Book of Common Prayer

Reigning for a thousand years

20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven. In his hand he held the key to the Abyss, and a large chain. ² He grabbed hold of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and the satan. He tied him up for a thousand years, ³ threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he wouldn’t be able to deceive the nations anymore, until the thousand years were complete. After that he must be let out for a short time.

⁴ Then I saw thrones, with people sitting on them, who were given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had had their heads cut off because they had borne witness to Jesus, and because of the word of God; and also those who had not worshiped the monster or its image, and had not received the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with the Messiah for a thousand years. ⁵ The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is the one who has a share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them. They will be priests to God and the Messiah, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

Jesus predicts his death

²¹ From then on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day.

²² Peter took him and began to tell him off. “Certainly not, Master!” he said. “That’s never, ever going to happen to you!”

²³ Jesus turned on Peter. “Get behind me, satan!” he said. “You’re trying to trip me up! You’re coming at this from a human point of view, not from God’s point of view!”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after me, they must give themselves up, and pick up their cross, and follow me. ²⁵ Yes: if someone wants to save their life, they must lose it; and if anyone loses their life for my sake they will find it. ²⁶ What use will it be, otherwise, if you win the whole world but forfeit your true life? What will you give to get your life back? ²⁷ You see, the son of man is going to ‘come in the glory of his father with his angels,’ and then ‘he will reward everyone for the work they have done.’ ²⁸ I’m telling you the truth: some of those standing here will not taste death until they see ‘the son of man coming in his kingdom.’ ”