
you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!
16 But since you are like lukewarm
water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!
17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have
everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are
wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
18So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold
that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments
from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes
so you will be able to see.
19 I correct and discipline everyone I
love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock.
If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a
meal together as friends.
21 Those who are victorious will sit
with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his
throne.
22 “Anyone with ears
to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the
churches.”
Friday, August 5, 2016
Revelation 1
Revelation 1 NLT
1 This is a revelation from Jesus
Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take
place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John,
2 who faithfully reported everything he
saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus
Christ.
3 God blesses the one who reads the
words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its
message and obey what it says, for the time is near.
4 This letter is from John to the seven
churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is,
who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his
throne;
5 and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful
witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all
the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our
sins by shedding his blood for us.
6 He has made us a Kingdom of priests
for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
7 Look! He comes with the clouds of
heaven. And everyone will see him— even those who pierced him. And all the
nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning
and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who
is still to come—the Almighty One.”
9 I, John, am your brother and your
partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which
Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of
God and for my testimony about Jesus.
10 It was the Lord’s Day, and I was
worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a
trumpet blast.
11 It said, “Write in a book everything
you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna,
Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 When I turned to see who was speaking
to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.
13 And standing in the middle of the
lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a
gold sash across his chest.
14 His head and his hair were white like wool,
as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire.
15 His feet were like polished bronze refined
in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.
16 He held seven stars in his right
hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like
the sun in all its brilliance.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as
if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I
am the First and the Last.
18 I am the living one. I died, but
look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the
grave.
19 “Write down what you have seen—both
the things that are now happening and the things that will happen.
20 This is the meaning
of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold
lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven
lampstands are the seven churches.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)