Thursday, March 26, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 68
Acts 20:1-3; Romans 1; Romans 2; Romans 3
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New International VersionToggle Dropdown
1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples
and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia. 2 He
traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people,
and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months.
Because the Jews made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for
Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle
and set apart for the gospel of God-- 2 the gospel he promised
beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding
his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and
who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God
by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through
him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people
from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And
you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To
all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to
you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First,
I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being
reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve with my whole
heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I
remember you10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at
last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you. 11 I
long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you
strong--12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by
each other's faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware,
brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented
from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just
as I have had among the other Gentiles.14 I am obligated both to Greeks
and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is
why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. 16 I
am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation
of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For
in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by
faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live
by faith." 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from
heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth
by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is
plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For
since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power
and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been
made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they
knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their
thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although
they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged
the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds
and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in
the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of
their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of
God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the
Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God
gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations
for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned
natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men
committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due
penalty for their perversion. 28 Furthermore, since they did
not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a
depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have
become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They
are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers,
God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil;
they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless,
heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous
decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to
do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on
someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning
yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we
know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So
when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you
think you will escape God's judgment? 4 Or do you show
contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing
that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? 5 But because
of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath
against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will
be revealed. 6 God "will give to each person according to
what he has done." 7 To those who by persistence in doing
good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But
for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there
will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress
for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but
glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for
the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism. 12 All
who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin
under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not
those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who
obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when
Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law,
they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since
they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their
consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even
defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God
will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. 17 Now
you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your
relationship to God; 18 if you know his will and approve of
what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if
you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are
in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of
infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth-- 21 you,
then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself ? You who preach against
stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not
commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob
temples?23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by
breaking the law? 24 As it is written: "God's name is
blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." 25 Circumcision
has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as
though you had not been circumcised. 26 If those who are not
circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though
they were circumcised? 27 The one who is not circumcised
physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the
written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. 28 A man is
not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and
physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and
circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written
code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.
1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what
value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of
all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. 3 What
if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's
faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a
liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge." 5 But if our unrighteousness
brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is
unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly
not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone
might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases
his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 8 Why
not say--as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that
we say--"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is
deserved. 9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better ?
Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are
all under sin. 10 As it is written: "There is no one
righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have
together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." 13 "Their
throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison
of vipers is on their lips." 14 "Their mouths are
full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are
swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and
the way of peace they do not know." 18"There is no fear
of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that whatever
the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may
be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore
no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather,
through the law we become conscious of sin. 21 But now a
righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law
and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes
through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God
presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did
this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the
sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to
demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who
justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is
boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No,
but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is
justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God the
God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since
there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the
uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify
the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Revelation 14
Revelation 14 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 14
The Lamb and the 144,000
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 remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
The Three Angels
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,'[a] 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 its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name." 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: 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."
Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress
14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man[b] 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." 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
17 Another 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.
Revelation 14
The Lamb and the 144,000
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 remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
The Three Angels
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,'[a] 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 its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name." 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: 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."
Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress
14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man[b] 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." 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
17 Another 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.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 67
2 Corinthians 10; 2 Corinthians 11; 2 Corinthians 12; 2 Corinthians 13
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New International VersionToggle Dropdown
1 By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to
you--I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but
"bold" when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may
not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we
live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in
the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons
we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have
divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments
and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we
take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And
we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is
complete. 7 You are looking only on the surface of things. If
anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we
belong to Christ just as much as he. 8 For even if I boast
somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather
than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it. 9 I do not
want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 For
some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is
unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing." 11 Such
people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we
will be in our actions when we are present. 12 We do not dare
to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they
measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they
are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond proper
limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a
field that reaches even to you. 14 We are not going too far in
our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as
far as you with the gospel of Christ. 15 Neither do we go
beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your
faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, 16 so
that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to
boast about work already done in another man's territory. 17 But,
"Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 18 For it is
not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord
commends.
1 I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness;
but you are already doing that. 2 I am jealous for you with a
godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might
present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that
just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be
led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For
if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,
or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different
gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 5But
I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." 6 I
may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly
clear to you in every way. 7 Was it a sin for me to lower
myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of
charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from
them so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed
something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from
Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you
in any way, and will continue to do so. 10 As surely as the
truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this
boasting of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows
I do! 12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to
cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal
with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such men are
false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And
no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It
is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of
righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. 16 I
repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me just as
you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. 17 In
this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. 18 Since
many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. 19 You
gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20 In fact,
you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage
of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. 21 To
my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! What anyone else dares to
boast about--I am speaking as a fool--I also dare to boast about. 22 Are
they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's
descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am
out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been
in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to
death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews
the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with
rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a
day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I
have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own
countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the
country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I
have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger
and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.28 Besides
everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who
is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly
burn? 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show
my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is
to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In
Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded
in order to arrest me. 33 But I was lowered in a basket from a
window in the wall and slipped through his hands.
1 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be
gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I
know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven.
Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. 3 And
I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know,
but God knows-- 4 was caught up to paradise. He heard
inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. 5 I
will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except
about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I
would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so
no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. 7 To
keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great
revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to
torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it
away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I
will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may
rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in
weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For
when I am weak, then I am strong. 11 I have made a fool of
myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am
not in the least inferior to the "super-apostles," even though I am
nothing. 12 The things that mark an apostle--signs, wonders
and miracles--were done among you with great perseverance. 13 How
were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to
you? Forgive me this wrong! 14 Now I am ready to visit you for
the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not
your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for
their parents, but parents for their children. 15 So I will
very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I
love you more, will you love me less? 16 Be that as it may, I
have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by
trickery! 17 Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent
you? 18 I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with
him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not act in the same spirit and
follow the same course? 19Have you been thinking all along that we
have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God
as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your
strengthening. 20 For I am afraid that when I come I may not
find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I
fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions,
slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 21 I am afraid that
when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over
many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin
and debauchery in which they have indulged.
1 This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter
must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." 2 I
already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it
while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of
the others, 3 since you are demanding proof that Christ is
speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among
you. 4 For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he
lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will
live with him to serve you. 5 Examine yourselves to see
whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ
Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test? 6 And I
trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. 7 Now
we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see
that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we
may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against
the truth, but only for the truth. 9 We are glad whenever we
are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. 10 This
is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have
to be harsh in my use of authority--the authority the Lord gave me for building
you up, not for tearing you down. 11 Finally, brothers,
good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in
peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet
one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints send their
greetings. 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Revelation 13
Revelation 13 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 13
The Beast out of the Sea
1 The dragon[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its 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 filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People 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 wage war against it?"
5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And it 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 Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.[b]
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.
10 "If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword, with the sword they will be killed."[d] This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God's people.
The Beast out of the Earth
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[e] That number is 666.
Revelation 13
The Beast out of the Sea
1 The dragon[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its 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 filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People 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 wage war against it?"
5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And it 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 Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.[b]
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.
10 "If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword, with the sword they will be killed."[d] This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God's people.
The Beast out of the Earth
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[e] That number is 666.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 66
2 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 6; 2 Corinthians 7; 2 Corinthians 8; 2
Corinthians 9
·
New International VersionToggle Dropdown
1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is
destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built
by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed
with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we
will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we
groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be
clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up
by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose
and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.6 Therefore
we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we
are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We
are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home
with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether
we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is
due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.11 Since,
then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are
is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We
are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an
opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in
what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are
out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is
for you. 14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are
convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And
he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but
for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now
on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded
Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All
this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the
ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the
world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has
committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are
therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through
us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God
made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
1 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's
grace in vain. 2 For he says, "In the time of my favor I
heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is
the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put
no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be
discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves
in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in
beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in
purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere
love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with
weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through
glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as
impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we
live on; beaten, and yet not killed;10 sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing
everything. 11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and
opened wide our hearts to you. 12 We are not withholding our
affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. 13 As
a fair exchange--I speak as to my children--open wide your hearts also. 14 Do
not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and
wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What
harmony is there between Christ and Belial ? What does a believer have in
common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between
the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God
has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their
God, and they will be my people." 17 "Therefore come
out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I
will receive you." 18 "I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify
ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting
holiness out of reverence for God. 2 Make room for us in your
hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no
one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before
that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4 I
have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly
encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds. 5 For
when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were
harassed at every turn--conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But
God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and
not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us
about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so
that my joy was greater than ever. 8 Even if I caused you
sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it--I see that my
letter hurt you, but only for a little while-- 9 yet now I am
happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to
repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in
any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to
salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See
what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to
clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern,
what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves
to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to
you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured
party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to
us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged. In addition to
our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was,
because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 I had
boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as
everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has
proved to be true as well.15 And his affection for you is all the
greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear
and trembling. 16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in
you.
1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace
that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most
severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich
generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they
were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they
urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the
saints. 5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave
themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. 6 So
we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to
completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But just as you
excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness
and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8 I
am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing
it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became
poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 10 And
here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were
the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now
finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your
completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the
willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not
according to what he does not have. 13 Our desire is not that
others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be
equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what
they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there
will be equality, 15 as it is written: "He who gathered
much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too
little." 16 I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus
the same concern I have for you. 17 For Titus not only
welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his
own initiative. 18 And we are sending along with him the brother
who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. 19 What
is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the
offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show
our eagerness to help. 20 We want to avoid any criticism of
the way we administer this liberal gift. 21 For we are taking
pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the
eyes of men. 22 In addition, we are sending with them our
brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now
even more so because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for
Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they
are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. 24 Therefore
show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so
that the churches can see it.
1 There is no need for me to write to you about this service
to the saints. 2 For I know your eagerness to help, and I have
been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year
you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them
to action. 3 But I am sending the brothers in order that our
boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be
ready, as I said you would be. 4 For if any Macedonians come
with me and find you unprepared, we--not to say anything about you--would be
ashamed of having been so confident. 5 So I thought it
necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the
arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a
generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. 6Remember this: Whoever
sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also
reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in
his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to
you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will
abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: "He has
scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures
forever." 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and
bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will
enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made
rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us
your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.12 This service
that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also
overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because
of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the
obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for
your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And
in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the
surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his
indescribable gift!
Revelation 12
Revelation 12 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 12
The Woman and the Dragon
1 A great 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 its heads. 4 Its 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 it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who "will rule all the nations with an iron scepter."[a] And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
7 Then war broke out 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 Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over 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. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, 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 wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
Revelation 12
The Woman and the Dragon
1 A great 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 its heads. 4 Its 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 it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who "will rule all the nations with an iron scepter."[a] And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
7 Then war broke out 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 Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over 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. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, 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 wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 65
2 Corinthians 1; 2
Corinthians 2; 2 Corinthians 3; 2 Corinthians 4
·
New International VersionToggle Dropdown
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and
Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the
saints throughout Achaia: 2 Grace and peace to you from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Praise be to the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of
all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we
can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received
from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over
into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If
we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted,
it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same
sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because
we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our
comfort. 8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers,
about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure,
far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed,
in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might
not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He
has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we
have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as
you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the
gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 12 Now
this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in
the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and
sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom
but according to God's grace. 13 For we do not write you
anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14 as
you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can
boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus. 15 Because
I was confident of this, I planned to visit you first so that you might benefit
twice.16 I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come
back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 When
I planned this, did I do it lightly? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner
so that in the same breath I say, "Yes, yes" and "No, no"? 18 But
as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and
"No." 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was
preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and
"No," but in him it has always been "Yes." 20 For
no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ.
And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now
it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set
his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit,
guaranteeing what is to come. 23 I call God as my witness that
it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 Not
that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it
is by faith you stand firm.
1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful
visit to you. 2 For if I grieve you, who is left to make me
glad but you whom I have grieved? 3 I wrote as I did so that
when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I
had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4 For
I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not
to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. 5 If
anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of
you, to some extent--not to put it too severely. 6 The
punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7 Now
instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be
overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to
reaffirm your love for him. 9 The reason I wrote you was to
see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 If
you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven--if there was
anything to forgive--I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in
order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. 12 Now
when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had
opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because
I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to
Macedonia. 14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal
procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the
knowledge of him. 15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ
among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To
the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who
is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle
the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with
sincerity, like men sent from God.
1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we
need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You
yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 3 You
show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not
with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on
tablets of human hearts. 4Such confidence as this is ours through
Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to
claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He
has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of
the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now
if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone,
came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of
Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not
the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the
ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry
that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no
glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if
what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that
which lasts! 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are
very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over
his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading
away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the
same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed,
because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day
when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But
whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now
the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And
we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed
into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is
the Spirit.
1 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this
ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced
secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word
of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves
to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if
our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The
god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see
the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For
we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your
servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light
shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7 But
we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is
from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side,
but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;9 persecuted, but
not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always
carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also
be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always
being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in
our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life
is at work in you. 13 It is written: "I believed;
therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe
and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who
raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present
us with you in his presence. 15 All this is for your benefit,
so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving
to overflow to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose
heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed
day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are
achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So
we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is
temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
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