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Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 67
2 Corinthians 10; 2 Corinthians 11; 2 Corinthians 12; 2 Corinthians 13
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.
Psalm 15
Psalm 15 (New International Version)
Psalm 15
A psalm of David.
1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?
2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart
3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman,
4 who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts,
5 who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
Psalm 15
A psalm of David.
1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?
2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart
3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman,
4 who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts,
5 who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
Revelation 10
Revelation 10 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 10
The Angel and the Little Scroll
1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets."
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but 'in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.'[a]" 10 I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
Revelation 10
The Angel and the Little Scroll
1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets."
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but 'in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.'[a]" 10 I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 66
2 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 6; 2 Corinthians 7; 2 Corinthians 8; 2
Corinthians 9
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!
Psalm 14
Psalm 14 (New International Version)
Psalm 14
For the director of music. Of David.
1 The fool [a] says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
4 Will evildoers never learn— those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD ?
5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Psalm 14
For the director of music. Of David.
1 The fool [a] says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
4 Will evildoers never learn— those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD ?
5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Revelation 9
Revelation 9 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 9
1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.
17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
20 The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Revelation 9
1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.
17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
20 The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 65
2 Corinthians 1; 2
Corinthians 2; 2 Corinthians 3; 2 Corinthians 4
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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