the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
December 28 - Different Topics
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Revelation 18-20
Chapter 18
The Fall of Babylon the Great
1 After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 He cried in a mighty voice:
It has fallen,[a]
Babylon the Great has fallen!(a)
She has become a dwelling for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
and a haunt[b] for every unclean and despicable beast.[c](b)
3 For all the nations have drunk[d]
the wine of her sexual immorality,
which brings wrath.(c)
The kings of the earth
have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth
have grown wealthy from her excessive luxury.
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven:
Come out of her, My people,
so that you will not share in her sins(d)
or receive any of her plagues.
5 For her sins are piled up[e] to heaven,(e)
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Pay her back the way she also paid,(f)
and double it according to her works.(g)
In the cup in which she mixed,(h)
mix a double portion for her.
7 As much as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,
give her that much torment and grief,
for she says in her heart,
"I sit as a queen;
I am not a widow,
and I will never see grief."(i)
8 For this reason her plagues will come in one day[f]—
death and grief and famine.
She will be burned up with fire,
because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.
The World Mourns Babylon's Fall
9 The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with her will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They will stand far off in fear of her torment, saying:
Woe, woe, the great city,
Babylon, the mighty city!
For in a single hour[g]
your judgment has come.
11 The merchants of the earth will also weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their merchandise any longer— 12 merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine fabrics of linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass,[h] iron, and marble; 13 cinnamon, spice,[i][j] incense, myrrh,[k] and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine wheat flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves[l] and human lives.[m](j)
14 The fruit you craved has left you.
All your splendid and glamorous things are gone;
they will never find them again.
15 The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 saying:
Woe, woe, the great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet,
adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls,
17 for in a single hour[n]
such fabulous wealth was destroyed!
And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off 18 as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out: "Who is like the great city?"(k) 19 They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning:(l)
Woe, woe, the great city,(m)
where all those who have ships on the sea
became rich from her wealth,
for in a single hour[o] she was destroyed.
20 Rejoice over her, heaven,
and you saints, apostles, and prophets,(n)
because God has executed your judgment on her![p]
The Finality of Babylon's Fall
21 Then a mighty angel(o) picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying:
In this way, Babylon the great city
will be thrown down violently(p)
and never be found again.(q)
22 The sound of harpists, musicians,
flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again;(r)
no craftsman of any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the sound of a mill
will never be heard in you again;
23 the light of a lamp
will never shine in you again;
and the voice of a groom and bride
will never be heard in you again.(s)
All this will happen
because your merchants
were the nobility of the earth,
because all the nations were deceived
by your sorcery,[q]
24 and the blood of prophets and saints,
and of all those slaughtered on earth,
was found in you.[r](t)
Chapter 19
Celebration in Heaven
1 After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying:
Hallelujah!(a)
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God,
2 because His judgments are true[a] and righteous,(b)
because He has judged the notorious prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality;
and He has avenged the blood of His slaves
that was on her hands.(c)
3 A second time they said:
Hallelujah!
Her smoke ascends forever and ever!(d)
4 Then the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God,(e) who is seated on the throne, saying:
Amen! Hallelujah!(f)
5 A voice came from the throne, saying:
Praise our God,
all His slaves, who fear Him,
both small and great!(g)
Marriage of the Lamb Announced
6 Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters,(h) and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying:
Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty,
has begun to reign!
7 Let us be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory,(i)
because the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and His wife has prepared herself.
8 She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure.(j)
For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.(k)
9 Then he[b] said to me,(l) "Write: Those invited to the marriage feast(m) of the Lamb are fortunate!" He also said to me, "These words of God are true." 10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow slave with you and your brothers who have the testimony about[c] Jesus.(n) Worship God, because the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."[d]
The Rider on a White Horse
11 Then I saw heaven opened,(o) and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True,(p) and He judges and makes war in righteousness.(q) 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns[e] were on His head. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself.(r) 13 He wore a robe stained with blood,[f](s) and His name is the Word of God.(t) 14 The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp[g] sword(u) came from His mouth, so that He might strike the nations with it.(v) He will shepherd[h] them with an iron scepter.(w) He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God,(x) the Almighty. 16 And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:
KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OF LORDS.(y)
The Beast and His Armies Defeated
17 Then I saw an angel standing on[i] the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying high overhead, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great."(z)
19 Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies(aa) gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against His army. 20 But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with him the false prophet, who had performed the signs in his presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image with these signs.(ab) Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.(ac) 21 The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Chapter 20
Satan Bound
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the abyss(a) and a great chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the Devil and Satan,[a](b) and bound(c) him for 1,000 years. 3 He threw him into the abyss, closed it, and put a seal on it(d) so that he would no longer deceive the nations(e) until the 1,000 years were completed. After that, he must be released for a short time.
The Saints Reign with the Messiah
4 Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge.(f) I also saw the people[b](g) who had been beheaded[c] because of their testimony about Jesus(h) and because of God's word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands.(i) They came to life(j) and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed(k) and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death(l) has no power[d] over them, but they will be priests of God and of the Messiah, and they will reign with Him for 1,000 years.(m)
Satanic Rebellion Crushed
7 When the 1,000 years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth,(n) Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle.(o) Their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 They came up over the surface of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved city. Then fire came down from heaven[e] and consumed them.(p) 10 The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are,(q) and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.(r)
The Great White Throne Judgment
11 Then I saw a great white throne and One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.(s) 12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.(t) Another book was opened, which is the book of life,(u) and the dead were judged according to their works(v) by what was written in the books.
13 Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades(w) gave up their dead; all[f] were judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.(x) This is the second death, the lake of fire.[g] 15 And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
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