# verses

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I think it is best for younger women whose husbands have died to get married. They should have children and care for their own homes. Then no one can speak against them.


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If you have any women whose husbands have died in your family, you must care for them. The church should not have to help them. The church can help women whose husbands have died who are all alone in this world and have no one else to help them.


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Leaders who do their work well should be given twice as much honor, and for sure, those who work hard preaching and teaching.


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The Holy Writings say, "When a cow is walking on the grain to break it open, do not stop it from eating some" <n>(Deuteronomy 25:4)</n>, and "A person who works should be paid." <n>Matthew 10:10</n>


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Do not listen to what someone says against a church leader unless two or three persons say the same thing.


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Show those who keep on sinning where they are wrong in front of the whole church. Then others will be afraid of sinning.


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I tell you from my heart that you must follow these rules without deciding before the truth is known. God and Jesus Christ and the chosen angels know what I am saying. Show favors to no one.


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Do not be in a hurry about choosing a church leader. You do not want to have any part in other men's sins. Keep yourself pure.


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Do not drink water only. Use a little wine because of your stomach and because you are sick so often.


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The sins of some men can be seen. Their sins go before them and make them guilty. The sins of other men will be seen later.


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In the same way, good works are easy to see now. But some that are not easy to be seen cannot always be hid.


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All you Christians who are servants must respect your owners and work hard for them. Do not let the name of God and our teaching be spoken against because of poor work.


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Those who have Christian owners must respect their owners because they are Christian brothers. They should work hard for them because much-loved Christian brothers are being helped by their work. Teach and preach these things.


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Someone may teach something else. He may not agree with the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. He may not teach you to live God-like lives.


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Such a person is full of pride and knows nothing. He wastes time on questions and argues about things that are not important. This makes those he teaches jealous and they want to fight. They talk bad and have bad ideas about others.


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Men who are not able to use their minds in the right way because of sin argue all the time. They do not have the truth. They think religion is a way to get much for themselves.


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But men who want lots of money are tempted. They are trapped into doing all kinds of foolish things and things which hurt them. These things drag them into sin and will destroy them.


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The love of money is the beginning of all kinds of sin. Some people have turned from the faith because of their love for money. They have made much pain for themselves because of this.


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But you, man of God, turn away from all these sinful things. Work at being right with God. Live a God-like life. Have faith and love. Be willing to wait. Have a kind heart.


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Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the life that lasts forever. You were chosen to receive it. You have spoken well about this life in front of many people.


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I tell you this before God Who gives life to all people and before Jesus Christ Who spoke well in front of Pontius Pilate.


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You must do all our Lord Jesus Christ said so no one can speak against you. Do this until He comes again.


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At the right time, we will be shown that God is the One Who has all power. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.


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He can never die. He lives in a light so bright that no man can go near Him. No man has ever seen God or can see Him. Honor and power belong to Him forever. Let it be so.


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Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money. Money cannot be trusted. They should put their trust in God. He gives us all we need for our happiness.


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Tell them to do good and be rich in good works. They should give much to those in need and be ready to share.


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Then they will be gathering together riches for themselves. These good things are what they will build on for the future. Then they will have the only true life!


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Timothy, keep safe what God has trusted you with. Turn away from foolish talk. Do not argue with those who think they know so much. They know less than they think they do.


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Some people have gone after much learning. It has proved to be false and they have turned away from the faith. May you have God's loving-favor.


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This letter is from Paul, a missionary of Jesus Christ. God has sent me to tell that He has promised life that lasts forever through Christ Jesus.


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I am writing to you, Timothy. You are my much-loved son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you His loving-favor and loving-kindness and peace.


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I thank God for you. I pray for you night and day. I am working for God the way my early fathers worked. My heart says I am free from sin.


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I remember your true faith. It is the same faith your grandmother Lois had and your mother Eunice had. I am sure you have that same faith also.


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For this reason, I ask you to keep using the gift God gave you. It came to you when I laid my hands on you and prayed that God would use you.


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For God did not give us a spirit of fear. He gave us a spirit of power and of love and of a good mind.


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Do not be ashamed to tell others about what our Lord said, or of me here in prison. I am here because of Jesus Christ. Be ready to suffer for preaching the Good News and God will give you the strength you need.


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He is the One Who saved us from the punishment of sin. He is the One Who chose us to do His work. It is not because of anything we have done. But it was His plan from the beginning that He would give us His loving-favor through Christ Jesus.


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We know about it now because of the coming of Jesus Christ, the One Who saves. He put a stop to the power of death and brought life that never dies which is seen through the Good News.


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For this reason, I am suffering. But I am not ashamed. I know the One in Whom I have put my trust. I am sure He is able to keep safe that which I have trusted to Him until the day He comes again.


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I am sure you have heard that all the Christians in the countries of Asia have turned away from me. Phygelus and Hermogenes turned away also.


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Onesiphorus was not ashamed of me in prison. He came often to comfort me. May the Lord show lovingkindness to his family.


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You know what a help he was to me in Ephesus. When the Lord comes again, may He show loving-kindness to Onesiphorus.


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What you have heard me say in front of many people, you must teach to faithful men. Then they will be able to teach others also.


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No soldier fighting in a war can take time to make a living. He must please the one who made him a soldier.


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Remember this! Jesus Christ, Who was born from the early family of David, was raised from the dead! This is the Good News I preach.


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I suffer much and am in prison as one who has done something very bad. I am in chains, but the Word of God is not chained.


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I suffer all things so the people that God has chosen can be saved from the punishment of their sin through Jesus Christ. Then they will have God's shining-greatness that lasts forever.


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If we suffer and stay true to Him, then we will be a leader with Him. If we say we do not know Him, He will say He does not know us.


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Tell your people about these things again. In the name of the Lord, tell them not to argue over words that are not important. It helps no one and it hurts the faith of those who are listening.


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Do your best to know that God is pleased with you. Be as a workman who has nothing to be ashamed of. Teach the words of truth in the right way.


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Do not listen to foolish talk about things that mean nothing. It only leads people farther away from God.


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They have turned from the truth. They say the dead have already been raised. The faith of some people has been made weak because of such foolish talk.


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But the truth of God cannot be changed. It says, "The Lord knows those who are His." And, "Everyone who says he is a Christian must turn away from sin!"


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In a big house there are not only things made of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some are of more use than others. Some are used every day.


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If a man lives a clean life, he will be like a dish made of gold. He will be respected and set apart for good use by the owner of the house.


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Turn away from the sinful things young people want to do. Go after what is right. Have a desire for faith and love and peace. Do this with those who pray to God from a clean heart.


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Let me say it again. Have nothing to do with foolish talk and those who want to argue. It can only lead to trouble.


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A servant owned by God must not make trouble. He must be kind to everyone. He must be able to teach. He must be willing to suffer when hurt for doing good.


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Be gentle when you try to teach those who are against what you say. God may change their hearts so they will turn to the truth.


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Then they will know they had been held in a trap by the devil to do what he wanted them to do. But now they are able to get out of it.


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People will love themselves and money. They will have pride and tell of all the things they have done. They will speak against God. Children and young people will not obey their parents. People will not be thankful and they will not be holy.


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They will not love each other. No one can get along with them. They will tell lies about others. They will not be able to keep from doing things they know they should not do. They will be wild and want to beat and hurt those who are good.


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They will not stay true to their friends. They will act without thinking. They will think too much of themselves. They will love fun instead of loving God.


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They will do things to make it look as if they are Christians. But they will not receive the power that is for a Christian. Keep away from such people.


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These are the kind of people who go from house to house. They talk to foolish women who are loaded down with sins and all kinds of sinful desires.


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Jannes and Jambres fought against Moses. So do these teachers fight against the truth today. Their minds think only of sinful things. They have turned against the Christian teaching.


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They will not get very far. Their foolish teaching will be seen by everyone. That was the way it was with the two who worked against Moses.


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But you know what I teach and how I live. You know what I want to do. You know about my faith and my love. You know how long I am willing to wait for something. You know how I keep on working for God even when it is hard for me.


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You know about all the troubles and hard times I have had. You have seen how I suffered in the cities of Antioch and Iconium and Lystra. Yet the Lord brought me out of all those troubles.


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Sinful men and false teachers will go from bad to worse. They will lead others the wrong way and will be led the wrong way themselves.


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But as for you, hold on to what you have learned and know to be true. Remember where you learned them.


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You have known the Holy Writings since you were a child. They are able to give you wisdom that leads to being saved from the punishment of sin by putting your trust in Christ Jesus.


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All the Holy Writings are God-given and are made alive by Him. Man is helped when he is taught God's Word. It shows what is wrong. It changes the way of a man's life. It shows him how to be right with God.


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These words are from my heart to you. I say this before God and Jesus Christ. Some day He will judge those who are living and those who are dead. It will be when Christ comes to bring His holy nation.


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Preach the Word of God. Preach it when it is easy and people want to listen and when it is hard and people do not want to listen. Preach it all the time. Use the Word of God to show people they are wrong. Use the Word of God to help them do right. You must be willing to wait for people to understand what you teach as you teach them.


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The time will come when people will not listen to the truth. They will look for teachers who will tell them only what they want to hear.


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You must watch for all these things. Do not be afraid to suffer for our Lord. Preach the Good News from place to place. Do all the work you are to do.


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There is a crown which comes from being right with God. The Lord, the One Who will judge, will give it to me on that great day when He comes again. I will not be the only one to receive a crown. All those who love to think of His coming and are looking for Him will receive one also.


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Demas left me. He loved the things of this world and has gone to the city of Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to the city of Galatia. Titus has gone to the city of Dalmatia.


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When you come, bring the coat I left with Carpus in the city of Troas. Bring the books and for sure do not forget the writings written on sheepskin.


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Alexander, the man who makes things out of copper, has worked hard against me. The Lord will give him the reward that is coming to him.


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But the Lord was with me. He gave me power to preach the Good News so all the people who do not know God might hear. I was taken from the mouth of the lion.


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The Lord will look after me and will keep me from every sinful plan they have. He will bring me safe into His holy nation of heaven. May He have all the shining-greatness forever. Let it be so.


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Try to come before winter. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the Christian brothers greet you.


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This letter is from Paul, a servant owned by God, and a missionary of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to those God has chosen for Himself. I am to teach them the truth that leads to God-like living.


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This truth also gives hope of life that lasts forever. God promised this before the world began. He cannot lie.


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He made this known at the right time through His Word. God, the One Who saves, told me I should preach it.


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I am writing to you, Titus. You are my true son in the faith which we both have. May you have loving-favor and peace from God the Father and Jesus Christ, the One Who saves.


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I left you on the island of Crete so you could do some things that needed to be done. I asked you to choose church leaders in every city.


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Their lives must be so that no one can talk against them. They must have only one wife. Their children must be Christians and known to be good. They must obey their parents. They must not be wild.


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A church leader is God's servant. His life must be so that no one can say anything against him. He should not try to please himself and not be quick to get angry over little things. He must not get drunk or want to fight. He must not always want more money for himself.


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He must like to take people into his home. He must love what is good. He must be able to think well and do all things in the right way. He must live a holy life and be the boss over his own desires.


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He must hold to the words of truth which he was taught. He must be able to teach the truth and show those who are against the truth that they are wrong.


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There are many men who will not listen or will not obey the truth. Their teaching is foolish and they lead people to believe a lie. Some Jews believe their lies.


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This must be stopped. It turns whole families from the truth. They teach these things to make money.


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One of their own teachers said, "People of the island of Crete always lie. They are like wild animals. They are lazy. All they want to do is eat."


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This is true of them. Speak sharp words to them because it is true. Lead them in the right way so they will have strong faith.


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Do not let them listen to Jewish stories made up by men. Do not let them listen to man-made rules which lead them away from the truth.


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All things are pure to the man with a pure heart. But to sinful people nothing is pure. Both their minds and their hearts are bad.


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They say they know God, but by the way they act, they show that they do not. They are sinful people. They will not obey and are of no use for any good work.


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Older men are to be quiet and to be careful how they act. They are to be the boss over their own desires. Their faith and love are to stay strong and they are not to give up.


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Teach older women to be quiet and to be careful how they act also. They are not to go around speaking bad things about others or things that are not true. They are not to be chained by strong drink. They should teach what is good.


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They are to teach them to think before they act, to be pure, to be workers at home, to be kind, and to obey their own husbands. In this way, the Word of God is honored.


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You should be wise in what you say. Then the one who is against you will be ashamed and will not be able to say anything bad about you.


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Those who are servants owned by someone must obey their owners and please them in everything. They must not argue.


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They must not steal from their owners but prove they can be trusted in every way. In this way, their lives will honor the teaching of God Who saves us.


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We are taught to have nothing to do with that which is against God. We are to have nothing to do with the desires of this world. We are to be wise and to be right with God. We are to live God-like lives in this world.


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We are to be looking for the great hope and the coming of our great God and the One Who saves, Christ Jesus.


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He gave Himself for us. He did this by buying us with His blood and making us free from all sin. He gave Himself so His people could be clean and want to do good.


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Teach all these things and give words of help. Show them if they are wrong. You have the right and the power to do this. Do not let anyone think little of you.


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They must not speak bad of anyone, and they must not argue. They should be gentle and kind to all people.


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There was a time when we were foolish and did not obey. We were fooled in many ways. Strong desires held us in their power. We wanted only to please ourselves. We wanted what others had and were angry when we could not have them. We hated others and they hated us.


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by saving us from the punishment of sin. It was not because we worked to be right with God. It was because of His loving-kindness that He washed our sins away. At the same time He gave us new life when the Holy Spirit came into our lives.


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Because of this, we are made right with God by His loving-favor. Now we can have life that lasts forever as He has promised.


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What I have told you is true. Teach these things all the time so those who have put their trust in God will be careful to do good things. These things are good and will help all men.


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Do not argue with people about foolish questions and about the Law. Do not spend time talking about all of your early fathers. This does not help anyone and it is of no use.


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Talk once or twice to a person who tries to divide people into groups against each other. If he does not stop, have nothing to do with him.


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I will send Artemas or Tychicus to you. As soon as one of them gets there, try to come to me in the city of Nicopolis. I have decided to spend the winter there.


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Zenas, the man who knows the law, and Apollos are going on a trip. Do everything you can to help them.


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Our people must learn to work hard. They must work for what they need and be able to give to others who need help. Then their lives will not be wasted.


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All those with me here greet you. Greet my Christian friends there. May you have God's loving-favor.


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This letter is from Paul. I am in prison because of Jesus Christ. Brother Timothy is also writing to you, Philemon. You are a much-loved workman together with us.


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We are also writing to the church that meets in your home. This letter is also for our Christian sister Apphia and it is for Archippus who is a soldier together with us.


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I pray that our faith together will help you know all the good things you have through Christ Jesus.


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Your love has given me much joy and comfort. The hearts of the Christians have been made happy by you, Christian brother.


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But because I love you, I will only ask you. I am Paul, an old man, here in prison because of Jesus Christ.


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I am asking you for my son, Onesimus. He has become my son in the Christian life while I have been here in prison.


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I would like to keep him with me. He could have helped me in your place while I am in prison for preaching the Good News.


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But I did not want to keep him without word from you. I did not want you to be kind to me because you had to but because you wanted to.


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Do not think of him any longer as a servant you own. He is more than that to you. He is a much-loved Christian brother to you and to me.


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I will pay it. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will not talk about how much you owe me because you owe me your life.


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Yes, Christian brother, I want you to be of use to me as a Christian. Give my heart new joy in Christ.


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Long ago God spoke to our early fathers in many different ways. He spoke through the early preachers.


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But in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son. God gave His Son everything. It was by His Son that God made the world.


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The Son shines with the shining-greatness of the Father. The Son is as God is in every way. It is the Son Who holds up the whole world by the power of His Word. The Son gave His own life so we could be clean from all sin. After He had done that, He sat down on the right side of God in heaven.


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The Son of God was made greater and better than the angels. God gave Him a greater name than theirs.


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God did not say to any of His angels, "You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father." <n>(Psalm 2:7)</n> And He did not say to any angel, "I will be a Father to Him. He will be a Son to Me." <n>(2 Samuel 7:14)</n>


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But when God brought His first-born Son, Jesus, into the world, He said, "Let all the angels of God worship Him."


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He said this about the angels, "He makes His angels to be winds. He makes His servants a burning fire." <n>Psalm 104:4</n>


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But about His Son, He says, "O God, Your throne will last forever. Whatever You say in Your nation is right and good.


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You have loved what is right. You have hated what is wrong. That is why God, Your God, has chosen You. He has poured over You the oil of joy more than over anyone else." <n>(Psalm 45:6-7)</n>


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They will be destroyed but You will always be here. They will all become old just as clothes become old.


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You will roll up the heavens like a coat. They will be changed. But You are always the same. You will never grow old." <n>(Psalm 102:25-27)</n>


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God never said to any angel, "Sit at My right side, until I make those who hate You a place to rest Your feet." <n>Psalm 110:1</n>


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Are not all the angels spirits who work for God? They are sent out to help those who are to be saved from the punishment of sin.


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That is why we must listen all the more to the truths we have been told. If we do not, we may slip away from them.


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These truths given by the angels proved to be true. People were punished when they did not obey them.


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God was so good to make a way for us to be saved from the punishment of sin. What makes us think we will not go to hell if we do not take the way to heaven that He has made for us? The Lord was the first to tell us of this. Then those who heard Him told it later.


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God proved what they said was true by showing us special things to see and by doing powerful works. He gave the gifts of the Holy Spirit as He wanted to.


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Instead, the Holy Writings say, "What is man that You think of him and the son of man that You should remember him?" <n>Psalm 8:4</n>


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"You made him so he took a place that was not as important as the angels for a little while. You gave him the crown of honor and shining-greatness. *You made him the head over everything You have made.


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You have put everything under his feet." <n>(Psalm 8:4-6)</n> There is nothing that does not obey him, but we do not see all things obey him yet.


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But we do see Jesus. For a little while He took a place that was not as important as the angels. But God had loving-favor for everyone. He had Jesus suffer death on a cross for all of us. Then, because of Christ's death on a cross, God gave Him the crown of honor and shining-greatness.


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God made all things. He made all things for Himself. It was right for God to make Jesus a perfect Leader by having Him suffer for men's sins. In this way, He is bringing many men to share His shining-greatness.


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Jesus makes men holy. He takes away their sins. Both Jesus and the ones being made holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them His brothers.


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Jesus is saying to His Father, "I will tell My brothers Your name. I will sing songs of thanks for You among the people." <n>Psalm 22:22</n>


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And again He says, "I will put My trust in God." At another time He said, "Here I am with the children God gave Me." <n>(Isaiah 8:17-18)</n>


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It is true that we share the same Father with Jesus. And it is true that we share the same kind of flesh and blood because Jesus became a man like us. He died as we must die. Through His death He destroyed the power of the devil who has the power of death.


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Jesus did this to make us free from the fear of death. We no longer need to be chained to this fear.


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So Jesus had to become like His brothers in every way. He had to be one of us to be our Religious Leader to go between God and us. He had loving-pity on us and He was faithful. He gave Himself as a gift to die on a cross for our sins so that God would not hold these sins against us any longer.


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Because Jesus was tempted as we are and suffered as we do, He understands us and He is able to help us when we are tempted.


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Christian brothers, you have been chosen and set apart by God. So let us think about Jesus. He is the One God sent and He is the Religious Leader of our Christian faith.


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The man who builds a house gets more honor than the house. That is why Jesus gets more honor than Moses.


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Moses was a faithful servant owned by God in God's house. He spoke of the things that would be told about later on.


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But Christ was faithful as a Son Who is Head of God's house. We are of God's house if we keep our trust in the Lord until the end. This is our hope.


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do not let your hearts become hard as your early fathers did when they turned against Me. It was at that time in the desert when they put Me to the test.


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For this reason, I was angry with the people of this day. And I said to them, 'They always think wrong thoughts. They have never understood what I have tried to do for them.'


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I was angry with them and said to Myself, 'They will never go into My rest.' " <n>(Psalm 95:7-11)</n>


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Christian brothers, be careful that not one of you has a heart so bad that it will not believe and will turn away from the living God.


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Help each other. Speak day after day to each other while it is still today so your heart will not become hard by being fooled by sin.


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The Holy Writings say, "If you hear His voice today, do not let your hearts become hard as your early fathers did when they turned against Me." <n>(Psalm 95:7-8)</n>


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Who heard God's voice and turned against Him? Did not all those who were led out of the country of Egypt by Moses?


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Who made God angry for forty years? Was it not those people who had sinned in the desert? Was it not those who died and were buried there?


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So we can see that they were not able to go into His rest because they did not put their trust in Him.


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The same promise of going into God's rest is still for us. But we should be afraid that some of us may not be able to go in.


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We have heard the Good News even as they did, but it did them no good because it was not mixed with faith.


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We who have put our trust in God go into His rest. God said this of our early fathers, "I was angry and said, 'They will not go into My rest.' "<n>(Psalm 95:11)</n> And yet God's work was finished after He made the world.


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In the Holy Writings He said this about the seventh day when He made the whole world, "God rested on the seventh day from all He had made." <n>Genesis 2:2</n>


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But God said this about those who turned against Him, "They will not go into My rest." <n>Psalm 95:11</n>


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Those who heard the Good News first did not go into His rest. It was because they had not obeyed Him. But the promise is still good and some are going into His rest.


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God has again set a certain day for people to go into His rest. He says through David many years later as He had said before, "If you hear His voice today, do not let your hearts become hard." <n>(Psalm 95:7-8)</n>


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God's Word is living and powerful. It is sharper than a sword that cuts both ways. It cuts straight into where the soul and spirit meet and it divides them. It cuts into the joints and bones. It tells what the heart is thinking about and what it wants to do.


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No one can hide from God. His eyes see everything we do. We must give an answer to God for what we have done.


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We have a great Religious Leader Who has made the way for man to go to God. He is Jesus, the Son of God, Who has gone to heaven to be with God. Let us keep our trust in Jesus Christ.


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Our Religious Leader understands how weak we are. Christ was tempted in every way we are tempted, but He did not sin.


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Let us go with complete trust to the throne of God. We will receive His loving-kindness and have His loving-favor to help us whenever we need it.


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Every Jewish religious leader is chosen from among men. He is a helper standing between God and men. He gives gifts on the altar in worship to God from the people. He gives blood from animals for the sins of the people.


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A Jewish religious leader is weak in many ways because he is just a man himself. He knows how to be gentle with those who know little. He knows how to help those who are doing wrong.


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Because he is weak himself, he must give gifts to God for his own sins as well as for the sins of the people.


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A Jewish religious leader does not choose this honor for himself. God chooses a man for this work. Aaron was chosen this way.


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It is the same way with Christ. He did not choose the honor of being a Religious Leader Who has made the way for man to go to God. Instead, God said to Christ, "You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father." <n>Psalm 2:7</n>


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God says in another part of His Word, "You will be a Religious Leader forever. You will be like Melchizedek." <n>Psalm 110:4</n>


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During the time Jesus lived on earth, He prayed and asked God with loud cries and tears. Jesus' prayer was to God Who was able to save Him from death. God heard Christ because Christ honored God.


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And having been made perfect, He planned and made it possible for all those who obey Him to be saved from the punishment of sin.


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In God's plan He was to be a Religious Leader Who made the way for man to go to God. He was like Melchizedek.


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There is much we could say about this, but it is hard to make you understand. It is because you do not want to hear well.


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By now you should be teachers. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the first things you need to know from God's Word. You still need milk instead of solid food.


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Solid food is for full-grown men. They have learned to use their minds to tell the difference between good and bad.


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So let us leave the first things you need to know about Christ. Let us go on to the teaching that full-grown Christians should understand. We do not need to teach these first truths again. You already know that you must be sorry for your sins and turn from them. You know that you must have faith in God.


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You know about being baptized and about putting hands on people. You know about being raised from the dead and about being punished forever.


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There are those who have known the truth. They have received the gift from heaven. They have shared the Holy Spirit.


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But if they turn away, they cannot be sorry for their sins and turn from them again. It is because they are nailing the Son of God on a cross again. They are holding Him up in shame in front of all people.


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It is the same with a piece of ground that has had many rains fall on it. God makes it possible for that ground to give good fruits and vegetables.


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Dear friends, even as we tell you this, we are sure of better things for you. These things go along with being saved from the punishment of sin.


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God always does what is right. He will not forget the work you did to help the Christians and the work you are still doing to help them. This shows your love for Christ.


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Do not be lazy. Be like those who have faith and have not given up. They will receive what God has promised them.


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When God made a promise to Abraham, He made that promise in His own name because no one was greater.


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He said, "I will make you happy in so many ways. For sure, I will give you many children." <n>(Genesis 22:16-17)</n>


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When men make a promise, they use a name greater than themselves. They do this to make sure they will do what they promise. In this way, no one argues about it.


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And so God made a promise. He wanted to show Abraham that He would never change His mind. So He made the promise in His own name.


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God gave these two things that cannot be changed and God cannot lie. We who have turned to Him can have great comfort knowing that He will do what He has promised.


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This hope is a safe anchor for our souls. It will never move. This hope goes into the Holiest Place of All behind the curtain of heaven.


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Jesus has already gone there. He has become our Religious Leader forever and has made the way for man to go to God. He is like Melchizedek.


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Melchizedek was king of Salem. He was a religious leader for God. When Abraham was coming back from the war where many kings were killed, Melchizedek met Abraham and showed respect to him.


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Abraham gave Melchizedek onetenth part of all he had. Melchizedek's name means king of what is right. Salem means peace. So he is king of peace.


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Melchizedek was without a father or mother or any family. He had no beginning of life or end of life. He is a religious leader forever like the Son of God.


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We can see how great Melchizedek was. Abraham gave him one-tenth part of all he had taken in the war.


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The Law made the family of Levi the Jewish religious leaders. The Law said that the religious leaders were to take one-tenth part of everything from their own people.


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Melchizedek was not even from the family group of Levi but Abraham paid him. Melchizedek showed respect to Abraham who was the one who had received God's promises.


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Jewish religious leaders receive onetenth part. They are men and they all die. But here Melchizedek received one-tenth part and is alive.


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The Law was given during the time when Levi and his sons were the religious leaders. If the work of those religious leaders had been perfect in taking away the sins of the people, there would have been no need for another religious leader. But one like Melchizedek was needed and not one from the family group of Aaron.


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These things speak of Christ Who is from another family group. That family group never had a religious leader who killed animals and gave gifts at the altar for the sins of the people.


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Our Lord came from the family group of Judah. Moses did not write anything about religious leaders coming from that family group.


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Christ did not become a Religious Leader by coming from the family group of Levi as the Law said had to be. He became the Religious Leader by the power of a life that never ends.


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The Holy Writings say this about Christ, "You are a Religious Leader forever like Melchizedek." <n>Psalm 110:4</n>


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For the Law of Moses could not make men right with God. Now there is a better hope through which we can come near to God.


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God did not make such a promise when Levi's family group became religious leaders. But when Christ became a Religious Leader, this is the promise God made, "The Lord has made a promise. He will never change His mind. You will be a Religious Leader forever." <n>Psalm 110:4</n>


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There had to be many religious leaders during the time of the Old Way of Worship. They died and others had to keep on in their work.


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And so Jesus is able, now and forever, to save from the punishment of sin all who come to God through Him because He lives forever to pray for them.


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We need such a Religious Leader Who made the way for man to go to God. Jesus is holy and has no guilt. He has never sinned and is different from sinful men. He has the place of honor above the heavens.


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Christ is not like other religious leaders. They had to give gifts every day on the altar in worship for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. Christ did not have to do that. He gave one gift on the altar and that gift was Himself. It was done once and it was for all time.


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The Law makes religious leaders of men. These men are not perfect. After the Law was given, God spoke with a promise. He made His Son a perfect Religious Leader forever.


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Now the important thing is this: We have such a Religious Leader Who has made the way for man to go to God. He is the One Who sits at the right side of the All-powerful God in the heavens.


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He is the Religious Leader of that holy place in heaven which is the true place of worship. It was built by the Lord and not by men's hands.


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Every religious leader of the Old Way of Worship had the work of killing animals and of giving gifts on the altar to God. So Christ had to have something to give also.


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If Christ were on the earth, He would not be a religious leader such as these. The religious leaders on earth give gifts like the Law says.


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Their work shows us only a picture of the things in heaven. When Moses was putting up the tent to worship in, God told him, "Be sure you make the tent for worship like I showed you on Mount Sinai." <n>Exodus 25:40</n>


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But Christ has a more perfect work. He is the One Who goes between God and man in this new and better way. The New Way of Worship promises better things.


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God was not happy how the people lived by the Old Way of Worship. He said, "The day will come when I will make a New Way of Worship for the Jews and those of the family group of Judah.


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The New Way of Worship will not be like the Old Way of Worship I gave to their early fathers. That was when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. But they did not follow the Old Way of Worship. And so I turned away from them.


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This is the New Way of Worship that I will give to the Jews. When that day comes, says the Lord, I will put My Laws into their minds. And I will write them in their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.


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No one will need to teach his neighbor or his brother to know the Lord. All of them will already know Me from the least to the greatest.


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I will show loving-kindness to them and forgive their sins. I will remember their sins no more." <n>(Jeremiah 31:31-34)</n>


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When God spoke about a New Way of Worship, He showed that the Old Way of Worship was finished and of no use now. It will never be used again.


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A big tent was built and set up. It was called the holy place. It had a light and a table, and the holy bread was on the table.


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In the inside tent there was an altar where special perfume was burned. There was also a large box made of wood called the box of the Way of Worship. Both of these were covered with gold inside and out. Inside the box was a pot made of gold with the bread from heaven. It also had in it Aaron's stick that once started to grow. The stones on which the Law of Moses was written were in it.


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Above the box were the cherubim of honor. Their wings were spread up and over and met in the center. On the top of the box and under the shadow of their wings was the mercy-seat. We cannot tell anymore about these things now.


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When everything was finished, the Jewish religious leaders went in and out of the outside tent to do the things which had to be done to worship God.


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Once each year the head religious leader would go into the inside tent alone. He would not go in without blood. He gave this blood to God as a gift in worship for his own sins and for the sins of all the people who sinned without knowing it.


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And so the Holy Spirit is teaching that, with the Old Way of Worship, the people could not go into the Holiest Place of All as long as the outside tent and its Old Way of Worship were being used.


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The outside tent is a picture of that day. With the Old Way of Worship, animals killed and gifts given in worship to God could not take away the guilty feeling of sin.


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The Old Way of Worship was made up of Laws about what to eat and drink. These Laws told how to wash and other things to do with the body. These things had to be done until Christ came to bring a better way of worship.


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But Christ came as the Head Religious Leader of the good things God promised. He made the way for man to go to God. He was a greater and more perfect tent. He was not made by human hands and was not a part of this earth.


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Christ went into the Holiest Place of All one time for all people. He did not take the blood of goats and young cows to give to God as a gift in worship. He gave His own blood. By doing this, He bought us with His own blood and made us free from sin forever.


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With the Old Way of Worship, the blood and ashes of animals could make men clean after they had sinned.


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How much more the blood of Christ will do! He gave Himself as a perfect gift to God through the Spirit that lives forever. Now your heart can be free from the guilty feeling of doing work that is worth nothing. Now you can work for the living God.


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Christ is the One Who gave us this New Way of Worship. All those who have been called by God may receive life that lasts forever just as He promised them. Christ bought us with His blood when He died for us. This made us free from our sins which we did under the Old Way of Worship.


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When a man wants to give his money to someone after he dies, he writes it all down on paper. But that paper is worth nothing until the man is dead.


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Moses told the people all the things they had to obey in the Law. Then he took the blood of animals together with water and put it on the Book of the Law and on all the people. He used special branches and red wool as he put it on them.


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Moses said, "This is the blood of the Way of Worship which God said you must obey." <n>Exodus 24:8</n>


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The Law says that almost everything is made clean by blood. Sins are not forgiven unless blood is given.


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The tent to worship in and the things inside to worship with were like the things in heaven. They were made clean by putting blood on them. But the things in heaven were made clean by a much better gift of worship.


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For Christ did not go into the Holiest Place of All that was made by men, even if it was like the true one in heaven. He went to heaven itself and He is before God for us.


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Christ has not given Himself many times, as the head religious leader here on earth went into the Holiest Place of All each year with blood that was not his own.


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For then Christ would have had to die many times since the world began. But He came once at the end of the Old Way of Worship. He gave Himself once for all time. He gave Himself to destroy sin.


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It is the same with Christ. He gave Himself once to take away the sins of many. When He comes the second time, He will not need to give Himself again for sin. He will save all those who are waiting for Him.


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The Law is like a picture of the good things to come. The Jewish religious leaders gave gifts on the altar in worship to God all the time year after year. Those gifts could not make the people who came to worship perfect.


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If those gifts given to God could take away sins, the people who came to worship would no longer feel guilty of sin. They would have given no more gifts.


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When Christ came to the world, He said to God, "You do not want animals killed or gifts given in worship. You have made My body ready to give as a gift.


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You are not pleased with animals that have been killed or burned and given as gifts on the altar to take away sin.


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Then Christ said, "You do not want animals killed or gifts given in worship to you for sin. You are not pleased with them." These things are done because the Law says they should be done.


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Then He said, "I have come to do what You want Me to do." And this is what He did when He died on a cross. God did away with the Old Way of Worship and made a New Way of Worship.


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Our sins are washed away and we are made clean because Christ gave His own body as a gift to God. He did this once for all time.


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All Jewish religious leaders stand every day killing animals and giving gifts on the altar. They give the same gifts over and over again. These gifts cannot take away sins.


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But Christ gave Himself once for sins and that is good forever. After that He sat down at the right side of God.


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"This is the New Way of Worship that I will give them. When that day comes, says the Lord, I will put My Laws in their hearts. And I will write them in their minds." Then He says,


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Christian brothers, now we know we can go into the Holiest Place of All because the blood of Jesus was given.


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We now come to God by the new and living way. Christ made this way for us. He opened the curtain, which was His own body.


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And so let us come near to God with a true heart full of faith. Our hearts must be made clean from guilty feelings and our bodies washed with pure water.


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Let us hold on to the hope we say we have and not be changed. We can trust God that He will do what He promised.


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Let us not stay away from church meetings. Some people are doing this all the time. Comfort each other as you see the day of His return coming near.


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If we keep on sinning because we want to after we have received and know the truth, there is no gift that will take away sins then.


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Instead, we will stand before God and on that day He will judge us. And the hot fires of hell will burn up those who work against God.


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Anyone who did not obey the Old Way of Worship died without loving-kindness when two or three men spoke against him.


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How much more will a man have to be punished if he walks on and hates the Son of God? How much more will he be punished if he acts as if the blood of God's New Way of Worship is worth nothing? This New Way of Worship is God's way of making him holy. How much more will he be punished if he laughs at the Holy Spirit Who wanted to show him loving-favor?


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For we know God said, "I will pay back what is coming to them." And, "The Lord will judge His people." <n>(Deuteronomy 32:35-36)</n>


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You had loving-pity for those who were in prison. You had joy when your things were taken away from you. For you knew you would have something better in heaven which would last forever.


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You must be willing to wait without giving up. After you have done what God wants you to do, God will give you what He promised you.


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The Holy Writings say, "In a little while, the One you are looking for will come. It will not be a long time now.


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For the one right with God lives by faith. If anyone turns back, I will not be pleased with him." <n>(Habakkuk 2:3-4)</n>


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We are not of those people who turn back and are lost. Instead, we have faith to be saved from the punishment of sin.


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Through faith we understand that the world was made by the Word of God. Things we see were made from what could not be seen.


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Because Abel had faith, he gave a better gift in worship to God than Cain. His gift pleased God. Abel was right with God. Abel died, but by faith he is still speaking to us.


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Because Enoch had faith, he was taken up from the earth without dying. He could not be found because God had taken him. The Holy Writings tell how he pleased God before he was taken up.


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A man cannot please God unless he has faith. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is. That one must also know that God gives what is promised to the one who keeps on looking for Him.


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Because Noah had faith, he built a large boat for his family. God told him what was going to happen. His faith made him hear God speak and he obeyed. His family was saved from death because he built the boat. In this way, Noah showed the world how sinful it was. Noah became right with God because of his faith in God.


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Because Abraham had faith, he obeyed God when God called him to leave his home. He was to go to another country that God promised to give him. He left his home without knowing where he was going.


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His faith in God kept him living as a stranger in the country God had promised to him. Isaac and Jacob had received the same promise. They all lived in tents together.


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Abraham was looking to God and waiting for a city that could not be moved. It was a city planned and built by God.


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Because Sarah had faith, she was able to have a child long after she was past the age to have children. She had faith to believe that God would do what He promised.


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Abraham was too old to have children. But from this one man came a family with as many in it as the stars in the sky and as many as the sand by the sea.


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These people all died having faith in God. They did not receive what God had promised to them. But they could see far ahead to all the things God promised and they were glad for them. They knew they were strangers here. This earth was not their home.


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But they wanted a better country. And so God is not ashamed to be called their God. He has made a city for them.


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Because Abraham had faith, when he was tested, he gave his son Isaac as a gift on the altar in worship. God had made a promise to Abraham that He would give him a son. And yet Abraham was willing to give his only son as a gift on the altar in worship.


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Abraham believed God was able to bring Isaac back to life again. And so it may be said that Abraham did receive him back from death.


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Because Jacob had faith, he said that good would come to each of Joseph's sons as he was dying. He used his walking stick to hold him up as he prayed to God.


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Because Joseph had faith, he spoke of the Jews leaving the country of Egypt. He was going to die soon, and he told them to bury his body in the country where they were going.


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Because of faith, Moses, after he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months. They saw that he was a beautiful child. They were not afraid of the king when he said that all baby boys should be killed.


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Any shame that he suffered for Christ was worth more than all the riches in Egypt. He kept his eyes on the reward God was going to give him.


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Because Moses had faith, he left Egypt. He was not afraid of the king's anger. Moses did not turn from the right way but kept seeing God in front of him.


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Because Moses had faith, he told all the Jews to put blood over their doors. Then the angel of death would pass over their houses and not kill their oldest sons.


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Because the Jews had faith, they went through the Red Sea as if they were on dry ground. But when the people of Egypt tried to go through, they were all killed by the water.


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Because the Jews had faith, the walls of the city of Jericho fell down after the Jews had walked around the city for seven days.


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Because Rahab had faith, she was kept from being killed along with those who did not obey God. She was a woman who sold the use of her body. But she helped the men who had come in secret to look over the country.


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What more should I say? There is not enough time to tell of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah and of David and of Samuel and of the early preachers.


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It was because these people had faith that they won wars over other countries. They were good leaders. They received what God promised to them. They closed the mouths of lions


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and stopped fire that was burning. They got away from being killed with swords. They were made strong again after they had been weak and sick. They were strong in war. They made fighting men from other countries run home.


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It was because some women had faith that they received their dead back to life. Others chose to be beaten instead of being set free, because they would not turn against God. In this way, they would be raised to a better life.


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They were killed by stones being thrown at them. People were cut in pieces. They were tested. They were killed with swords. They wore skins of sheep and goats and had nothing they could call their own. They were hungry and sick. Everyone was bad to them.


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They walked around in deserts and in mountains. They looked for caves and holes in the earth to live in. They were too good for this world.


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It was because of their faith that God was pleased with them. But they did not receive what God had promised.


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All these many people who have had faith in God are around us like a cloud. Let us put every thing out of our lives that keeps us from doing what we should. Let us keep running in the race that God has planned for us.


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Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God.


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Sinful men spoke words of hate against Christ. He was willing to take such shame from sinners. Think of this so you will not get tired and give up.


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Do you remember what God said to you when He called you His sons? "My son, listen when the Lord punishes you. Do not give up when He tells you what you must do.


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Do not give up when you are punished by God. Be willing to take it, knowing that God is teaching you as a son. Is there a father who does not punish his son sometimes?


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If you are not punished as all sons are, it means that you are not a true son of God. You are not a part of His family and He is not your Father.


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Remember that our fathers on earth punished us. We had respect for them. How much more should we obey our Father in heaven and live?


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For a little while our fathers on earth punished us when they thought they should. But God punishes us for our good so we will be holy as He is holy.


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There is no joy while we are being punished. It is hard to take, but later we can see that good came from it. And it gives us the peace of being right with God.


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Be at peace with all men. Live a holy life. No one will see the Lord without having that kind of life.


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See that no one misses God's loving-favor. Do not let wrong thoughts about others get started among you. If you do, many people will be turned to a life of sin.


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None of you should fall into sex sins or forget God like Esau did. He had a right to get all Isaac had because he was the oldest son. But for one plate of food he sold this right to his brother.


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You know that later he would have received everything. But he did not get it even when he asked for it with tears. It was too late to make right the wrong he had done.


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For you have not come close to a mountain that you can touch. You have not come to worship where there is burning fire and darkness and storm and wind.


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The sound of a horn was heard and God's voice spoke. The people cried out to Moses to have God stop speaking to them.


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They could not stand to listen to His strong words, "Even if an animal comes to the mountain, it must be killed." <n>Exodus 19:12</n>


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What Moses saw was so hard to look at that he said, "I am full of fear and am shaking." <n>Deuteronomy 9:19</n>


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But instead, you have come to the mountain of Jerusalem. It is the city of the living God. It is the Jerusalem of heaven with its thousands of angels.


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You have gathered there with God's children who were born long ago. They are citizens of heaven. God is there. He will judge all men. The spirits of all those right with God are there. They have been made perfect.


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Jesus is there. He has made a way for man to go to God. He gave His blood that men might worship God the New Way. The blood of Jesus tells of better things than that which Abel used.


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Be sure you listen to the One Who is speaking to you. The Jews did not obey when God's Law was given to them on earth. They did not go free. They were punished. We will be punished more if we do not listen to God as He speaks from heaven.


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On Mount Sinai, God's voice shook the earth. But now He has promised, saying, "Once more I will shake the earth and the heavens." <n>Exodus 19:18</n>


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When God says, "Once more," He means He will take away everything of this world that can be shaken so the things that cannot be shaken will be left.


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Since we have received a holy nation that cannot be moved, let us be thankful. Let us please God and worship Him with honor and fear.


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Do not forget to be kind to strangers and let them stay in your home. Some people have had angels in their homes without knowing it.


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Remember those in prison. Think of them as if you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering because of what others have done to them. You may suffer in the same way.


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Marriage should be respected by everyone. God will punish those who do sex sins and are not faithful in marriage.


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Keep your lives free from the love of money. Be happy with what you have. God has said, "I will never leave you or let you be alone." <n>Deuteronomy 31:6</n>


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So we can say for sure, "The Lord is my Helper. I am not afraid of anything man can do to me." <n>Psalm 118:6</n>


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Remember your leaders who first spoke God's Word to you. Think of how they lived, and trust God as they did.


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Do not let the many strange teachings lead you in the wrong way. Our hearts are made strong by God's loving-favor. Food does not make our hearts strong. Those who obey laws about eating certain foods are not helped by them.


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The head religious leader takes the blood of animals into the holy place to give it on the altar for sins. But the bodies of the animals are burned outside the city.


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It was the same with Jesus. He suffered and died outside the city so His blood would make the people clean from sin.


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For there is no city here on earth that will last forever. We are looking for the one that is coming.


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Let us give thanks all the time to God through Jesus Christ. Our gift to Him is to give thanks. Our lips should always give thanks to His name.


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Obey your leaders and do what they say. They keep watch over your souls. They have to tell God what they have done. They should have joy in this and not be sad. If they are sad, it is no help to you.


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God is a God of peace. He raised our Lord Jesus from the dead. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of the sheep. His blood made the New Way of Worship which will last forever.


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May God give you every good thing you need so you can do what He wants. May He do in us what pleases Him through Jesus Christ. May Christ have all the shining-greatness forever! Let it be so.


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Christian brothers, I beg of you to listen to these words that will help you. This has been a short letter.


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I want you to know that Timothy is out of prison. If he comes soon, I will bring him with me when I come to see you.


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Greet all of your leaders and to all those who belong to Christ. The Christians from the country of Italy greet you.


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This letter is from James. I am a servant owned by God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I greet the twelve family groups of the Jewish nation living in many parts of the world.


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If you do not have wisdom, ask God for it. He is always ready to give it to you and will never say you are wrong for asking.


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You must have faith as you ask Him. You must not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave which is pushed around by the sea.


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A Christian brother who has few riches of this world should be happy for what he has. He is great in the eyes of God.


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The sun comes up with burning heat. The grass dries up and the flower falls off. It is no longer beautiful. The rich man will die also and all his riches will be gone.


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The man who does not give up when tests come is happy. After the test is over, he will receive the crown of life. God has promised this to those who love Him.


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When you are tempted to do wrong, do not say, "God is tempting me." God cannot be tempted. He will never tempt anyone.


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When he does what his bad thoughts tell him to do, he sins. When sin completes its work, it brings death.


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Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God. He is the One Who made all light. He does not change. No shadow is made by His turning.


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He gave us our new lives through the truth of His Word only because He wanted to. We are the first children in His family.


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My Christian brothers, you know everyone should listen much and speak little. He should be slow to become angry.


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Put out of your life all that is unclean and wrong. Receive with a gentle spirit the Word that was taught. It has the power to save your souls from the punishment of sin.


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But the one who keeps looking into God's perfect Law and does not forget it will do what it says and be happy as he does it. God's Word makes men free.


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If a person thinks he is religious, but does not keep his tongue from speaking bad things, he is fooling himself. His religion is worth nothing.


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Religion that is pure and good before God the Father is to help children who have no parents and to care for women whose husbands have died who have troubles. Pure religion is also to keep yourself clean from the sinful things of the world.


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My Christian brothers, our Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of shining-greatness. Since your trust is in Him, do not look on one person as more important than another.


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What if a man comes into your church wearing a gold ring and good clothes? And at the same time a poor man comes wearing old clothes.


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What if you show respect to the man in good clothes and say, "Come and sit in this good place"? But if you say to the poor man, "Stand up over there," or "Sit on the floor by my feet,"


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Listen, my dear Christian brothers, God has chosen those who are poor in the things of this world to be rich in faith. The holy nation of heaven is theirs. That is what God promised to those who love Him.


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You have not shown respect to the poor man. Is it not the rich men who make it hard for you and take you to court?


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You do well when you obey the Holy Writings which say, "You must love your neighbor as you love yourself."


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But if you look on one man as more important than another, you are sinning. And the Law says you are sinning.


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The One Who said, "You must not do any sex sins," also said, "You must not kill another person." If you do no sex sins but kill someone, you are guilty of breaking the Law.


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Keep on talking and acting as people who will be told they are guilty or not by the Law that makes men free.


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Anyone who shows no loving-kindness will have no loving-kindness shown to him when he is told he is guilty. But if you show loving-kindness, God will show loving-kindness to you when you are told you are guilty.


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My Christian brothers, what good does it do if you say you have faith but do not do things that prove you have faith? Can that kind of faith save you from the punishment of sin?


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And one of you says to him, "Goodbye, keep yourself warm and eat well." But if you do not give him what he needs, how does that help him?


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Someone may say, "You have faith, and I do things. Prove to me you have faith when you are doing nothing. I will prove to you I have faith by doing things."


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You believe there is one God. That is good! But even the demons believe that, and because they do, they shake.


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Was not our early father Abraham right with God by what he did? He obeyed God and put his son Isaac on the altar to die.


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It happened as the Holy Writings said it would happen. They say, "Abraham put his trust in God and he became right with God." He was called the friend of God.


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The same was true with Rahab, the woman who sold the use of her body. She became right with God by what she did in helping the men who had been sent to look through the country and sent them away by another road.


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The body is dead when there is no spirit in it. It is the same with faith. Faith is dead when nothing is done.


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My Christian brothers, not many of you should become teachers. If we do wrong, it will be held against us more than other people who are not teachers.


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We all make many mistakes. If anyone does not make a mistake with his tongue by saying the wrong things, he is a perfect man. It shows he is able to make his body do what he wants it to do.


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We make a horse go wherever we want it to go by a small bit in its mouth. We turn its whole body by this.


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Sailing ships are driven by strong winds. But a small rudder turns a large ship whatever way the man at the wheel wants the ship to go.


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The tongue is also a small part of the body, but it can speak big things. See how a very small fire can set many trees on fire.


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The tongue is a fire. It is full of wrong. It poisons the whole body. The tongue sets our whole lives on fire with a fire that comes from hell.


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But no man can make his tongue say what he wants it to say. It is sinful and does not rest. It is full of poison that kills.


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With our tongue we give thanks to our Father in heaven. And with our tongue we speak bad words against men who are made like God.


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Giving thanks and speaking bad words come from the same mouth. My Christian brothers, this is not right!


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Can a fig tree give olives or can a grape-vine give figs? A well does not give both good water and bad water.


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Who among you is wise and understands? Let that one show from a good life by the things he does that he is wise and gentle.


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If you have jealousy in your heart and fight to have many things, do not be proud of it. Do not lie against the truth.


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This is not the kind of wisdom that comes from God. But this wisdom comes from the world and from that which is not Christian and from the devil.


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But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. Then it gives peace. It is gentle and willing to obey. It is full of loving-kindness and of doing good. It has no doubts and does not pretend to be something it is not.


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What starts wars and fights among you? Is it not because you want many things and are fighting to have them?


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You want something you do not have, so you kill. You want something but cannot get it, so you fight for it. You do not get things because you do not ask for them.


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Or if you do ask, you do not receive because your reasons for asking are wrong. You want these things only to please yourselves.


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You are as wives and husbands who are not faithful in marriage and do sex sins. Do you not know that to love the sinful things of the world and to be a friend to them is to be against God? Yes, I say it again, if you are a friend of the world, you are against God.


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Do you think the Holy Writings mean nothing when they said, "The Holy Spirit Whom God has given to live in us has a strong desire for us to be faithful to Him"?


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But He gives us more loving-favor. For the Holy Writings say, "God works against the proud but gives loving-favor to those who have no pride." <n>Proverbs 3:34</n>


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Come close to God and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Clean up your hearts, you who want to follow the sinful ways of the world and God at the same time.


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Be sorry for your sins and cry because of them. Be sad and do not laugh. Let your joy be turned to sorrow.


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Christian brothers, do not talk against anyone or speak bad things about each other. If a person says bad things about his brother, he is speaking against him. And he will be speaking against God's Law. If you say the Law is wrong, and do not obey it, you are saying you are better than the Law.


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Only God can say what is right or wrong. He made the Law. He can save or put to death. How can we say if our brother is right or wrong?


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Your gold and silver have rusted. Their rust will speak against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have saved riches for yourselves for the last days.


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See! The men working in your fields are crying against you because you have kept back part of their pay. Their cries have been heard by the Lord Who hears His people.


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You have had everything while you lived on the earth and have enjoyed its fun. You have made your hearts fat and are ready to be killed as an animal is killed.


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Christian brothers, be willing to wait for the Lord to come again. Learn from the farmer. He waits for the good fruit from the earth until the early and late rains come.


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Do not complain about each other, Christian brothers. Then you will not be judged. See! The Judge is standing at the door.


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We think of those who stayed true to Him as happy even though they suffered. You have heard how long Job waited. You have seen what the Lord did for him in the end. The Lord is full of lovingkindness and pity.


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Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone happy? He should sing songs of thanks to God.


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Is anyone among you sick? He should send for the church leaders and they should pray for him. They should pour oil on him in the name of the Lord.


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The prayer given in faith will heal the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.


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Tell your sins to each other. And pray for each other so you may be healed. The prayer from the heart of a man right with God has much power.


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Elijah was a man as we are. He prayed that it might not rain. It did not rain on the earth for three and one-half years.


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My Christian brothers, if any of you should be led away from the truth, let someone turn him back again.


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That person should know that if he turns a sinner from the wrong way, he will save the sinner's soul from death and many sins will be forgiven.


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This letter is from Peter, a missionary of Jesus Christ. I am writing to those who were taken away from their homeland and are living in the countries of Pontus and Galatia and Cappadocia and Asia and Bithynia.


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You were chosen by God the Father long ago. He knew you were to become His children. You were set apart for holy living by the Holy Spirit. May you obey Jesus Christ and be made clean by His blood. May you be full of His loving-favor and peace.


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Let us thank the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was through His loving-kindness that we were born again to a new life and have a hope that never dies. This hope is ours because Jesus was raised from the dead.


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We will receive the great things that we have been promised. They are being kept safe in heaven for us. They are pure and will not pass away. They will never be lost.


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You are being kept by the power of God because you put your trust in Him and you will be saved from the punishment of sin at the end of the world.


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These tests have come to prove your faith and to show that it is good. Gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire. Your faith is worth much more than gold and it must be tested also. Then your faith will bring thanks and shining-greatness and honor to Jesus Christ when He comes again.


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You have never seen Him but you love Him. You cannot see Him now but you are putting your trust in Him. And you have joy so great that words cannot tell about it.


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The early preachers tried to find out how to be saved. They told of the loving-favor that would come to you.


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The early preachers wondered at what time or to what person this would happen. The Spirit of Christ in them was talking to them and told them to write about how Christ would suffer and about His shining-greatness later on.


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They knew these things would not happen during the time they lived but while you are living many years later. These are the very things that were told to you by those who preached the Good News. The Holy Spirit Who was sent from heaven gave them power and they told of things that even the angels would like to know about.


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Get your minds ready for good use. Keep awake. Set your hope now and forever on the loving-favor to be given you when Jesus Christ comes again.


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The Father is the One Who judges you by what you do. He does not respect one person more than another. If you call Him Father, be sure you honor Him with love and fear all the days of your life here on earth.


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You know you were not bought and made free from sin by paying gold or silver which comes to an end. And you know you were not saved from the punishment of sin by the way of life that you were given from your early fathers. That way of life was worth nothing.


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The blood of Christ saved you. This blood is of great worth and no amount of money can buy it. Christ was given as a lamb without sin and without spot.


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Because of Christ, you have put your trust in God. He raised Christ from the dead and gave Him great honor. So now your faith and hope are in God.


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You have made your souls pure by obeying the truth through the Holy Spirit. This has given you a true love for the Christians. Let it be a true love from the heart.


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You have been given a new birth. It was from a seed that cannot die. This new life is from the Word of God which lives forever.


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All people are like grass. Their greatness is like the flowers. The grass dries up and the flowers fall off.


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Put out of your life hate and lying. Do not pretend to be someone you are not. Do not always want something someone else has. Do not say bad things about other people.


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As new babies want milk, you should want to drink the pure milk which is God's Word so you will grow up and be saved from the punishment of sin.


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Come to Christ as to a living stone. Men have put Him aside, but He was chosen by God and is of great worth in the sight of God.


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You are to be as living stones in the building God is making also. You are His religious leaders giving yourselves to God through Jesus Christ. This kind of gift pleases God.


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The Holy Writings say, "See, I lay down in Jerusalem a Stone of great worth, worth far more than any amount of money. Anyone who puts his trust in Him will not be ashamed." <n>Isaiah 28:16</n>


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This Stone is of great worth to you who have your trust in Him. But to those who have not put their trust in Him, the Holy Writings say, "The Stone which the workmen put aside has become the most important part of the building." <n>Psalm 118:22</n>


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The Holy Writings say, also, "Christ is the Stone that some men will trip over and the Rock over which they will fall." When they do not obey the Word of God, they trip over it. This is what happens to such men.


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But you are a chosen group of people. You are the King's religious leaders. You are a holy nation. You belong to God. He has done this for you so you can tell others how God has called you out of darkness into His great light.


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At one time you were a people of no use. Now you are the people of God. At one time you did not have loving-kindness. Now you have God's loving-kindness.


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Dear friends, your real home is not here on earth. You are strangers here. I ask you to keep away from all the sinful desires of the flesh. These things fight to get hold of your soul.


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When you are around people who do not know God, be careful how you act. Even if they talk against you as wrong-doers, in the end they will give thanks to God for your good works when Christ comes again.


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Obey the men who work for them. God sends them to punish those who do wrong and to show respect to those who do right.


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Obey as men who are free but do not use this to cover up sin. Live as servants owned by God at all times.


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Show respect to all men. Love the Christians. Honor God with love and fear. Respect the head leader of the country.


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Servants, you are to respect your owners and do what they say. Do this if you have a good and kind owner. You must do it even if your owner is hard to work for.


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This shows you have received loving-favor when you are even punished for doing what is right because of your trust in God.


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What good is it if, when you are beaten for doing something wrong, you do not try to get out of it? But if you are beaten when you have done what is right, and do not try to get out of it, God is pleased.


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These things are all a part of the Christian life to which you have been called. Christ suffered for us. This shows us we are to follow in His steps.


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When people spoke against Him, He never spoke back. When He suffered from what people did to Him, He did not try to pay them back. He left it in the hands of the One Who is always right in judging.


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He carried our sins in His own body when He died on a cross. In doing this, we may be dead to sin and alive to all that is right and good. His wounds have healed you!


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You were like lost sheep. But now you have come back to Him Who is your Shepherd and the One Who cares for your soul.


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Wives, obey your own husbands. Some of your husbands may not obey the Word of God. By obeying your husbands, they may become Christians by the life you live without you saying anything.


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Do not let your beauty come from the outside. It should not be the way you comb your hair or the wearing of gold or the wearing of fine clothes.


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Your beauty should come from the inside. It should come from the heart. This is the kind that lasts. Your beauty should be a gentle and quiet spirit. In God's sight this is of great worth and no amount of money can buy it.


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This was the kind of beauty seen in the holy women who lived many years ago. They put their hope in God. They also obeyed their husbands.


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Sarah obeyed her husband Abraham. She respected him as the head of the house. You are her children if you do what is right and do not have fear.


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In the same way, husbands should understand and respect their wives, because women are weaker than men. Remember, both husband and wife are to share together the gift of life that lasts forever. If this is not done, you will find it hard to pray.


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Last of all, you must share the same thoughts and the same feelings. Love each other with a kind heart and with a mind that has no pride.


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When someone does something bad to you, do not do the same thing to him. When someone talks about you, do not talk about him. Instead, pray that good will come to him. You were called to do this so you might receive good things from God.


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For "If you want joy in your life and have happy days, keep your tongue from saying bad things and your lips from talking bad about others.


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The Lord watches over those who are right with Him. He hears their prayers. But the Lord is against those who sin." <n>(Psalm 34:12-16)</n>


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But even if you suffer for doing what is right, you will be happy. Do not be afraid or troubled by what they may do to make it hard for you.


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Your heart should be holy and set apart for the Lord God. Always be ready to tell everyone who asks you why you believe as you do. Be gentle as you speak and show respect.


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Keep your heart telling you that you have done what is right. If men speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see the good way you have lived as a Christian.


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If God wants you to suffer, it is better to suffer for doing what is right than for doing what is wrong.


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Christ suffered and died for sins once for all. He never sinned and yet He died for us who have sinned. He died so He might bring us to God. His body died but His spirit was made alive.


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Those were the spirits of the people who would not obey in the days of Noah. God waited a long time for them while Noah was building the big boat. But only eight people were saved from dying when the earth was covered with water.


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This is like baptism to us. Baptism does not mean we wash our bodies clean. It means we are saved from the punishment of sin and go to God in prayer with a heart that says we are right. This can be done because Christ was raised from the dead.


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Christ has gone to heaven and is on the right side of God. Angels and powers of heaven are obeying Him.


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Since Christ has suffered in His body, we must be ready to suffer also. Suffering puts an end to sin.


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You should no longer spend the rest of your life giving in to the sinful desires of the flesh. But do what God wants as long as you live in this world.


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In the past you gave enough of your life over to living like the people who do not know God. You gave your life to sex sins and to sinful desires. You got drunk and went to wild parties and to drinking parties and you worshiped false gods.


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Those who do not know God are surprised you do not join them in the sinful things they do. They laugh at you and say bad things against you.


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For this reason, the Good News was preached to the dead. They stood in the flesh before the One Who judges so they might live in the Spirit as God wants.


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If a man preaches, let him do it with God speaking through him. If a man helps others, let him do it with the strength God gives. So in all things God may be honored through Jesus Christ. Shining-greatness and power belong to Him forever. Let it be so.


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Dear friends, your faith is going to be tested as if it were going through fire. Do not be surprised at this.


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Be happy that you are able to share some of the suffering of Christ. When His shining-greatness is shown, you will be filled with much joy.


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If men speak bad of you because you are a Christian, you will be happy because the Spirit of shining-greatness and of God is in you.


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None of you should suffer as one who kills another person or as one who steals or as one who makes trouble or as one who tries to be the boss of other peoples' lives.


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But if a man suffers as a Christian, he should not be ashamed. He should thank God that he is a Christian.


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The time has come for Christians to stand before God and He will judge. If this happens to us, what will happen to those who do not obey the Good News of God?


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So if God wants you to suffer, give yourself to Him. He will do what is right for you. He made you and He is faithful.


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I want to speak to the church leaders among you. I am a church leader also. I saw Christ suffer and die on a cross. I will also share His shining-greatness when He comes again.


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Be good shepherds of the flock God has put in your care. Do not care for the flock as if you were made to. Do not care for the flock for money, but do it because you want to.


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When the Head Shepherd comes again, you will get the crown of shining-greatness that will not come to an end.


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In the same way, you younger men must obey the church leaders. Be gentle as you care for each other. God works against those who have pride. He gives His loving-favor to those who do not try to honor themselves.


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So put away all pride from yourselves. You are standing under the powerful hand of God. At the right time He will lift you up.


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Keep awake! Watch at all times. The devil is working against you. He is walking around like a hungry lion with his mouth open. He is looking for someone to eat.


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Stand against him and be strong in your faith. Remember, other Christians over all the world are suffering the same as you are.


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After you have suffered for awhile, God Himself will make you perfect. He will keep you in the right way. He will give you strength. He is the God of all loving-favor and has called you through Christ Jesus to share His shining-greatness forever.


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I have known Silvanus as a faithful Christian brother and it is by him I have written this short letter to help you. It tells you of the true loving-favor of God. Stay true in His loving-favor.


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The church which is in the city of Babylon greets you. It has been chosen by God the same as you have been. My son, Mark, greets you also.


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This letter is from Simon Peter. I am a missionary of Jesus Christ and a servant owned by Him. I am writing to those who have received the same faith as ours which is of great worth and which no amount of money can buy. This faith comes from our God and Jesus Christ, the One Who saves.


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May you have more and more of His loving-favor and peace as you come to know God and our Lord Jesus Christ better.


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He gives us everything we need for life and for holy living. He gives it through His great power. As we come to know Him better, we learn that He called us to share His own shining-greatness and perfect life.


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Through His shining-greatness and perfect life, He has given us promises. These promises are of great worth and no amount of money can buy them. Through these promises you can have God's own life in you now that you have gotten away from the sinful things of the world which came from wrong desires of the flesh.


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As you have a better understanding, be able to say no when you need to. Do not give up. And as you wait and do not give up, live God-like.


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If you have all these things and keep growing in them, they will keep you from being of no use and from having no fruit when it comes to knowing our Lord Jesus Christ.


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But if you do not have these things, you are blind and cannot see far. You forget God saved you from your old life of sin.


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Christian brothers, make sure you are among those He has chosen and called out for His own. As long as you do these things, you will never trip and fall.


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In this way, the road will be made wide open for you. And you will go into the holy nation that lasts forever of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One Who saves.


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You already know about these things but I want to keep telling you about them. You are strong in the faith now.


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We had nothing to do with manmade stories when we told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and of His coming again. We have seen His great power with our own eyes.


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When He received honor and shining-greatness from God the Father, a voice came to Him from the All-powerful God, saying, "This is My much-loved Son. I am very happy with Him."


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All this helps us know that what the early preachers said was true. You will do well to listen to what they have said. Their words are as lights that shine in a dark place. Listen until you understand what they have said. Then it will be like the morning light which takes away the darkness. And the Morning Star <n>(Christ)</n> will rise to shine in your hearts.


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No part of the Holy Writings came long ago because of what man wanted to write. But holy men who belonged to God spoke what the Holy Spirit told them.


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But there were false teachers among the people. And there will be false teachers among you also. These people will work in secret ways to bring false teaching to you. They will turn against Christ Who bought them with His blood. They bring fast death on themselves.


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Many people will follow their wrong ways. Because of what they do, people will speak bad things against the way of truth.


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They will tell lies and false stories so they can use you to get things for themselves. But God judged them long ago and their death is on the way.


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God did not hold back from punishing the angels who sinned, but sent them down to hell. They are to be kept there in the deep hole of darkness until they stand before Him Who judges them.


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God did not hold back from punishing the people of the world who sinned long ago. He brought the flood on the world of sinners. But Noah was a preacher of right living. He and his family of seven were the only ones God saved.


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God said that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty, and He destroyed them with fire. This was to show people who did not worship God what would happen to them.


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Lot was taken away from Sodom because he was right with God. He had been troubled by the sins that bad men did in wild living.


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He saw and heard how the people around him broke the Law. Everyday his own soul which was right with God was troubled because of their sinful ways.


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But the Lord knows how to help men who are right with God when they are tempted. He also knows how to keep the sinners suffering for their wrong-doing until the day they stand before God Who will judge them.


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This is true about those who keep on wanting to please their own bodies in sinful desires and those who will not obey laws. They want to please themselves and are not afraid when they laugh and say bad things about the powers in heaven.


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Angels are greater in strength and power than they. But angels do not speak against these powers before the Lord.


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Men like this are like animals who are not able to think but are born to be caught and killed. They speak bad words against that which they do not understand. They will die in their own sinful ways.


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This is the pay they will suffer for their sinful lives. They are not ashamed when they sin in the daylight. They are sores and dirty spots among you while they eat and drink big meals with you.


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Their eyes are full of sex sins. They never have enough sin. They get weak people to go along with them. Their hearts are always wanting something. They are people who will end up in hell because


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they have left the right way and have gone the wrong way. They have followed the way of Balaam, who was the son of Beor. He loved the money he got for his sin.


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But he was stopped in his sin. A donkey spoke to him with a man's voice. It stopped this early preacher from going on in his crazy way.


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Such people are like wells without water. They are like clouds before a storm. The darkest place below has been kept for them.


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They speak big-sounding words which show they are proud. They get men who are trying to keep away from sinful men to give in to the sinful desires of the flesh.


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They promise that these men will be free. But they themselves are chained to sin. For a man is chained to anything that has power over him.


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There are men who have been made free from the sins of the world by learning to know the Lord Jesus Christ, the One Who saves. But if they do these sins again, and are not able to keep from doing them, they are worse than they were before.


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After knowing the holy Law that was given to them, they turned from it. It would have been better for them if they had not known how to be right with God.


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They are like the wise saying, "A dog turns back to what he has thrown up." <n>(Proverbs 26:11)</n> And, "A pig that has been washed goes back to roll in the mud."


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Dear friends, this is the second letter I have written to you. In both of them I have tried to get you to remember some things.


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You should remember the words that were spoken before by the holy early preachers. Do not forget the teaching of the Lord, the One Who saves. This was given to you by your missionaries.


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First of all, I want you to know that in the last days men will laugh at the truth. They will follow their own sinful desires.


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They will say, "He promised to come again. Where is He? Since our early fathers died, everything is the same from the beginning of the world."


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But they want to forget that God spoke and the heavens were made long ago. The earth was made out of water and water was all around it.


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But the heaven we see now and the earth we live on now have been kept by His word. They will be kept until they are to be destroyed by fire. They will be kept until the day men stand before God and sinners will be destroyed.


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Dear friends, remember this one thing, with the Lord one day is as 1,000 years, and 1,000 years are as one day.


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The Lord is not slow about keeping His promise as some people think. He is waiting for you. The Lord does not want any person to be punished forever. He wants all people to be sorry for their sins and turn from them.


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The day of the Lord will come as a robber comes. The heavens will pass away with a loud noise. The sun and moon and stars will burn up. The earth and all that is in it will be burned up.


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Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, you should think about the kind of life you are living. It should be holy and God-like.


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You should look for the day of God to come. You should do what you can to make it come soon. At that time the heavens will be destroyed by fire. And the sun and moon and stars will melt away with much heat.


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We are looking for what God has promised, which are new heavens and a new earth. Only what is right and good will be there.


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Dear friends, since you are waiting for these things to happen, do all you can to be found by Him in peace. Be clean and free from sin.


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You can be sure the long waiting of our Lord is part of His plan to save men from the punishment of sin. God gave our dear brother Paul the wisdom to write about this also.


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He wrote about these things in all of his writings. Some of these things are hard to understand. People who do not have much understanding and some who are not strong in the faith change the meaning of his letters. They do this to the other parts of the Holy Writings also. They are destroying themselves as they do this.


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And so, dear friends, now that you know this, watch so you will not be led away by the mistakes of these sinful people. Do not be moved by them.


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Grow in the loving-favor that Christ gives you. Learn to know our Lord Jesus Christ better. He is the One Who saves. May He have all the shining-greatness now and forever. Let it be so.


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Christ is the Word of Life. He was from the beginning. We have heard Him and have seen Him with our own eyes. We have looked at Him and put our hands on Him.


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Christ Who is Life was shown to us. We saw Him. We tell you and preach about the Life that lasts forever. He was with the Father and He has come down to us.


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We are preaching what we have heard and seen. We want you to share together with us what we have with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.


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This is what we heard Him tell us. We are passing it on to you. God is light. There is no darkness in Him.


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If we say we are joined together with Him but live in darkness, we are telling a lie. We are not living the truth.


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If we live in the light as He is in the light, we share what we have in God with each other. And the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, makes our lives clean from all sin.


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If we tell Him our sins, He is faithful and we can depend on Him to forgive us of our sins. He will make our lives clean from all sin.


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My dear children, I am writing this to you so you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, there is One Who will go between him and the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the One Who is right with God.


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He paid for our sins with His own blood. He did not pay for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.


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But whoever obeys His Word has the love of God made perfect in him. This is the way to know if you belong to Christ.


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Dear friends, I am not writing a new Law for you to obey. It is an old Law you have had from the beginning. The old Law is the Word that you have heard.


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And yet it is a new Law that I am writing to you. It is truth. It was seen in Christ and it is seen in you also. The darkness is passing away and the true Light shines instead.


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Whoever hates his brother is not in the light but lives in darkness. He does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.


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I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him Who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have power over the devil. I have written to you, young boys and girls, because you have learned to know the Father.


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I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him Who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong. You have kept God's Word in your hearts. You have power over the devil.


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Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father's love is not in him.


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For everything that is in the world does not come from the Father. The desires of our flesh and the things our eyes see and want and the pride of this life come from the world.


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The world and all its desires will pass away. But the man who obeys God and does what He wants done will live forever.


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My children, we are near the end of the world. You have heard that the false-christ is coming. Many falsechrists have already come. This is how we know the end of the world is near.


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These left us. But they never belonged to us. If they had been a part of us, they would have stayed with us. Because they left, it is known they did not belong to us.


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I have not written to you because you do not know the truth. I have written because you do know the truth and you know that no lie comes from the truth.


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Who is a liar? He is a person who says that Jesus is not the Christ. The false-christ will have nothing to do with the Father and the Son and he will turn away from Them.


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A person who will have nothing to do with the Son and turns against Him does not have the Father. The one who says he knows the Son has the Father also.


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Keep in your heart what you have heard from the beginning. Then you will belong to the Son and to the Father if what you have heard from the beginning is in you.


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Christ gave you the Holy Spirit and He lives in you. You do not need anyone to teach you. The Holy Spirit is able to teach you all things. What He teaches you is truth and not a lie. Live by the help of Christ as the Holy Spirit has taught you.


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And now, my children, live by the help of Him. Then when He comes again, we will be glad to see Him and not be ashamed.


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You know that Christ is right with God. Then you should know that everyone who is right with God is a child of His.


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See what great love the Father has for us that He would call us His children. And that is what we are. For this reason the people of the world do not know who we are because they did not know Him.


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Dear friends, we are God's children now. But it has not yet been shown to us what we are going to be. We know that when He comes again, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is.


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The person who keeps on sinning is guilty of not obeying the Law of God. For sin is breaking the Law of God.


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The person who lives by the help of Christ does not keep on sinning. The person who keeps on sinning has not seen Him or has not known Him.


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My children, let no one lead you in the wrong way. The man who does what is right, is right with God in the same way as Christ is right with God.


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The person who keeps on sinning belongs to the devil. The devil has sinned from the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.


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No person who has become a child of God keeps on sinning. This is because the Holy Spirit is in him. He cannot keep on sinning because God is his Father.


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This is the way you can know who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. The person who does not keep on doing what is right and does not love his brother does not belong to God.


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Do not be like Cain. He was a child of the devil and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? It was because he did what was sinful and his brother did what was right.


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We know we have passed from death into life. We know this because we love the Christians. The person who does not love has not passed from death into life.


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A man who hates his brother is a killer in his heart. You know that life which lasts forever is not in one who kills.


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We know what love is because Christ gave His life for us. We should give our lives for our brothers.


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What if a person has enough money to live on and sees his brother in need of food and clothing? If he does not help him, how can the love of God be in him?


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This is how we know we are Christians. It will give our heart comfort for sure when we stand before Him.


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Our heart may say that we have done wrong. But remember, God is greater than our heart. He knows everything.


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Dear friends, if our heart does not say that we are wrong, we will have no fear as we stand before Him.


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This is what He said we must do: Put your trust in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love each other. Christ told us to do this.


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The person who obeys Christ lives by the help of God and God lives in him. We know He lives in us by the Holy Spirit He has given us.


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Dear Christian friends, do not believe every spirit. But test the spirits to see if they are from God for there are many false preachers in the world.


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You can tell if the spirit is from God in this way: Every spirit that says Jesus Christ has come in a human body is from God.


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And every spirit that does not say Jesus has come in a human body is not from God. It is the teaching of the falsechrist. You have heard that this teaching is coming. It is already here in the world.


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My children, you are a part of God's family. You have stood against these false preachers and had power over them. You had power over them because the One Who lives in you is stronger than the one who is in the world.


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Those false teachers are a part of the world. They speak about the things of the world. The world listens to them.


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We are a part of God's family. The person who knows God will listen to us. The person who is not a part of God's family will not listen to us. In this way, we can tell what is the spirit of truth and what is the spirit of false teaching.


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Dear friends, let us love each other, because love comes from God. Those who love are God's children and they know God.


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God has shown His love to us by sending His only Son into the world. God did this so we might have life through Christ.


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This is love! It is not that we loved God but that He loved us. For God sent His Son to pay for our sins with His own blood.


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No person has ever seen God at any time. If we love each other, God lives in us. His love is made perfect in us.


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We have seen and are able to say that the Father sent His Son to save the world from the punishment of sin.


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The person who tells of Him in front of men and says that Jesus is the Son of God, God is living in that one and that one is living by the help of God.


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We have come to know and believe the love God has for us. God is love. If you live in love, you live by the help of God and God lives in you.


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Love is made perfect in us when we are not ashamed as we stand before Him on the day He judges. For we know that our life in this world is His life lived in us.


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There is no fear in love. Perfect love puts fear out of our hearts. People have fear when they are afraid of being punished. The man who is afraid does not have perfect love.


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If a person says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar. If a person does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God Whom he has not seen?


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The person who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. The person who loves the Father loves His children also.


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Every child of God has power over the sins of the world. The way we have power over the sins of the world is by our faith.


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Jesus Christ came by water and blood. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. The Holy Spirit speaks about this and He is truth.


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There are three Who speak of this in heaven: the Father and the Word and the Holy Spirit. These three are one.


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There are three who speak of this on the earth: the Holy Spirit and the water and the blood. These three speak the same thing.


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If we believe what men say, we can be sure what God says is more important. God has spoken as He has told us about His Son.


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The person who puts his trust in God's Son knows in his own heart that Jesus is the Son of God. The person who does not have his trust in God's Son makes God a liar. It is because he has not believed the word God spoke about His Son.


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I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God. Now you can know you have life that lasts forever.


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You may see a Christian brother sinning in a way that does not lead to death. You should pray for him. God will give him life unless he has done that sin that leads to death. There is a sin that leads to death. There is no reason to pray for him if he has done that sin.


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We know that no child of God keeps on sinning. The Son of God watches over him and the devil cannot get near him.


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We know God's Son has come. He has given us the understanding to know Him Who is the true God. We are joined together with the true God through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and the life that lasts forever.


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The church leader writes to the chosen lady and to her children. I love you because of the truth. I am not the only one who loves you. All who know the truth love you.


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Loving-favor and loving-kindness and peace are ours as we live in truth and love. These come from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Son of the Father.


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And now I ask you, lady, that we have love one for the other. I am not writing to you about a new Law but an old one we have had from the beginning.


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Love means that we should live by obeying His Word. From the beginning He has said in His Word that our hearts should be full of love.


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There are many false teachers in the world. They do not say that Jesus Christ came in a human body. Such a person does not tell the truth. He is the false-christ.


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Watch yourselves! You do not want to lose what we have worked for. You want to get what has been promised to you.


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Anyone who goes too far and does not live by the teachings of Christ does not have God. If you live by what Christ taught, you have both the Father and the Son.


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If a person comes to you with some other kind of teaching, do not take him into your home. Do not even greet him.


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I have many things to write to you. I do not want to write them in this letter. But I hope to come to you soon. Then we can talk about these things together that your joy may be full.


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Dear friend, I pray that you are doing well in every way. I pray that your body is strong and well even as your soul is.


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Dear friend, you are doing a good work by being kind to the Christians, and for sure, to the strangers.


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They have told the church about your love. It will be good for you to help them on their way as God would have you.


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I wrote a letter to the church. But Diotrephes wants to be the leader and put himself first. He will have nothing to do with us.


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So if I come, I will show what he is doing by the bad things he is saying about us. Not only that, he will not take the Christian brothers into his home. He keeps others from doing it also. When they do, he puts them out of the church.


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Dear friend, do not follow what is sinful, but follow what is good. The person who does what is good belongs to God. The person who does what is sinful has not seen God.


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Everyone speaks good things about Demetrius. The truth itself speaks for him. We say the same thing also and you know we are speaking the truth.


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I hope to see you soon and then we can talk together. May you have peace. The friends here greet you. Greet each friend there by name.


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This letter is from Jude, a brother of James. I am a servant owned by Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who have been chosen by God the Father. You are kept for Jesus Christ.


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Dear friends, I have been trying to write to you about what God did for us when He saved us from the punishment of sin. Now I must write to you and tell you to fight hard for the faith which was once and for all given to the holy people of God.


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Some sinful men have come into your church without anyone knowing it. They are living in sin and they speak of the loving-favor of God to cover up their sins. They have turned against our only Leader and Lord, Jesus Christ. Long ago it was written that these people would die in their sins.


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You already know all this, but think about it again. The Lord saved His people out of the land of Egypt. Later He destroyed all those who did not put their trust in Him.


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Angels who did not stay in their place of power, but left the place where they were given to stay, are chained in a dark place. They will be there until the day they stand before God to be judged.


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Do you remember about the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them? The people in those cities did the same things. They were full of sex sins and strong desires for sinful acts of the body. Those cities were destroyed by fire. They still speak to us of the fire of hell that lasts forever.


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In the same way, these men go on dreaming and sinning against their bodies. They respect no leaders. They speak bad against those who live in the heavens.


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Michael was one of the head angels. He argued with the devil about the body of Moses. But Michael would not speak sharp words to the devil, saying he was guilty. He said, "The Lord speaks sharp words to you."


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But these men speak against things they do not understand. They are like animals in the way they act. By these things they destroy themselves.


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It is bad for them! They have followed the way of Cain who killed his brother. They have chosen the way of Balaam and think only about making money. They were destroyed as Korah was destroyed who would not show respect to leaders.


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When you come together to eat the Christians' love suppers, these people are like hidden rocks that wreck a ship. They only think of themselves. They are like clouds without rain carried along by the wind and like trees without fruit in the fall of the year. They are pulled out by the roots and are dead now and never can live again.


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They are like the waves of a wild sea. Their sins are like the dirty water along the shore. They look like stars moving here and there. But the darkest place has been kept for them forever.


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Enoch was the head of the seventh family born after Adam. He said this about such people, "The Lord comes with many thousands of His holy ones.


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He comes to say that all are guilty for all the sin they have done and all the sinful things these sinners have spoken against God."


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These men complain and are never happy with anything. They let their desires lead them into sin. When they talk about themselves, they make it sound as if they are great people. They show respect to people only to get something out of them.


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They said, "In the last days there will be men who will laugh at the truth and will be led by their own sinful desires."


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They are men who will make trouble by dividing people into groups against each other. Their minds are on the things of the world because they do not have the Holy Spirit.


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Dear friends, you must become strong in your most holy faith. Let the Holy Spirit lead you as you pray.


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Keep yourselves in the love of God. Wait for life that lasts forever through the loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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Save some by pulling them out of the fire. Have loving-kindness for others but also fear them. Be afraid of being led into doing their sins. Hate even the clothes that have touched sinful bodies.


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There is One Who can keep you from falling and can bring you before Himself free from all sin. He can give you great joy as you stand before Him in His shining-greatness.


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He is the only God. He is the One Who saves from the punishment of sin through Jesus Christ our Lord. May He have shining-greatness and honor and power and the right to do all things. He had this before the world began, He has it now, and He will have this forever. Let it be so.


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The things that are written in the Book are made known by Jesus Christ. God gave these things to Christ so He could show them to the servants He owns. These are things which must happen very soon. Christ sent His angel to John who is a servant owned by Him. Christ made these things known to John.


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John tells that the Word of God is true. He tells of Jesus Christ and all that he saw and heard of Him.


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The man who reads this Book and listens to it being read and obeys what it says will be happy. For all these things will happen soon.


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This is John writing to the seven churches in the country of Asia. May you have loving-favor and peace from God Who was and Who is and Who is to come. May you have loving-favor and peace from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.


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May you have loving-favor and peace from Jesus Christ Who is faithful in telling the truth. Jesus Christ is the first to be raised from the dead. He is the head over all the kings of the earth. He is the One Who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood.


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Christ has made us a holy nation of religious leaders who can go to His God and Father. He is the One to receive honor and power forever! Let it be so.


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See! He is coming in the clouds. Every eye will see Him. Even the men who killed Him will see Him. All the people on the earth will cry out in sorrow because of Him. Yes, let it be so.


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The Lord God says, "I am the First and the Last, the beginning and the end of all things. I am the All-powerful One Who was and Who is and Who is to come."


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I, John, am your Christian brother. I have shared with you in suffering because of Jesus Christ. I have also shared with you His holy nation and we have not given up. I was put on the island called Patmos because I preached the Word of God and told about Jesus Christ.


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I was under the Spirit's power on the Lord's Day when I heard a loud voice behind me like the loud sound of a horn.


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It said, "<n>(*I am the First and the Last.)</n> Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches. They are in the cities of Ephesus and Smyrna and Pergamum and Thyatira and Sardis and Philadelphia and Laodicea."


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Among the lights stood One Who looked like the Son of Man. He had on a long coat that came to His feet. A belt of gold was around His chest.


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His head and His hair were white like white wool. They were as white as snow. His eyes were like fire.


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His feet were like shining brass as bright as if it were in a fire. His voice sounded like powerful rushing water.


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He held seven stars in His right hand. A sharp sword that cuts both ways came out of His mouth. His face was shining as bright as the sun shines at noon.


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When I saw Him, I fell down at His feet like a dead man. He laid His right hand on me and said, "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.


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This is what the seven stars and the seven lights made of gold mean that you saw in My right hand. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. The seven lights are the seven churches.


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qj"Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Ephesus: 'The One Who holds the seven stars in His right hand and the One Who walks among the seven lights made of gold, says this:


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I know what you have done and how hard you have worked. I know how long you can wait and not give up. I know that you cannot put up with sinful men. I know that you have put men to the test who call themselves missionaries. You have found they are not missionaries but are false.


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You have waited long and have not given up. You have suffered because of Me. You have kept going on and have not become tired.


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Remember how you once loved Me. Be sorry for your sin and love Me again as you did at first. If you do not, I will come to you and take your light out of its place. I will do this unless you are sorry for your sin and turn from it.


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You have ears! Then listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the fruit of the tree of life in the garden of God to everyone who has power and wins.'


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"Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Smyrna: 'The One Who is First and Last, the One Who died and came to life again, says this:


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I know of your troubles. I know you are poor. But still you are rich! I know the bad things spoken against you by those who say they are Jews. But they are not Jews. They belong to the devil.


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Do not be afraid of what you will suffer. Listen! The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will be in trouble for ten days. Be faithful even to death. Then I will give you the crown of life.


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You have ears! Then listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The person who has power and wins will not be hurt by the second death!'


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"Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Pergamum: 'The One Who has the sharp sword that cuts both ways, says this:


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I know where you live. It is the place where Satan sits. I know that you are true to Me. You did not give up and turn away from your faith in Me, even when Antipas was killed. He was faithful in speaking for Me. He was killed in front of you where Satan is.


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But I have a few things against you. You have some people who follow the teaching of Balaam. He taught Balak to set a trap for the Jews. He taught them to eat food that had been given as a gift in worship to false gods and to do sex sins.


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Be sorry for your sins and turn from them. If you do not, I will come to you right away. I will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.


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You have ears! Then listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the hidden bread from heaven to everyone who has power and wins. I will give each of them a white stone also. A new name will be written on it. No one will know the name except the one who receives it!'


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"Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Thyatira: 'The Son of God Who has eyes like fire and Whose feet are like shining brass, says this:


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I know what you are doing. I know of your love and faith. I know how you have worked and how you have waited long and have not given up. I know that you are working harder now than you did at first.


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But I have this against you: You are allowing Jezebel who calls herself a preacher to teach my servants. She is leading them in the wrong way and they are doing sex sins. And they are eating food that has been given as a gift in worship to false gods.


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I gave her time to be sorry for her sins and turn from them. She does not want to turn from her sex sins.


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See! I will throw her on a bed. Those who do sex sins with her will suffer much trouble and pain. I will let them suffer unless they are sorry for the sins they have done with her and turn from them.


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And I will kill her children. All the churches will know that I am the One Who looks deep into the hearts and minds. I will give you whatever is coming to you because of your work.


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But the rest of you there in the city of Thyatira have not followed this false teaching. You have not learned what they call the secrets of Satan. So I will put no other load on you.


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To the one who has power and wins and does what I want him to do, I will give the right and the power over the nations.


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He will be leader over them using a piece of iron. And they will be broken in pieces like pots of clay. My Father has given Me this right and power.


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qj"Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Sardis: 'The One Who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: I know what you are doing. I know people think you are alive, but you are dead.


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Wake up! Make stronger what you have before it dies. I have not found your work complete in God's sight.


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So remember what you have received and heard. Keep it. Be sorry for your sins and turn from them. If you will not wake up, I will come as a robber. You will not know at what time I will come.


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But there are a few people in the church in the city of Sardis whose clothes are not dirty with sins. They will walk with Me wearing white clothes. They have done what they should.


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Everyone who has power and wins will wear white clothes. I will not take his name from the book of life. I will speak of his name before My Father and His angels.


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"Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Philadelphia: 'He Who is holy and true, Who holds the key of David, Who opens and no man can shut, Who shuts and no man can open, says this:


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I know what you are doing. See! You do not have much power, but you have obeyed My Word. You have not turned against Me. So I have given you an open door that no man can shut.


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See! There are some who belong to Satan. They say they are Jews, but they are not. They are liars. See! I will make them come to you and get down at your feet. Then they will know that I love you.


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I will keep you from the time of trouble. The time to test everyone is about to come to the whole world. I will do this because you have listened to Me and have waited long and have not given up.


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I will make the one who has power and wins an important part that holds up the house of God. He will never leave it again. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God. It is the new Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem will come down from My God out of heaven. I will write My new name on him.


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"Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Laodicea: 'The One Who says, Let it be so, the One Who is faithful, the One Who tells what is true, the One Who made everything in God's world, says this:


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You say that you are rich and that you need nothing, but you do not know that you are so troubled in mind and heart. You are poor and blind and without clothes.


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You should buy gold from Me that has been tested by fire that you may be rich. Buy white clothes to dress yourself so the shame of not wearing clothes will be taken away. Buy medicine to put on your eyes so you can see.


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I speak strong words to those I love and I punish them. Have a strong desire to please the Lord. Be sorry for your sins and turn from them.


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See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and we will eat together.


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I will allow the one who has power and wins to sit with Me on My throne, as I also had power and won and sat down with My Father on His throne.


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After this, I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven. The first voice I heard was like the loud sound of a horn. It said, "Come up here. I will show you what must happen after these things."


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The One Who sat there looked as bright as jasper and sardius stones. The colors like those of an emerald stone were all around the throne.


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There were twenty-four smaller thrones around the throne. And on these thrones twenty-four leaders were sitting dressed in white clothes. They had crowns of gold on their heads.


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Lightning and noise and thunder came from the throne. Seven lights of fire were burning before the throne. These were the seven Spirits of God.


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Before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, shining and clear. Around the throne and on each side there were four living beings that were full of eyes in front and in back.


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The first living being was like a lion. The second one was like a young cow. The third one had a face like a man. The fourth one was like a very large bird with its wings spread.


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Each one of the four living beings had six wings. They had eyes all over them, inside and out. Day and night they never stop saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the All-powerful One. He is the One Who was and Who is and Who is to come."


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The four living beings speak of His shining-greatness and give honor and thanks to Him Who sits on His throne as King. It is He Who lives forever.


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The twenty-four leaders get down before Him and worship Him Who lives forever. They lay their crowns before Him and say,


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"Our Lord and our God, it is right for You to have the shining-greatness and the honor and the power. You made all things. They were made and have life because You wanted it that way."


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I saw a book in the right hand of the One Who sat on the a throne. It had writing on the inside and on the back side. It was locked with seven locks.


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I saw a powerful angel calling with a loud voice, "Who is able to open the book and to break its locks?"


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Then I began to cry with loud cries. I cried because no one was good enough to open the book or to look in it.


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One of the leaders said to me, "Stop crying. See! The Lion from the family group of Judah has power and has won. He can open the book and break its seven locks. He is of the family of David."


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I saw a Lamb standing in front of the twenty-four leaders. He was before the throne and in front of the four living beings. He looked as if He had been killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes. These are the seven Spirits of God. They have been sent out into all the world.


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When the Lamb had taken the book, the four living beings and the twenty-four leaders got down before Him. Each one had a harp. They all had pots made of gold, full of special perfume, which are the prayers of the people who belong to God.


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They sang a new song, saying, "It is right for You to take the book and break its locks. It is because You were killed. Your blood has bought men for God from every family and from every language and from every kind of people and from every nation.


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You have made them to be a holy nation of religious leaders to work for our God. They will be the leaders on the earth."


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I looked again. I heard the voices of many thousands of angels. They stood around the throne and around the four living beings and the leaders.


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They said with a loud voice, "The Lamb Who was killed has the right to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and shining-greatness and thanks."


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Then I heard every living thing in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that are in them. They were saying, "Thanks and honor and shining-greatness and all power are to the One Who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever."


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The four living beings kept saying, "Let it be so!" And the twenty-four leaders fell down and worshiped.


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I saw the Lamb break open the first of the seven locks. I heard one of the four living beings cry out like the sound of thunder, "Come and see!"


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I looked and saw a white horse. The one who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him. He went out to win and he won.


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Another horse came out. This one was red. The one who sat on it was given a long sword. He was given power to take peace from the earth so men would kill each other.


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He broke open the third lock. Then I heard the third living being say, "Come and see!" I looked and saw a black horse. The one who sat on it had something in his hand with which to weigh things.


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I heard a voice from among the four living beings saying, "A small jar of wheat for a day's pay. Three small jars of barley for a day's pay. Do not hurt the olive oil and wine."


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I looked and saw a light colored horse. The one who sat on it had the name of Death. Hell followed close behind him. They were given the right and the power to kill one-fourth part of everything on the earth. They were to kill with the sword and by people having no food and by sickness and by the wild animals of the earth.


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He broke open the fifth lock. Then I saw under the altar all the souls of those who had been killed for telling the Word of God. They had also been killed for being faithful in telling about Christ.


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All those who had been killed cried out with a loud voice saying, "How long will it be yet before You will punish those on the earth for killing us? Lord, You are holy and true."


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White clothes were given to each one of them. They were told to rest a little longer. They were to wait until all the other servants owned by God and their Christian brothers would be killed as they had been. Then the group would be complete.


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I looked as the Lamb broke the sixth lock. The earth shook as if it would break apart. The sun became black like dark cloth. The moon became like blood.


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The stars of the sky fell to the earth. They were like figs falling from a tree that is shaken by a strong wind.


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The kings and the leaders of the earth hid themselves in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. All the head soldiers and rich men and strong men and men who were free and those who were owned by someone hid themselves also.


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They called to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us! Hide us from the face of the One Who sits on the throne. Hide us from the anger of the Lamb,


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


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I saw another angel coming from the east. He was carrying the mark of the living God. He called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to hurt the earth and sea.


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The angel from the east said, "Do not hurt the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put the mark of God on the foreheads of the servants He owns."


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I heard how many there were who received the mark of God. There were 144,000 people of the twelve family groups of Israel.


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These received the mark of God: 12,000 from the family group of Judah, 12,000 from the family group of Reuben, 12,000 from the family group of Gad,


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12,000 from the family group of Asher, 12,000 from the family group of Naphtali, 12,000 from the family group of Manasseh,


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12,000 from the family group of Simeon, 12,000 from the family group of Levi, 12,000 from the family group of Issachar,


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12,000 from the family group of Zebulun, 12,000 from the family group of Joseph, and 12,000 from the family group of Benjamin.


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After this I saw many people. No one could tell how many there were. They were from every nation and from every family and from every kind of people and from every language. They were standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white clothes and they held branches in their hands.


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And they were crying out with a loud voice, "We are saved from the punishment of sin by our God Who sits on the throne and by the Lamb!"


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Then all of the angels standing around the throne and around the leaders and the four living beings got down on their faces before God and worshiped Him.


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They said, "Let it be so! May our God have worship and shining-greatness and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength forever. Let it be so!"


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Then one of the twenty-four leaders asked me, "Who are these people dressed in white clothes? Where did they come from?"


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I answered him, "Sir, you know." Then he said to me, "These are the ones who came out of the time of much trouble. They have washed their clothes and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.


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For this reason they are before the throne of God. They help Him day and night in the house of God. And He Who sits on the throne will care for them as He is among them.


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They will never be hungry or thirsty again. The sun or any burning heat will not shine down on them.


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For the Lamb Who is in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to wells of the water of life. God will take away all tears from their eyes."


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Another angel came and stood at the altar. He held a cup made of gold full of special perfume. He was given much perfume so he could mix it in with the prayers of those who belonged to God. Their prayers were put on the altar made of gold before the throne.


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Smoke from burning the special perfume and the prayers of those who belong to God went up before God out of the angel's hand.


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Then the angel took the cup of gold. He filled it with fire from the altar and threw it down on the earth. There was thunder and noise and lightning and the earth shook.


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So the first angel blew his horn. Hail and fire mixed with blood came down on the earth. One-third part of the earth was burned up. One-third part of the trees were burned up. All the green grass was burned up.


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The second angel blew his horn. Something like a large mountain was burning with fire. It was thrown into the sea. One-third part of the sea turned into blood.


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The third angel blew his horn. A large star fell from heaven. It was burning with a fire that kept burning like a bright light. It fell on one-third part of the rivers and on the places where water comes out of the earth.


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The name of the star is Wormwood. One-third part of the water became poison. Many men died from drinking the water because it had become poison.


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The fourth angel blew his horn. One-third part of the sun and onethird part of the moon and one-third part of the stars were hurt. One-third part of them was made dark so that one-third part of the day and night had no light.


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Then I looked and saw a very large bird flying in the sky. It said with a loud voice, "It is bad! It is bad! It is bad for those who live on the earth when the sound comes from the horns that the other three angels will blow!"


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The fifth angel blew his horn. I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to earth. The key to the hole without a bottom was given to the angel.


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He opened the hole and smoke came out like the smoke from a place where there is much fire. The sun and the air became dark because of the smoke from the hole.


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Locusts came down to the earth out of the smoke. They were given power to hurt like small animals that sting.


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They were told not to hurt the grass or any green plant or any tree. They were to hurt only the men who did not have the mark of God on their foreheads.


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The locusts were not allowed to kill these men. They were to give them much pain for five months like the pain that comes from a small animal that stings.


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Men will look for ways to die during those days, but they will not find any way. They will want to die, but death will be kept from them.


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The locusts looked like horses ready for war. They had on their heads what looked like crowns of gold. Their faces were like men's faces.


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Their chests were covered with what looked like pieces of iron. The sound their wings made was like the sound of many wagons rushing to war.


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They had tails like a small animal that stings. The sting came from their tails. They were given power to hurt men for five months.


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These locusts have a king over them. He is the head angel of the hole that has no bottom. His name in the Hebrew language is Abbadon. In the Greek language it is Apollyon. <n>(It means the one who destroys.)</n>


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The sixth angel blew his horn. I heard a voice coming from the four corners of the altar made of gold that is before God.


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The voice said to the sixth angel who had the horn, "Let the four angels loose that have been chained at the big river Euphrates."


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They had been kept ready for that hour and day and month and year. They were let loose so they could kill one-third part of all men that were living.


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I saw, as God wanted to show me, the horses and the men on them. The men had pieces of iron over their chests. These were red like fire and blue like the sky and yellow like sulphur. The heads of the horses looked like the heads of lions. Fire and smoke and sulphur came out of their mouths.


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One-third part of all men was killed by the fire and smoke and sulphur that came out of their mouths.


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The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails. Their tails were like the heads of snakes and with them they could bite and kill.


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The men that were still living after these troubles were past would not turn away from worshiping demons. They would not turn away from false gods made from gold and silver and brass and stone and wood. None of these false gods can see or hear or walk.


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These men were not sorry for their sins and would not turn away from all their killing and their witchcraft. They would not stop their sex sins and their stealing.


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Then I saw another strong angel coming down from heaven covered with a cloud. He had many colors around his head. His face was like the sun. His feet were like long flames of fire.


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He had in his hand a little book that was open. The angel put his right foot on the sea. He put his left foot on the land.


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I was ready to write when the seven thunders had spoken. Then I heard the voice from heaven saying, "Lock up the things which the seven thunders have spoken. Do not write them!"


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Then the strong angel that I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted his right hand to heaven.


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He made a promise in the name of God Who lives forever, Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. He promised that there will be no more waiting.


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And when the seventh angel blows his horn, God will put His secret plan into action. It will be done just as He told it to the early preachers, His servants.


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Then the voice I heard from heaven spoke to me again. It said, "Go and take the little book that is open. It is in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."


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I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little book. He said, "Take it and eat it. It will taste like honey in your mouth. But after you have eaten it, it will make your stomach sour."


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Then I took it from the angel's hand and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but it made my stomach sour after I had eaten it.


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Then they said to me, "You must tell what will happen again in front of many people and nations and families and kings."


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I was given a stick that is used to see how big things are. Someone said, "Go up to the house of God and find out how big it is. Find out about the altar also. See how many people are worshiping.


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Do not find out about the porch of the house of God. It has been given over to the nations who do not know God. They will walk over all the Holy City to wreck it for forty-two months.


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I will give power to my two men who tell what they know. They will speak for God for 1,260 days <n>(forty-two months)</n>. They will be dressed in clothes made from the hair of animals."


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These two men who tell what they know are the two olive trees and the two lights that stand before the Lord of the earth.


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If anyone hates them and tries to hurt them, fire comes out of the mouths of these two men. The fire kills those who try to hurt them.


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They have power to shut up the sky. During the time they speak for God, there will be no rain. They have power to change all waters into blood. They can send every kind of trouble to the earth whenever they want to.


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When they have finished speaking for God, the wild animal will make war with them. It will come up out of the hole without a bottom. This wild animal will have power over them and kill them.


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Their dead bodies will lie in the street of Jerusalem. It is where their Lord was nailed to a cross. The city is sometimes called Sodom and Egypt.


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For three-and-one-half days those from every people and from every family and from every language and from every nation will look at their dead bodies. People will not allow the dead bodies of these two men to be put in a grave.


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Those who are living on the earth will be happy because of the death of these two men. They will do things to show they are happy. They will send gifts to each other. They will do this because these two men brought much trouble and suffering to the people of the earth.


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After three-and-one-half days, life from God came into them again. They stood on their feet. Those who saw them were very much afraid.


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Then the two men who told what they knew heard a loud voice from heaven. It said, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud. All those who hated them watched them go.


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At the same time the earth shook. One-tenth part of the buildings of the city fell down. Seven thousand people were killed. The rest of the people were afraid and gave honor to the God of heaven.


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The seventh angel blew his horn. There were loud voices in heaven saying, "The nations of the world have become the holy nation of our Lord and of His Christ. He will be the Leader forever."


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Then the twenty-four leaders who sat on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God.


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They said, "All-powerful Lord God, the One Who is and Who was and Who is to come, we thank You because You are using Your great power and have become Leader.


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The people who do not know God have become angry with You. Now it is time for You to be angry with them. It is time for the dead to stand before You and to be judged. It is time for the servants You own who are the early preachers and those who belong to You to get the reward that is coming to them. It is time for the important people and those not important who honor Your name to get the reward that is coming to them. It is time to destroy those who have made every kind of trouble on the earth."


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God's house in heaven was opened. The special box which held the Old Way of Worship was seen in the house of God. There was lightning and thunder and noise. The earth shook and large hail stones fell.


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Something very special was seen in heaven. A woman was there dressed with the sun. The moon was under her feet. A crown with twelve stars in it was on her head.


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Something else special was seen in heaven. A large snake-like animal was there. It was red and had seven heads and ten horns. There was a crown on each head.


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With his tail he pulled one-third part of the stars out of heaven. He threw them down to the earth. This snake-like animal stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth to her child. He was waiting to eat her child as soon as it was born.


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Then the woman gave birth to a son. He is to be the leader of the world using a piece of iron. But this child was taken away to God and His throne.


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The woman ran away into the desert. God had made the place ready for her. He will care for her there 1,260 days.


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Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against this snake-like animal. This animal and his angels fought back.


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The snake-like animal was thrown down to earth from heaven. This animal is the old snake. He is also called the Devil or Satan. He is the one who has fooled the whole world. He was thrown down to earth and his angels were thrown down with him.


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Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "Now God has saved from the punishment of sin! God's power as King has come! God's holy nation has come! God's Christ is here with power! The one who spoke against our Christian brothers has been thrown down to earth. He stood before God speaking against them day and night.


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They had power over him and won because of the blood of the Lamb and by telling what He had done for them. They did not love their lives but were willing to die.


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For this reason, O heavens and you who are there, be full of joy. It is bad for you, O earth and sea. For the devil has come down to you. He is very angry because he knows he has only a short time."


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When the snake-like animal which is the devil saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he began to hunt for the woman who had given birth to the boy baby.


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The woman was given two wings like the wings of a very large bird so she could fly to her place in the desert. She was to be cared for there and kept safe from the snake, which is the devil, for three-and one-half years.


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The earth helped the woman by opening its mouth. It drank in the flood of water that this snake-like animal spit from his mouth.


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This snake-like animal was very angry with the woman. He went off to fight with the rest of her children. They are the ones who obey the Laws of God and are faithful to the teachings of Jesus.


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I stood on the sand by the sea-shore. There I saw a wild animal coming up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns with a crown on each horn. There were names on each head that spoke bad words against God.


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The wild animal I saw was covered with spots. It had feet like those of a bear. It had a mouth like that of a lion. The snakelike animal gave this wild animal his own power and his own throne as king. The wild animal was given much power.


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One of the heads of the wild animal looked as if it had been killed. But the bad cut given to kill him was healed. The whole world was surprised and wondered about this, and they followed after the wild animal.


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They worshiped the snakelike animal for giving this wild animal such power. And they worshiped this wild animal. They said, "Who is like this wild animal? Who can fight against it?"


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The animal was given a mouth which spoke words full of pride and it spoke very bad things against the Lord. It was given much power for forty-two months.


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And it opened its mouth speaking very bad things against God. It spoke against God's name and His house and against those living in heaven.


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It was allowed to fight against the people who belong to God, and it had power to win over them. It had power over every family and every group of people and over people of every language and every nation.


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Every person on the earth from the beginning of the world whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb Who was killed will worship this animal.


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Whoever is to be tied and held will be held. Whoever kills with a sword must himself be killed with a sword. Now is when God's people must have faith and not give up.


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Then I saw another wild animal coming out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb. His voice was like that of the snake-like animal.


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He used the power of the first wild animal who was there with him. He made all the people on earth worship the first wild animal who had received the bad cut to kill him but was healed.


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The second wild animal did great powerful works. It spoke and made those who did not worship the first wild animal to be killed.


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He fooled the men of the earth by doing powerful works. He did these things in front of the first wild animal. He told those who live on the earth to make a god that looks like the first wild animal. The first wild animal was the one that was cut by the sword but lived.


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The second wild animal was given power to give life to the false god. This false god was the one that was made to look like the first wild animal. It was given power to talk. All those who did not worship it would die.


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The second wild animal made every person have a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. It was given to important men and to those not important, to rich men and poor men, to those who are free and to those who are servants.


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No one could buy or sell anything unless he had the mark on him. This mark was the name of the first wild animal or another way to write his name.


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This is wisdom. Let the person who has good understanding learn the meaning of the other way to write the name of the first wild animal. This name is a man's name. It is 666.


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Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion. There were 144,000 people with Him. These people had His name and His Father's name written on their foreheads.


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I heard a voice coming from heaven. It was like the sound of rushing water and of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like people playing music on their harps.


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This large group sang a new song. They sang before the throne and in front of the four living beings and the twentyfour leaders. Only the 144,000 could learn this song. They had been bought by the blood of Christ and made free from the earth.


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These are men who have kept themselves pure by not being married. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been bought by the blood of Christ and have been made free from among men. They are the first ones to be given to God and to the Lamb.


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Then I saw another angel flying in the heavens. He was carrying the Good News that lasts forever. He was preaching to every nation and to every family group and to the people of every language and to all the people of the earth.


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He said with a loud voice, "Honor God with love and fear. The time has come for Him to judge all men. Worship Him Who made heaven and earth and the sea and the places where water comes out of the earth."


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A second angel followed, saying, "Babylon has fallen! The great city Babylon has fallen! She made all the nations drink of the wine of her sinful sex life."


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A third angel followed, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the wild animal and his false god and receives a mark on his forehead or hand,


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he will drink of the wine of the anger of God. It is mixed in full strength in the cup of God's anger. They will be punished with fire and burning sulphur in front of the holy angels and before the Lamb.


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The smoke of those who are being punished will go up forever. They have no rest day or night. It is because they have worshiped the wild animal and his false god and have received the mark of his name.


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Then I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write these words: 'From now on those who are dead who died belonging to the Lord will be happy.' " "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will have rest from all their work. All the good things they have done will follow them."


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I looked and saw a white cloud. Sitting on the cloud was One like the Son of Man. He had a crown of gold on His head. In His hand He had a sharp knife for cutting grain.


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Then another angel came out from the house of God and called to Him with a loud voice. He said, "Use Your knife and gather in the grain. The time has come to gather the grain because the earth is ready."


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Then another angel came out from the house of God in heaven. He had a sharp knife for cutting grain also.


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Another angel who has power over fire came out from the altar. He said with a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp knife, "Use your knife and gather in the grapes from the vine of the earth, for they are ready to gather."


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The angel used his sickle on the earth. He gathered from the vine of the earth and put the fruit into the large place for making wine. It was full of God's anger.


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They walked on it outside the city and blood came out of the place where wine is made. The blood ran as far as a man could walk in seven days. It came up as high as a horse's head.


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Then I saw something else special in heaven that was great and made me wonder. There were seven angels with the seven last kinds of trouble. With these, God's anger is finished.


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Then I saw something that looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire. I saw many standing on the sea of glass. They were those who had won their fight with the wild animal and his false god and with his mark. All of them were holding harps that God had given to them.


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They were singing the song of Moses, who was a servant owned by God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "The things You do are great and powerful. You are the All-powerful Lord God. You are always right and true in everything You do. You are King of all nations.


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Who will not honor You, Lord, with love and fear? Who will not tell of the greatness of Your name? For You are the only One Who is holy. All nations will come and worship before You. Everyone sees that You do the right things."


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The seven angels who had the seven last kinds of trouble came out of the house of God. They were wearing clothes made of clean white linen. They were wearing belts made of gold around their chests.


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Then one of the four living beings gave to each of the seven angels a jar made of gold. These jars were filled with the anger of God Who lives forever.


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The house of God was filled with smoke from the shining-greatness and power of God. No one was able to go into the house of God until the seven angels had completed the seven kinds of trouble.


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Then I heard a loud voice coming from the house of God. The voice said to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the seven jars of God's anger onto the earth!"


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The first angel poured out his jar of God's anger onto the earth. Painful sores were given to everyone who had the mark of the wild animal and who worshiped his god.


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The second angel poured out his jar of God's anger onto the sea. The water became like the blood of a dead man. Every living thing in the sea died.


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The third angel poured out his jar of God's anger onto the rivers and places where water comes out of the earth. The water turned to blood.


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I heard the angel of the waters saying, "You are right in punishing by sending this trouble. You are the Holy One Who was and is and will be.


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They have poured out the blood of God's people and of the early preachers. You have given them blood to drink. They are getting the pay that is coming to them."


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I heard a voice from the altar saying, "Lord God, the All-powerful One! What You decide about people is right and true."


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The fourth angel poured out his jar of God's anger onto the sun. It was allowed to burn men with its fire.


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Men were burned with the heat of this fire and they called God bad names even when He had the power over these kinds of trouble. They were not sorry for their sins and did not turn from them and honor Him.


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The fifth angel poured out his jar of God's anger upon the throne of the wild animal. The whole nation of the wild animal was turned into darkness. Those who worshiped him bit their tongues because of the pain.


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They called the God of heaven bad names because of their pain and their sores. They were not sorry for what they had done.


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The sixth angel poured out his jar of God's anger onto the great Euphrates River. The water dried up. In this way, the kings of the countries of the east could cross over.


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Then I saw three demons that looked like frogs. They came out of the mouths of the snake-like animal and the second wild animal and the false preacher.


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These are demons that do powerful works. These demons go to all the kings of all the earth. They bring them together for the war of the great day of the All-powerful God.


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<n>(See! I will come like a robber. The man is happy who stays awake and keeps his clothes ready. He will not be walking around without clothes and be ashamed.)</n>


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The seventh angel poured out his jar of God's anger into the air. A loud voice came from the throne in the house of God, saying, "It is all done!"


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Then there were voices and lightning and thunder and the earth shook. The earth shook much more than it had ever shaken before.


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The big and strong city of Babylon was split in three parts. The cities of other nations fell to the ground. Then God remembered the strong city of Babylon. He made her drink the wine from His cup of much anger.


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Large pieces of hail fell from heaven on men. These pieces were about as heavy as an older child. But men called God bad names because of so much trouble from the hail.


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Then one of the seven angels who had the seven jars came to me. He said, "Come! I will show you how the powerful woman who sells the use of her body will be punished. She sits on the many waters of the world.


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The kings of the earth have done sex sins with her. People of the world have been made drunk with the wine of her sex sins."


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I was carried away in the Spirit by the angel to a desert. I saw a woman sitting on a red wild animal. It had seven heads and ten horns. All over the red wild animal was written bad names which spoke against God.


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The woman was wearing purple and red clothes. She was wearing gold and pearls and stones worth much money. She had in her hand a gold cup full of sinful things from her sex sins.


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There was a name written on her forehead which had a secret meaning. It said, "The big and powerful Babylon, mother of all women who sell the use of their bodies and mother of everything sinful of the earth."


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I looked at the woman. She was drunk with the blood of God's people and those who had been killed for telling about Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered very much.


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The angel asked me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the secret about this woman and the red wild animal that carries her. It is the red wild animal with seven heads and ten horns.


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The red wild animal you saw was alive but is now dead. He will come up from the hole without a bottom and be destroyed. The people of the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the beginning of the world, will be surprised as they look at the red wild animal. He was alive, but not now, but will yet come.


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They are seven kings also. Five of them are no longer kings. The sixth one is now king. The seventh one will be king, but only for a little while.


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The red wild animal that died is the eighth king. He belongs to the first seven kings, but he will be destroyed also.


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"The ten horns of the red wild animal which you saw are ten kings. They have not become leaders yet. But they will be given the right and the power to lead their nations for one hour with the red wild animal.


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These kings will fight and make war with the Lamb. But the Lamb will win the war because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. His people are the called and chosen and faithful ones."


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Then the angel said to me, "You saw the waters where the woman who sold the use of her body is sitting. The waters are people and large groups of people and nations and languages.


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The ten horns you saw and the red wild animal will hate the woman who sold the use of her body. They will take everything from her and even her clothes. They will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.


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God put in their minds a plan that would carry out His desire. They will agree to give their nation to the red wild animal until the words of God have been completed.


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Then I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had much power. The earth was made bright with his shining-greatness.


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He cried out with a loud voice, "The big and powerful city of Babylon is destroyed. Demons and every kind of unclean spirit live there. Unclean birds that are hated are there.


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For she gave her wine to the nations of the world. It was the wine of her desire for sex sins. The kings of the earth have done these sex sins with her. The men of the earth who buy and sell have become rich from the riches she received while living in sin."


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I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out from her, my people. Do not be a part of her sins so you will not share her troubles.


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Pay her back for what she has paid you. Give back to her twice as much for what she has done. In her own cup give her twice as much as she gave.


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Give her as much trouble and suffering as the fun and the rich living she chose for herself. In her heart she says, 'I sit here like a queen. I am not a woman whose husband has died. I will never have sorrow.'


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Because of this, troubles of death and sorrow and no food will come to her in one day. She will be burned with fire. For the Lord God is powerful. He is the One Who says she is guilty.


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"Then the kings of the earth will cry for her and be sorry when they see the smoke of her burning. They are the ones who did sex sins with her and lived as rich people.


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They stand a long way from her because they are afraid of her sufferings. They say, 'It is bad! It is bad for the big and powerful city of Babylon. For in one hour she is destroyed.'


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The men of the earth who buy and sell are sorry for her and cry. They cry because there is no one to buy their things anymore.


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They sold gold and silver and stones worth much money and pearls. They sold fine linen and purple and red silk cloth. They sold all kinds of perfumed wood. They sold things made from the teeth of animals and things made from wood that cost much money. They sold brass and iron and stone.


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They sold spices and perfumes of all kinds. They sold wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat. They sold cows and sheep and horses and wagons. They sold men who are not free and they sold the lives of men.


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They say to her, 'All the good things you wanted so much are gone from you. Your riches are gone. The things you liked so much are gone. You will never have them again.'


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The men of the earth who became rich by buying and selling in that city will stand a long way back because they are afraid of her sufferings. They will cry and have sorrow.


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They will say, 'It is bad! It is bad for that powerful city. She dressed in fine linen of purple and red. She covered herself with gold and pearls and stones worth much money.


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For in one hour her riches are destroyed.' The captain of every ship and all who traveled on ships and all who worked on ships stood a long way back.


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They cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'Has there ever been such a city as powerful as this one?'


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They threw dirt on their heads. They cried out with much sorrow and said, 'It is bad! It is bad for the powerful city! She is the place where all those who owned ships on the sea became rich from all her riches. For in one hour everything is gone!'


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"Be full of joy because of her, O heaven! Be full of joy, you who belong to God and missionaries and early preachers! For God has punished her for what she did to you."


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Then a strong angel picked up a large stone like those used for grinding wheat. He threw it into the sea, saying, "The big and strong city of Babylon will be thrown down like this. It will never be found again.


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The sound of those playing on harps and on flutes and on horns will not be heard in you again. No workman doing any kind of work will be found in you again. The sound of the grinding-stone will not be heard in you again.


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No light will ever shine in you again. There will be no more happy voices from a wedding heard in you. Your men who bought and sold were the most powerful on earth. You fooled people over all the world by your witchcraft.


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And in this city was found the blood of the early preachers and of those who belonged to God and of all those who had been killed on the earth."


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After this I heard what sounded like the voices of many people in heaven, saying, "Thanks to our God, the One Who saves. Honor and power belong to Him.


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For the way He punishes people is right and true. He has punished the powerful woman who sold the use of her body. She was making the earth sinful with her sex sins. She killed those who worked for God. He has punished her for it."


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The twenty-four leaders and the four living beings got down and worshiped God Who was sitting on the throne. They said, "Let it be so. Thanks to our God!"


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A voice came from the throne, saying, "Give thanks to our God, you servants who are owned by Him. Give thanks to our God, you who honor Him with love and fear, both small and great."


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Then I heard what sounded like the voices of many people. It was like the sound of powerful rushing water. And it was like loud thunder. It said, "Thanks to our God. For the Lord our God is King. He is the All-powerful One.


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Let us be full of joy and be glad. Let us honor Him, for the time has come for the wedding supper of the Lamb. His bride has made herself ready.


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She was given clean, white, fine linen clothes to wear. The fine linen is the right living of God's people."


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The angel said to me, "Write this: 'Those who are asked to the wedding supper of the Lamb are happy.' " And he said, "These are the true words of God."


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Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "No! Do not worship me. I am a servant together with you and your Christian brothers who tell of their trust in Christ. Worship God. For those who speak for Jesus are led in what to say as the early preachers were led."


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Then I saw heaven opened. A white horse was standing there. The One Who was sitting on the horse is called Faithful and True. He is the One Who punishes in the right way. He makes war.


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His eyes are a flame of fire. He has many crowns on His head. His name is written on Him but He is the only One Who knows what it says.


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The armies in heaven were dressed in clean, white, fine linen. They were following Him on white horses.


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Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword to punish the nations. He will be the Leader over them using a piece of iron. He walks on the grapes where wine is made, pressing out the anger of God, the All-powerful One.


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Then I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried out with a loud voice to all the birds flying in the sky, "Come and gather together for the great supper of God!


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Come and eat the flesh of kings and of captains of soldiers and of strong men and of the flesh of horses and of those sitting on them. Come and eat the flesh of all men, small and great. Some are free and some are not free."


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Then I saw the wild animal and the kings of the earth and their armies gather together. They were ready to fight against the One Who is sitting on the white horse and against His army.


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The wild animal was taken. The false preacher was taken with it. It was the false preacher who had done powerful works in front of the wild animal. In this way, he fooled those who had received the mark of the wild animal and those who worshiped his false god. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.


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The rest were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the One Who sat on the horse. All the birds were filled by eating the flesh of these who were killed.


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Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven. He had in his hand a key to the hole without a bottom. He also had a strong chain.


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He took hold of the snake-like animal, that old snake, who is the Devil, or Satan, and chained him for 1,000 years.


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The angel threw the devil into the hole without a bottom. He shut it and locked him in it. He could not fool the nations anymore until the 1,000 years were completed. After this he must be free for awhile.


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Then I saw thrones. Those who were sitting there were given the power to judge. I saw the souls of those who had been killed because they told about Jesus and preached the Word of God. They had not worshiped the wild animal or his false god. They had not received his mark on their foreheads or hands. They lived again and were leaders along with Christ for 1,000 years.


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The rest of the dead did not come to life again until the 1,000 years were finished. This is the first time many people are raised from the dead at the same time.


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Those who are raised from the dead during this first time are happy and holy. The second death has no power over them. They will be religious leaders of God and of Christ. They will be leaders with Him for 1,000 years.


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He will go out and fool the nations who are over all the world. They are Gog and Magog. He will gather them all together for war. There will be as many as the sand along the sea-shore.


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They will spread out over the earth and all around the place where God's people are and around the city that is loved. Fire will come down from God out of heaven and destroy them.


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Then the devil who fooled them will be thrown into the lake of fire burning with sulphur. The wild animal and the false preacher are already there. They will all be punished day and night forever.


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Then I saw a great white throne. I saw the One Who sat on it. The earth and the heaven left Him in a hurry and they could be found no more.


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I saw all the dead people standing before God. There were great people and small people. The books were opened. Then another book was opened. It was the book of life. The dead people were judged by what they had done as it was written in the books.


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The sea gave up the dead people who were in it. Death and hell gave up the dead people who were in them. Each one was judged by what he had done.


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Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away. There was no more sea.


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I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. It was coming down out of heaven from God. It was made ready like a bride is made ready for her husband.


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I heard a loud voice coming from heaven. It said, "See! God's home is with men. He will live with them. They will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will be their God.


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God will take away all their tears. There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All the old things have passed away."


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Then the One sitting on the throne said, "See! I am making all things new. Write, for these words are true and faithful."


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Then He said to me, "These things have happened! I am the First and the Last. I am the beginning and the end. To anyone who is thirsty, I will give the water of life. It is a free gift.


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But those who are afraid and those who do not have faith and the sinful-minded people and those who kill other people and those who do sex sins and those who follow witchcraft and those who worship false gods and all those who tell lies will be put into the lake of fire and sulphur. This is the second death."


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Then one of the seven angels who had the seven jars full of the seven last troubles came to me and said, "Come! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."


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I was carried away in the Spirit by the angel to a very high mountain. He showed me the Holy City of Jerusalem. It was coming out of heaven from God.


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It was filled with the shining-greatness of God. It shone like a stone worth much money, like a jasper stone. It was clear like glass.


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It had a very high wall, and there were twelve gates. Twelve angels stood by the gates. The names of the twelve family groups of the Jewish nation were written on the gates.


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There were three gates on each side. There were three on the east side and three on the north side and three on the south side and three on the west side.


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The walls were on twelve stones. The names of the twelve missionaries of the Lamb were written on the stones.


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The angel had a stick in his hand. It was used to find out how big the city and its gates and the walls were.


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He found out that the city was as wide as it was long and it was as high as it was wide. It was as long as a man could walk in fifty days. It was the same each way.


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The angel found out that the walls were the same as a man taking seventy-two long steps. The angel used the same way to find out about the city as a man would have used.


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The city was built on every kind of stone that was worth much money. The first stone was jasper. The second was sapphire. The third was chalcedony. The fourth was emerald.


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The fifth was sardonyx. The sixth was sardius. The seventh was chrysolite. The eighth was beryl. The ninth was topaz. The tenth was chrysoprase. The eleventh was jacinth and the twelfth was amethyst.


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The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each gate was made from one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold. It was clear as glass.


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I did not see a house of God in the city. The All-powerful Lord god and the Lamb are the house of God in this city.


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There is no need for the sun and moon to shine in the city. The shining-greatness of God makes it full of light. The Lamb is its light.


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Nothing sinful will go into the city. No one who is sinful-minded or tells lies can go in. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life can go in.


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Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. It was as clear as glass and came from the throne of God and of the Lamb.


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It runs down the center of the street in the city. On each side of the river was the tree of life. It gives twelve different kinds of fruit. It gives this fruit twelve times a year, new fruit each month. Its leaves are used to heal the nations.


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There will be nothing in the city that is sinful. The place where God and the Lamb sit will be there. The servants He owns will serve Him.


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There will be no night there. There will be no need for a light or for the sun because the Lord God will be their light. They will be leaders forever.


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Then the angel said to me, "These words are faithful and true. The Lord God of the early preachers has sent His angel to show the servants He owns what must happen soon.


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It was I, John, who heard and saw these things. Then I got down at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. I was going to worship him.


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But he said to me, "No! You must not do that. I am a servant together with you and with your Christian brothers and the early preachers and with all those who obey the words in this Book. You must worship God!"


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And let the sinful people keep on being sinful. Let the dirty-minded people keep on being dirty-minded. And let those right with God keep on being right with God. Let the holy people keep on being holy.


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"See! I am coming soon. I am bringing with Me the reward I will give to everyone for what he has done.


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Those who wash their clothes clean are happy <n>(who are washed by the blood of the Lamb)</n>. They will have the right to go into the city through the gates. They will have the right to eat the fruit of the tree of life.


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Outside the city are the dogs. They are people who follow witchcraft and those who do sex sins and those who kill other people and those who worship false gods and those who like lies and tell them.


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"I am Jesus. I have sent My angel to you with these words to the churches. I am the beginning of David and of his family. I am the bright Morning Star."


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The Holy Spirit and the Bride say, "Come!" Let the one who hears, say, "Come!" Let the one who is thirsty, come. Let the one who wants to drink of the water of life, drink it. It is a free gift.


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I am telling everyone who hears the words that are written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written in this book, God will add to him the kinds of trouble that this book tells about.


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If anyone takes away any part of this book that tells what will happen in the future, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the Holy City, which are told about in this book.


