Book of Common Prayer

¹⁴ The second trouble is gone. The third trouble is coming soon.

¹⁵ Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet. Loud voices were heard in the sky. They said, `The kingdom of the world now belongs to our Lord and to his Christ. He will rule for ever and ever.'

¹⁶ Then the twenty-four leaders who sat on their thrones in front of God kneeled down and worshipped God.

¹⁷ They said, `We thank you, Lord God, who has all power. You live now and you always have lived. We thank you because you have now used your power and started to rule.

¹⁸ `The people who did not believe you became angry. But now you are angry. It is time for dead people to be judged. And it is time to reward your servants, the prophets of God, and your holy people and all who respect your name - those who are great and those who are not so great. It is time to destroy those who destroy the earth.'

¹⁹ Then the temple of God in heaven was opened. The box where his agreement was kept was seen inside the temple. And there was lightning, loud noises, and thunder. The earth shook and much rain, like stones, fell.

²⁷ As he said this, a woman among the people called out, `Happy is your mother who gave birth to you, and fed you as a baby.'

²⁸ But Jesus said, `Happy are those who hear God's word and obey it!'

²⁹ More and more people were coming. He started to talk. He said, `People today are bad. They want a sign. No sign will be given them but the sign of Jonah the prophet of God.

³⁰ Jonah was a sign to the men in the city of Nineveh. In the same way the Son of Man will be a sign to the people today.

³¹ When the people are judged, the Queen from the South will stand up and speak against men who live today. She came a long way to hear the wise words of Solomon. The one who is here is greater than Solomon.

³² When people are judged, the men of Nineveh will stand up and speak against the people of today. They stopped their wrong ways when Jonah told them God's word. And the one who is here is greater than Jonah.'

³³ `No person lights a lamp and hides it in a hole or puts it under a basket. But he puts it on a place for a lamp. Then people who come in can see the light.

³⁴ Your body gets its light through your eyes. When you have good eyes, all your body has light. But when your eyes are bad, your body is in darkness.

³⁵ So be sure that it is not dark in you where it should be light.

³⁶ If no part of your body is dark, it will all be light. It will be like a lamp that shines to give you light.'