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36 “Then the king[a] will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every deity and he will utter presumptuous things against the God of gods. He will succeed until the time of[b] wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must occur.[c] 37 He will not respect[d] the gods of his fathers—not even the god loved by women.[e] He will not respect any god; he will elevate himself above them all. 38 What he will honor is a god of fortresses—a god his fathers did not acknowledge he will honor with gold, silver, valuable stones, and treasured commodities. 39 He will attack[f] mighty fortresses, aided by[g] a foreign deity. To those who recognize him he will grant considerable honor. He will place them in authority over many people, and he will parcel out land for a price.[h]
40 “At the time of the end the king of the south will attack[i] him. Then the king of the north will storm against him[j] with chariots, horsemen, and a large armada of ships.[k] He[l] will invade lands, passing through them like an overflowing river.[m] 41 Then he will enter the beautiful land.[n] Many[o] will fall, but these will escape:[p] Edom, Moab, and the Ammonite leadership. 42 He will extend his power[q] against other lands; the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 He will have control over the hidden stores of gold and silver, as well as all the treasures of Egypt. Libyans and Ethiopians[r] will submit to him.[s] 44 But reports will trouble him from the east and north, and he will set out in a tremendous rage to destroy and wipe out many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas[t] toward the beautiful holy mountain. But he will come to his end, with no one to help him.
12 “At that time Michael,
the great prince who watches over your people,[u]
will arise.[v]
There will be a time of distress
unlike any other from the nation’s beginning[w]
up to that time.
But at that time your own people,
all those whose names are[x] found written in the book,
will escape.
2 Many of those who sleep
in the dusty ground will awake—
some to everlasting life,
and others to shame and everlasting abhorrence.[y]
3 But the wise will shine
like the brightness of the heavenly expanse.
And those bringing many to righteousness
will be like the stars forever and ever.
4 “But you, Daniel, close up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will dash about,[z] and knowledge will increase.”
5 I, Daniel, watched as two others stood there, one on each side of the river.[aa] 6 One said to the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river, “When will the end of these wondrous events occur?” 7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen who was over the waters of the river as he raised both his right and left hands to the sky[ab] and made an oath by the one who lives forever: “It is for a time, times, and half a time. Then, when the power of the one who shatters[ac] the holy people has been exhausted, all these things will be finished.”
8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I said, “Sir,[ad] what will happen after these things?” 9 He said, “Go, Daniel. For these matters are closed and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made clean, and refined, but the wicked will go on being wicked. None of the wicked will understand, though the wise will understand. 11 From the time that the daily sacrifice is removed and the abomination that causes desolation is set in place,[ae] there are 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits and attains to the 1,335 days. 13 But you should go your way[af] until the end.[ag] You will rest and then at the end of the days you will arise to receive[ah] what you have been allotted.”[ai]
Testing the Spirits
4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit,[a] but test[b] the spirits[c] to determine[d] if they are from God, because many false prophets[e] have gone out into the world. 2 By this[f] you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses[g] Jesus as the Christ[h] who has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but[i] every spirit that refuses to confess[j] Jesus,[k] that spirit[l] is not from God, and this is the spirit[m] of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world.
4 You are from God, little children, and have conquered them,[n] because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world’s perspective and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God; the person who knows God listens to us, but[o] whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this[p] we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.[q]
God is Love
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because[r] love is from God, and everyone who loves[s] has been fathered[t] by God and knows God. 8 The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.[u] 9 By this[v] the love of God[w] is revealed in us:[x] that God has sent his one and only[y] Son into the world so that we may live through him. 10 In this[z] is love: not that[aa] we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice[ab] for our sins.
11 Dear friends, if God so loved us, then[ac] we also ought to love one another.[ad] 12 No one has seen God at any time.[ae] If we love one another, God resides[af] in us, and his love is perfected in us.[ag] 13 By this[ah] we know that we reside in God[ai] and he in us: in that he has given us of his Spirit.[aj] 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior[ak] of the world.
15 If anyone[al] confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides[am] in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe[an] the love that God has in us.[ao] God is love, and the one who resides[ap] in love resides in God, and God resides in him. 17 By this[aq] love is perfected with[ar] us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as Jesus[as] is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.[at] The[au] one who fears punishment[av] has not been perfected in love. 19 We love[aw] because he loved us first.
20 If anyone says[ax] “I love God” and yet[ay] hates his fellow Christian,[az] he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian[ba] whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.[bb] 21 And the commandment we have from him is this: that[bc] the one who loves God should love his fellow Christian[bd] too.
Psalm 123[a]
A song of ascents.[b]
123 I look up[c] toward you,
the one enthroned[d] in heaven.
2 Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress,[e]
so our eyes will look to the Lord, our God, until he shows us favor.
3 Show us favor, O Lord, show us favor!
For we have had our fill of humiliation, and then some.[f]
4 We have had our fill[g]
of the taunts of the self-assured,
of the contempt of the proud.
2 When the righteous become numerous,[a] the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.[b]
3 The man[c] who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,[d]
but whoever associates[e] with prostitutes wastes[f] his wealth.[g]
4 A king brings stability to[h] a land[i] by justice,
but one who exacts tribute[j] tears it down.
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