Book of Common Prayer

Heaven Rejoices Over God’s Judgment

19 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven^[a] of ones saying “Hallelujah— the salvation and the glory and the power of ^[b] our God! ² Because His judgments are true and righteous. Because He judged the great prostitute who corrupted^[c] the earth with her sexual-immorality, and He avenged the blood of His slaves from her hand”. ³ And a second time they have said, “Hallelujah! And her smoke goes up forever and ever”. ⁴ And the twenty four elders and the four living-creatures fell and gave-worship to God, the One sitting on the throne, saying “Amen. Hallelujah!”

Heaven Rejoices Over The Wedding of The Lamb

⁵ And a voice came out from the throne, saying “Give-praise^[d] to our God, all His slaves, and^[e] the ones fearing Him— the small and the great”. ⁶ And I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of strong thunders, saying “Hallelujah! Because the Lord our God, the Almighty, began^[f] to reign. ⁷ Let us rejoice and be overjoyed, and give the glory to Him, because the wedding^[g] of the Lamb came, and His wife prepared herself ”. ⁸ And^[h] authority was given to her to^[i] clothe herself with shining clean fine-linen. For the fine-linen is the righteous-acts of the saints. ⁹ And he^[j] says to me, “Write— ‘Blessed are the ones having been called^[k] to the banquet of the wedding of the Lamb’”.

These Words Are True Words of God

And he says to me, “These^[l] words are true ones of God”. ¹⁰ And I fell in front of his feet to give-worship^[m] to him. And he says to me “See that you not do it. I am a fellow-slave of you and your brothers— the ones holding the testimony of ^[n] Jesus. Give-worship to God. For the testimony of ^[o] Jesus is the spirit^[p] of prophecy”.

Carry Your Own Cross And Follow Me. Calculate The Cost First

²⁵ And large crowds were proceeding-with Him. And having turned, He said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and furthermore, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷ Whoever is not carrying his own cross^[a] and coming after Me, cannot be My disciple. ²⁸ For which of you wanting to build a tower does not first, having sat-down, calculate the cost to see whether he has enough for the completion?— ²⁹ in order that he having laid a foundation and not being able to finish it out, all the ones observing may not perhaps begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying that ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish it out!’ ³¹ Or what king going to engage another king in battle will not, having sat-down first, deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand men to meet^[b] the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² Otherwise indeed, the one coming still being far away— the king, having sent-forth a delegation, asks the things for peace. ³³ So therefore, any of you who is not saying-goodbye^[c] to all his possessions cannot be My disciple. ³⁴ Therefore, salt is good. But if indeed the salt should become-tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? ³⁵ It is fit neither for soil nor for the manure-pile. They throw it outside. Let the one having ears to hear, hear”.