Book of Common Prayer

Angels Seal 144,000 Slaves of God On Their Foreheads With The Seal of God

7 After this^[a] I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding-back the four winds of the earth in order that a wind might not blow on the land, nor on the sea, nor against any tree. ² And I saw another angel coming-up from the rising of the sun^[b], having a seal of the living God. And he cried-out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom authority was given to them to harm the land and the sea, ³ saying “Do not harm the land nor the sea nor the trees until we seal^[c] the slaves of our God upon their foreheads”. ⁴ And I heard the number of the ones having been sealed, one-hundred forty four thousand, having been sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel— ⁵ from^[d] the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand having been sealed; from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand; ⁶ from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand; ⁷ from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand; ⁸ from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand having been sealed.

Jesus Sets His Course For Jerusalem

⁵¹ Now it came about during the days of ^[a] His ascension being fulfilled, that He set His face^[b] that He might proceed to Jerusalem.

Jesus Sends Messengers Ahead To Samaria. They Are Not Welcomed

⁵² And He sent out messengers ahead of His presence. And having gone, they entered into a village of Samaritans so-as to prepare for Him. ⁵³ And they did not welcome Him, because His face was going toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ And the disciples having seen it, James and John said, “Lord, do You want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” ⁵⁵ But having turned, He rebuked them. ⁵⁶ And they proceeded to another village.

Jesus Says Follow Me Now, Unbound By Earthly Concerns

⁵⁷ And while they were proceeding on the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go”. ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests, but the Son of Man does not have a place where He may lay His head”. ⁵⁹ And He said to another, “Be following Me”. But the one said, “Master, permit me, having gone, to first bury^[c] my father”. ⁶⁰ But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead. But you, having gone, be proclaiming the kingdom of God”. ⁶¹ And another also said, “I will follow You, Master. But first permit me to say-good-bye to the ones in my house”. ⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one having put his hand on the plow and looking to the things behind^[d] is fit^[e] for the kingdom of God”.