the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
December 29 - Straight Thru the Bible
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Revelation 9:12-14:8
Chapter 9
12 The first woe has passed. There are still two more woes to come after this.
The Sixth Trumpet
13 The sixth angel blew his trumpet. From the four[g] horns of the gold altar(f) that is before God, I heard a voice 14 say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race. 16 The number of mounted troops was 200 million;[h] I heard their number. 17 This is how I saw the horses in my vision: The horsemen had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. 18 A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues—by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails, which resemble snakes, have heads, and they inflict injury with them.
20 The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons(g) and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which are not able to see, hear, or walk.(h) 21 And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries,[i] their sexual immorality, or their thefts.
Chapter 10
The Mighty Angel and the Small Scroll
1 Then I saw another mighty angel(a) coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow(b) over his head.[a] His face was like the sun, his legs[b] were like fiery pillars,(c) 2 and he had a little scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land, 3 and he cried out with a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he cried out, the seven thunders spoke with their voices. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. Then I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders said,(d) and do not write it down!"
5 Then the angel that I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 He swore an oath by the One who lives forever and ever,(e) who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: "There will no longer be an interval of time,[c] 7 but in the days of the sound of the seventh angel,(f) when he will blow his trumpet, then God's hidden plan(g) will be completed, as He announced to His servants[d] the prophets."(h)
8 Now the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, "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 and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth."(i)
10 Then I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter.(j) 11 And I was told,[e] "You must prophesy again about[f] many peoples, nations, languages, and kings."(k)
Chapter 11
The Two Witnesses
1 Then I was given a measuring reed(a) like a rod,[a] with these words: "Go[b] and measure God's sanctuary and the altar, and count those who worship there. 2 But exclude the courtyard outside the sanctuary. Don't measure it, because it is given to the nations,[c] and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. 3 I will empower[d] my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,[e](b) dressed in sackcloth."[f] 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord[g] of the earth.(c) 5 If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies;(d) if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6 These men have the power to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy.(e) They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood(f) and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.
The Witnesses Martyred
7 When they finish their testimony, the beast[h](g) that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, conquer them, and kill them. 8 Their dead bodies[i](h) will lie in the public square[j] of the great city, which prophetically[k] is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 And representatives from[l] the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations(i) will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb. 10 Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets brought judgment to those who live on the earth.
The Witnesses Resurrected
11 But after 3½ days, the breath[m] of life(j) from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. So great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard[n] a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.(k) 13 At that moment a violent earthquake took place,(l) a tenth of the city fell, and 7,000 people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe(m) has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming quickly!
The Seventh Trumpet
15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet,(n) and there were loud voices in heaven saying:
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of His Messiah,
and He will reign forever and ever!(o)
16 The 24 elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, 17 saying:
We thank You, Lord God, the Almighty,
who is and who was,[o](p)
because You have taken Your great power
and have begun to reign.(q)
18 The nations were angry,(r)
but Your wrath has come.
The time has come
for the dead to be judged
and to give the reward
to Your servants the prophets,(s)
to the saints, and to those who fear Your name,
both small and great,(t)
and the time has come to destroy
those who destroy the earth.
19 God's sanctuary in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant[p] appeared in His sanctuary. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings of thunder,(u) an earthquake,[q] and severe hail.
Chapter 12
The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
1 A great sign[a] appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head.(a) 2 She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign[b] appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns,(b) and on his heads were seven diadems.[c] 4 His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth.(c) And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he might devour her child. 5 But she gave birth to a Son—a male who is going to shepherd[d] all nations with an iron scepter(d)—and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God,(e) to be fed there[e] for 1,260 days.(f)
The Dragon Thrown Out of Heaven
7 Then war broke out in heaven: Michael(g) and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent,(h) who is called the Devil[f] and Satan,[g](i) the one who deceives the whole world.(j) He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of His Messiah
have now come,
because the accuser(k) of our brothers
has been thrown out:
the one who accuses them
before our God day and night.
11 They conquered him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
for they did not love their lives
in the face of death.(l)
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them!
Woe to the earth and the sea,
for the Devil has come down to you
with great fury,
because he knows he has a short time.
The Woman Persecuted
13 When the dragon saw that he had been thrown to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent's presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and half a time.[h](m) 15 From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away in a torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. 17 So the dragon was furious with the woman and left to wage war(n) against the rest of her offspring[i]—those who keep God's commands and have the testimony about Jesus.(o)
18 He[j] stood on the sand of the sea.[k]
Chapter 13
The Beast from the Sea
1 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea.(a) He[a] had 10 horns and seven heads. On his horns were 10 diadems,(b) and on his heads were blasphemous names.[b](c) 2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like a bear's, and his mouth was like a lion's mouth.(d) The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 One of his heads appeared to be fatally wounded,[c] but his fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.[d](e) 4 They worshiped the dragon(f) because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast?(g) Who is able to wage war against him?"
5 A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies.(h) He was also given authority to act[e][f] for 42 months.(i) 6 He began to speak[g] blasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. 7 And he was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. He was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.(j) 8 All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book[h] of life(k) of the Lamb who was slaughtered.[i](l)
9 If anyone has an ear, he should listen:(m)
10 If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he goes.
If anyone is to be killed[j] with a sword,
with a sword he will be killed.(n)
This demands the perseverance[k] and faith of the saints.(o)
The Beast from the Earth
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb,[l](p) but he sounded like a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people. 14 He deceives those who live on the earth(q) because of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast,(r) telling those who live on the earth to make an image[m] of the beast who had the sword wound and yet lived. 15 He was permitted to give a spirit[n] to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he requires everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark[o] on his right hand or on his forehead,(s) 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast's name or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom:[p](t) The one who has understanding must calculate[q] the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man.[r] His number is 666.[s]
Chapter 14
The Lamb and the 144,000
1 Then I looked, and there on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with Him were 144,000 who had His name and His Father's name written on their foreheads.(a) 2 I heard a sound[a] from heaven like the sound of cascading waters(b) and like the rumbling of loud thunder. The sound I heard was also like harpists playing on their harps.(c) 3 They sang[b] a new song(d) before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders,(e) but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed[c] from the earth. 4 These are the ones not defiled with women, for they have kept their virginity.(f) These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were redeemed[d][e] from the human race as the firstfruits(g) for God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.(h)
The Proclamation of Three Angels
6 Then I saw another angel flying high overhead,(i) having the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.(j) 7 He spoke with a loud voice: "Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water."
8 A second angel[f] followed, saying: "It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen,[g] who made all nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality,[h] which brings wrath."(k)
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