M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had gone away. There was no sea any more.

² I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It was all ready and waiting, like a woman dressed for her wedding and ready to meet her husband.

³ I heard a loud voice in heaven. It said, `Look! God's house is now set up among the people. God will live with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them.

⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. No one will die. No one will ever cry or be sad for any reason. No one will ever have trouble. The old things are gone.'

⁵ The One who sat on the throne said, `Look, I make all things new.' And he said, `Write this, because these words can be trusted. they are true.'

⁶ He said to me, `It is finished! I am the First and the Last! I am the Beginning and the End. I will give the river of water that gives life to those who are thirsty. It will cost no money.

⁷ The one who wins will have these things. I will be his God and he will be my son.

⁸ Some people will be thrown into the big fire which burns with sulphur dust that chokes people. These are the people: those who give in to fear, those who do not believe, those who are bad, those who kill, those with wrong ways of using sex, the witch-doctors, those who worship idols, and all those who love lies. That fire is the second death.'

⁹ Then one of the seven angels who carried the seven bowls full of the last troubles came and talked to me. He said, `Come, I will show you the young woman who is the wife of the Lamb.'

¹⁰ The angel took me away in the Spirit to a very big hill. He showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God.

¹¹ The light of God was shining from it. It was bright like a very fine stone called jasper. It was as clear as glass.

¹² The city had a wall that was big and high. It had twelve doors. At the doors were twelve angels. Names were written on the doors. They are the names of the twelve tribes of the people of Israel.

¹³ There were three doors on the east side. There were three doors on the north side. There were three doors on the south side and three doors on the west side.

¹⁴ The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones. On them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

¹⁵ The angel who talked to me had a gold stick to measure the city, its doors, and its walls.

¹⁶ The city is square. It is as long as it is wide. The angel measured the city with his stick and it was about fifteen hundred miles. It is as long as it is wide and as high as it is long.

¹⁷ Then he measured its wall. It was two hundred and sixteen feet by the way a man measures. That is the way the angel measured.

¹⁸ The wall of the city was made of a very fine stone called jasper. The city was all made of pure gold. It was clear like glass.

¹⁹ The bottom of the city wall was covered with all kinds of fine stones. The first stone was red jasper. The second stone was blue sapphire. The third stone was of many colours called agate. The fourth stone was green emerald.

²⁰ The fifth stone was onyx. The sixth stone was red carnelian. The seventh stone was green crysolite. The eighth stone was green beryl. The ninth stone was yellow topaz. The tenth stone was green chrysoprase. The eleventh stone was red jacinth. And the twelfth stone was a blue amethyst.

²¹ The twelve doors were twelve pearls. Each door was made from one big pearl. The street of the city was all pure gold. It was as clear as glass.

²² I did not see any temple in the city. The Lord God, who has all power, and the Lamb, are its temple.

²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to give light in it. The glory of God gives light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

²⁴ Those who are saved will walk in its light. The kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

²⁵ The doors of the city will never be shut in the day time, and there will be no night.

²⁶ The glory and the honour of all nations will be brought into the city.

²⁷ Nothing that is not holy will ever go in. People who do wrong things and tell lies will never go in. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life will go in.

20 Mary Magdalene came to the grave on the first day of the week. It was early in the morning and not very light. She saw that the stone had been taken away from the grave.

² So she ran and met Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved. She said to them, `They have taken the Lord out of the grave! We do not know where they have laid him!'

³ Then Peter and that other disciple also went to the grave.

⁴ Both of them ran. The other disciple ran faster than Peter and got to the grave first.

⁵ He bent down and looked in. He saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go inside.

⁶ Then Simon Peter came up behind him. He went into the grave and saw the linen cloths lying there.

⁷ He also saw the small cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head. It was not with the other cloths, but it was folded together by itself in another place.

⁸ Then the other disciple, who got there first, also went in. He saw and believed.

⁹ Until this time they did not understand the holy writings where it says, `He must rise from death.'

¹⁰ Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

¹¹ But Mary stood outside the grave crying. As she cried, she bent down and looked into the grave.

¹² She saw two angels with white clothes on. They were sitting where Jesus' body had been. One sat at the head and one at the foot.

¹³ They said to her, `Woman, why are you crying?' She said to them, `They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him.'

¹⁴ When she had said this, she turned around. She saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ Jesus said to her, `Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?' She thought he was the man who took care of the garden. So she said to him, `Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him. I will take him away.'

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, `Mary.' She turned around again and said, `Master!'

¹⁷ Jesus said to her, `Do not hold me, because I have not yet gone up to my Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am going up to my Father. He is your Father also. I am going up to my God. He is your God also.'

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples. She said, `I have seen the Lord!' And she told them what he had said to her.

¹⁹ It was the first day of the week. In the evening the disciples were in a house together. The doors were shut because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood there with them. He said to them, `Peace to you!'

²⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Jesus said to them again, `Peace to you! My Father sent me: now I am sending you in the same way.'

²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and said, `Receive the Holy Spirit.

²³ Whoever you make free from the wrong things they have done will be free. Whoever you do not make free from the wrong things they have done will not be free.'

²⁴ Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, was called the Twin. He was not with them when Jesus came.

²⁵ The other disciples told him about it. They said, `We have seen the Lord!' Thomas said, `I will not believe unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands. I will not believe unless I put my finger on the mark and feel his side with my hand.'

²⁶ Then eight days later his disciples were in the house again. This time Thomas was with them. The doors were shut. Then Jesus came and stood there with them. He said to them, `Peace to you!'

²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, `Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Feel my side with your hand. Do not doubt anymore, but believe.'

²⁸ Thomas said to him, `My Lord and my God!'

²⁹ Jesus said to him, `You yourself have seen me. Is that why you now believe? God will bless people who believe though they have not seen me.'

³⁰ Jesus did many other big works when he was with the disciples. They are not written in this book.

³¹ But these things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And when you believe in his name, then he will give you power to live.