Through the Bible – Day 362

Bible text(s)

Zechariah 5

Sixth vision: a flying scroll

1When I looked the next time, I saw a flying scroll, 2and the angel asked, “What do you see?”

“A flying scroll,” I answered. “About nine metres long and four and a half metres wide.”

3Then he told me:

This scroll puts a curse on everyone in the land who steals or tells lies. The writing on one side tells about the destruction of those who steal, while the writing on the other side tells about the destruction of those who lie.

4The LORD All-Powerful has said, “I am sending this scroll into the house of everyone who is a robber or tells lies in my name, and it will remain there until every piece of wood and stone in that house crumbles.”

Seventh vision: a woman in a basket

5Now the angel who was there to explain the visions came over and said, “Look up and tell me what you see coming.”

6“I don't know what it is,” was my reply.

“It's a big basket,” he said. “And it shows what everyone in the land has in mind.”

7The lead cover of the basket was opened, and in the basket was a woman. 8“This woman represents evil,” the angel explained. Then he threw her back into the basket and slammed the heavy cover down tight.

9Straight after this I saw two women coming through the sky like storks with wings outstretched in the wind. Suddenly they lifted the basket into the air, 10and I asked the angel, “Where are they taking the basket?”

11“To Babylonia,” he answered, “where they will build a house for the basket and set it down inside.”

Zechariah 6

Eighth vision: four chariots

1Finally, I looked up and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. 2The first chariot was pulled by red horses, and the second by black horses; 3the third chariot was pulled by white horses, and the fourth by spotted grey horses.

4“Sir,” I asked the angel. “What do these stand for?”

5Then he explained, “These are the four winds of heaven, and now they are going out, after presenting themselves to the Lord of all the earth. 6The chariot with black horses goes towards the north, the chariot with white horses goes towards the west, and the one with spotted horses goes towards the south.”

7The horses came out eager to patrol the earth, and the angel told them, “Start patrolling the earth.”

When they had gone on their way, 8he shouted to me, “Those that have gone to the country in the north will do what the LORD's Spirit wants them to do there.”

Mourning and celebrating

The chosen leader

9The LORD said to me:

10-11Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah have returned from Babylonia. Collect enough silver and gold from them to make a crown. Then go with them to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah and put the crown on the head of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak. 12-13Tell him that I, the LORD All-Powerful, say, “Someone will reach out from here like a branch and build a temple for me. I will name him ‘Branch’, and he will rule with royal honours. A priest will stand beside his throne, and the two of them will be good friends. 14This crown will be kept in my temple as a reminder and will be taken care of by Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah.”

15When people from distant lands come and help build the temple of the LORD All-Powerful, you will know that the LORD is the one who sent me. And this will happen, if you truly obey the LORD your God.

Zechariah 7

A question about going without eating

1On the fourth day of Chislev, the ninth month of the fourth year that Darius was king of Persia, the LORD again spoke to me. 2-3It happened after the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer with Regem-Melech and his men to ask the priests in the LORD's temple and the prophets to pray for them. So they prayed, “Should we mourn and go without eating during the fifth month, as we have done for many years?”

4-5It was then that the LORD All-Powerful told me to say to everyone in the country, including the priests:

For seventy years you have gone without eating during the fifth and seventh months of the year. But did you really do it for me? 6And when you eat and drink, isn't it for your own enjoyment? 7My message today is the same one I commanded the earlier prophets to speak to Jerusalem and its villages when they were prosperous, and when all of Judah, including the Southern Desert and the hill country, was filled with people.

8-9So once again, I, the LORD All-Powerful, tell you, “See that justice is done and be kind and merciful to one another! 10Don't ill-treat widows or orphans or foreigners or anyone who is poor, and stop making plans to hurt each other.”

11-12But everyone who heard those prophets, stubbornly refused to obey. Instead, they turned their backs on everything my Spirit had commanded the earlier prophets to preach. So I, the LORD, became angry 13and said, “You people paid no attention when I called out to you, and now I'll pay no attention when you call out to me.”

14That's why I came with a whirlwind and scattered them among foreign nations, leaving their lovely country empty of people and in ruins.

Zechariah 8

The LORD's promises to Zion

1The LORD All-Powerful said to me:

2I love Zion so much that her enemies make me angry. 3I will return to Jerusalem and live there on Mount Zion. Then Jerusalem will be known as my faithful city, and Zion will be known as my holy mountain.

4Very old people with walking sticks will once again sit around in Jerusalem, 5while boys and girls play in the streets. 6This may seem impossible for my people who are left, but it isn't impossible for me, the LORD All-Powerful. 7I will save those who were taken to lands in the east and the west, 8and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, faithful to bring about justice.

9I am the LORD All-Powerful! So don't give up. Think about the message my prophets spoke when the foundation of my temple was laid. 10Before that time, neither people nor animals were rewarded for their work, and no one was safe anywhere, because I had turned them against each other.

11My people, only a few of you are left, and I promise not to punish you as I did before. 12Instead, I will make sure that your crops are planted in peace and your vineyards are fruitful, that your fields are fertile and the dew falls from the sky. 13People of Judah and Israel, you have been a curse to the nations, but I will save you and make you a blessing to them. So don't be afraid or lose courage.

14When your ancestors made me angry, I decided to punish you with disasters, and I didn't hold back. 15Now you no longer need to be afraid. I have decided to treat Jerusalem and Judah with kindness. 16But you must be truthful with each other, and in court you must give fair decisions that lead to peace. 17Don't ever plan evil things against others or tell lies under oath. I, the LORD, hate such things.

A time of celebration

18The LORD All-Powerful told me to say:

19People of Judah, I, the LORD, demand that whenever you go without food as a way of worshipping me, it should become a time of celebration. No matter if it's the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, or the tenth month, you should have a joyful festival. So love truth and live at peace.

20I tell you that people will come here from cities everywhere. 21Those of one town will go to another and say, “We're going to ask the LORD All-Powerful to treat us with kindness. Come and join us.”

22Many people from strong nations will come to Jerusalem to worship me and to ask me to treat them with kindness. 23When this happens, ten people from nations with different languages will grab a Jew by his clothes and say, “Let us go with you. We've heard that God is on your side.” I, the LORD All-Powerful, have spoken!

Zechariah 5:1-8:23CEVOpen in Bible reader

Revelation 19

1After this, I heard what sounded like a lot of voices in heaven, and they were shouting,

“Praise the Lord!

To our God belongs

the glorious power to save,

2because his judgments

are honest and fair.

That filthy prostitute

ruined the earth

with shameful deeds.

But God has judged her

and made her pay

the price for murdering

his servants.”

3Then the crowd shouted,

“Praise the Lord!

Smoke will never stop rising

from her burning body.”

4After this, the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures all knelt before the throne of God and worshipped him. They said, “Amen! Praise the Lord!”

The marriage supper of the Lamb

5From the throne a voice said,

“If you worship

and fear our God,

give praise to him,

no matter who you are.”

6Then I heard what seemed to be a large crowd that sounded like a roaring flood and loud thunder all mixed together. They were saying,

“Praise the Lord!

Our Lord God All-Powerful

now rules as king.

7So we will be glad and happy

and give him praise.

The wedding day of the Lamb

is here,

and his bride is ready.

8She will be given

a wedding dress

made of pure

and shining linen.

This linen stands for

the good things

God's people have done.”

9Then the angel told me, “Put this in writing. God will bless everyone who is invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” The angel also said, “These things that God has said are true.”

10I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, “Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

The rider on the white horse

11I looked and saw that heaven was open, and a white horse was there. Its rider was called Faithful and True, and he is always fair when he judges or goes to war. 12He had eyes like flames of fire, and he was wearing a lot of crowns. His name was written on him, but he was the only one who knew what the name meant.

13The rider wore a robe that was covered with blood, and he was known as “The Word of God”. 14He was followed by armies from heaven that rode on horses and were dressed in pure white linen. 15From his mouth a sharp sword went out to attack the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod and will show the fierce anger of God All-Powerful by trampling on the grapes in the pit where wine is made. 16On the part of the robe that covered his thigh was written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”.

17I then saw an angel standing on the sun, and he shouted to all the birds flying in the sky, “Come and join in God's great feast! 18You can eat the flesh of kings, rulers, leaders, horses, riders, free people, slaves, important people, and everyone else.”

19I also saw the beast and all kings of the earth come together. They fought against the rider on the white horse and against his army. 20But the beast was captured and so was the false prophet. This is the same prophet who had performed miracles for the beast, so that he could fool everyone who had the mark of the beast and worshipped the idol. The beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into a lake of burning sulphur. 21But the rest of their army was killed by the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse. Then birds stuffed themselves on the dead bodies.

Revelation 19:1-21CEVOpen in Bible reader
Canadian Bible Societyv.4.23.0
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