Day of Disaster

16 Then the word of the Lord came to me: ² “You must not marry^(A) and have sons or daughters in this place.” ³ For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers:^{(B) 4} “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried^(C) but will be like dung lying on the ground.^(D) They will perish by sword and famine,^(E) and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”^(F)

⁵ For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity^(G) from this people,” declares the Lord. ⁶ “Both high and low will die in this land.^(H) They will not be buried or mourned,^(I) and no one will cut^(J) themselves or shave^(K) their head for the dead. ⁷ No one will offer food^(L) to comfort those who mourn^(M) for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console^(N) them.

⁸ “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink.^{(O) 9} For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds^(P) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride^(Q) and bridegroom in this place.^(R)

¹⁰ “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’^{(S) 11} then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped^(T) them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.^{(U) 12} But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors.^(V) See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts^(W) instead of obeying me. ¹³ So I will throw you out of this land^(X) into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known,^(Y) and there you will serve other gods^(Z) day and night, for I will show you no favor.’^(AA)

¹⁴ “However, the days are coming,”^(AB) declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’^{(AC) 15} but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north^(AD) and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’^(AE) For I will restore^(AF) them to the land I gave their ancestors.^(AG)

¹⁶ “But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them.^(AH) After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt^(AI) them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.^{(AJ) 17} My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden^(AK) from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.^{(AL) 18} I will repay^(AM) them double^(AN) for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land^(AO) with the lifeless forms of their vile images^(AP) and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.^(AQ)”^(AR)

⁵ This is what the Lord says:

Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

¹⁹ This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People,^[c] through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.^{(AP) 20} Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem^(AQ) who come through these gates.^{(AR) 21} This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath^(AS) day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. ²² Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.^{(AT) 23} Yet they did not listen or pay attention;^(AU) they were stiff-necked^(AV) and would not listen or respond to discipline.^{(AW) 24} But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy^(AX) by not doing any work on it, ²⁵ then kings who sit on David’s throne^(AY) will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.^{(AZ) 26} People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev,^(BA) bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. ²⁷ But if you do not obey^(BB) me to keep the Sabbath^(BC) day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire^(BD) in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”^(BE)

Psalm 96^(A)

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb,^(A) standing on Mount Zion,^(B) and with him 144,000^(C) who had his name and his Father’s name^(D) written on their foreheads.^{(E) 2} And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters^(F) and like a loud peal of thunder.^(G) The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.^{(H) 3} And they sang a new song^(I) before the throne and before the four living creatures^(J) and the elders.^(K) No one could learn the song except the 144,000^(L) who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins.^(M) They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.^(N) They were purchased from among mankind^(O) and offered as firstfruits^(P) to God and the Lamb. ⁵ No lie was found in their mouths;^(Q) they are blameless.^(R)

The Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in midair,^(S) and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth^(T)—to every nation, tribe, language and people.^{(U) 7} He said in a loud voice, “Fear God^(V) and give him glory,^(W) because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made^(X) the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”^(Y)

⁸ A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’^[a](Z) which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”^(AA)

⁹ A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast^(AB) and its image^(AC) and receives its mark on their forehead^(AD) or on their hand, ¹⁰ they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury,^(AE) which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.^(AF) They will be tormented with burning sulfur^(AG) in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever.^(AH) There will be no rest day or night^(AI) for those who worship the beast and its image,^(AJ) or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”^{(AK) 12} This calls for patient endurance^(AL) on the part of the people of God^(AM) who keep his commands^(AN) and remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord^(AO) from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit,^(AP) “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

¹⁴ I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,^(AQ) and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man^[b](AR) with a crown^(AS) of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ Then another angel came out of the temple^(AT) and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle^(AU) and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest^(AV) of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.^{(AW) 18} Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar^(AX) and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle^(AY) and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^{(AZ) 20} They were trampled in the winepress^(BA) outside the city,^(BB) and blood^(BC) flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^[c]