Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

^15 (A)on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

The Coming Glory of the Temple

2 ^(B)In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: ² “Speak now to ^(C)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to ^(D)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, ^3 (E)‘Who is left among you who saw this house ^(F)in its former glory? How do you see it now? ^(G)Is it not as nothing in your eyes? ⁴ Yet now ^(H)be strong, O ^(I)Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. ^(J)Be strong, O ^(K)Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ^(L)Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. ^(M)Work, for ^(N)I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, ^5 (O)according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. ^(P)My Spirit remains in your midst. ^(Q)Fear not. ⁶ For thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(R)Yet once more, in a little while, ^(S)I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. ⁷ And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and ^(T)I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. ^8 (U)The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. ^9 (V)The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And ^(W)in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”

Great Is the Lord

^[a] A Song of Praise. Of David.

Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord

A Psalm.

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Now concerning ^(A)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our ^(B)being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,^{[a] 2} not to be quickly shaken in mind or ^(C)alarmed, either ^(D)by a spirit or a ^(E)spoken word, or ^(F)a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that ^(G)the day of the Lord has come. ^3 (H)Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, ^(I)unless the rebellion comes first, and ^(J)the man of lawlessness^[b] is revealed, ^(K)the son of destruction,^{[c] 4} who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, ^(L)proclaiming himself to be God. ⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?

Stand Firm

¹³ But ^(A)we ought always to give thanks to God for you, ^(B)brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you ^(C)as the firstfruits^{[a] (D)}to be saved, ^(E)through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. ¹⁴ To this he called you through ^(F)our gospel, ^(G)so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brothers, ^(H)stand firm and hold to ^(I)the traditions that you were taught by us, either ^(J)by our spoken word or by ^(K)our letter.

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, ^(L)who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good ^(M)hope through grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and ^(N)establish them in every good work and word.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

²⁷ There came to him ^(A)some Sadducees, ^(B)those who deny that there is a resurrection, ²⁸ and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us ^(C)that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man^[a] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second ³¹ and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. ³² Afterward the woman also died. ³³ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

³⁴ And Jesus said to them, ^(D)“The sons of this age ^(E)marry and ^(F)are given in marriage, ³⁵ but those who are ^(G)considered worthy to attain to ^(H)that age and to the resurrection from the dead ^(I)neither marry ^(J)nor are given in marriage, ³⁶ for ^(K)they cannot die anymore, because they are ^(L)equal to angels and ^(M)are ^(N)sons of God, being ^(O)sons^[b] of the resurrection. ³⁷ But that the dead are raised, ^(P)even Moses showed, in ^(Q)the passage about the bush, where he calls ^(R)the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all ^(S)live to him.”