Book of Common Prayer

A little scroll

10 Then I saw another strong angel coming down from heaven, dressed in a cloud. Over his head was a rainbow; his face was like the sun, and his feet were like fiery pillars. ² He was holding a small scroll, open, in his hand. Placing his right foot on the sea, and his left on the land, ³ he shouted in a loud voice like a lion roaring. When he shouted, the seven thunders answered with their own voices. ⁴ When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven. “Seal up what the seven thunders said,” instructed the voice. “Don’t write it down.”

⁵ Then the angel whom I had seen standing on the sea and the land raised his right hand towards heaven ⁶ and swore an oath by the One who lives forever and ever, who made heaven and what it contains, the earth and what it contains, and the sea and what it contains. This was the oath: that there would be no more time, ⁷ but that God’s mystery would be completed in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, who was going to blow his trumpet. That is what he had announced to his servants the prophets.

⁸ The voice I had heard from heaven spoke to me again. “Go,” it said, “and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went up to the angel.

“Give me the little scroll,” I said.

“Take it,” he said to me, “and eat it. It will be bitter in your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth.” ¹⁰ So I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand, and I ate it. It tasted like sweet honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach felt bitter. ¹¹ “You must prophesy again,” he said to me, “about many peoples, nations, languages and kingdoms.”

The parable of the weeds explained

³⁶ Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came and joined him.

“Explain to us,” they said, “the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ “The one who sows the good seed,” said Jesus, “is the son of man. ³⁸ The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one; ³⁹ the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.

⁴⁰ “So: when the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, that’s what it will be like at the close of the age. ⁴¹ The son of man will send out his angels, and they will collect together out of his kingdom everything that causes offense, and everyone who acts wickedly. ⁴² They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father. If you have ears, then hear!”