Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.
The Coming Glory of God’s House
2 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came [a]by Haggai the prophet, saying: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying: 3 (A)‘Who is left among you who saw this [b]temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, (B)is this not in your eyes as nothing? 4 Yet now (C)be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts. 5 (D)‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so (E)My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’
6 “For thus says the Lord of hosts: (F)‘Once more (it is a little while) (G)I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to (H)the [c]Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this [d]temple with (I)glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. 8 ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. 9 (J)‘The glory of this latter [e]temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give (K)peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
A Song of God’s Majesty and Love
(A)A Praise of David.
17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
18 (A)The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him (B)in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
20 (C)The Lord preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.
A Song of Praise to the Lord for His Salvation and Judgment
A Psalm.
98 Oh, (A)sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has (B)done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
2 (C)The Lord has made known His salvation;
(D)His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the [a]nations.
3 He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
(E)All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
5 Sing to the Lord with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
6 With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.
The Great Apostasy
2 Now, brethren, (A)concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (B)and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 (C)not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of [a]Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come (D)unless the falling away comes first, and (E)the man of [b]sin is revealed, (F)the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and (G)exalts himself (H)above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits [c]as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
Stand Fast
13 But we are [a]bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God (A)from the beginning (B)chose you for salvation (C)through [b]sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for (D)the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore, brethren, (E)stand fast and hold (F)the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our [c]epistle.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, (G)who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and (H)good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts (I)and [d]establish you in every good word and work.
The Sadducees: What About the Resurrection?(A)
27 (B)Then some of the Sadducees, (C)who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second [a]took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven [b]also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.”
34 Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are (D)counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for (E)they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, (F)being sons of the resurrection. 37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord (G)‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for (H)all live to Him.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.