M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

He sees heaven open, and the seat, and one sitting upon it, and 24 seats around it with 24 elders sitting upon them, and four creatures praising God day and night.

4 After this I looked, and behold, a door was open in heaven, and the first voice that I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said, Come up here, and I will show you things that must be fulfilled hereafter. ² And immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a seat was put in heaven, and one sat on the seat. ³ And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardine stone. And there was a rainbow about the seat, in sight like an emerald. ⁴ And around the seat were 24 seats, and upon the seats 24 elders sitting clothed in white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

⁵ And out of the seat proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the seat, which are the seven spirits of God. ⁶ And before the seat there was a sea of glass like a crystal, and in the midst of the seat, and round about the seat, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. ⁷ And the first creature was like a lion, the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. ⁸ And the four creatures had each one of them six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within. And they had no rest day or night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!

⁹ And when those creatures gave glory and honour and thanks to him who sat on the seat, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the 24 elders fell down before him who sat on the throne and worshipped him who lives forever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ¹¹ You are worthy, Lord, to receive glory and honour and power, for you have created all things, and for your will’s sake they exist and were created.

The conversation of Christ with Nicodemus. The teaching and baptism of John, and what witness he bears of Christ.

3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler among the Jews. ² He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God. For no man could do such miracles as you do unless God were with him.

³ Jesus answered and said to him, Truly truly I say to you, unless a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter into his mother’s womb and be born again?

⁵ Jesus answered, Truly truly I say to you, unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Marvel not that I said to you, you must be born anew. ⁸ The wind blows where it will, and you hear its sound, but cannot tell from whence it comes and where it goes. That is how it is with everyone that is born of the Spirit.

⁹ And Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, Are you a teacher in Israel, and do not know these things? ¹¹ Truly truly I say to you, we speak what we know and testify what we have seen, and you people do not receive our witness. ¹² If when I tell you all earthly things, you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you of heavenly things? ¹³ And no man ascends up to heaven but he who came down from heaven; that is to say, the Son of man who is in heaven. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that no one who believes in him will perish, but will have eternal life.

¹⁶ For God so loves the world that he has given his only Son, so that none who believe in him should perish, but should have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world through him could be saved. ¹⁸ Whoever believes on him shall not be condemned. But whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he does not believe in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation: that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness more than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. ²¹ But whoever does truth comes to the light, so that his deeds may be known, that they are wrought in God.

²² After these things, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and there he spent time with them and baptized. ²³ And John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there, and people came and were baptized. ²⁴ For John had not yet been cast into prison.

²⁵ And there arose a question between John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying. ²⁶ And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, of whom you bear witness, behold, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.

²⁷ John answered and said, A man can receive nothing at all unless it is given to him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves are witnesses that I said I am not the Christ, but have been sent before him. ²⁹ He who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and hears him, rejoices greatly to hear the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this my joy is fulfilled. ³⁰ He must increase in renown, and I must decrease.

³¹ He who comes from on high is above all. He who is of the earth is earthly, and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all, ³² and what he has seen and heard, that he testifies; but no one receives his testimony. ³³ However, the person who has received his testimony has set to his seal that God is true. ³⁴ For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God. For God does not give the Spirit by measure (to him). ³⁵ The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. ³⁶ The person who believes on the Son has everlasting life, and the person who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.