Book of Common Prayer

⁷ `Write this to the angel of the church people in Philadelphia: Here are the words of the one who is holy and true. He has David's key. No one will shut what he opens. And no one will open what he shuts.

⁸ `He says, "I know what you do. Look, I have opened a door in front of you. No one can shut it. I know that you do not have much power. But you have obeyed my word and you have never said you did not believe in me.

⁹ Look! I will bring some people who belong to Satan's group. They call themselves Jews, but they are not real Jews. They lie. Look, I will make them come and kneel down in front of you. They will know that I have loved you.

¹⁰ You have obeyed my word and been patient. So I will keep you safe in the time of trouble which will come all over the world. It will test the people who live on earth.

¹¹ I am coming again soon! Hold on to the faith which you have, so that no one will stop you receiving your reward in heaven.

¹² I will make the person who wins become a strong post in the temple of my God. I will keep him strong. He will never leave it again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of my God's city. This city is the new Jerusalem. It comes down out of heaven from my God. And I will write my new name on him."

¹³ `He who can hear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.'

¹⁵ `Daniel the prophet said that people would put something very bad in the temple.' (Let the one who reads this understand it.)

¹⁶ `When that happens, the people in Judea must go quickly to the hills.

¹⁷ A person who is on the top of a house must not go down into the house to get things from the house.

¹⁸ A person who is working in the fields must not go back home to get his coat.

¹⁹ In those days it will be very hard for women who are to have a child. It will be very hard for mothers who have a baby.

²⁰ Ask God that you may not have to go in the cold time of the year or on the Sabbath day.

²¹ The trouble then will be bigger than any other trouble since God made the world. And there never will be any trouble as big as that.

²² No person would be saved if the Lord did not cut the time of trouble shorter. He will cut it shorter for the sake of his chosen people.

²³ `If anyone says to you then, "Look, here is the Christ!" or "There he is!" do not believe it.

²⁴ People will come and say they are the Christ. People will come and say they are prophets. But they are not true. They will show big signs and do wonderful things to fool people. They will fool God's chosen people if they can.

²⁵ Watch! I have told you these things before they happen.

²⁶ So if people say to you, "He is in the wilderness," do not go there. If they say, "He is hiding somewhere," do not believe it.

²⁷ When lightning shines in the east, it can be seen in the west. It will be like that when the Son of Man comes.

²⁸ The big birds that eat meat will all go to the place where the dead body is.'

²⁹ `Right after that time of trouble, the sun will be dark. The moon will not shine. The stars will fall from the sky. And the powers in the sky will be shaken.

³⁰ Then people will see the sign of the Son of Man in the sky. Then all the people of the earth will cry. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sky. He will have much power and will be very great.

³¹ He will send his angels to call with a loud trumpet or horn. They will gather his chosen people from everywhere all over the earth.'