Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Lord of Power and Justice
A psalm.
98 Sing to the Lord a new song [C celebrating victory; 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 144:9; 149:1; Is. 42:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3],
because he has done ·miracles [wonderful acts].
By his right hand and holy arm
he has won the victory.
2 The Lord has made known his ·power to save [salvation; victory];
he has ·shown [revealed to] ·the other [L before the eyes of the] nations his ·victory for his people [righteousness].
3 He has remembered his ·love [loyalty]
and his ·loyalty [faithfulness] to the ·people [L house] of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
God’s ·power to save [salvation; victory].
4 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth;
·burst into songs [L break forth and sing for joy] and make ·music [a psalm].
5 Make music to the Lord with harps,
with harps and the sound of singing.
6 Blow the trumpets and the ·sheep’s [ram’s] horns;
shout for joy to the Lord the King [47:2; 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1; Rev. 19:6].
7 Let the sea and ·everything in it [its fullness] ·shout [thunder];
let the world and everyone in it sing.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the mountains sing together for joy.
9 Let them sing before the Lord,
because he is coming to judge the world.
He will judge the world ·fairly [with righteousness];
he will judge the peoples with fairness [96:13].
The Coals of Fire
10 Then I looked and ·saw [T behold] in the ·dome [vault; expanse; or platform; 1:22] above the heads of the ·living creatures [L cherubim] something like a ·sapphire [or lapis lazuli] gem which looked like a throne. 2 The Lord said to the man dressed in linen, “Go in between the wheels under the living creatures, fill your hands with ·coals of fire [burning coals] from between the ·living creatures [L cherubim], and scatter the coals over the city.”
As I watched, the man with linen clothes went in. 3 Now the ·living creatures [L cherubim] were standing on the south side of the ·Temple [L house] when the man went in. And a cloud filled the inner courtyard. 4 Then the glory of the Lord [C his manifest presence] went up from the ·living creatures [L cherubim] and stood over the ·door [threshold] of the ·Temple [L house]. The ·Temple [L house] was filled with the cloud [Ex. 40:34–38], and the courtyard was full of the brightness from the glory of the Lord. 5 The sound of the wings of the ·living creatures [L cherubim] was heard all the way to the outer courtyard. It was like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.
6 When the Lord commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from between the wheels, from between the ·living creatures [L cherubim],” the man went in and stood by a wheel. 7 ·One living creature [L The cherub] put out his hand to the fire that was among them, took some of the fire, and put it in the hands of the man dressed in linen. Then the man took the fire and went out.
The Wheels and the Creatures
8 Something that looked like a human hand could be seen under the wings of the ·living creatures [L cherubim]. 9 I ·saw [L looked and saw/T behold] the four wheels by the ·living creatures [L cherubim], one wheel by each ·living creature [L cherub]. The wheels looked like shining ·chrysolite [or topaz; or beryl]. 10 All four wheels looked alike: Each looked like a wheel ·crossways inside [L in the middle of] another wheel. 11 When the wheels moved, they went in any of the directions that the four ·living creatures [L cherubim] faced. The wheels did not turn about, and the ·living creatures [L cherubim] did not turn their bodies as they went. 12 All their bodies, their backs, their hands, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all over. Each of the four living creatures had a wheel. 13 I heard the wheels being called “·whirling wheels [or the wheelwork].” 14 Each ·living creature [L one] had four faces. The first face was the face of a ·creature with wings [L cherub]. The second face was a ·human [man’s] face, the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth was the face of an eagle.
15 Then the ·living creatures [cherubim] ·flew [mounted; rose] up. They were the same living creatures I had seen by the Kebar ·River [Canal; 1:1]. 16 When the ·living creatures [L cherubim] moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the ·living creatures [L cherubim] lifted their wings to fly up from the ground, the wheels did not leave their place beside them. 17 When the ·living creatures [L cherubim] stopped, the wheels stopped. When the creatures went up, the wheels went up also, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
18 Then the glory of the Lord [C his manifest presence] left the ·door [threshold] of the ·Temple [L house] and stood over the ·living creatures [L cherubim]. 19 ·As I watched [Before my eyes], the ·living creatures [L cherubim] spread their wings and flew up from the ·ground [earth], with the wheels beside them. They stood where the east gate of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord opened, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
God’s Kingdom Is Within You
20 Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the kingdom of God come?”
Jesus answered, “God’s kingdom ·is coming, but not in a way that you will be able to see with your eyes [L is not coming with observable/visible signs; C perhaps the heavenly signs described in Jewish apocalyptic literature]. 21 People will not say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ because God’s kingdom is ·within you [or among you; in your midst].”
When Jesus, the Son of Man, Comes Again(A)
22 Then Jesus said to ·his followers [the disciples], “The time will come when you will ·want very much [long] to see one of the days of the Son of Man [C the full revelation of the kingdom at Jesus’ return]. But you will not see it. 23 People will say to you, ‘Look, ·there he is [or over there]!’ or, ‘Look, ·here he is [or over here]!’ ·Stay where you are [L Don’t leave/go out]; don’t go away and ·search [pursue; chase after].
24 “For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so ·it will be when the Son of Man comes again [L will be the Son of Man in his day].[a] 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by ·the people of this time [L this generation]. 26 Just as it was ·when Noah lived [L in the days of Noah; Gen. 6—9], so it will be ·when the Son of Man comes again [L in the days of the Son of Man]. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying, and ·giving their children to be married [or being given in marriage] until the day Noah entered the boat. Then the flood came and ·killed [destroyed] them all. 28 It will be the same as ·during the time [L in the days] of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and ·sulfur [T brimstone] rained down from ·the sky [heaven] and ·killed [destroyed] them all [Gen. 19]. 30 This is how it will be ·when [L the day] the Son of Man ·comes again [L is revealed].
31 “On that day, a person who is on the roof [C roofs were typically flat and used as extra rooms] and whose belongings are in the house should not ·go inside [L come down] to get them. A person who is in the field should not ·go back home [L turn back]. 32 Remember Lot’s wife [C who was judged for longingly looking back at Sodom; Gen. 19:15–17, 26]. 33 Those who try to ·keep [preserve; keep secure] their lives will lose them. But those who ·give up [lose; let go of] their lives will save them. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be sleeping in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding grain together; one will be taken, and the other will be left. |36 Two people will be in the field. One will be taken, and the other will be left.|”[b]
37 ·The followers [L They] asked Jesus, “·Where will this be [L Where], Lord?”
Jesus answered, “Where there is a ·dead body [corpse], there the vultures will gather [C the carnage will make the place of judgment obvious to all].”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.