Book of Common Prayer

Vision 5: Heaven Is Opened. The King of Kings Comes To Earth On a White Horse

¹¹ And I saw heaven having been opened. And behold— there was a white horse, and the One sitting on it being called Faithful and True. And He judges and wages-war in righteousness. ¹² And His eyes are like a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems^[a]— He having a name having been written which no one knows except Himself, ¹³ and having clothed Himself with a garment having been dipped in blood^[b]. And His name has been called “The Word of God”. ¹⁴ And the armies in heaven were following Him on white horses, the riders having been dressed-in white clean fine-linen. ¹⁵ And a sharp sword comes out of His mouth, in order that He may strike the nations with it. And He Himself will shepherd^[c] them with an iron rod. And He Himself treads the winepress of the wine of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ And He has a name having been written on the garment and^[d] on His thigh: “King of kings, and Lord of lords”.

An Angel Calls The Birds To Feast On Human Flesh

¹⁷ And I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he cried-out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, “Come, be gathered-together for the great banquet of God, ¹⁸ in order that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders, and the flesh of powerful ones, and the flesh of horses and of the ones sitting on them, and the flesh of everyone— both free and slaves, both^[e] small and great”.

The Beast And His Followers Are Conquered. The Birds Are Satisfied

¹⁹ And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies having been gathered-together to make^[f] war against the One sitting on the horse, and against His army. ²⁰ And the beast was seized, and with him the false-prophet having done the signs in his presence, by which he deceived the ones having received the mark of the beast, and the ones giving-worship to his image. While living, the two were thrown into the lake of fire burning with sulphur. ²¹ And the rest were killed with the sword of the One sitting on the horse, the sword having come-out of His mouth. And all the birds were filled-to-satisfaction from their flesh.

Parables For Sinners And Pharisees

15 Now all the tax-collectors and the sinners were drawing-near to Him to hear Him. ² And both the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling, saying that “This One is welcoming sinners and eating with them”.

The Lost Sheep And Lost Coin: Heaven Rejoices When a Sinner Repents

³ And He spoke this parable to them, saying ⁴ “What man from-among you having a hundred sheep and having lost one of them, does not leave-behind the ninety nine in the wilderness and proceed after the one having become-lost until he finds it? ⁵ And having found it, he puts it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And having come to the house, he calls-together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice-with me, because I found my lost sheep!’ ⁷ I say to you that in this manner there will be joy in heaven over one sinner repenting more-than^[a] over ninety nine righteous ones who have no need of repentance. ⁸ Or what woman having ten drachmas^[b], if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek carefully until which time she finds it ? ⁹ And having found it, she calls together her women friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice-with me, because I found the drachma which I lost!’ ¹⁰ In this manner, I say to you, joy comes-about in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting”.