Daily Text and Bible Reading: Friday, December 27 [Press play below]

1.1 A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to show his slaves the things that must shortly take place. And he sent his angel and presented it in signs through him to his slave John,
1.2 who bore witness to the word God gave and to the witness Jesus Christ gave, yes, to all the things he saw.
1.3 Happy is the one who reads aloud and those who hear the words of this prophecy and who observe the things written in it, for the appointed time is near.
1.4 John to the seven congregations that are in the province of Asia: May you have undeserved kindness and peace from “the One who is and who was and who is coming,” and from the seven spirits that are before his throne,
1.5 and from Jesus Christ, “the Faithful Witness,” “the firstborn from the dead,” and “the Ruler of the kings of the earth.” To him who loves us and who set us free from our sins by means of his own blood—
1.6 and he made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—yes, to him be the glory and the might forever. Amen.
1.7 Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him. Yes, Amen.
1.8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says Jehovah God, “the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty.”
1.9 I John, your brother and a sharer with you in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in association with Jesus, was on the island called Patmos for speaking about God and bearing witness concerning Jesus.
1.10 By inspiration I came to be in the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a strong voice like that of a trumpet,
1.11 saying: “What you see, write in a scroll and send it to the seven congregations: in Ephesus, in Smyrna, in Pergamum, in Thyatira, in Sardis, in Philadelphia, and in Laodicea.”
1.12 I turned to see who was speaking with me, and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,
1.13 and in the midst of the lampstands someone like a son of man, clothed in a garment that reached down to the feet and wearing a golden sash around his chest.
1.14 Moreover, his head and his hair were white as white wool, as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame,
1.15 and his feet were like fine copper when glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters.
1.16 And he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth a sharp, long, two-edged sword was protruding, and his countenance was like the sun when it shines at its brightest.
1.17 When I saw him, I fell as dead at his feet. And he laid his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
1.18 and the living one, and I became dead, but look! I am living forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of the Grave.
1.19 So write down the things you saw, and the things that are, and the things that will take place after these.
1.20 As for the sacred secret of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars mean the angels of the seven congregations, and the seven lampstands mean the seven congregations.
2.1 “To the angel of the congregation in Ephesus write: These are the things that he says who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:
2.2 ‘I know your deeds, and your labor and endurance, and that you cannot tolerate bad men, and that you put to the test those who say they are apostles, but they are not, and you found them to be liars.
2.3 You are also showing endurance, and you have persevered for the sake of my name and have not grown weary.
2.4 Nevertheless, I hold this against you, that you have left the love you had at first.
2.5 “‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first. If you do not, I will come to you, and I will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
2.6 Still, you do have this in your favor: that you hate the deeds of the sect of Nicolaus, which I also hate.
2.7 Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations: To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
2.8 “And to the angel of the congregation in Smyrna write: These are the things that he says, ‘the First and the Last,’ who became dead and came to life again:
2.9 ‘I know your tribulation and poverty—but you are rich—and the blasphemy by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but they are a synagogue of Satan.
2.10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. Look! The Devil will keep on throwing some of you into prison so that you may be fully put to the test, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Prove yourself faithful even to death, and I will give you the crown of life.
2.11 Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations: The one who conquers will by no means be harmed by the second death.’
2.12 “To the angel of the congregation in Pergamum write: These are the things that he says who has the sharp, long, two-edged sword:
2.13 ‘I know where you are dwelling, that is, where the throne of Satan is; and yet you keep holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed by your side, where Satan is dwelling.
2.14 “‘Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those adhering to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.
2.15 In the same way, you also have those adhering to the teaching of the sect of Nicolaus.
2.16 So repent. If you do not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will war against them with the long sword of my mouth.
2.17 “‘Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations: To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white pebble, and written on the pebble is a new name that no one knows except the one receiving it.’
2.18 “To the angel of the congregation in Thyatira write: These are the things that the Son of God says, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine copper:
2.19 ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and ministry and endurance, and that your deeds of late are more than those you did at first.
2.20 “‘Nevertheless, I do hold this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols.
2.21 And I gave her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality.
2.22 Look! I am about to throw her into a sickbed, and those committing adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
2.23 And I will kill her children with deadly plague, so that all the congregations will know that I am the one who searches the innermost thoughts and hearts, and I will give to you individually according to your deeds.
2.24 “‘However, I say to the rest of you who are in Thyatira, all those who do not follow this teaching, those who did not get to know the so-called “deep things of Satan”: I am not putting on you any other burden.
2.25 Just the same, hold fast to what you have until I come.
2.26 And to the one who conquers and observes my deeds down to the end, I will give authority over the nations,
2.27 and he will shepherd the people with an iron rod so that they will be broken to pieces like clay vessels, just as I have received from my Father.
2.28 And I will give him the morning star.
2.29 Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations.’
3.1 “To the angel of the congregation in Sardis write: These are the things that he says who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have the name that you are alive, but you are dead.
3.2 Become watchful, and strengthen the things remaining that were ready to die, for I have not found your works fully performed before my God.
3.3 Therefore, continue mindful of how you have received and how you heard, and go on keeping it, and repent. Certainly unless you wake up, I will come as a thief, and you will not know at all at what hour I will come upon you.
3.4 “‘Nevertheless, you do have a few individuals in Sardis who did not defile their garments, and they will walk with me in white ones, because they are worthy.
3.5 The one who conquers will thus be dressed in white garments, and I will by no means blot out his name from the book of life, but I will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.
3.6 Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations.’
3.7 “To the angel of the congregation in Philadelphia write: These are the things he says who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens so that no one will shut and shuts so that no one opens:
3.8 ‘I know your deeds—look! I have set before you an opened door, which no one can shut. And I know that you have a little power, and you kept my word and did not prove false to my name.
3.9 Look! I will make those from the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews yet are not, but are lying—look! I will make them come and bow before your feet and make them know that I have loved you.
3.10 Because you kept the word about my endurance, I will also keep you from the hour of test, which is to come upon the entire inhabited earth, to put to the test those dwelling on the earth.
3.11 I am coming quickly. Keep holding fast to what you have, so that no one may take your crown.
3.12 “‘The one who conquers—I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will by no means go out from it anymore, and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem that descends out of heaven from my God, and my own new name.
3.13 Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations.’
3.14 “To the angel of the congregation in Laodicea write: These are the things that the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God:
3.15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or else hot.
3.16 So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.
3.17 Because you say, “I am rich and have acquired riches and do not need anything at all,” but you do not know that you are miserable and pitiful and poor and blind and naked,
3.18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may become dressed and that the shame of your nakedness may not be exposed, and eyesalve to rub in your eyes so that you may see.
3.19 “‘All those for whom I have affection, I reprove and discipline. So be zealous and repent.
3.20 Look! I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his house and take the evening meal with him and he with me.
3.21 To the one who conquers I will grant to sit down with me on my throne, just as I conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
3.22 Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations.’”
4.1 After this I saw, and look! an opened door in heaven, and the first voice that I heard speaking with me was like a trumpet, saying: “Come up here, and I will show you the things that must take place.”
4.2 After this I immediately came to be in the power of the spirit, and look! a throne was in its position in heaven, and someone was seated on the throne.
4.3 And the One seated had the appearance of a jasper stone and a sardius stone, and all around the throne was a rainbow like an emerald in appearance.
4.4 All around the throne were 24 thrones, and on these thrones I saw seated 24 elders dressed in white garments, and on their heads golden crowns.
4.5 From the throne were coming lightning and voices and thunders; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, and these mean the seven spirits of God.
4.6 Before the throne was something resembling a glassy sea, like crystal. In the midst of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures that were full of eyes in front and behind.
4.7 The first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature was like a young bull, and the third living creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
4.8 As for the four living creatures, each one of them had six wings; they were full of eyes all around and underneath. And continuously, day and night, they say: “Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is coming.”
4.9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanksgiving to the One seated on the throne, the One who lives forever and ever,
4.10 the 24 elders fall down before the One seated on the throne and worship the One who lives forever and ever, and they cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
4.11 “You are worthy, Jehovah our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and because of your will they came into existence and were created.”