Book of Common Prayer

Praise or thanks are given to God for judging the whore, and for avenging the blood of his servants. The angel will not be worshipped. The fowls and birds are called to the slaughter.

19 And after that I heard the voice of a great many people in heaven saying, Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honour and power be ascribed to the Lord our God! ² For true and righteous are his judgments, for he has judged the great whore who did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of his servants shed by her hand. ³ And again they said, Alleluia! And smoke rose up forevermore. ⁴ And the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who sat on the seat, saying, Amen! Alleluia! ⁵ And a voice came out of the seat, saying, Praise our Lord God, all you who are his servants, and you who fear him, both small and great!

⁶ And I heard the voice of a great many people, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of strong thunderings, saying, Alleluia, for God Omnipotent reigns! ⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. ⁸ And to her it was granted that she should be arrayed with pure and splendid linens. For fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

⁹ And he said to me, Happy are those who are called to the Lamb’s supper! And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God. ¹⁰ And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, See you do it not. For I am your fellow servant and one of your brethren, and of those who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The Pharisees seek a sign. Jesus warns his disciples of the Pharisees’ doctrine. Peter’s confession. The keys of heaven. The faithful must bear their cross after Christ.

16 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tempted Jesus, asking him to show them some sign from heaven. ² He answered and said to them, At evening you say the weather will be fair, and that because the sky is red; ³ and in the morning you say it will be bad weather today, and that because the sky is cloudy and red. O ye hypocrites, you can discern the aspect of the sky, and can you not discern the signs of the times? ⁴ The froward and adulterous nation seeks a sign, but no other sign shall be given to them than the sign of the prophet Jonah.

So he left them, and departed.

⁵ And when his disciples had come to the other side of the water, they had forgotten to take bread with them. ⁶ Then Jesus said to them, Take heed, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. ⁷ And they thought in themselves, saying, It is because we have brought no bread with us.

⁸ When Jesus understood this, he said to them, O ye of little faith, why are your minds cumbered because you have brought no bread? ⁹ Do you not yet perceive? Nor remember those five loaves when there were 5,000 men, and how many baskets you took up? ¹⁰ Nor the seven loaves when there were 4,000, and how many baskets you took up? ¹¹ Why do you not perceive then that I was not speaking to you about bread when I said to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?

¹² Then they understood that he was not telling them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.