Yesterday we read of a vision of a heavenly woman of virtue, sitting in the heavenly realm, who gives birth to Christ and then is protected from the assaults of Satan the dragon. Today we read of Satan, the beast, and the false prophet, then we turn to the w***e of Babylon, who is a mystical figure whose evil matches the righteousness of the the heavenly woman from yesterday. God’s justice is done and the wicked refuse to repent. What an account!

Revelation 13

Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.

The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.

One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.

They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?”

The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months.

And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven.

Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.

And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.

He who has an ear, let him hear:

“If anyone is destined for captivity,

into captivity he will go;

if anyone is to die by the sword,

by the sword he must be killed.”

Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.

Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon.

And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.

And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people.

Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.

The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.

And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,

so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.

Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666.

Revelation 14

Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.

And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound I heard was like harpists strumming their harps.

And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.

And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.”

Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”

And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand,

he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.

And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”

And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.

Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe.”

So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.

Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.”

So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.

And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

Revelation 15

Then I saw another great and marvelous sign in heaven: seven angels with the seven final plagues, with which the wrath of God is completed.

And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, beside which stood those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name. They were holding harps from God,

and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:

“Great and wonderful are Your works,

O Lord God Almighty!

Just and true are Your ways,

O King of the nations!

Who will not fear You, O Lord,

and glorify Your name?

For You alone are holy.

All nations will come and worship before You,

for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”

After this I looked, and the temple—the tabernacle of the Testimony—was opened in heaven.

And out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean and bright linen and girded with golden sashes around their chests.

Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.

And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

Revelation 16

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out on the earth the seven bowls of God’s wrath.”

So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and loathsome, malignant sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

And the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it turned to blood like that of the dead, and every living thing in the sea died.

And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they turned to blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say:

“Righteous are You, O Holy One,

who is and was,

because You have brought these judgments.

For they have spilled the blood of saints and prophets,

and You have given them blood to drink,

as they deserve.”

And I heard the altar reply:

“Yes, Lord God Almighty,

true and just are Your judgments.”

Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch the people with fire.

And the people were scorched by intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues; yet they did not repent and give Him glory.

And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish

and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores; yet they did not repent of their deeds.

And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.

And I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.

These are demonic spirits that perform signs and go out to all the kings of the earth, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”

And they assembled the kings in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came from the throne in the temple, saying, “It is done!”

And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and a great earthquake the likes of which had not occurred since men were upon the earth—so mighty was the great quake.

The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.

Then every island fled, and no mountain could be found.

And great hailstones weighing almost a hundred pounds each rained down on them from above. And men cursed God for the plague of hail, because it was so horrendous.

Revelation 17

Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.

The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”

And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.

The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.

And on her forehead a mysterious name was written:

BABYLON THE GREAT,

THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES

AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her.

“Why are you so amazed?” said the angel. “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.

The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. And those who dwell on the earth whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be.

This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

The beast that was, and now is not, is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven and is going into destruction.

The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.

These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast.

They will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and He will be accompanied by His called and chosen and faithful ones.”

Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.

And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

Revelation 18

After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory. And he cried out in a mighty voice:

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

She has become a lair for demons

and a haunt for every unclean spirit,

every unclean bird,

and every detestable beast.

All the nations have drunk the wine

of the passion of her immorality.

The kings of the earth were immoral with her,

and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy

from the extravagance of her luxury.”

Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

“Come out of her, My people,

so that you will not share in her sins

or contract any of her plagues.

For her sins are piled up to heaven,

and God has remembered her iniquities.

Give back to her as she has done to others;

pay her back double for what she has done;

mix her a double portion in her own cup.

As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury,

give her the same measure of torment and grief.

In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen;

I am not a widow and will never see grief.’

Therefore her plagues will come in one day—

death and grief and famine—

and she will be consumed by fire,

for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.

In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out:

“Woe, woe to the great city,

the mighty city of Babylon!

For in a single hour

your judgment has come.”

And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo—

cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;

of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots; of slaves and souls of men. And they will say:

“The fruit of your soul’s desire

has departed from you;

all your luxury and splendor have vanished,

never to be seen again.”

The merchants who sold these things and grew their wealth from her will stand at a distance, in fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn, saying:

“Woe, woe to the great city,

clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet,

adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!

For in a single hour

such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!”

Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance

and cry out at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. “What city was ever like this great city?” they will exclaim.

Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out:

“Woe, woe to the great city,

where all who had ships on the sea

were enriched by her wealth!

For in a single hour

she has been destroyed.”

Rejoice over her, O heaven,

O saints and apostles and prophets,

because God has pronounced for you

His judgment against her.

Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying:

“With such violence

the great city of Babylon will be cast down,

never to be seen again.

And the sound of harpists and musicians,

of flute players and trumpeters,

will never ring out in you again.

Nor will any craftsmen of any trade

be found in you again,

nor the sound of a millstone

be heard in you again.

The light of a lamp

will never shine in you again,

and the voices of a bride and bridegroom

will never call out in you again.

For your merchants were the great ones of the earth,

because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.”

And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.

“knowing, brothers beloved by God, your election, for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full assurance; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” - 1st Thessalonians 1:4-7 (LSB)

This week we started chapter 1 of the 1st Epistle to the Thessalonians. In this chapter Paul greats the church at Thessalonica in modern day Greece, and commends them for being models to all believers around in the area.

The three ‘woe’s are issued and there’s a lot of death, two witnesses appear in Jerusalem and spit some fire, are killed, then resurrect and ascend, a heavenly woman has a baby that a dragon does his best to kill—check it out!

Revelation 7

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree.

And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:

“Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:

From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,

from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

from the tribe of Asher 12,000,

from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,

from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,

from the tribe of Levi 12,000,

from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,

from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,

and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation to our God,

who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb!”

And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God,

saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?”

“Sir,” I answered, “you know.”

So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

For this reason,

they are before the throne of God

and serve Him day and night in His temple;

and the One seated on the throne

will spread His tabernacle over them.

‘Never again will they hunger,

and never will they thirst;

nor will the sun beat down upon them,

nor any scorching heat.’

For the Lamb in the center of the throne

will be their shepherd.

‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’

and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Revelation 8

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.

And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

And the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.

Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood,

a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.

Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.

And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!”

Revelation 9

Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss.

The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.

And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth.

They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their torment was like the stinging of a scorpion.

In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.

And the locusts looked like horses prepared for battle, with something like crowns of gold on their heads, and faces like the faces of men.

They had hair like that of women, and teeth like those of lions.

They also had thoraxes like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.

They had tails with stingers like scorpions, which had the power to injure people for five months.

They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon.

The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still to follow.

Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God

saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.

And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.

Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur.

A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths.

For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm.

Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.

Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.

Revelation 10

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire.

He held in his hand a small scroll, which lay open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.

Then he cried out in a loud voice like the roar of a lion. And when he cried out, the seven thunders sounded their voices.

When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to put it in writing. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven.

And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: “There will be no more delay!

But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.”

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the small scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.”

And I went to the angel and said, “Give me the small scroll.”

“Take it and eat it,” he said. “It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.”

So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter.

And they told me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”

Revelation 11

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there.

But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.

And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed.

These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.

Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified.

For three and a half days all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb.

And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.

But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them.

And the witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them.

And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly.

Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven:

“The kingdom of the world

has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of His Christ,

and He will reign forever and ever.”

And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:

“We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty,

the One who is and who was,

because You have taken Your great power

and have begun to reign.

The nations were enraged,

and Your wrath has come.

The time has come to judge the dead

and to reward Your servants the prophets,

as well as the saints and those who fear Your name,

both small and great—

and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.

Revelation 12

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.

His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.

And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.

But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels.

And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying:

“Now have come the salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God,

and the authority of His Christ.

For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down—

he who accuses them day and night before our God.

They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony.

And they did not love their lives

so as to shy away from death.

Therefore rejoice, O heavens,

and you who dwell in them!

But woe to the earth and the sea;

with great fury the devil has come down to you,

knowing he has only a short time.”

And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent.

But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from the dragon’s mouth.

And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

Today we conclude our time with Zechariah as he curses the nations one more time for good measure, makes sure we know that we are expected to come every year for the Feast of Tabernacles if we want the rain to continue (someone must have gone for us this year!) and pronounces final blessings in meditating on the Day of the Lord. The two psalms we cover talk about the beauty of God’s Temple and the restoration of his covenant people. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Zechariah 11

Open your doors, O Lebanon,

that the fire may consume your cedars!

Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen;

the majestic trees are ruined!

Wail, O oaks of Bashan,

for the dense forest has been cut down!

Listen to the wailing of the shepherds,

for their glory is in ruins.

Listen to the roaring of the young lions,

for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.

This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,

whose buyers slaughter them without remorse. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion on them.

For I will no longer have compassion on the people of the land, declares the LORD, but behold, I will cause each man to fall into the hands of his neighbor and his king, who will devastate the land, and I will not deliver it from their hands.”

So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, especially the afflicted of the flock. Then I took for myself two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and I pastured the flock.

And in one month I dismissed three shepherds.

My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their souls also detested me.

Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish; and let those who remain devour one another’s flesh.”

Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations.

It was revoked on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the LORD.

Then I told them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver.

And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent price at which they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

Then I cut in two my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

And the LORD said to me: “Take up once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd.

For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will neither care for the lost, nor seek the young, nor heal the broken, nor sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the choice sheep and tear off their hooves.

Woe to the worthless shepherd,

who deserts the flock!

May a sword strike his arm

and his right eye!

May his arm be completely withered

and his right eye utterly blinded!”

Zechariah 12

This is the burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel.

Thus declares the LORD, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, who forms the spirit of man within him:

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples. Judah will be besieged, as well as Jerusalem.

On that day, when all the nations of the earth gather against her, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who would heave it away will be severely injured.

On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and every rider with madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the house of Judah, but I will strike with blindness all the horses of the nations.

Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts: ‘The people of Jerusalem are my strength, for the LORD of Hosts is their God.’

On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among the sheaves; they will consume all the peoples around them on the right and on the left, while the people of Jerusalem remain secure there.

The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and of the people of Jerusalem may not be greater than that of Judah.

On that day the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD going before them.

So on that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

The land will mourn, each clan on its own: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives,

the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the remaining clans and their wives.

Zechariah 13

“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the people of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.

And on that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.

And if anyone still prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall not remain alive, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD.’ When he prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will pierce him through.

And on that day every prophet who prophesies will be ashamed of his vision, and he will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive.

He will say, ‘I am not a prophet; I work the land, for I was purchased as a servant in my youth.’

If someone asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your chest ?’ he will answer, ‘These are the wounds I received in the house of my friends.’

Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,

against the man who is My Companion,

declares the LORD of Hosts.

Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered,

and I will turn My hand against the little ones.

And in all the land,

declares the LORD,

two-thirds will be cut off and perish,

but a third will be left in it.

This third I will bring through the fire;

I will refine them like silver

and test them like gold.

They will call on My name,

and I will answer them.

I will say, ‘They are My people,’

and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’ ”

Zechariah 14

Behold, a day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided in your presence.

For I will gather all the nations for battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.

Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.

On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half the mountain moving to the north and half to the south.

You will flee by My mountain valley, for it will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.

On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a day known only to the LORD, without day or night; but when evening comes, there will be light.

And on that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Sea and the other half toward the Western Sea, in summer and winter alike.

On that day the LORD will become King over all the earth—the LORD alone, and His name alone.

All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be turned into a plain, but Jerusalem will be raised up and will remain in her place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.

People will live there, and never again will there be an utter destruction. So Jerusalem will dwell securely.

And this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

On that day a great panic from the LORD will come upon them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will rise against the other.

Judah will also fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.

And a similar plague will strike the horses and mules, camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.

Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them.

And if the people of Egypt will not go up and enter in, then the rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

This will be the punishment of Egypt and of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

On that day, HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the house of the LORD will be like the sprinkling bowls before the altar.

Indeed, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD of Hosts, and all who sacrifice will come and take some pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of Hosts.

Psalm 83

O God, be not silent; be not speechless;

be not still, O God.

See how Your enemies rage,

how Your foes have reared their heads.

With cunning they scheme against Your people

and conspire against those You cherish,

saying, “Come, let us erase them as a nation;

may the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

For with one mind they plot together,

they form an alliance against You—

the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

of Moab and the Hagrites,

of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,

of Philistia with the people of Tyre.

Even Assyria has joined them,

lending strength to the sons of Lot.

Selah

Do to them as You did to Midian,

as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,

who perished at Endor

and became like dung on the ground.

Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

who said, “Let us possess for ourselves

the pastures of God.”

Make them like tumbleweed, O my God,

like chaff before the wind.

As fire consumes a forest,

as a flame sets the mountains ablaze,

so pursue them with Your tempest,

and terrify them with Your storm.

Cover their faces with shame,

that they may seek Your name, O LORD.

May they be ever ashamed and terrified;

may they perish in disgrace.

May they know that You alone,

whose name is the LORD,

are Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 84

How lovely is Your dwelling place,

O LORD of Hosts!

My soul longs, even faints,

for the courts of the LORD;

my heart and my flesh cry out

for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she places her young near Your altars,

O LORD of Hosts, my King and my God.

How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!

They are ever praising You.

Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in You,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca,

they make it a place of springs;

even the autumn rain covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength,

until each appears before God in Zion.

O LORD God of Hosts, hear my prayer;

give ear, O God of Jacob.

Selah

Take notice of our shield, O God,

and look with favor on the face of Your anointed.

For better is one day in Your courts

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the LORD God is a sun and a shield;

the LORD gives grace and glory;

He withholds no good thing

from those who walk with integrity.

O LORD of Hosts,

how blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Through the prophet Zechariah, the Lord says he will return to Jerusalem, bring his people back to the holy city, rebuild the Temple, and turn times of mourning into times for rejoicing. He makes clear that his conduct is not limited to what his people can imagine. Rather, he can do as he likes. He is pleased to redeem, so he will redeem his rebellious people. As a condemned rebel, I give thanks to God!

Zechariah 6

And again I lifted up my eyes and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses,

the third white horses, and the fourth dappled horses—all of them strong.

So I inquired of the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”

And the angel told me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth from their station before the Lord of all the earth.

The one with the black horses is going toward the land of the north, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”

As the strong horses went out, they were eager to go and patrol the earth; and the LORD said, “Go and patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth.

Then the LORD summoned me and said, “Behold, those going to the land of the north have given rest to My Spirit in the land of the north.”

The word of the LORD also came to me, saying,

“Take an offering from the exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon—and go that same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.

Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

And you are to tell him that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Here is a man whose name is the Branch, and He will branch out from His place and build the temple of the LORD.

Yes, He will build the temple of the LORD; He will be clothed in splendor and will sit on His throne and rule. And He will be a priest on His throne, and there will be peaceful counsel between the two.’

The crown will reside in the temple of the LORD as a memorial to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and the gracious son of Zephaniah.

Even those far away will come and build the temple of the LORD, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

Zechariah 7

In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev.

Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, along with their men, to plead before the LORD

by asking the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts, as well as the prophets, “Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?”

Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,

“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?

And when you were eating and drinking, were you not doing so simply for yourselves?

Are these not the words that the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets, when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were populous and prosperous, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’ ”

Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.

Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’

But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing.

They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.

And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD of Hosts.

But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known, and the land was left desolate behind them so that no one could come or go. Thus they turned the pleasant land into a desolation.”

Zechariah 8

Again the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I am jealous for Zion with great zeal; I am jealous for her with great fervor.”

This is what the LORD says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of Hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.”

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Old men and old women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of great age.

And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “If this is impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be impossible in My eyes?” declares the LORD of Hosts.

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west.

I will bring them back to dwell in Jerusalem, where they will be My people, and I will be their faithful and righteous God.”

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were present when the foundations were laid to rebuild the temple, the house of the LORD of Hosts.

For before those days neither man nor beast received wages, nor was there safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I had turned every man against his neighbor.

But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the LORD of Hosts.

“For the seed will be prosperous, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will yield its produce, and the skies will give their dew. To the remnant of this people I will give all these things as an inheritance.

As you have been a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong.”

For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Just as I resolved to bring disaster upon you when your fathers provoked Me to anger, and I did not relent,” says the LORD of Hosts,

“so now I have resolved to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid.

These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another, render true and sound judgments in your gates,

do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely, for I hate all these things,” declares the LORD.

Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,

“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore you are to love both truth and peace.”

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Peoples will yet come—the residents of many cities—

and the residents of one city will go to another, saying: ‘Let us go at once to plead before the LORD and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I myself am going.’

And many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Jerusalem and to plead before the LORD.”

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ”

Zechariah 9

This is the burden of the word of the LORD

against the land of Hadrach

and Damascus its resting place—

for the eyes of men

and of all the tribes of Israel

are upon the LORD —

and also against Hamath,

which borders it,

as well as Tyre and Sidon,

though they are very shrewd.

Tyre has built herself a fortress;

she has heaped up silver like dust,

and gold like the dirt of the streets.

Behold, the Lord will impoverish her

and cast her wealth into the sea,

and she will be consumed by fire.

Ashkelon will see and fear;

Gaza will writhe in agony,

as will Ekron,

for her hope will wither.

There will cease to be a king in Gaza,

and Ashkelon will be uninhabited.

A mixed race will occupy Ashdod,

and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

I will remove the blood from their mouths

and the abominations from between their teeth.

Then they too will become a remnant for our God;

they will become like a clan in Judah,

and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.

But I will camp around My house because of an army,

because of those who march to and fro,

and never again will an oppressor overrun My people,

for now I keep watch with My own eyes.

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!

Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem!

See, your King comes to you,

righteous and victorious,

humble and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim

and the horse from Jerusalem,

and the bow of war will be broken.

Then He will proclaim peace to the nations.

His dominion will extend from sea to sea,

and from the Euphrates

to the ends of the earth.

As for you,

because of the blood of My covenant,

I will release your prisoners

from the waterless pit.

Return to your stronghold,

O prisoners of hope;

even today I declare

that I will restore to you double.

For I will bend Judah as My bow

and fit it with Ephraim.

I will rouse your sons, O Zion,

against the sons of Greece.

I will make you like the sword

of a mighty man.

Then the LORD will appear over them,

and His arrow will go forth like lightning.

The Lord GOD will sound the ram’s horn

and advance in the whirlwinds of the south.

The LORD of Hosts will shield them.

They will destroy and conquer with slingstones;

they will drink and roar as with wine.

And they will be filled like sprinkling bowls,

drenched like the corners of the altar.

On that day the LORD their God will save them

as the flock of His people;

for like jewels in a crown

they will sparkle over His land.

How lovely they will be,

and how beautiful!

Grain will make the young men flourish,

and new wine, the young women.

Zechariah 10

Ask the LORD for rain in springtime;

the LORD makes the storm clouds,

and He will give everyone showers of rain

and crops in the field.

For idols speak deceit

and diviners see illusions;

they tell false dreams

and offer empty comfort.

Therefore the people wander like sheep,

oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

“My anger burns against the shepherds,

and I will punish the leaders.

For the LORD of Hosts attends to His flock,

the house of Judah;

He will make them

like His royal steed in battle.

The cornerstone will come from Judah,

the tent peg from him,

as well as the battle bow

and every ruler together.

They will be like mighty men in battle,

trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets.

They will fight because the LORD is with them,

and they will put the horsemen to shame.

I will strengthen the house of Judah

and save the house of Joseph.

I will restore them because I have compassion on them,

and they will be as though I had not rejected them.

For I am the LORD their God,

and I will answer them.

Ephraim will be like a mighty man,

and their hearts will be glad as with wine.

Their children will see it and be joyful;

their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.

I will whistle for them to gather,

for I have redeemed them;

and they will be as numerous

as they once were.

Though I sow them among the nations,

they will remember Me in distant lands;

they and their children

will live and return.

I will bring them back from Egypt

and gather them from Assyria.

I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon

until no more room is found for them.

They will pass through the sea of distress

and strike the waves of the sea;

all the depths of the Nile will dry up.

The pride of Assyria will be brought down,

and the scepter of Egypt will depart.

I will strengthen them in the LORD,

and in His name they will walk,”

declares the LORD.

Psalm 82

God presides in the divine assembly;

He renders judgment among the gods:

“How long will you judge unjustly

and show partiality to the wicked?

Selah

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;

uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.

Rescue the weak and needy;

save them from the hand of the wicked.

They do not know or understand;

they wander in the darkness;

all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

I have said, ‘You are gods;

you are all sons of the Most High.’

But like mortals you will die,

and like rulers you will fall.”

Arise, O God, judge the earth,

for all the nations are Your inheritance.

Zechariah received a series of visions about the restoration of Jerusalem and God’s covenant people. Today we track these first few visions and consider what they mean. We also meditate upon a psalm promising God’s redemptive power in our lives:

Zechariah 1

In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying:

“The LORD was very angry with your fathers.

So tell the people that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Return to Me, declares the LORD of Hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Hosts.’

Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Turn now from your evil ways and deeds.’

But they did not listen or pay attention to Me, declares the LORD.

Where are your fathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever?

But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake your fathers? They repented and said, ‘Just as the LORD of Hosts purposed to do to us according to our ways and deeds, so He has done to us.’ ”

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo.

I looked out into the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the hollow, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.

“What are these, my lord?” I asked.

And the angel who was speaking with me replied, “I will show you what they are.”

Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.”

And the riders answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is at rest and tranquil.”

Then the angel of the LORD said, “How long, O LORD of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been angry these seventy years?”

So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me.

Then the angel who was speaking with me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion,

but I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease. For I was a little angry, but they have added to the calamity.’

Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My house will be rebuilt, declares the LORD of Hosts, and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’

Proclaim further that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘My cities will again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.’ ”

Then I looked up and saw four horns. So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?”

And he told me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.

“What are these coming to do?” I asked.

And He replied, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise his head; but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations that have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

Zechariah 2

Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width and length.”

Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel came out to meet him

and said to him, “Run and tell that young man: ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock within it.

For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’ ”

“Get up! Get up! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD.

“Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”

For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent Me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye—

I will surely wave My hand over them, so that they will become plunder for their own servants. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me.”

“Shout for joy and be glad, O Daughter of Zion, for I am coming to dwell among you,” declares the LORD.

“On that day many nations will join themselves to the LORD, and they will become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you.

And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again choose Jerusalem.

Be silent before the LORD, all people, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.”

Zechariah 3

Then the angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

And the LORD said to Satan: “The LORD rebukes you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you! Is not this man a firebrand snatched from the fire?”

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy garments as he stood before the angel. So the angel said to those standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes!”

Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have removed your iniquity, and I will clothe you with splendid robes.”

Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So a clean turban was placed on his head, and they clothed him, as the angel of the LORD stood by.

Then the angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua:

“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘If you walk in My ways and keep My instructions, then you will govern My house and will also have charge of My courts; and I will give you a place among these who are standing here.

Hear now, O high priest Joshua, you and your companions seated before you, who are indeed a sign. For behold, I am going to bring My servant, the Branch.

See the stone I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave on it an inscription, declares the LORD of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.

On that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, you will each invite your neighbor to sit under your own vine and fig tree.’ ”

Zechariah 4

Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me, as a man is awakened from his sleep.

“What do you see?” he asked.

“I see a solid gold lampstand,” I replied, “with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven spouts to the lamps.

There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left.”

“What are these, my lord?” I asked the angel who was speaking with me.

“Do you not know what they are?” replied the angel.

“No, my lord,” I answered.

So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.

What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring forth the capstone accompanied by shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ ”

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent me to you.

For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven eyes of the LORD, which scan the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.”

Then I asked the angel, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?”

And I questioned him further, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes from which the golden oil pours?”

“Do you not know what these are?” he inquired.

“No, my lord,” I replied.

So he said, “These are the two anointed ones who are standing beside the Lord of all the earth.”

Zechariah 5

Again I lifted up my eyes and saw before me a flying scroll.

“What do you see?” asked the angel.

“I see a flying scroll,” I replied, “twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.”

Then he told me, “This is the curse that is going out over the face of all the land, for according to one side of the scroll, every thief will be removed; and according to the other side, every perjurer will be removed.

I will send it out, declares the LORD of Hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by My name. It will remain inside his house and destroy it, down to its timbers and stones.”

Then the angel who was speaking with me came forward and told me, “Now lift up your eyes and see what is approaching.”

“What is it?” I asked.

And he replied, “A measuring basket is going forth.” Then he continued, “This is their iniquity in all the land.”

And behold, the cover of lead was raised, and there was a woman sitting inside the basket.

“This is Wickedness,” he said. And he shoved her down into the basket, pushing down the lead cover over its opening.

Then I lifted up my eyes and saw two women approaching, with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.

“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking with me.

“To build a house for it in the land of Shinar,” he told me. “And when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its pedestal.”

Psalm 81

Sing for joy to God our strength;

make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.

Lift up a song, strike the tambourine,

play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.

Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,

and at the full moon on the day of our Feast.

For this is a statute for Israel,

an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

He ordained it as a testimony for Joseph

when he went out over the land of Egypt,

where I heard an unfamiliar language:

“I relieved his shoulder of the burden;

his hands were freed from the basket.

You called out in distress, and I rescued you;

I answered you from the cloud of thunder;

I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Selah

Hear, O My people, and I will warn you:

O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!

There must be no strange god among you,

nor shall you bow to a foreign god.

I am the LORD your God,

who brought you up out of Egypt.

Open wide your mouth,

and I will fill it.

But My people would not listen to Me,

and Israel would not obey Me.

So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts

to follow their own devices.

If only My people would listen to Me,

if Israel would follow My ways,

how soon I would subdue their enemies

and turn My hand against their foes!

Those who hate the LORD would feign obedience,

and their doom would last forever.

But I would feed you the finest wheat;

with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

“And when they had brought them, they stood them before the Sanhedrin. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly commanded you not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a tree. This One God exalted to His right hand as a Leader and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God gave to those who obey Him.” - Acts (15:27-32 LSB)

This week we return to the liturgical calendar and go over the 15th chapter of the book of Acts.

The church in Thessalonica struggled a lot around this concept of death and resurrection. They believed in the doctrines as they were taught, but they seemed to lack a lot of connecting tissue that would have given comfort. They also seemed to be somewhat confused about how a community of grace and mutual care is also expected to practice accountability and discipline. These are still things that confuse believers today, which is why God in his providence made sure to preserve Paul’s letters to the church in Thessalonica for us today. Adding to this blessing are two prayers for God to remember his love and care for his elect. These are good prayers for us to say!

2 Thessalonians 1

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are obligated to thank God for you all the time, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more and more, and your love for one another is increasing.

That is why we boast among God’s churches about your perseverance and faith in the face of all the persecution and affliction you are enduring.

All this is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels

in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might,

on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony.

To this end, we always pray for you, that our God will count you worthy of His calling, and that He will powerfully fulfill your every good desire and work of faith,

so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers,

not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come.

Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed.

He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Do you not remember that I told you these things while I was still with you? And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.

The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder,

and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.

For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.

But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth.

To this He called you through our gospel, so that you may share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, brothers, stand firm and cling to the traditions we taught you, whether by speech or by letter.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who by grace has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope,

encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good word and deed.

2 Thessalonians 3

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread quickly and be held in honor, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not everyone holds to the faith.

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.

May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.

For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among you,

nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

Not that we lack this right, but we wanted to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate.

For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”

Yet we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives and accomplishing nothing but being busybodies.

We command and urge such people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn their own living. But as for you, brothers, do not grow weary in well-doing.

Take note of anyone who does not obey the instructions we have given in this letter. Do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.

Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. This is my mark in every letter; it is the way I write.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

Psalm 79

The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance;

they have defiled Your holy temple

and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

They have given the corpses of Your servants

as food to the birds of the air,

the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.

They have poured out their blood like water

all around Jerusalem,

and there is no one to bury the dead.

We have become a reproach to our neighbors,

a scorn and derision to those around us.

How long, O LORD?

Will You be angry forever?

Will Your jealousy burn like fire?

Pour out Your wrath on the nations

that do not acknowledge You,

on the kingdoms

that refuse to call on Your name,

for they have devoured Jacob

and devastated his homeland.

Do not hold past sins against us;

let Your compassion come quickly,

for we are brought low.

Help us, O God of our salvation,

for the glory of Your name;

deliver us and atone for our sins,

for the sake of Your name.

Why should the nations ask,

“Where is their God?”

Before our eyes, make known among the nations

Your vengeance for the bloodshed of Your servants.

May the groans of the captives reach You;

by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.

Pay back into the laps of our neighbors

sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.

Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,

will thank You forever;

from generation to generation

we will declare Your praise.

Psalm 80

Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,

who leads Joseph like a flock;

You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,

shine forth

before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.

Rally Your mighty power

and come to save us.

Restore us, O God,

and cause Your face to shine upon us,

that we may be saved.

O LORD God of Hosts,

how long will Your anger smolder

against the prayers of Your people?

You fed them with the bread of tears

and made them drink the full measure of their tears.

You make us contend with our neighbors;

our enemies mock us.

Restore us, O God of Hosts,

and cause Your face to shine upon us,

that we may be saved.

You uprooted a vine from Egypt;

You drove out the nations and transplanted it.

You cleared the ground for it,

and it took root and filled the land.

The mountains were covered by its shade,

and the mighty cedars with its branches.

It sent out its branches to the Sea,

and its shoots toward the River.

Why have You broken down its walls,

so that all who pass by pick its fruit?

The boar from the forest ravages it,

and the creatures of the field feed upon it.

Return, O God of Hosts, we pray!

Look down from heaven and see!

Attend to this vine—

the root Your right hand has planted,

the son You have raised up for Yourself.

Your vine has been cut down and burned;

they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

Let Your hand be upon the man at Your right hand,

on the son of man You have raised up for Yourself.

Then we will not turn away from You;

revive us, and we will call on Your name.

Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts;

cause Your face to shine upon us,

that we may be saved.

Two New Testament books that aren’t angry. What a joy! If I were to have to preach on these texts, the message would be something like: "Notice the joy of submission.” Life isn’t about being as smart or rich as possible. It is about joyful submission to the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 1

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace to you.

We always thank God for all of you, remembering you in our prayers

and continually recalling before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Brothers who are beloved by God, we know that He has chosen you,

because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with great conviction—just as you know we lived among you for your sake.

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord when you welcomed the message with the joy of the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering.

As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

For not only did the message of the Lord ring out from you to Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone out to every place, so that we have no need to say anything more.

For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.

1 Thessalonians 2

You yourselves know, brothers, that our visit to you was not in vain.

As you are aware, we had already endured suffering and shameful treatment in Philippi. But in the face of strong opposition, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God.

For our appeal does not arise from deceit or ulterior motives or trickery.

Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts.

As you know, we never used words of flattery or any pretext for greed. God is our witness!

Nor did we seek praise from you or from anyone else, although as apostles of Christ we had authority to demand it.

On the contrary, we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her children.

We cared so deeply that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our own lives as well. That is how beloved you have become to us.

Surely you recall, brothers, our labor and toil. We worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to anyone while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was among you who believed.

For you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children—

encouraging you, comforting you, and urging you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

And we continually thank God because, when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as the true word of God—the word which is now at work in you who believe.

For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus. You suffered from your own countrymen the very things they suffered from the Jews,

who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men,

hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.

Brothers, although we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in heart), our desire to see you face to face was even more intense.

For we wanted to come to you—indeed I, Paul, tried again and again—but Satan obstructed us.

After all, who is our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting, if it is not you yourselves in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? You are indeed our glory and our joy.

1 Thessalonians 3

So when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left on our own in Athens. We sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,

so that none of you would be shaken by these trials. For you know that we are destined for this. Indeed, when we were with you, we kept warning you that we would suffer persecution; and as you know, it has come to pass.

For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter had somehow tempted you and caused our labor to be in vain.

But just now, Timothy has returned from his visit with the good news about your faith, your love, and the fond memories you have preserved, longing to see us just as we long to see you.

For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and persecution, we have been reassured about you, because of your faith.

For now we can go on living, as long as you are standing firm in the Lord.

How can we adequately thank God for you in return for our great joy over you in His presence?

Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking from your faith.

Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you.

And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as our love for you overflows,

so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 4

Finally, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live in a way that is pleasing to God, just as you have received from us. This is how you already live, so you should do so all the more.

For you know the instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,

not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God;

and no one should ever violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and solemnly warned you.

For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness. Anyone, then, who rejects this command does not reject man but God, the very One who gives you His Holy Spirit.

Now about brotherly love, you do not need anyone to write to you, because you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.

And you are indeed showing this love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to excel more and more

and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.

Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.

Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise.

After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5

Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you. For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief.

For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober.

For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.

For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.

But we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who preside over you in the Lord and give you instruction.

In love, hold them in highest regard because of their work. Live in peace with one another.

And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.

Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not extinguish the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test all things. Hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.

Brothers, pray for us as well.

Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Philemon

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker,

to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets at your house:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I always thank my God, remembering you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.

I pray that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every good thing that is ours in Christ.

I take great joy and encouragement in your love, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

So although in Christ I am bold enough to order you to do what is proper, I prefer to appeal on the basis of love. For I, Paul, am now aged, and a prisoner of Christ Jesus as well.

I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whose father I became while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

I am sending back to you him who is my very heart.

I would have liked to keep him with me, so that on your behalf he could minister to me in my chains for the gospel.

But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness will not be out of compulsion, but by your own free will.

For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for good—

no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord.

So if you consider me a partner, receive him as you would receive me. But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to my account.

I, Paul, write this with my own hand. I will repay it—not to mention that you owe me your very self.

Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

In the meantime, prepare a guest room for me, because I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.

Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Today we look ahead and then we look backwards. Daniel warns of future wars and tribulations for which God’s elect must be prepared. David reminds us in 78 of all that the Lord has done for his people. It is only by looking backwards and forwards that we can figure out the truth of the present. We aren’t supposed to go through life simply responding to things. We are expected to, in a proactive and principled way, navigate life with wisdom. One can only do that when one properly knows oneself in relation to the world. This is exactly what reading the Bible does for us, when done in the illumination of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord grant you such illumination!

Daniel 11

“And I, in the first year of Darius the Mede, stood up to strengthen and protect him.

Now then, I will tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. By the power of his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.

Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great authority and do as he pleases.

But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the authority with which he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and given to others.

The king of the South will grow strong, but one of his commanders will grow even stronger and will rule his own kingdom with great authority.

After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. But his daughter will not retain her position of power, nor will his strength endure. At that time she will be given up, along with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her.

But one from her family line will rise up in his place, come against the army of the king of the North, and enter his fortress, fighting and prevailing.

He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North,

who will invade the realm of the king of the South and then return to his own land.

But his sons will stir up strife and assemble a great army, which will advance forcefully, sweeping through like a flood, and will again carry the battle as far as his fortress.

In a rage, the king of the South will march out to fight the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be delivered into the hand of his enemy.

When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be proud in heart and will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not triumph.

For the king of the North will raise another army, larger than the first, and after some years he will advance with a great army and many supplies.

In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they will fail.

Then the king of the North will come, build up a siege ramp, and capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their best troops will not be able to resist.

The invader will do as he pleases, and no one will stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand.

He will resolve to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and will reach an agreement with the king of the South. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plan will not succeed or help him.

Then he will turn his face to the coastlands and capture many of them. But a commander will put an end to his reproach and will turn it back upon him.

After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and be no more.

In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be destroyed, though not in anger or in battle.

In his place a despicable person will arise; royal honors will not be given to him, but he will come in a time of peace and seize the kingdom by intrigue.

Then a flood of forces will be swept away before him and destroyed, along with a prince of the covenant.

After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully; for he will rise to power with only a few people.

In a time of peace, he will invade the richest provinces and do what his fathers and forefathers never did. He will lavish plunder, loot, and wealth on his followers, and he will plot against the strongholds—but only for a time.

And with a large army he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South, who will mobilize a very large and powerful army but will not withstand the plots devised against him.

Those who eat from his provisions will seek to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall slain.

And the two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time.

The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant; so he will do damage and return to his own land.

At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time will not be like the first.

Ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and rage against the holy covenant and do damage. So he will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.

His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.

With flattery he will corrupt those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.

Those with insight will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by sword or flame, or be captured or plundered.

Now when they fall, they will be granted a little help, but many will join them insincerely.

Some of the wise will fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

Then the king will do as he pleases and will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will speak monstrous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must be accomplished.

He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers, nor for the one desired by women, nor for any other god, because he will magnify himself above them all.

And in their place, he will honor a god of fortresses—a god his fathers did not know—with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches.

He will attack the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and distributing the land for a price.

At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships, invading many countries and sweeping through them like a flood.

He will also invade the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall. But these will be delivered from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the leaders of the Ammonites.

He will extend his power over many countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape.

He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt, and the Libyans and Cushites will also submit to him.

But news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will go out with great fury to destroy many and devote them to destruction.

He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him.

Daniel 12

“At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress, the likes of which will not have occurred from the beginning of nations until that time. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.

And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.

But you, Daniel, shut up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.”

Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank.

One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long until the fulfillment of these wonders?”

And the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, and times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people has finally been shattered, all these things will be completed.”

I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?”

“Go on your way, Daniel,” he replied, “for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.

Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.

And from the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who waits and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

But as for you, go on your way until the end. You will rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”

Psalm 76

God is known in Judah;

His name is great in Israel.

His tent is in Salem,

His dwelling place in Zion.

There He shattered the flaming arrows,

the shield and sword and weapons of war.

Selah

You are resplendent with light,

more majestic than mountains filled with game.

The valiant lie plundered; they sleep their last sleep.

No men of might could lift a hand.

At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

both horse and rider lie stunned.

You alone are to be feared.

When You are angry, who can stand before You?

From heaven You pronounced judgment,

and the earth feared and was still

when God rose up to judge,

to save all the lowly of the earth.

Selah

Even the wrath of man shall praise You;

with the survivors of wrath You will clothe Yourself.

Make and fulfill your vows to the LORD your God;

let all the neighboring lands bring tribute

to Him who is to be feared.

He breaks the spirits of princes;

He is feared by the kings of the earth.

Psalm 77

I cried out to God;

I cried aloud to God to hear me.

In the day of trouble I sought the Lord;

through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary;

my soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered You, O God, and I groaned;

I mused and my spirit grew faint.

Selah

You have kept my eyes from closing;

I am too troubled to speak.

I considered the days of old,

the years long in the past.

At night I remembered my song;

in my heart I mused, and my spirit pondered:

“Will the Lord spurn us forever

and never show His favor again?

Is His loving devotion gone forever?

Has His promise failed for all time?

Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has His anger shut off His compassion?”

Selah

So I said, “I am grieved

that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

I will remember the works of the LORD;

yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.

I will reflect on all You have done

and ponder Your mighty deeds.

Your way, O God, is holy.

What god is so great as our God?

You are the God who works wonders;

You display Your strength among the peoples.

With power You redeemed Your people,

the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah

The waters saw You, O God;

the waters saw You and swirled;

even the depths were shaken.

The clouds poured down water;

the skies resounded with thunder;

Your arrows flashed back and forth.

Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind;

the lightning lit up the world;

the earth trembled and quaked.

Your path led through the sea,

Your way through the mighty waters,

but Your footprints were not to be found.

You led Your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 78

Give ear, O my people, to my instruction;

listen to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in parables;

I will utter things hidden from the beginning,

that we have heard and known

and our fathers have relayed to us.

We will not hide them from their children,

but will declare to the next generation

the praises of the LORD and His might,

and the wonders He has performed.

For He established a testimony in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel,

which He commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

that the coming generation would know them—

even children yet to be born—

to arise and tell their own children

that they should put their confidence in God,

not forgetting His works,

but keeping His commandments.

Then they will not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

whose heart was not loyal,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The archers of Ephraim

turned back on the day of battle.

They failed to keep God’s covenant

and refused to live by His law.

They forgot what He had done,

the wonders He had shown them.

He worked wonders before their fathers

in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

He split the sea and brought them through;

He set the waters upright like a wall.

He led them with a cloud by day

and with a light of fire all night.

He split the rocks in the wilderness

and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.

He brought streams from the stone

and made water flow down like rivers.

But they continued to sin against Him,

rebelling in the desert against the Most High.

They willfully tested God

by demanding the food they craved.

They spoke against God, saying,

“Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?

When He struck the rock, water gushed out

and torrents raged.

But can He also give bread

or supply His people with meat?”

Therefore the LORD heard

and was filled with wrath;

so a fire was kindled against Jacob,

and His anger flared against Israel,

because they did not believe God

or rely on His salvation.

Yet He commanded the clouds above

and opened the doors of the heavens.

He rained down manna for them to eat;

He gave them grain from heaven.

Man ate the bread of angels;

He sent them food in abundance.

He stirred the east wind from the heavens

and drove the south wind by His might.

He rained meat on them like dust,

and winged birds like the sand of the sea.

He felled them in the midst of their camp,

all around their dwellings.

So they ate and were well filled,

for He gave them what they craved.

Yet before they had filled their desire,

with the food still in their mouths,

God’s anger flared against them,

and He put to death their strongest

and subdued the young men of Israel.

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;

despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.

So He ended their days in futility,

and their years in sudden terror.

When He slew them, they would seek Him;

they repented and searched for God.

And they remembered that God was their Rock,

that God Most High was their Redeemer.

But they deceived Him with their mouths,

and lied to Him with their tongues.

Their hearts were disloyal to Him,

and they were unfaithful to His covenant.

And yet He was compassionate;

He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them.

He often restrained His anger

and did not unleash His full wrath.

He remembered that they were but flesh,

a passing breeze that does not return.

How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness

and grieved Him in the desert!

Again and again they tested God

and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

They did not remember His power —

the day He redeemed them from the adversary,

when He performed His signs in Egypt

and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.

He turned their rivers to blood,

and from their streams they could not drink.

He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,

and frogs that devastated them.

He gave their crops to the grasshopper,

the fruit of their labor to the locust.

He killed their vines with hailstones

and their sycamore-figs with sleet.

He abandoned their cattle to the hail

and their livestock to bolts of lightning.

He unleashed His fury against them,

wrath, indignation, and calamity—

a band of destroying angels.

He cleared a path for His anger;

He did not spare them from death

but delivered their lives to the plague.

He struck all the firstborn of Egypt,

the virility in the tents of Ham.

He led out His people like sheep

and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

He led them safely, so they did not fear,

but the sea engulfed their enemies.

He brought them to His holy land,

to the mountain His right hand had acquired.

He drove out nations before them

and apportioned their inheritance;

He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

But they tested and disobeyed God Most High,

for they did not keep His decrees.

They turned back and were faithless like their fathers,

twisted like a faulty bow.

They enraged Him with their high places

and provoked His jealousy with their idols.

On hearing it, God was furious

and rejected Israel completely.

He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,

the tent He had pitched among men.

He delivered His strength to captivity,

and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.

He surrendered His people to the sword

because He was enraged by His heritage.

Fire consumed His young men,

and their maidens were left without wedding songs.

His priests fell by the sword,

but their widows could not lament.

Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,

like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.

He beat back His foes;

He put them to everlasting shame.

He rejected the tent of Joseph

and refused the tribe of Ephraim.

But He chose the tribe of Judah,

Mount Zion, which He loved.

He built His sanctuary like the heights,

like the earth He has established forever.

He chose David His servant

and took him from the sheepfolds;

from tending the ewes He brought him

to be shepherd of His people Jacob,

of Israel His inheritance.

So David shepherded them with integrity of heart

and guided them with skillful hands.