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Vision Five: The Menorah
4 The angelic messenger[a] who had been speaking with me then returned and woke me, as a person is wakened from sleep. 2 He asked me, “What do you see?” I replied,[b] “I see a menorah of pure gold with a receptacle at the top. There are seven lamps at the top, with seven[c] pipes going to the lamps. 3 There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the receptacle and the other on the left.”[d] 4 Then I asked the messenger who spoke with me, “What are these,[e] sir?” 5 He replied, “Don’t you know what these are?” So I responded, “No, sir.” 6 Therefore he told me, “This is the Lord’s message to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength and not by power, but by my Spirit,’[f] says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Oracle of Response
7 “What are you, you great mountain?[g] Because of Zerubbabel you will become a level plain! And he will bring forth the temple[h] capstone with shoutings of ‘Grace! Grace!’[i] because of this.” 8 Moreover, the Lord’s message came to me as follows: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this temple,[j] and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me to you. 10 For who dares make light of small beginnings? These seven eyes[k] will joyfully look on the tin tablet[l] in Zerubbabel’s hand. These are the eyes of the Lord, which constantly range across the whole earth.”
11 Next I asked the messenger, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the menorah?” 12 Before he could reply I asked again, “What are these two extensions[m] of the olive trees, which are emptying out the golden oil through the two golden pipes?” 13 He replied, “Don’t you know what these are?” And I said, “No, sir.” 14 So he said, “These are the two anointed ones[n] who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
Vision Six: The Flying Scroll
5 Then I turned to look, and there was a flying scroll! 2 Someone asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see a flying scroll 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.”[o] 3 The speaker went on to say, “This is a curse[p] traveling across the whole earth. For example, according to the curse whoever steals[q] will be removed from the community; or on the other hand (according to the curse) whoever swears falsely will suffer the same fate.” 4 “I will send it out,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and it will enter the house of the thief and of the person who swears falsely in my name. It will land in the middle of his house and destroy both timber and stones.”
Vision Seven: The Ephah
5 After this the angelic messenger[r] who had been speaking to me went out and said, “Look, see what is leaving.” 6 I asked, “What is it?” And he replied, “It is a basket for measuring grain[s] that is moving away from here.” Moreover, he said, “This is their ‘eye’[t] throughout all the earth.” 7 Then a round lead cover was raised up, revealing a woman sitting inside the basket. 8 He then said, “This woman represents wickedness,” and he pushed her down into the basket and placed the lead cover on top. 9 Then I looked again and saw two women[u] going forth with the wind in their wings (they had wings like those of a stork), and they lifted up the basket between the earth and the sky. 10 I asked the messenger who was speaking to me, “Where are they taking the basket?” 11 He replied, “To build a temple[v] for her in the land of Babylonia.[w] When it is finished, she will be placed there in her own residence.”
An Interlude: The Song of the 144,000
14 Then[a] I looked, and here was[b] the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000, who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 I also heard a sound[c] coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. Now[d] the sound I heard was like that made by harpists playing their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No[e] one was able to learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves[f] with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from humanity as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, 5 and no lie was found on their lips;[g] they[h] are blameless.
Three Angels and Three Messages
6 Then[i] I saw another[j] angel flying directly overhead,[k] and he had[l] an eternal gospel to proclaim[m] to those who live[n] on the earth—to every nation, tribe,[o] language, and people. 7 He declared[p] in a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has arrived, and worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water!”
8 A[q] second[r] angel[s] followed the first,[t] declaring:[u] “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city![v] She made all the nations[w] drink of the wine of her immoral passion.”[x]
9 A[y] third angel[z] followed the first two,[aa] declaring[ab] in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand, 10 that person[ac] will also drink of the wine of God’s anger[ad] that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur[ae] in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke from their[af] torture will go up[ag] forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have[ah] no rest day or night, along with[ai] anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 12 This requires[aj] the steadfast endurance[ak] of the saints—those who obey[al] God’s commandments and hold to[am] their faith in Jesus.[an]
13 Then[ao] I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:
‘Blessed are the dead,
those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work,[ap] because their deeds will follow them.”[aq]
14 Then[ar] I looked, and a white cloud appeared,[as] and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man![at] He had[au] a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then[av] another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use[aw] your sickle and start to reap,[ax] because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” 16 So[ay] the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then[az] another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Another[ba] angel, who was in charge of[bb] the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel[bc] who had the sharp sickle, “Use[bd] your sharp sickle and gather[be] the clusters of grapes[bf] off the vine of the earth,[bg] because its grapes[bh] are now ripe.”[bi] 19 So[bj] the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard[bk] of the earth and tossed them into the great[bl] winepress of the wrath of God. 20 Then[bm] the winepress was stomped[bn] outside the city, and blood poured out of the winepress up to the height of horses’ bridles[bo] for a distance of almost 200 miles.[bp]
Psalm 142[a]
A well-written song[b] by David, when he was in the cave;[c] a prayer.
142 To the Lord I cry out;[d]
to the Lord I plead for mercy.[e]
2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about[f] my troubles.
3 Even when my strength leaves me,[g]
you watch my footsteps.[h]
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see.
No one cares about me.[i]
I have nowhere to run;[j]
no one is concerned about my life.[k]
5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security[l] in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble.[m]
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
7 Free me[n] from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble,[o]
for you will vindicate me.[p]
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